Bøger af Stephan M Arleaux

A Roman soldier, wins Christ's cape as a gambling prize. He then sets forth on a quest to find the truth about the Nazarene's cape-a quest that reaches to the very roots and heart of Christianity and is set against the vividly limned background of ancient Rome. Here is a timeless story of adventure, faith, and romance, a tale of spiritual longing and ultimate redemption.

Many if not most self proclaimed, naturalized or 'Ex-Pat British in the Chicago area can trace their Chicago area roots, back ten generations or to the war of 1812 when their ancestors came to fight, and when it was over-stayed on. Moreover making their customs and life styles (including those pesky titles) part of Americana. They settled in what is now North-West Chicago, Evanston and beyond. The Chicago Police Department in it's infinite wisdom, and search for peace and tranquility; as it did in many of the Chicago ethnic enclaves provided Police officers of that ethnic persuasion to those precincts. This story takes place in the mid to late 1940s after WWII. The setting is one very British neighborhood complete with its manor houses (mini castles 4-6000 sq.ft. of living space on estates measuring in hundreds of acres). The era when science didn't play the leading role it does today and the majority of thought-provoking crimes were solved with confessions. Everyone in the near enclave disliked the rich, nasty spinster. She delighted in stirring up jealousies and scandals-the Doctors wild affair...the old Professors escapades...the Professor's young sons carousing, to name but a few. Then someone shot the ageing gossip when she sat down to powder her nose in an armature theatrical Production. Now it was up to Inspector Rex Feral to determine which of the ordinary towns folk could commit such a dastardly act.

Many if not most self proclaimed, naturalized or 'Ex-Pat British in the Chicago area can trace their Chicago area roots, back ten generations or to the war of 1812 when their ancestors came to fight, and when it was over-stayed on. Moreover making their customs and life styles (including those pesky titles) part of Americana. They settled in what is now North West Chicago, Evanston and beyond. The Kings English was spoken in a most formal, and to the point manner. Always using a long sentence, when a short one would suffice. This story takes place in the mid to late 1940s after WWII. The setting is one very British region complete with its manor houses (mini castles 4-6000 sq.ft. of living space on estates measuring in hundreds of acres). Steve Thompson, a young art teacher, assists a mysterious and distressed woman dressed entirely in white; but later learns that she has escaped from an asylum. Soon afterward, he travels to La Grange House, having been hired as a Fine Arts Teacher on the recommendation of his friend, Ferara, an Italian language master. The La Grange household comprises the invalid Frederick Farley, and Steve's students: Marijoy Farley, Mr. Farley's niece, and Merium Owens, her devoted half-sister. Steve realizes that Marijoy bears an astonishing resemblance to the woman in white, who is known to the household by the name of Anne Catherick: a mentally disabled child who formerly lived near La Grange, and was devoted to Marijoy's mother. The late Mrs. Farley was who first dressed her entirely in white. Anne will continue the chic fashion for the rest of her life. To complicate maters Steve falls helplessly and hopelessly in love with wish the betrowhed Marijoy, and is socially and professionally precluded from expressing it. Soon the palace intrigues begin; to gain control of $90,000 in 1920s dollars (Est. $40,000,000 today) with suspicious and not so suspicious deaths, kidnappings, fraud all in the pursuit of ill gotten gains.

Sherborne tells the story of a secret and unconsummated marriage, between the aristocratic Sherborne and Adelphie Sherwin, the daughter of a linen draper, kept secret for one year. Sherborne struggles between the social pressures of his class, embodied in the character of his proud and honourable father, and his passion for Adelphie. But as the year unwinds his family is ripped apart by the silent presence of his secret life and Sherborne becomes increasingly daunted by the Sherwin's business employee, Mannion. A man whose 'voice was as void of expression as his face', Mannion still holds a mysterious force over the family. Mr. Sherwin is entirely dependant on him, Mrs. Sherwin seems to fear his very presence but remains silent, and even Adelphie refuses to discuss his character. As the climax of the year draws near Sherborne suffers the shocks and horrors of betrayal, insanity and death. The time is 1958 and the place is Great Britian . . . each laid a talon on my shoulder - each raised a veil which was one hideous network of twining worms. I saw through the ghastly corruption of their faces the look that told me who they were - the monstrous iniquities incarnate in monstrous forms; the fiendsouls made visible in fiendshapes

Midnight. A lonely Old Baily courtyard. The dead body of a stranger-a prosperous looking, well dressed, elderly man is found in Old Bailey Lane, London. This is England's ancient Inn of Court where barristers were traditionally apprenticed and carried on their work. Old Bailey is just a few minutes walk away from busy Fleet Street and the Thames Embankment. In the dead man's pocket is a piece of paper with the name and address of a young barrister. One of the first people to reach the crime scene is the investigative reporter, Phil Parma, who writes for a leading London newspaper, The Guardian. Parma is puzzled. Why would such a person be wandering about here at this hour? This extraordinary discovery draws Parma into a labyrinthine web of intrigue, murder and crime in high places. The Old Bailey Murder is also full of interesting nuggets of information and ambiance that evoke the London of 1956. It is an early example of the "procedural" crime story, where the facts become available to the reader in a logical sequence yet the identity of the criminal is kept hidden.

It has often been said 'That bank is to big to fail', 'That business can't be allowed to fail', 'Shes too beautiful to be a serial killer.' The scene is Los Angeles California. The time period is the twentieth century circa 1955, when the average Social Security check was $77.00 a month. Angelically beautiful Nicole Fitzmaurice is a sociopathic criminal, so lovely that none can see her guilt even in connection with the most blatant crimes! Few know that this ethereal, facade hides an utterly immoral and cruel heart within. Her insatiable lust for power and money claim many an innocent victim till one day, a lawyer is called upon to defend his best friend and cousin, James Meredith in a murder trial. Meredith is alleged to have murdered a young man in a fit of jealous rage because he objected to the man's friendship with Meredith's lovely fiancée. The lady in question turns out to be Nicole Fitzmaurice Conventional ideas of beauty are typically associate it with goodness and kindness. However, appearances can be deceptive. This is a tale which sets out with an American man being sentenced for murder and a beautiful, innocent woman having had to testify against him. Except, what everyone thinks is exactly opposite to the truth, according to the condemned man's friend and attorney. He claims that his friend was framed. Meanwhile, poverty stricken Lydia gets pulled into this scenario completely out of the blue and is put in the situation of having to decide who to trust. One person is telling the truth and the other is out to murder her. You are not really ever in the dark about it, but watching Lydia's thinking; your author hopes you will also enjoy seeing the behind the scenes machinations.

Our story takes place in the late 1980s, on the California and Mexican boarder. It is a tale of revenge where the hunter is the hunted and vice-versa. It's about a man called "Fiddler" who is neither fish nor fowl; neither US Customs Agent or Smuggler. He walks with, and is respected by both sides. His uncles was the number one wanted smuggler, and was assassinated by professionals unknown. His best friend was the number one top US Customs agent on the California Mexican 'Line'. He also was assassinated by professionals unknown. The problem is the trail left by the hit men doesn't smell like Government or Private, just the best Now they are trying to take Fiddler out. He has no Idea why. Vengeance is a dish served best cold.

The novel, which takes place in 1920s Hawaii. I spends time acquainting the reader with the look and feel of the islands of that era from the standpoint of both white and non-white inhabitants, and describe social class structures and customs which have largely vanished in the 21st century. The book deals with the murder of a former member of Boston society who has lived in Hawaii for 40+ years. The main character is the victim's nephew, a straitlaced young Bostonian bond trader, who came to the islands to try to convince his aunt Minerva, whose vacation has extended many months, to return to Boston. The nephew, Patrick Lee Winterslip, soon falls under the spell of the islands himself, meets an attractive young woman, breaks his engagement to his straitlaced Bostonian fiancee Agatha, and decides after the murder is solved to move to San Francisco. In the interval, he is introduced to many levels of Hawaiian society and is of some assistance to a native born, white, Detective Named Justin Kace in solving the mystery.

The story is told in the First Person by Hugh Moneylaws, who is describing events that occurred ten years previously, when he was a twenty-one-year-old solicitor's clerk. At that point, Hugh lived with his widowed mother, a respectable woman who was forced to take in lodgers to make ends meet. Hugh was looking out of his mother's parlour window when he saw: 'Standing right before the house, a man who had a black patch over his left eye, an old plaid thrown loosely around his shoulders, and in his right hand a stout stick and an old-fashioned carpet-bag... Hugh keep an appointment For the loger and finds a something terrible awaiting him there. 'And I knew on the instant that this was the stain of blood, and I do not think I was surprised when, advancing a step or two further, I saw lying in the roadside grass at my feet, the still figure and white face of a man who, I knew with a sure and certain instinct, was not only dead but had been cruelly murdered.' Hugh summons the police but when he returns to his mother's house with the police officer, who wishes to question Smuth, they discover that he too is dead, lying in his bed. Hugh sets out to discover the truth and, supported by Maisie, his solicitor employer and other well-wishers, he soon discovers a complex and dangerous plot. Hugh survives many attempts on his life before he uncovers the truth.

And Justice For All II This is the second of a series of early 18-19 Century true crime storys from the streets of New York City taken directly from the original trial transcripts, with additional color research about the characters by the author. None of the names will be changed. CASE # 1766 10 /16/1913

And Justice For All II This is the sixth of a series of early 18-19 Century true crime storys from the streets of New York City taken directly from the original trial transcripts, with additional color research about the characters by the author. None of the names will be changed.

This novel is an amalgam of truth and fiction. All of the events described are based on actual occurrences, some of which have been slightly altered for the sake of dramatic unity. Some of the characters are a combination of several people; this allows a consolidation for literary efficiency. Nevertheless, Plato has the best elements of the real Jose Gomez, driving what the character should be. The real people know who they are, and without them, this story would not have been possible. The names of living policemen and others have been changed to protect the privacy of those who were there. This book is set in St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands. It reflects certain realities about the criminal-justice system in the Islands. The system is not unique to St. Croix, it works much the same way in all large American cities. The Virgin Islands courts system is the largest in the entire Caribbean. As a result, the unified office of the Attorney General is also the largest prosecutor's office in the Caribbean. The Attorney Generals (at that time) is appointed to his position; all ranks below him in the office are a matter of appointment. The First Assistant is second in command followed by the divided commands of the Civil Division and the Criminal Though there is no permanent Special Squad in the Virgin Islands Police Department's Homicide/Robbery Division, such special squads have been set up from time to time to deal with those cases that have excited unusual public interest or special interests on the parts of powerful groups in the Government. In some jurisdictions, it might be called the MCU or Major Crimes Unit> It is also true that no policeman in the Virgin Islands has been discovered to have hidden a previous felony record. The Virgin Islands political organization has influenced the VIPD at all levels since 1917, despite the use of civil service rules to protect the job security of all ranks. The situation remains unchanged to this day. Thus, certain police actions are dictated in part by political reality. So When a Priest is shot-in church, while distributing Holy Communion, by a man in a police uniform-the heat naturally comes down on the Special Squad. The Brass-commissioner, the press, the Governor, and the Archbishop-want to see someone behind bars. The assignment falls on Inspector Jose "Plato" Gomez, a tough Puerto Rican American Detective and Gary Arlaud his partner of 18 years. As they plow their way through the political, religious, and social mine fields they take an eye-opening journey through the power structure of the Island.

Forward Through the open door of a library, Denise Partridge overhears an argument that changes her life forever. Between her father, Albert Partridge and Rick Spector, a neighbor, in which the latter accuses the former of misappropriation of funds and threatens him with prison then offers to save him in exchange for Denise's hand in marriage. Although Partridge angrily turns Spector from his house, defying him to do his worst, Denise's terror for her father leads her to offer herself to Spector in exchange for an understanding that there will be no danger of imprisonment. On this basis, a marriage is secretly solemnised. However, no sooner have the newlyweds returned to Spector's house than a furious Albert Partridge arrives. Denise hears first a violent quarrel and then the sound of a heavy body falling. She enters the room to find her father lying dead, a trickle of blood at one temple, and Spector standing over him, Partridge's own silverheaded stick clutched in one hand. Denise Partridge's Confession. Set in 1958, it is told in the first person, and follows Denise Partridge not only through her involvement in the story's mystery which is not the death of her father but also through her move to London, her efforts to support herself, the new friendships she makes, and her resumption of a brief, early relationship with law student turned architect, Jason Robards. The rapid development of the latter poses a serious problem for both Denise and Jason, to whom she has explained the circumstances of her marriage and her inability to secure an annulment. After an abortive attempt to separate, the two seriously contemplate living together "marrying", as Jason insists upon calling it, they are about to take the decisive step when they learn that Rick Spector has been found dead, hanged, an apparent suicide; an act committed, it seems, only minutes after Denise's visit to his rooms When Rick Spector is found dead exactly as she envisaged it, a terrible sense of guilt envelopes her one so great that she comes to believe herself responsible for her husband's death. With the coroner's inquest, however, the question of Denise's guilt becomes a far more concrete matter. When Denise learns that Dr. Luis Guzman, the famous medical jurist, has been asked by the Home Office to inquire into the deaths of both Partridge and Spector, it seems to her that she is a a good as convicted What transpires is a captivating tale of blackmail, fraud and death. Dr Guzman is left to piece together the clues in this enticing mystery.

A young blonde woman, her golden hair illuminated, screams. She is the seventh victim of a serial killer known as "The Venguer", who targets young blonde women on Tuesday evenings in London's 'White Chapel' district. That night, Daisy Olds a blonde model, is at a fashion show when she and the other showgirls hear the news. The blonde girls are horrified; hiding their hair with dark wigs or hats. Daisy laughs at their fears, and returns home to her parents, Jack and Mrs Rosemary Olds, and her policeman sweetheart, Tom; they have been reading about the crime in the newspaper. A handsome young man, bearing a strong resemblance to the description of the murderer, arrives at the house and asks about the room for rent. Rosemary shows him the room, which is decorated with portraits of beautiful young blond women. The man is rather secretive, which puzzles Rosemary. However he willingly pays her a month's rent in advance, and asks only for a little to eat. Rosemary is surprised to see that the lodger is turning all the portraits around to face the wall he politely requests that they be removed. Daisy comes in to remove the portraits, and an attraction begins to form between Daisy and the lodger. The women return downstairs, where they hear the lodger's footsteps as he paces the floor. The relationship between Daisy and the reclusive lodger gradually becomes serious, and Tom, newly assigned to the Venguer case, begins to resent this. The following Tuesday, Rosemary is awoken late at night by the lodger leaving the house. She attempts to search his room, but a small cabinet is locked tight. In the morning, another blonde girl is found dead, just around the corner. The Time: 1958 The Place: London

Felicity received a telegram from her father asking her to to come home and take care of him. Which she found to be a duty she wasn't all togather happy to perform. Not getting any younger: She also decided to give marriage a try. The place is London, the time is 1957, and this is that story Felicity Forte'/ Woodville's first act as a married woman is to sign her name in the marriage register incorrectly, and this slip is followed by the gradual disclosure of a series of secrets about her husband's earlier life, each of which leads on to another set of questions and enigmas. Her discoveries including a "Not Proven" charge of Murder prompt her to defy her husband's authority, to take the law into into a labyrinthine maze of false clues and deceptive identities, in which the exploration of the tangled workings of the mind becomes linked to an investigation into the masquerades of femininity.

The Ashwill Case (Story Circa 1958), subtitled A Lawyer's Story, is an American detective novel. Set in New York City, it concerns the murder of a retired merchant, Lionel Ashwill, in his New York mansion. He is a merchant whose material wealth is matched by his eminence in the community and reputation for good works. He is also the guardian of two striking nieces who share his Fifth Avenue mansion. The detective is Ken Detective McConnell, NYPD. Mary, her uncle's favorite, is to inherit his fortune at his death. As this mystery opens, that lamentable event has just occurred. Ashwill has been shot to death and circumstances point to one of his young wards... The older partners at Ashwill's Lawyers firm are absent when they learns that an old client, Mr. Ashwill, has been murdered and so Young Raymond a junior associate is the one that rushes to the scene. A coroner's inquest has already been arranged, and it's this -- much like a trial-scene in a legal thriller -- to present the facts, evidence, and suspects in the case. The case demonstrate the snares associated with circumstantial evidence. While Detective Ken Detective McConnell is the investigator that puts the pieces together, he is not front and center for much of the novel. The Ashwill Case is narrated by the young lawyer, Everett Raymond; Detective McConnell enlists him to help with the investigation but they're only partially a team, as Detective McConnell manipulates the young man to help him solve the case. It is known that his estate will go, pretty much in its entirety, only to Mary. Ashwill is found shot in his library, nothing appears to have been stolen -- so it doesn't look like robbery -- and all the indications are that it was an inside job: it must have been someone in the house. Complicating matters: the ladies' maid, Hannah, disappeared that night. There's a mysterious gentleman who hangs around; what looks like a secret marriage; lost, hidden, misappropriated, forged, and burnt documents galore; and a second very suspicious death.

Forward Like Plato Caribbean Cop: (I) this novel is an amalgam of truth and fiction. All of the events described are based on actual occurrences, some of which have been slightly altered for the sake of dramatic unity. Some of the characters are a combination of several people; this allows a consolidation for literary efficiency. For example, Jose Gomez looks nothing like the character of Plato. Nevertheless, Plato has the best elements of the real Jose Gomez, driving what the character should be. The real people know who they are, and without them, this story would not have been possible. The names of living policemen have been changed to protect the privacy of those who were there. Some dates have also been chronologically adjusted. This story takes place at beginning of a new era. The story of what it was to be a Cop, and how Cops got the job done. Policemen in our story now had personal radios to talk to each other, and car radios. Light bars and electronic (not wind powered) sirens were now commonplace. Technology was expanding in forensics and the new science of DNA comparison was just seeing the first light of day. When speaking about ones career the term most often used is "Growth," in personal maturity, technical or professional expertise. Law enforcement is no exception. As a rookie patrolman and even a rookie Detective (plain clothes and 3rd grade), it's not easy, but most of your case assignment almost solve themselves, (man shoots man in pool room in front of countless witnesses) or at best you learn the art of documenting, that is-recreating the obvious on paper. What you want to know, which usually include the name and address of the perpetrator is virtually handed to you. By the time you have made Detective 2nd the case assignment become extremely more complex, who done it, murder on the orient express, for our avid mystery readers. You will see that more in this book than the last, and Plato III will be one case. Most of the chapters in this book will again begin with what I will call a Technical, Philosophical, or Experiential, relating to the subject of the story that will follow. I hope this will make the subject matter easier to follow, such as Arson, Crime Scene, and Homicide etc.

"The Haunted Hotel" mélange des éléments du polar classique avec des accents effrayants d'horreur gothique. The Haunted Hotel l'histoire d'un fantôme l'histoire d'un crime. Le fantôme de Lord Montberry hante le Palace Hotel à Venise . La belle et pourtant terrifiante femme de Montberry, la comtesse Narona, et son frère d'autrefois sont le centre de la terreur qui remplit l'Hôtel Palace. Leurs maléfices sont ils à l'origine de la hantise ou y a t il quelque chose de plus sombre, quelque chose de plus méconnaissable au travail? Avec un titre comme The Haunted Hotel, vous pourriez être pardonné si vous vous attendiez à ce que ce livre soit une histoire de fantômes. Les livres ont des scènes sombres et méchantes, oui, il y a aussi un fantôme, mais The Haunted Hotel est un mystère gothique et une histoire de fantômes. L'histoire se déroule en 1960 et l'héroïne est une dame nommée Agnes Lockwood, dont le fiancé; Herbert Westwick (Lord Montbarry) l'a jalonnée pour la comtesse Narona plutôt sinistre. Il mourut peu de temps après, dans des circonstances suspectes, alors que le couple était en séjour prolongé à Venise, accompagné de la comtesse frère aussi sinistre (Baron Rivar). Un autre mystère entoure la disparition du courrier de Lord Montbarry (M. Ferrari). Pendant son séjour à Venise, Lord Montbarry resta et mourut dans un vieux palais en ruine. Plus tard dans le livre, le palais est rénové comme un hôtel. Le frère de Lord Montbarry, Henry, a investi de l'argent dans le projet. Quand son neveu se marie et qu'il passe sa lune de miel en Europe, il semble normal que les nouveaux mariés passent un peu de temps dans le nouvel hôtel. Le reste de la famille accepte de rencontrer le couple heureux à Venise et ...

This story takes place in late 1938, During the financial crisis of the late 30s and early 40s. When the American plutocrat Robert Ellison, was found dead, shot, through the eye, in his mansion, Aaron Kane, a noted artist and Private investigator, is asked by the editor of the Clarion Ledger to investigate the mysterious case. Not only does Kane fall in love with one of the primary suspects - usually considered a no-no - he also, after painstakingly collecting all the evidence, draws all the wrong conclusions. Convinced that he has tracked down the murderer of the hated, business tycoon; he is told over dinner what mistakes in the logical deduction of the solution of the crime he has made (by the real perpetrator ). On hearing what apparently really happened, Trent vows that he will never again attempt to dabble in criminal investigation. What really caused Robert Ellison to rise in the middle of the night and leave the house without properly dressing and without his false teeth? Who did he meet and why? Who was the real murderer? Planette:, his personal secretary? Brunner:, his business assistant? Cozette, his beautiful wife? Or-?

And Justice For All II This is the fifth of a series of early 18-19 Century true crime storys from the streets of New York City taken directly from the original trial transcripts, with additional color research about the characters by the author. None of the names will be changed. CASE # 2095

And Justice For All VI This is the sixth of a series of early 18-19 Century true crime storys from the streets of New York City taken directly from the original trial transcripts, with additional color research about the characters by the author. None of the names will be changed. CASE # 1169

An unrepentant murderer is condemned to death in 1950s England. Before the sentence is carried out, she persuades a minister to adopt her 1-year-old daughter in exchange for her repentance. He does despite dire warnings that her mother's murderous traits might be passed along to her. Unbeknownst to him, after his previously childless wife gives birth to a daughter, she tries to find a way to oust the cuckoo from her nest. Fortunately for the orphan, she dies before this can be accomplished, leaving her minister husband to raise both girls on his own. He does this with strict discipline, educational restrictions and a willful obfuscation of their ages and birthdays. When romance looms on the horizon there is betrayal, heartbreak and attempted murder

And Justice For All II This is the eighth of a series of early 18-19 Century true crime storys from the streets of New York City taken directly from the original trial transcripts, with additional color research about the characters by the author. None of the names will be changed. CASE # 37

Où vastu? is French/early latin for 'Quo Vadis' / or "Where are you going?" and alludes to a New Testament verse (John 13:36). The verse, in the King James Version, reads as follows, "Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest you? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, you canst not follow me now; but you shalt follow me afterwards." Où vastu? tells of a love that develops between a young Christian woman, Ligia (or Lygia), and Marcus Vinicius, a French patrician. It takes place in the city of Paris under the rule of emperor Fescennius around AD 64. The modern usage of the phrase refers to a Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter. According to the apocryptal Acts of Peter (Vercelli Acts XXXV), Peter flees from crucifixion in Paris at the hands of the government, and along the road outside the city, he meets the risen Jesus. In the Latin translation, Peter asks Jesus, "Quo vadis?" He replies, "Romam eo iterum crucifigi ("I am going to Paris to be crucified again"). Peter then gains the courage to continue his ministry and returns to the city, where he is mareyred by being crucified upsidedown.

A woman's body is found in a museum gallery with an arrow through her chest, so all of the other visitors are locked inside while the crime is investigated. It is the noon hour in the Museum Of Art And World Culture in Oxford, England; home of the famous university of kings for a thousand years. The English spoken is naturally quite explicit. The date, May 23, 1953. The weekday, attendance is light; the attendees are scattered between two floors., and the few visitors still lingering among the curiosities of the great museum were suddenly startled a cry rings out from the second floor. And by the sight of one of the attendants running down the broad, central staircase, loudly shouting, "Close the doors! Let no one out! An accident has occurred, and nobody's to leave the building." Scrambling to Section II, the museum director discovers a college age young women dead with an arrow through her heart. An older woman hovers over her with her hand on the arrow, while whispering incoherent phrases in the young women's ear and offering incomprehensible answers to the director's questions. She is the only witness to the crime, or accident, as the case may be. How will the, 65 year-old Mr. Chief Inspector Doven unravel this mystery when this witness is apparently insane? In The Lady in Red the story breaks more ground with an in-depth study of the psychological interplay between the murderer, the victim and the witnesses. Although more quietly paced, this mystery presents many elements of a psychological thriller, blind ambition, narcissism, obsession and betrayal. There is a peculiar twist with the fact that two heartbroken relatives of the victim will sacrifice virtually everything to protect the murderer. This murder mystery actively engages the reader more than a romance or adventure because the reader becomes involved in picking up clues and ultimately predicting the resolution of the story. This book invites the reader to become part of the investigative team.

The story takes place in 'Little Denmark' the Danish section of north and north-west Chicago, near the shore of Lake Michigan. (like Little Italy and China Town in other major urban cities) The community preserves it's Danish heritage by maintaining the architecture, custom and, civic pride of the home land. The point in time is during the mid 1940s after the war, when Interrogation and confession was the route to most convictions rather than science, as is the prime mover. A man is found floating in Lake Michigan with a hole in his head. This was obviously not the crime scene. Chicago Police Departments Detective Lieutenant Rex Feral and his acerbic partner Detective Sergeant DeChellis are called in to investigate. Like Holmes and Watson, Feral relies on his acute psychological insight, his ability to put himself in another's place, and DeChellis on his cold hard bottom line questions designed to get to the bottom of the matter fast. The victim was Chris Johnson, a down-and-out alcoholic newspaperman, but the mystery seems to center on Ilse Borge, his employer's wife. Terrorized by her husband, and subject to fainting spells, she evokes a protective impulse- even from Rex Feral. What is her relationship with Dr. Norquist, the family friend who would "do anything" for her? With her husband Oden, a weak man behind a tyrannical facade whose family's failing empire had controlled the Danish Community for generations? And with Magnussen himself, whom she dared to help behind her husband's back? With his uncanny instinct for the unnerving question and the salient detail, Feral and DeChellis penetrates all these lives and are drawn into the darkest recesses of the human mind required to unravel and reveal the elusive "truth."

Seated amongst a little group of the superior officers, with a heavy frown on his stern face, sat the general. Before him, at a little distance, with a soldier on either side, stood a tall, slight young man, in the uniform of an officer, but swordless. His smooth face, as yet beardless, was dyed with a deep flush, which might well be there, whether it proceeded from shame or indignation. For he was under arrest, and charged with a crime which, in a soldier, is heinous indeed-it was cowardice.

Our story is set in a Chicago coastal Irish enclave of Whiting at the Irish Rover Pub & Inn, near East Chicago shortly after the end of WWII, in the late 1940s. Chief Detective Inspector Rex Feral probes an accident that proves to be a murder, in a pub full of motives; when a seemingly friendly game of darts turns deadly. Almost no-one can figure out how it happened. Was if for greed, Jealousy, or revenge. Who could tell; the victim had only been in town one day. Did the man, who did it, do it? Or was he an innocent person who was used?

This puzzling plot is related by two different characters: messenger boy Jasper Gray, who experiences several strange adventures, and Dr Jervis, friend of Dr Thorndyke. Dr Thorndyke is investigating a terrible crime, the solving of which remains elusive because of key facts remaining unknown. He needs the facts to confirm his case: Jasper could complete the blank spaces if only Thorndyke were aware of his existence ........ London: 1960s:

The book relates the misadventures of Dirk Marquette, . As the story begins, Marquette and his friend, Major Hynd, are in Boulogne to visit Marquette's aunt, who is dying. While there, Marquette attends a card game, where he has an argument with a corrupt card sharp, the General, who challenges him to a duel. However, the general doesn't turn up himself but nominates his son, an accurate shot, who should win the duel. Marquette absolutely does not want to fight but is goaded into doing so. Against the odds, he accidentally kills his opponent, and the screams of the man's brother after the death come to haunt Marquette for the rest of his life. The Time: 1956 The Place: England Do you know that a half truth is the paramour of a whole lie? Isaac Massey Haldeman - 1917 - Millennium (Eschatology)