A Killing Season

A Killing Season is a crime thriller packed with action, gore, erotica and evil. The book opens with a dead nude woman her head hanging off the edge of a swimming pool, her long hair floating in the water, a children’s jump rope wrapped around her neck. Passed out in a nearby lounge chair is her killer. A man destined to be tortured by a thousand cuts from the most vicious killer ever created, Amos “Half-Penny” Franklin.
PI Jack Blackthorne’s (Thorn) mind has been shredded by war. Misled, he enters a world far more dangerous than the war he cannot leave behind. A simple missing person case turns into a nightmare involving millions of embezzled mob money. Thorn is lied to by his employer; stalked by a psycho, Half-Penny; hunted by mob goons;. His only salvation is Lilli, who is raped and tortured by Half-Penny.
Harry murders Joyce Weathers (pretending to be Mary Tate).

Thorn is hired by Weasel to find Mary. He believes it’s a simple missing person case. Weasel leaves out minor mob boss Hippo Carbone and embezzled millions of Sam Gianelli’s laundered money belonging to Vinesse.

Weasel hires Plug to bug Thorn’s office, house, and Lilli’s house. Also hires Phat to keep tabs on Thorn. Phat knows about Bookkeeper; Thorn doesn’t.

Jilted torturer Half-Penny, is trying to find Mary.

Hippo uses an imposter, Sidler. Hippo plans to kill Sidler in his place.

Weasel plans to steal the money once Thorn finds Mary.

Mary’s last residence is a torched and exploded apartment. Thorn searches the remains and finds a book with a page of numbers and symbols. A news tape of the crowd outside the burning apartment building shows a distortion of a tall man. Thorn suspicions this is the arsonist/bomber but cannot identify him.

Through contacts Half-Penny finds Harry, tortures him and explodes his house.

Thorn and Lilli fly to the scene. Half-Penny watches them through binoculars and discovers Thorn’s weakness, Lilli.

Sidler overhears plans for his death.

Hippo hires Half-Penny to kill him and explode his house.

Lilli needs her space, goes to her house. Thunderstorm moves in. The thunder causes Thorn to flashback to the Nam war. Plug hears Half-Penny tell her, “I’m your tallest nightmare.” He calls Thorn but he’s hiding behind a couch fearful of in coming artillery shells.

Half-Penny finds Hippo already dead. Torches and explodes his mansion.

Thorn realizes that the money is still in play.

All head for Sydney, Australia.
NOTE: I chose to write this book because I was fascinated by the good guy as rogue. A PI who is tortured psychologically and cannot come to grips with the real world. A different kind of mystery that is part literature, part erotica and paced like a road race.
WARNING: Strong sexuality, language, violence.