Sex on the Moon

Prologue
 
It had to be the strangest getaway in history.
            Thad Roberts tried to control his nerves as he stared up through the windshield of the idling four-wheel-drive Jeep. The rain was coming down in violent gray sheets, so fierce and thick he could barely make out the bright red traffic light hanging just a few feet in front of him. He had been sitting there for what seemed like forever; a long stretch of pavement serpentined into the gray mist behind him, winding back past a half-dozen other traffic lights all of which he d had to wait through, in exactly the same fashion. Even worse, between the lights he d had to keep the Jeep at an agonizing five miles per hour a veritable crawl along the desolate, rain-swept streets of the tightly controlled compound. It was unbelievably hard to drive at five miles per hour, especially when your neurons were going off like fireworks and your heart felt like it was going to blow right through your rib cage. But five miles per hour was the mandatory speed limit of the compound posted every few yards on signs by the road and at five miles per hour, once you hit one red light, you were going to hit them all.
            Thad s fingers whitened against the Jeep s steering wheel as he watched the red glow, willing it to change to green. He wanted nothing more than to gun the engine, put his foot right through the floor, break the speed limit, and get the hell out of there. But he knew that there were cameras everywhere that the entire getaway was being filmed and broadcast on more than a dozen security consoles. For this to work, he had to stay calm, obey the rules. He had to appear as if he belonged.
            He took a deep breath, let the red glow from the traffic light splash across his cheeks. Only a few more seconds. He used the

Ben Mezrich is the New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires, Bringing Down the House, and Sex on the Moon in addition to thirteen other books. The film 21, starring Kevin Spacey, was based on Bringing Down the House. The Social Network, which won an Oscar for best adaptation, was based on The Accidental Billionaires. 

An out-of-this-world heist.
USA Today 
 
Mezrich has uncovered another high-stakes, fascinating true story. . . . Part love story, part madcap caper, part astro-geekery, the book is one of the summer s most fun reads.
NPR 
 
Movie-worthy treatment to the guy who stole moon rocks from NASA.
The New York Daily News
 
Mezrich is a genius at using characters and dialogue. . . to turn nonfiction into something as compelling as any thriller.
The Chronicle Herald 

[An] in-depth look at Thad Roberts, who along with three other NASA interns, stole pieces of lunar rock to impress his girlfriend. Mezrich has done extensive research to recreate the story of how an aspiring astronaut ended up getting caught for stealing over 100 pieces of the moon.
The Atlantic Monthly

A fast and furious read, powered along by Mezrich s desire never to take his eyes off the story.
Chicago Post-Tribune

Ben Mezrich s latest straight-to-the-big-screen book. . . . a rollicking summertime page-turner crackling with sex, astronauts, stolen dinosaur bones and international cyber-intrigue.
The Miami Herald

A breathless, credulous style. . . . memorable supporting characters. . . . adventure, sex, romance, a hero who is equal parts Clifford Irving from The Hoax, Frank Abagnale from Catch Me If You Can, and George Bailey from It s a Wonderful Life.
The Boston Globe

[A] thrilling account of space rock heist. . . fun, breezy action.
Tampa Tribune

Eloquent prose and a direct view into the characters mind. . . the access to Roberts and re-creation of his motivation and personality are Sex On The Moon s best qualities.
The Onion

[A] fascinating story. . . . has the readability of popular fiction, a ripping story, and great characters. . . . Another winner from an extremely talented writer.
Booklist, starred review

Out of this world heist. . . . one of the summer s most buzzed-about books.
CNN.com