NEW YORK (AP) — A lead U.S. negotiator for the release of hundreds of people captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel will have a book out this fall.
The Penguin Random House imprint Crown has scheduled Brett McGurk's “Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7 Hostages” for Oct. 6, nearly three years to the day after the deadly Hamas siege that left more than 1,000 people dead and more than 200 taken captive.
McGurk, 53, is a longtime Middle East adviser and diplomat who had already served under three presidents when he was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023 to oversee hostage talks between Israel and Hamas. According to Crown, McGurk will describe his frantic efforts to balance the competing and seemingly intractable demands of the two sides, traveling worldwide in pursuit of an agreement.
“On October 7, Hamas unleashed a devastating war and the largest hostage crisis in modern history,” McGurk said in a statement released Wednesday by Crown. “I wrote ‘Brink’ to bring readers inside the rooms as events unfolded in real time — from the Situation Room with hundreds of missiles in the air, to compounds across the Middle East where diplomacy teetered between breakthrough and collapse.”
According to Crown, McGurk will also disclose details of a near-deal before Oct. 7 that would have normalized relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and will remember his unlikely alliance with President Donald Trump appointee Steve Witkoff as they handled talks during the transition time between the administrations of Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican. The remaining surviving hostages were freed in October 2025.
“'Brink' details the bipartisan front they forged when it mattered most, ultimately securing a deal that would save lives,” the publisher's announcement reads in part.
FILE - Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy for the global coalition against IS, speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq, June 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 26, 2026--
Sterlington is pleased to announce the arrival of a nine-member patents team led by former Holland & Hart partners J. Scott Karren and Thomas Anderson. The team includes four counsel, two patent agents and an IP specialist. Its arrival significantly expands Sterlington’s ability to advise technology companies on global patent portfolio strategy, preparation and prosecution, with particular depth in wireless communications, standards-related technologies, semiconductors, and AI and machine learning.
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Karren is a Chambers-ranked patent attorney who advises technology companies on the development and management of global patent portfolios. His practice focuses on wireless communications and technologies implemented in cellular standards. He is recognized by Chambers USA, IAM Patent 1000 and Managing Intellectual Property’s IP Stars. He is a contributing author to Patents and Standards: Practice, Policy, and Enforcement, the AIPLA and Bloomberg Law treatise.
Anderson manages international patent portfolios for global corporations, including some of the world’s largest patent holders, as well as venture-backed start-ups. He prepares and prosecutes patent applications in the electronic, computer and biomedical arts. He also draws on his experience before the PTAB and federal district courts to help clients avoid the pitfalls that lead to costly disputes.
The team also includes four counsel: David Victor, who has prepared and prosecuted more than 1,700 issued utility patents in computer hardware and software, including AI and machine learning; Ken Winterton, who spent more than 20 years as a patent attorney at Holland & Hart and was previously a process engineer at Texas Instruments and Intel; Joe Maxey, who focuses on wireless communications and software; and James Webster, Jr., who drafts and prosecutes applications for large technology companies in wireless communications, mobile devices and machine learning.
Patent agents Joshua Laney and Landon Ward and IP specialist Blair Christensen, all formerly of Holland & Hart, complete the team.
“Sterlington is the right platform for the kind of sophisticated, technology-driven patent work our clients rely on us for,” said Karren. “Tom and I have built this group around deep technical expertise and close collaboration. Bringing the team together, with more colleagues expected to join soon, means our clients get continuity and depth of service from day one.”
“We’re delighted to welcome Scott, Tom and the team to Sterlington,” said Christopher Harrison, managing partner of Sterlington. “Their experience and technical depth will be a tremendous asset to our clients, and we’re excited to have them on board.”
About Sterlington
Sterlington PLLC is a full-service law firm focusing on complex corporate, litigation, executive compensation, and private wealth matters. As a firm, we focus on the economic as well as the legal aspects of our matters.
Among other strengths, Sterlington is the ultimate law firm for private capital, family offices, founders, and senior executives, as well as their related businesses.
Visit us at www.sterlingtonlaw.com.
Thomas Anderson, Sterlington
Scott Karren, Sterlington
