Portolina

PORTOLINA Hells Kitchen Or Shangri-La? is a riddle, mystery, wrapped up in an enigma, about former Chief of Homicide in San Fernando Valley, California, John Mirabella, and his wife, Theresa (Teri), who believe they found their ideal town for retirement in the San Bernardino/San Gabriel area in California. On their first visit to the town of Portolina, they find a very unfriendly Sheriff and several inhospitable citizens of the town who, to put it mildly, urge the visitors to leave. John Mirabella, however, remains unfazed by the outlandish treatment he and his wife received on their initial visit. They return to Portolina only to experience an attempt on their lives.

John, one of the heroes in my book ROMULUS AND REMUS The Imperfect Murders, enlists the help of the other hero in the aforementioned book, Ernie Barnes, Private Investigator, as both embark on a suspenseful and most unusual journey to discover the reasons for the behavior of the Portolinians in their attempt to hide whatever alleged crime(s) they have been committing. Eventually, they bring a mutual friend, FBI Agent Augie Brandt, and his brother State Trooper Gary Brandt into the case.

The lawmen work on theories involving murder, drug marketing, a recent Brinks armored vehicle robbery, racketeering, bank robbery, money laundering, kidnapping and rape. Those theories are just a few of the possibilities devised by the four experienced investigators, who are frustrated as they try to avoid facing a brick wall in following each theory to its conclusion. The final chapter, Chapter 35, presents quite a surprising revelation as it begins with a raid on the community and ends with the answer to the question, Is Portolina a Hells Kitchen or a Shangri-La?