On July 6th, 1989, Isaac Ruhdel, an eccentric, recluse, multi-millionaire, was reportedly killed by an aberrant lightning bolt during a Nor'easter. He willed all of his liquid assets and properties to a robustly handsome, young chemist, named Chris A. Laude. Well all but one property-Ruhdel's home-a mansion at 55 King Street, which, for the next ten years, went unclaimed, and fell into such a state of disrepair, that the Weehawken City Council moved to have the dwelling (locally known as "Weehawken's Haunted House") demolished. During the demolition, 25 skeletons-all of young men between the ages of 12 and 18-were discovered. According to the coroner, Doctor C. Malcolm Gibbs, some had been there only a few months; others for the better part of a decade. Michael Kasper, the inarguably handsome, local, TV news reporter and anchorman for Channel 12, WPIC, would begin his 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts tonight, December 20th, 1999 -ironically during the height of the festive Christmas season-with these unanswered questions: Was the house at 55 King Street really haunted? How could 25 young men disappear and go unnoticed from the community? Was this the work of a serial killer? Why only young male adolescents and teenagers? Were the victims possibly gay? Was the Killer possibly gay...Or were these hate crimes? Michael Kasper would conclude his TV newscast thusly: "Do we have a devious, dangerous, pervert, mass-murderer in our midst?" To come up with answers to these questions, Michael enlists the aide of his effortlessly sexy partner of 14 years, Allen Deur-Kasper ("Baby Bear")-and their canine companions: Spot, Michael's Dalmatian, with an inflated sense of his place in the universe; and Spotless, Allen's Westie, who is simply "always too exhausted" to care. Because of Michael's position as an investigative reporter, and Allen's position as Chief Research Librarian at the Weehawken Free Public Library, they are a perfect complement to the accompanying posse of colorful, multi-dimensional characters, who join the investigation and propel this rousing tale: Detective Dan J. Becky, whose incessant appetite for the truth is only exceeded by his appetite for food; Chief Librarian Clara Haupt, Allen's brilliant, quasi-alcoholic, (probably lesbian), uber-liberal boss; Maxwell Bane from Ukraine, an expert on weirwolves and wolfsbane; Rupram Chakraborty, the Hindu Yoga master; Sason Tanof, the Bengal Tiger; Little Terry Bridgedale, the 12 year old abductee, who's only just discovered how to make "white stuff;" Frank DeCarpo, Weehawken Turtles star shortstop, who escapes to tell the tale of his abduction; Old Mr. Sal DeRauchi, driver of the dung wagon at the zoo; and even the local butcher..."You can't beat Warfield's Meat!" They (along with the good citizens of Weehawken, the Mayor, the Police Chief, and the Fire Chief) encounter and confront: demonic possession, reincarnation, murder, vampirism, criminal abductions, poisonous monkshood, death by exsanguination, exhumations, identities obscured by anagrams, and a dungeon jail-hidden beneath an extravagant display of wealth and opulence! It's a page-turning tale of the supernatural, with a suspenseful build-up to a mysterious ending.
About the Author: In general, why do I write? Well, for one thing, I am good at it. For another, I enjoy the process. I also write to address topics which I feel do not get enough press; i.e., to bring things into public awareness. I have three university degrees, though I won't give any of them credit for teaching me how to write. I learned that at the excellent public high school I attended, where I had some very outstanding teachers who demanded that I learn the fundamentals and mechanics of writing. They patiently tolerated my mischievous nature, without suffocating my creativity. Universities, conversely, taught me little about writing; they just expected me to be able to write. What I mostly learned from them (back in the pre-computer era) was to type full pages of text, without a single typing mistake. Erasures, white-outs, and type-overs simply were not allowed. The message and the meaning of the writing seemed to always be subservient to the typing of the document. From such experiences, I learned personal patience (anger repression)-and a tolerance for petty stupidity. I have had 20 years' experience teaching in public and parochial high-schools, and at the university level. In retirement many former students have acknowledged my positive and productive influence on them and their lives. And I feel good about that. I have a military "classified materials" clearance and experience in the USAF Military Police Investigations Division, 363rd Military Police Squadron, Shaw AFB, Sumter, S.C. I am a retired Licensed Mental Health Professional and a certified clinical sex-therapist. I was in private practice at Lakeside Hospital in Metairie, LA. Musically, I achieved a Master's Degree in Vocal Performance Arts from Loyola University, and became a soloist in the New Orleans' symphonic and operatic venues. My artistic side includes drawing and painting. I am a self-taught artist who has held three, successful, one-person art shows. In summary, with almost 20 years teaching experience, many years in police work and investigations, and many more as a licensed mental health professional in private practice, I feel qualified to write about the characters and crimes that take place in my books.