A body was discovered at the zoo in Lincoln Park on Chicago's upscale north side. The body was covered in blood, lying in the outside enclosure of one of the lion's cages. Next to the body, the lion was sleeping peacefully. Detectives Nikos Papakostis and Kaitlin Doyle, assigned to the case, discover a note on the body stating that the man had been killed because his father had broken the law. As Nikos and Kaitlin investigate further, they find that the 'law' the killer referred to is an Old Testament law, directing that the sins of the father would result in punishment of the sons, to the third and fourth generations Kaitlin reasoned that the current murder may not have been the only crime committed by the Old Testament killer, and indeed, in her research of the police files, she finds another crime committed many years earlier: the murder of a very talented adolescent, who was killed because his father had a gay relationship. The killer, who called himself 'Moses' left a note explaining that the son must die due to the sins of his father. The two detectives find that their every move seems to be anticipated by the killer, who has now threatened to strike again. They soon realize that they also may be targeted by the serial killer, who has increased his activity into a murderous frenzy. Nikos and Kaitlin do a great deal of their case work after hours at the Mykonos restaurant, owned by Nikos' uncle George. George is concerned with finding a mate for Nikos, preferably a nice Greek girl, especially since Kaitlin shows no romantic interest in Nikos. George finally arranges a meeting between Nikos and Roula, a distant cousin of Nikos' from Athens. Nikos feels distracted from trying to solve the crime and avoid the dreaded cousin. The drama of the murders unfold as Nikos is forced to confront his cousin from Greece. The story develops as Kaitlin and Nikos fight a battle against time to try to find the killer before he kills again, finally realizing that they themselves may be targeted to be the next victims of the crazed killer. The book explores the dark regions of a killers mind, the tragedy of his victims, the relationships which develop between the detectives and the other characters of the story. The narrative is filled with dark themes and a great deal of humor. It is a very readable and thought provoking study of religious delusion, solid relationships, failure and triumph, all in the context of believable characters and their interactions with each other. Once you start the book, you will not be able to put it down.
About the Author: The author is a Ph.D. psychologist with an extensive history of forensic and rehabilitation psychology. In addition to a clinical practice, he has written several novels (e.g., Near Miss; The Building Killer; "Murder" in Quotes; The Birthday Bash: Murder in Kauai; The Sins of the Son; The Bridge Club). In addition, he has written a book of short stories (The Crow and other Tales of Mayhem and Murder), and a children's book (Chocolate Moose and the Antarctic Adventure). He is currently working on a sequel to The Birthday Bash: Murder in Kauai (i.e., The Haole Murders). Joseph and his wife Darlene live in Woodstock Illinois, near three of their four children and six grand children. They enjoy extensive travel to Hawaii, the Antarctic, the Arctic, Greece, Italy, Russia, Africa and South America. The author is a certified scuba diver and licensed small plane pilot. He enjoys spending time with family, friends, grandchildren, writing, cooking and photography.