The telephone call from Eugene Bentons sister, Mary, announcing the murder of her daughter at the high school, signals his emersion into a world he never knew; the cyber world of chat rooms, half truths, and bullying. From her ComRoom, Mary scans and parses the news tapes of the slaughter, and discovers people and activity that are out of order. She continues to dig, study, and uncover more sinister connections as the murders occur in small towns throughout the country. Mary introduces Gene to her best friend, Karen Leach, who joins the investigative team of two. Mary dies mysteriously and Karen moves into Genes life. The nation is in the midst of virulent political activity. Grass roots conservatism supported by a wildly disparate group of intellectuals and thought leaders washes across the land under the banner of S.A.F.E. (Secure American For Everyone). A massive Middle East war machine creates a much larger target for the energies of the citizenry. War and oil divert the attention of\millions. Children-on-children slaughters occur with greater frequency and virulence. The paranoia that permeates the country engulfs Gene and Karen. They are being watched, or are they. Are they safe?
Detective First Grade Tony Sattill, of the NYPD, is assigned the gruesome ritualistic murders, dubbed the Handyman Murders. Tony is asked to dig into the past of Detective Elija Washington. He uncovers uncommonly large cash flows in Elijas past. While at the shooting range, Tony meets his lover from a different lifetime, Margaret Myers. They begin to re-examine their relationship; a relationship that will destroy his long-standing affair with Connie Wilhaus. Tony, the investigator, is now the investigated. Lab tests reveal links between the two murders and a major inconsistency. Its time for the protection of his lawyer, Jimmy Ranck. SIU detectives are convinced Tony is the Handyman. Various DNA sources complicate the journey to truth. Tony decides to leave Connie. Margaret becomes a victim of the Handyman. The SIU detectives are right behind him and arrest Tony, as the Handyman. Tonys world is about to crash in on him. Jimmy deconstructs and reconstructs all the minutia of the Handyman murders as Margaret clings to life. To build Tonys defense, Jimmy approaches innocence from the side of guilt. At the summer house, Tony lifeless body is dispatched to the ocean.
James Buchanan McCaa exists on a conflicted high wire. Suspended between heaven and earth, "Jimmy B" tries to maintain a dangerous balance between right and wrong, moral and immoral, good and evil. He strives to retain the love of his teenage son, "Two", while recapturing a long-lost moment of his youth. He loves women who are generations apart. He has benefitted from ill-gotten gains and a respected job. He drifts on the fringe of acceptable society. Not in and not out. He is known to power-brokers, legal and otherwise. The socially important Christmas Party at the Kiley's foretells his future, but he is blinded by the desire for instant gratification. A powerful woman, Adriane Simon, offers Jimmy B a way off the high wire. As he begins his journey to safety, he purges parts of his life long since dormant. As he digs into the life of his potential benefactor, he uncovers disturbing clues that can lead to no good. What part of Adriane's past will dictate her future? His future? Can Billy Ray Kiley protect Jimmy from himself? What will happen to Two?
In failing health, widowed patriarch, Joe Bickham looks forward to opening his family’s summer cottage and spending the Memorial Day weekend catching-up with his sons, Michael and Gabriel, and their broods. Over his breakfast the morning of departure, his reverie is interrupted by the crashing of a massive roiling storm. Regardless, he thinks how everyone will enjoy the cook-out dinners, lake fishing, holiday fireworks, and the traditional croquet tournament. During the drive to the cottage, the storm seems to follows him. Upon arrival, what greets him is beyond his ken. Joe tries to explain away unworldly signs and events by ascribing them to the area’s folk lore. An enigmatic character, Amon, is introduced as a distant family member. He and Joe’s younger granddaughter, Agnes, make ready the fireworks to announce the beginning of summer. At night, the oldest and youngest members of the family go missing. The search for them is frenetic. The result is unfathomable.
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