L. C. Smith – författare

The objective of the program committee of the Fifth International Symposium on Atherosclerosis was to bring together experts in many disciplines to broaden the scope of the attack on this disease and to foster interaction. Our hope was that such interaction would accelerate the eradication of the disease. The symposium achieved that objective and con­ tinued the tradition of the previous symposia in providing a forum for summaries of recent research developments in the study, treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis. The leading authorities and researchers in this field and in the related areas of interest have presented the newest information, concepts and ideas that have evolved in the past three years since the previous meeting in Tokyo. The most promising fields for future investigation are clearly identified, as are the nature of the controversies that persist in some highly important aspects of treatment of this disease. The appearance of these proceedings so soon after the meeting will greatly enhance the impact of the symposium on current research in atherosclerosis. The program committee is particularly indebted to the excellent response of the inves­ tigators for their willingness to participate in the symposium and for their successful efforts in bringing high quality to their presentations. Their cooperation in the expeditious delivery of manuscripts for this volume has been particularly gratifying. The efforts of Ms. Barbara Allen in preparing this volume bear special note.

The objective of the program committee of the Fifth International Symposium on Atherosclerosis was to bring together experts in many disciplines to broaden the scope of the attack on this disease and to foster interaction. Our hope was that such interaction would accelerate the eradication of the disease. The symposium achieved that objective and con­ tinued the tradition of the previous symposia in providing a forum for summaries of recent research developments in the study, treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis. The leading authorities and researchers in this field and in the related areas of interest have presented the newest information, concepts and ideas that have evolved in the past three years since the previous meeting in Tokyo. The most promising fields for future investigation are clearly identified, as are the nature of the controversies that persist in some highly important aspects of treatment of this disease. The appearance of these proceedings so soon after the meeting will greatly enhance the impact of the symposium on current research in atherosclerosis. The program committee is particularly indebted to the excellent response of the inves­ tigators for their willingness to participate in the symposium and for their successful efforts in bringing high quality to their presentations. Their cooperation in the expeditious delivery of manuscripts for this volume has been particularly gratifying. The efforts of Ms. Barbara Allen in preparing this volume bear special note.

Tough times make tough people.Max Dauntless – Some Kinda Hero, is the second instalment of the series. Luke Sanders and Tessa Winters return. The armies of the night had unleashed their nightmare, their barbaric riots having torn through the beleaguered town of Arlingston, leaving devastation in their wake. Lives have been lost, leaving behind a desolate landscape of shattered dreams and broken hearts. Nonetheless, the survivors persevere, resolved to rebuild.Despite uncovering Luke's secret, Tessa struggles to recover; the chilling fear of her near-death experience still lingers. The terrifying events of the riotous night plunged Tessa into a perilous journey; her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder dredge up a dark history from her time in a crooked orphanage. Haunted by her past, Tessa is driven to find a missing victim who disappeared during the riots.The Duke and his ruthless biker gang make Tessa their prime target, hoping to silence her after she witnessed the brutal slaying of a police officer during the riot. The town of Arlingston finds itself in the grip of a murderous rampage from the Duke and his barbaric biker gang; the nightmare that can only be resolved by the vigilante, Max Dauntless.Driven by his unwavering resolve to fight the underworld and find his father's murderer, Luke joins forces with a formidable ally, and their combined might unleashes a war against the villains plaguing Arlingston. As they delve deeper into the shadowy realm of crime and drugs, the peril escalates, thrusting them into a terrifying fight for their very lives, placing Luke on a path from which there is no return.Tomorrow's strength is forged in today's struggles.

If you can't change the cards you're dealt, change how you play your hand!Max Dauntless – Us Against the World, is the third instalment of the series. Luke Sanders and Tessa Winters return. Following the Duke's death and his clan's downfall at the hands of the vigilante, as the town's gangs battle fiercely, the sinister crime lord, Mr Big, and his ruthless gang, Chaos Dawn, rapidly seize the town of Arlingston. Dominating the criminal underworld, the crime lord governs Arlingston with a harsh, unyielding grip.As their wicked intentions are revealed, Luke and Tessa, ever defiant, begin their resistance against the persecution, plotting to bring about their downfall. The schoolyards and chaotic streets continue to be a constant battleground. Still struggling with her inner demons and addiction, Tessa teams up with Luke as he fights the criminal underworld, intent on finding his father's killer.The fearless crime-fighters fight their battle on two fronts: one against Mr Big and his large criminal network, the other against Sebastien Fitzpatrick and his paedophile ring, a savage group of sexual predators and child groomers. As Luke and Tessa delve into the investigation of the brutal group, Carnal Lust, they stumble upon an extensive operation that pulls the brave teenagers into its perilous grasp.The discovery of a close friend caught in the clutches of the deadly grooming gang ignites a race against time to save the day, culminating in a dramatic showdown at the sinister sex house known as the House of Aphrodite.Fear is overcome only by hope.

Damaged people are dangerous; they know how to survive and make hell feel like home. Max Dauntless – The Midnight Assassin, is the fourth instalment of the series. Luke Sanders and Tessa Winters return. The sinister crime lord, Mr Big, grows more powerful, his wicked influence on Arlingston intensifying as the courageous teenagers, Luke, and Tessa, fight his malevolent operations, from Chaos Dawn to the corrupt police officers.The mission to track down a bomb-making terrorist working for Mr Big forces Luke to become the deadly vigilante again, spurred by the emergence of deadly ecstasy in Arlingston nightclubs and a subsequent string of deaths. As the situation deteriorates, Luke's desperate hunt for the drug escalates after a loved one becomes its victim.Following Carnal Lust's downfall, the criminal underworld's ruthless glare turns toward the crime-fighting heroes, consumed by a relentless desire for retribution. Unbeknownst to Luke, the underworld stirs with a dark plot to destroy the crime-fighting heroes, Luke, and Tessa, forcing them into a desperate battle for survival.Luke's investigation takes him to the prestigious halls of St Edward's Public School, where he uncovers a deadly secret hidden beneath the shadows. With assassins closing in, Luke is in a desperate race against time to save the day. The story culminates in a brutal finale where he fights for survival in the ruthless gladiatorial arena known as 'Rage in the Cage,' facing merciless opponents in a fight to the death.Never give up; just survive.

Civility cracks under true chaos.Max Dauntless – Destroyer of the Underworld, is the fifth and final instalment of the series. Luke Sanders and Tessa Winters return. Doggedly, Luke vows to bring Tessa home. With Luke wrestling with his affections, he and Tessa are close to finally uncovering the truths they've always desperately sought.All the while, the ruthless crime lord, Mr Big, alongside his barbaric thugs, Chaos Dawn, and loyal followers, unleash their devastating plan, plunging the doomed town into fear and destruction. As the fate of Arlingston teeters and lives hang in peril, Luke, and Tessa find themselves drawn into the fight again.Luke is abruptly caught in the chaos of being framed for a gruesome murder. With the law closing in and criminals from every corner of Arlingston pursuing the teenager, Luke finds himself in a deadly chase, constantly evading his hunters by relying on his skill and wit to avoid capture and save the day.As our heroes are thrust into a desperate fight for survival, they rally the town of Arlingston against the shadowy criminal underworld. Citizens from every corner of Arlingston rise to defy the crime lord. Heroes rally together to fight back. Arlingston is engulfed in an all-out battle between Dovedale's resistance and the vast armies of the underworld. At the same time, Max Dauntless confronts the evil Mr Big, and the haunting ghost of his painful past.Enduring the toughest times sparks the birth of resilience.

I don't know how I'm going to win … I just know I'm not going to lose…Max Dauntless – The Fight Back Begins plunges readers into the perilous town of Arlingston, nestled in the north of England. It's the early nineties, and for Luke Sanders and Tessa Winters, the teenagers who are living through it, survival is a daily fight. Luke, a tenacious orphan with a rebellious streak, was driven by a desperate need to uncover who had murdered his father. Tessa, embodying the quintessential girl next door, harbours deep trauma from a broken home, sharing her life with a father prone to alcoholism and violence, and still reeling from the decade-old disappearance of her mother.Luke and Tessa, two troubled teenagers ostracised by society, struggle to maintain their grip on life amid a daily fight for survival as their worlds disintegrate around them. Fuelled by a need for retribution, Luke stumbles upon a life-altering truth from his late father's past, starting a relentless pursuit of vengeance that leads him and Tessa deep into their hometown's vicious, murky criminal world, where they face off against many unforgiving villains and find themselves in danger.With more sinister forces at work within the criminal underworld, the teenagers suddenly find themselves fighting for their very existence when a vicious biker gang begins preying on their friends and family, resulting in utter disaster. As their hometown reels from a string of savage killings and teeters on the edge of a brutal gang conflict, Luke, and Tessa find themselves in grave danger. However, the armies of the night fail to consider their most dangerous enemy: Luke Sanders, Max Dauntless.Don't let life beat you; instead, choose to fight back.