Scorpio Rising
New Age Noir, no. 1
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $1.99
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
Scorpio Rising (New Age noir)
In the space of one hour, three strangers die violent deaths. A hit-and-run vehicle kills a dot-com millionaire jogging in San Francisco. A car bomb obliterates the team leader of a government counter-terrorism project in Los Alamos, New Mexico. An assailant ambushes a New York heiress walking home from Broadway and forces her own pepper spray down her throat.
In all three cases, investigators reach an immediate impasse. Each victim leaves an estate of millions, but their beneficiaries all have perfect out-of-town alibis. Theories swirl around the victims like flies on a corpse – a contract killing for financial gain, a lover’s quarrel spiraled out of control, a domestic al-Qaeda strike...? The police are stymied and the FBI is worried.
Axel Crowe, criminal psychologist, is summoned to New York by the brother of the woman who was murdered. Crowe is a man with an obscure past but a brilliant reputation. Occasionally he consults as a profiler for the police. More commonly, he is a finder of wayward people and stolen possessions. Despite initial stonewalling from the NYPD, Crowe profiles the killer in his own unique way – using astrology, palmistry and other unconventional techniques.
His investigation follows a tangled trail of illicit relationships – from one suspect to another and, eventually, yet another. Ultimately, he learns that all three victims were killed in the space of one hour. But is it coincidence or conspiracy?
Facts are gross, but the truth is subtle, Crowe’s guru used to tell him. And although the truth lies buried in the past, Crowe is relentless until he uncovers it.
Customer Reviews
Scorpio Rising
I could not put this book down....a page turner with a great plot and characters. Loved it.
new age noir rocks!
This is the first of what author Alan Annand calls his New Age Noir series, featuring an adventure-prone but morally upright hero who is an astrologer and palmist. Annand’s talent is evident on multiple fronts – strong characterization, complex plot and a display of colorful writing not typical of the genre. Style-wise, I was often reminded of Raymond Chandler and Len Deighton.
The plot is a ramped-up version of the Highsmith/Hitchcock Strangers on a Train wherein three former college friends find themselves decades later in a position to scratch each other’s itch to mutual financial advantage. The story ping-pongs back and forth between New York, San Francisco and New Mexico, gradually narrowing in focus until our astrological sleuth confronts the principal perp in the desolate landscape of a desert butte.
Lest the casual reader might think the use of astrology or palmistry would spoil this man-in-the-street armchair detection, don’t be fooled. Esoterica is woven into this story so deftly it is no more intrusive than another author’s use of forensic or legal details. Although Annand obviously knows his arcane arts, he never preaches, only educates in the most subtle manner, meanwhile providing non-stop entertainment.