Promotional Information

Magic, voodoo and death- the disturbing new thriller from the author of THE GENESIS CODE

About the Author

John Case is the author of the international bestseller THE GENESIS CODE and the novels of THE FIRST HORSEMAN, TRANCE STATE and THE EIGHTH DAY. He lives in Northern Virginia.

Reviews

A parent's worst nightmare is realized in Case's expertly written new thriller. During a summer-long, last-ditch attempt to reconnect with his family since separating from his wife, Washington TV reporter Alexander Callahan loses his identical twin six-year-old sons at a Maryland Renaissance fair. After facing the media avalanche outside his house, Alex and police detectives discover mysterious objects placed inside: a carefully crafted origami rabbit, a bowl of water in the closet, seven winged Liberty dimes in a neat stack. Following a "maelstrom of emotion," Alex is eliminated as a suspect and authorities concede a lack of reliable leads. Scouring the Internet, Alex discovers connections between several cases of abducted twins and his own situation, and with relentless determination he continues his investigation, traveling to Daytona Beach, Fla., to interview wary sources and Las Vegas, Nev., to research the horrific deaths of two abducted young showgirls. The kidnapper, it seems, is a malevolent magician dabbling in voodoo practices. Case's pace reaches a fever pitch as Alex chases more leads to New Orleans, where he teams up with a local albino sleuth and ends up on the doorstep of a witchdoctor who insists on a nightmarish rebirthing ritual before he'll break his silence on the killer. Northern and Southern California provide the final backdrops for a harrowing conclusion that will leave readers breathless. A long, winding narrative that's impossible to put down, this is another work of superior suspense from the author of The Genesis Code. Agent, Elaine Markson. (Oct. 12) FYI: John Case is the pen name of husband-and-wife team Jim and Carolyn Hougan. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Washington, DC, investigative reporter Alex Callahan begins to live every parent's worst nightmare when his young twin sons, Sean and Kevin, go missing from a Renaissance fair. Separated from his wife and suffering from the guilt of losing his sons, he finds things going from bad to worse when he himself becomes a suspect in their disappearance. Then after a month of dead ends, the police move on to other cases, and Alex quits his job to devote himself to the search full time. Using his reporting experience to pursue leads from Las Vegas to New Orleans to the California coast, he ends up in the shadowy worlds of magic and voodoo. Will he survive? Brisk prose, a breathtaking plot, and realistic characters drive this gripping thriller to an unexpected and satisfying end. Another winner from Case (The Eighth Day) that will satisfy fans of Jeffery Deaver and Michael Connolly. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/04.]-Rebecca House Stankowski, Purdue Univ. Calumet Lib., Hammond, IN Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.