The Unexpected

When Andrew Rakford takes the oath of office as President of the United States, hope fills the air. Charismatic, intelligent, and carrying the weight of his family's history, he seems destined to lead a fractured nation into peace. But his inauguration day shatters into chaos when coordinated terrorist attacks turn celebration into carnage.As America reels, Andrew is thrust into a fight not only against an unseen enemy but against the shadows of his own past-visions of his parents, his faith, and a destiny whispered to him since childhood. With trusted allies like George, his weary but wise chief of staff, and Frank, his hardened secretary of defense, Andrew must navigate betrayals, radical plots, and the terrifying possibility of traitors within his own ranks.What begins as a political crisis becomes a battle for survival-and for the very soul of a nation. The Unexpected is a high-stakes political thriller where faith, loyalty, and power collide in the crucible of an unthinkable national emergency. Caleb A. Mertz, has published the titles "From Jason's Journal" (Previously "With Thoughts of Jason") '06, "The Silhouetted Leaves" '09, and "The Unexpected" '13. He is an author, actor, and voice over talent.Currently Mertz is studying English and Spanish Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. And has studied with authors Tom Farber and Amy Rowland. While he continues to pursue further education he is also working on a collection of short stories and two other novels he hopes to release within the next few years.