Station Alpha: 1000 days, 5 persons. Mysterious discoveries. Friendship, jealousy, hatred, betrayal. Death. Where's Anna? What's hiding in Valles Marineris?

Second book in the science fiction series "Red Desert".

After 995 days on Mars, the enthusiasm of the Isis crew has turned into frustration and intolerance. Their research hasn't provided the hoped for outcomes, the resources at their disposal are insufficient, and NASA had previously cancelled the launch of a second mission, which would have brought more colonisers and equipment to the planet. Relationships among the five members of the expedition have become difficult. Station Alpha is home to a complex web of conflicts, secrets, alliances, and rivalries. Now a new launch window is about to open, but the news from Houston isn't reassuring at all. While the finding of a possible ice sac might give a positive turn to the events, Anna, embittered by the unusual behaviour of Robert and the cold war against Hassan, is considering the opportunity to return to Earth. When death strikes amongst the five inhabitants of Mars, Anna finds her only possible choice is a solitary escape. But Mars has got an incredible discovery in store for her, a key to a mystery hidden in the depths of Valles Marineris.

The previous book is "Red Desert - Point of No Return". The next book is "Red Desert - Invisible Enemy".

--- This is the second book in a series of four and it ends with a cliffhanger. ---

Autorentext

Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli is an Italian science fiction and thriller author.

She has lived in Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) since 1993, earning a degree in biology and working as a writer, scientific and literary translator, and freelance web copywriter. In the past she also worked as researcher, tutor and professor's assistant in the field of ecology at the University of Cagliari.

In 2012-2013 she wrote and published a hard science fiction series set on Mars and titled Deserto rosso.

The whole series was also published as omnibus and hit No. 1 on the Italian Kindle Store in 2014.

Deserto rosso was published in English, with the title Red Desert, between 2014 and 2015.

She also authored three crime thrillers in the Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy (2014-2017), an action thriller titled Kindred Intentions (Affinità d'intenti, 2015), five more science fiction novels ? L'isola di Gaia (2014), Per caso (2015), Ophir. Codice vivente (2016), Sirius. In caduta libera (2018), and Nave stellare Aurora (2020) ? and a non-fiction book titled Self-publishing lab. Il mestiere dell'autoeditore (2020).

Her crime thriller The Mentor was first published in English by AmazonCrossing in 2015 and became an international bestseller hitting No. 1 on the Kindle Store in USA, UK, and Australia. A new edition was published in 2022. The other two books in the trilogy, Syndrome and Beyond the Limit, are expected in 2023.

She's also a member of the International Thriller Writers organization.

She's often a guest both in Italy and abroad during book fairs, including Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino and Frankfurter Buchmesse, local publishing events as well as university conferences. She has also taught a class on self-publishing at the University of Insubria since 2016.

Her books have been reviewed or recommended by national magazines and newspapers such as Wired Italia, Tom's Hardware Italia, La Repubblica, Tiscali News, and Global Science (Italian Space Agency).

She is known in the Italian online community by her nickname, Anakina, which has become the name of her imprint.