Fior Firsen

"I had to think long and hard about writing any of this down . . ."

So begins Detective Jimmy Feterello's account of three unspeakably horrible cases. Knowing that alone he is no match for the perpetrators, Jimmy turns to a wartime friend, Fior Firsen for help. Firsen's tactics and easy way with the switchblade were excessive even in Viet Nam. It's thirty years later and Firsen's fury is back in modern day San Francisco . . . only this time . . . it may not be enough.

The perpetrators?

The Angels of the Earth. A coven of twenty-five members who capture Linda Lauman as she is about to give birth. They bury her alive while she's in labor so that her death and the death of her child will atone for the loss of trees. The story begins in the wee hours of the morning at the gravesite in Golden Gate Park as Feterello struggles to open the coffin lid. He's too late this time.

The Macoute Twins. A savage pair of Haitian brothers whose MO is to invade a home and force the family into a cannibalistic mass. They simultaneously invade homes on opposite sides of town and leave behind a baffling trail of DNA evidence. Feterello figures it out, but is frankly afraid to face the monsters alone.

The third case proves more perplexing. Initial evidence points to a group of carnival face painters using their art to dispense a devastating virus. Deeper analysis shows that a rogue mercenary, Roqual Fauxfransez, is unleashing the cruel poison. But why?

The Mercenary is a tough talking and brutal novel on the surface. Closer inspection isn't necessary but, when performed, reveals an unsettling commentary about who we are and how good addresses evil.

Or, as Detective Feterello confesses,

read now about how in the middle of life we found strength in friendship and managed to do something about what was wrong.