Bloodline In Chiaroscuro

James Danziger was a force to be reckoned with in both his personal and professional lives. From the 1940s to the 1980s, he ruled a business empire, his family, and his friends with an iron fist. An enigmatic man with warring dark and light sides, he eschewed playing by the rules and did anything to accomplish what he wantedeven murder. However, James didnt just rise from ashes. He was born, he had parents, and he grew up, but what kind of people would create such an ambitious man beyond redemption? In the early 1900s, a chance meeting between Scottish immigrant Elspeth McMorgan and Stefan Danziger occurred, which set into motion a dynasty that would rule the better part of a century. Jamess parents witnessed a great many amazing events, including the sinking of the Titanic, the suffragette movement, Prohibition, and the Great Depression before things went mad in the dark days of World War II. Through it all, the Danziger clan thrived even when the post-war fifties and sixties collided and planted the seed of power that continues to make its mark in the new millennium.

1979. As the turbulent decade wound down Disco was still ruling the airwaves, but more complex music was rushing towards the scene. Boiling anti-American sentiments were fermenting in the Middle East, culminating in the hostage-taking of American embassy personnel and others in Tehran after the Shah fled to Egypt. The United States established full diplomatic relations with China. Using the “Twinkie” defense Dan White is only convicted of manslaughter in the murders of George Moscone and Harvey Milk. Michael Jackson broke through as a single artist with his album Off the Wall. Worldwide per capita oil production reached an historic peak. The Soviet Union launched its invasion of Afghanistan. With all the turmoil in the world people were still excited about reaching a new decade with all the promise underlying the negativity bubbling at the end of the 1970s. Big hair and shoulder pads were on the horizon. In the small city of Keene in southern New Hampshire strange murders have begun, starting with the decapitations of hitchhikers by a man who pays an ironic price. They continue in different manners with different victims, slowly revealing a dark pattern that intensifies the elusiveness of the perpetrator. People from different walks of life band together to uncover the truth and bring the killer to justice: a crime novelist; a young police detective and his associates; a diligent, determined reporter; and a reclusive Asian man with a mysterious past who isn’t all he seems and might be something no one would suspect. As they pursue sharing investigations, theories, and clues, the twisted killer is stalking the city with a focused ruthlessness that is stacking up bodies and keeping his pursuers at bay. The climax of the hunt rushes towards an unexpected and heart-pounding conclusion in the wild White Mountains of New Hampshire. But that climax is far from the end of the story, a twist no one would have imagined, or prepared for ...

The 1980s were a miasma of new thoughts, fashions, music, and ideas and for many people a respite from the turbulent ’70s. The city of Santa Fe is bursting with the new veneer. Even so, there are dark clouds roiling over the city and its inhabitants, stoking fires that will consume the innocent as well as the guilty. The next generation of the Grayhawk clan and their close relatives and friends has begun to make its mark, many choosing the professions of their parents or friends. Although their development is generally positive, the plague of the decade has infiltrated their lives and changed the course of many. Besides the personal impacts of life, the clan finds themselves battling evil on two fronts. One antagonist is executing vengeance on people who have wrought inhuman savagery on the world, seeking true “eye for an eye” justice. The other seeks a much more personal vengeance directed at Memphis Grayhawk and his family and lurks in the background until the time is ready to strike. The passion and determination of all factions heats up until it bursts into a roaring conflagration. Will it consume only the unremorseful perpetrators, or will the flames of hatred burn everything in sight, leaving only ash and destruction?

In the tumultuous 1960s, Santa Fe, New Mexico, is shaken by the arrival of a diabolical killer who preys on young women. One after another, women are found dead, and the killer leaves no trace. As the body count grows, the manhunt begins. The Grayhawk clan is an unusual family who traces their mixed Navajo/Hopi-European roots back hundreds of years. Memphis Grayhawk, a dedicated law student who migrates into private investigation, leads this crime-fighting team. His younger brother, Tucson, is a psychologist in training, while his three youngest siblings provide energy, support, and love. Memphis’s best friend, police detective Sand Hazelwood, and his twin sisters, Snow and Swan, play an integral part in the investigation. Finally, there is Memphis’s cousin, Tansee, a medical student with insight crucial to the case. As these men and women follow the clues, they realize the unfathomable depths of this monster’s motives. Will the killer manage to escape the clutches of justice or get the punishment he deserves? How will these horrific crimes impact those hot on his trail? Will they survive the manhunt or fall into the darkness they pursue?

Five years ago, the hunt for the Axewoman of Tucson brought together four mismatched sleuths who have now formed Union Jack Investigations. The British expat Wilde Sinclair founded Union Jack, bringing along Salem psychic Deliverance Dane, ex-detective Michael Quintana, and ex-police lieutenant Victor Renard. For these four, all is well in life and love. Sadly, its just a calm before the storm as death once again disturbs the desert city of Tucson, Arizona. The case hits the Union Jack team personally, and they must quickly uncover the killer and his motives. As the investigation continues, it becomes obvious that there is some link between the old series of murders and the new ones. As the clock ticks down on murder after murder, there is no discernible pattern to the perpetrators purpose or selection of victims. As multiple madmen converge on the heart of the city, it becomes clear that the Union Jack four are targets, but why? Past actions and secrets play a part in the final denouement as savagery and hatred home in on the innocent as well as guilty.

In the late 1970s, a diabolical killer stalks the streets of Tucson, Arizona. Viciously striking at random and leaving no clues, the killer thrusts the city and its residents into a state of terror. Law enforcement and private citizens are desperate to uncover the identity of the monster dubbed the Saguaro Sadist and stop his bloody reign of fear and death. A motley crew stands up to investigate, including two police detectives battling their own demons, a famous author whose interest in the city is unusual at best, several college professors of anthropology and criminology, a British expatriate PI, a psychic witch from Salem, two sets of twins from New Orleans, and a determined but grieving Cajun cop from the Big Easy. As the bodies pile up, it becomes clear that unless the culprit is caught, he will disappear into history. Why? Because this isnt the first such suite of murders, and that murderer was never caught. Has he begun reimagining his old crimes, or has someone taken up his mantle in a most savage way?

In Tucson, Arizona, the Union Jack team joins the police and FBI to investigate the facts behind the conviction and death sentence of a supposedly innocent young man. Mystifying clues stymie their efforts, and when new murders of children and prostitutes begin to multiply, the hunt heats up. Quint, Deliverance, Wilde, and Victor find themselves in a deadly quagmire of misdirection, secrets, and pure evil. But this time around, their teenage children are drawn into the Union Jack circle. Approaching adulthood with smarts, daring, and determination, two daughters choose vocations that relate to crime investigation, while a son takes a path into the dark recesses of the mind. As a pair of siblings insinuate themselves into the lives of the team, their fates all hinge on the mystery. Can they put an end to the ferocious threat that challenges their future, or will this villain prove to be superior and cause their downfall? The clock ticks as the source of evil becomes clear ... and shocking.

The new millennium begins for the Union Jack partners and families with both joy and tragedy. Storm and Beckett have started a family that grows unexpectedly due to Hurricane Katrina. Aislinn is a doctor and happily married to Munch. Alex is a psychologist who has lost his first love and is struggling to come to terms with a different path in life as well as his growing psychic abilities. Wyatt is developing his career as a photojournalist; Vikki is a veterinarian; and Serenity is trying to define who she is. Quint and Deliverance tackle their P.I. investigations and their ever-expanding family with commitment and humor. Victor and Wilde are steadfast together after almost thirty years as life partners. The family and friends have approached the new century with hope and passion, but they are unaware that external forces are encroaching on their safety and lives. A new serial killer who holds himself as a warrior of God has been crossing the country in his quest to punish sinners, and he lands in Tucson where he intersects with the Union Jackers in a shocking way. As they try to uncover his motivations and patterns, he continues to rain his deadly brand of righteous on unsuspecting victims. While the Union Jackers investigate this latest threat other tentacles of evil are crawling towards them, including the man who claims to be Storm’s biological father. As if that isn’t enough to test their strength and loyalty, Storm finds that her unusual and twisted path of history with Mexican drug cartel leader Rodrigo Rojas is more profound than ever. The hunt heats up and Quint, Deliverance, Wilde, Victor and their families and friends find themselves drawn into deadly games of misdirection, dark secrets, and pure evil. Who will survive?