Behind the Scenes is a combination of updates on future books as well as the author’s messages.
In the first quarter of 2019, two new novels of mine will be published – The Patriarch and The Scion. The central character of both is Mauro Bruno, who figured so prominently in The Archivist. The Patriarch takes place in Milan and Bellagio, Italy, while The Scion is focused in Paris and Singapore. In these novels you’ll meet two new characters – Elia Donati, a chief inspector with the Milan police department, and Lisette Donais, a private investigator in Paris. The Patriarch is ready for editing, while The Scion is approximately 30 percent complete. I’ll provide more information on the plot and characters as I get closer to publication.
I’m excited to announce that my second fiction novel is now in print. Why are my first two fiction books being published so close together? The reason is that as I was close to completing The Archivist, I thought about a fantastic storyline for the next novel. I never left my laptop and began writing this second novel a day after I completed the first.
Below is a preview of The Archivist
General Lin Bogang, China’s highest-ranking military officer, has a plan that will force the government into naming him his country’s leader. And there’s a strong likelihood hell succeed, thanks to secret documents written by Mao Zedong. The general has two problems. He only has copies, which could be discounted as forgeries, and he doesn’t know the exact location of the originals. Soon he discovers that the key to finding them lies with Matt Moretti, an alcoholic former Army Ranger currently working as an archivist for the US government. Hunted by the general, a Chinese assassin, European police, and his own government, the archivist goes on the run across Europe as he tries to unravel the clues that will reveal Mao’s long-kept secret. Along the way he meets Han Li, a beautiful Chinese agent and assassin in her own right who is also seeking the original documents. Only time will tell, however, whether they will manage to keep them out of the hands of the general. In this thriller, an alcoholic former Army Ranger joins forces with China’s top assassin to recover secret documents that could topple the Chinese government.
Below is a preview of The Abductions
Following a gala, the presidents of the United States and China disappear after retiring for the night within their heavily guarded palaces inside the Forbidden City. After an intense investigation ensues, no one can determine how the dignitaries were abducted while under constant surveillance. When an internet video is released that shows the heads of state kneeling before the flag of the Protectors of Islam, the question of who abducted them and what they want is answered. The Islamic terrorists threaten that unless their demands are met within seventy-two hours, both men will be beheaded live on the internet. With each country’s intelligence agencies paralyzed by a lack of clues, Matt Moretti and his Chinese agent counterpart, Han Li, work outside their organizations bureaucracies to find the leaders. After they uncover a conspiracy focused on attaining a singular objective at any cost, Moretti and Li are arrested for interfering with the investigation. Now they must outrun the army, make sense of complex clues, and race to find the presidents before their abductors carry out their evil plan. In this thrilling story of intrigue and murder, an American civilian intelligence officer and Chinese agent must do everything in their power to stop the beheading of two international leaders by Islamic terrorists.