Characters Make the Story
The secret of a good story that gets away from many authors is that the best stories are not about events. Rather, they're about intriguing characters and how they react to events. The Resurrection Murders is filled with fascinating people, each with strengths and weaknesses, that will draw you into a powerful story of victory and loss, of horror and shock, of heroism and redemption. Here are some of the major characters:
Simon Raven is the main character of The Resurrection Murders. His family left him enough money to live without working. Other than that, the tall, graceful, man of indeterminate age is just like you with one exception—he is a magician. No, not the guy in the wrinkled tuxedo who pulls bunnies from hats for children‘s birthday parties. He is a real magician, a person who is able to warp reality at will. Unlike typical movies and comic books, however, real magic is far more than simply mispronouncing words from an aged book. It requires practice as real magic is a skill that can be developed. Simon is muscular but limber, more like a graceful Bruce Lee than bulky, muscle-bound professional wrestler. He's a vegetarian with long, light brown hair that he wears straight to his shoulders. He always wears black. His strong facial structure draws admiration wherever he goes. But he's far from perfect. His impatience and sometimes misplaced self-assuredness could mean his downfall, the deaths of members of the magical organization he runs, and perhaps even the end of humanity as we know it.
Allenda (Alli) Henley is another of the main characters. She’s practically the opposite of Simon. He has enough money to survive comfortably, but she was brought up in great wealth. Her mother died when she was young and she was raised by her father who doted on her. His overprotectiveness prevented her from establishing a strong personality, resulting in a low self-image. She always wears large, heavy-framed glasses and is somewhat overweight. She dresses conservatively and because she never had to do any physical work she hates even thinking about exercise, although once she gets going doing physical work she can really get into it.
In some ways, Alli is more than just a main character. In magical orders, one of the goals is to advance spiritually by developing and mastering the ego. As a member of Simon’s order, this is something she is supposed to do, but has been resisting. Now, however, things are different. As the events rapidly move toward a peak, people find themselves depending upon her for their very lives, and she must either come into her own as a strong, independent woman and magician, or face death. Is she really up to the task?
Paul Christian has been a cop in the Hollywood police department for 22 years. For all of his dedication he’s got a divorce from the only woman he’s ever loved, rarely gets to see his children, a peptic ulcer that he bathes in Tums tablets that he chews far too frequently, and a cynical attitude. Years ago he solved a crime that involved some people involved with the occult. He used standard procedures to solve the case, but was labeled “the occult cop.” He doesn't know anything about occultism, but he has to learn its secrets, and learn them quickly. Murders have been taking place and the bodies are being dumped in Hollywood. The murders have “occult overtones,” so he’s assigned the case. But the real clues are either too few, too many, or completely confusing. He’s always been tough but fair. He’d have been a captain by now, but because he won't play political games he’s still just a detective on the beat. And now, beside trying to stop what seems to be a serial killer, he also has to face further department politics, crazy occultists, wacky Christian fundamentalists, satanists, and a wild assortment of people that could only be found in what many have called “Hollyweird.” The resignation papers that only require his signature and that are sitting in the top drawer of his desk are becoming more and more inviting, but his dedication to stopping the killings may be even more important.
Arthur White is the teacher everybody hated in school. He’s a stuffy old fart in his late fifties. Even though he’s graying and balding far beyond his years, he still has a baby face with thin lips, beady eyes, an overbite and a receding chin. White owns an occult shop where people can go to purchase books and supplies. Like Simon, he runs an occult order, but like White himself, the order has no power and no magic although he is so egotistical and full of himself that he thinks it is the most powerful group in the world. White is so sure that everyone is interested in whatever interests him that he never notices his long and irrelevant monologues bore everyone to tears. He always uses big words when unneeded, and two paragraphs with a citation in Latin when a simple “yes” or “no” would suffice.
Dr. Alexander Gardner is a popular and well-respected professor at UCLA. He’s in his 70s, but with his white teeth and clear, sparkling eyes, he looks much younger. He is slim, but has a decided tummy paunch. Gardner still has a full head of thick, silver hair, but it is usually wild and unkept, matching his bushy eyebrows. He prefers sweaters to jackets, and usually carries a dark, tobacco-stained, unlit pipe in his left hand that he uses as a prop to emphasize a point.
As a professor, he is deliberate and unwilling to make guesses. He will say nothing unless he has researched it and is sure of what he is talking about. He is an expert in occult theory and history, but that doesn’t mean he could perform even a minor spell and he knows it. But if you’re a cop looking for information on the occult, knowing Dr. Gardner is invaluable.
Eris is nothing less than a mystery. In fact, Eris is the only name she goes by and nobody knows her full name. Now in her middle to late 30s, she was a wild child who had been deserted by her Gypsy parents. After not getting along with numerous foster parents she went off on her own. She is short, but has a tiny waist and large bust that draws the attention of men and women. She knows this and shows off her figure with revealing clothes. After gasping at her figure, people find the high cheekbones, brilliant emerald-green eyes and dark skin surrounded by long, reddish-black hair absolutely hypnotic.
Eris knows the erotic power she has over others and uses it to her advantage. She always has lots of money and how she gets it is never discussed between her and her friends in Simon’s magical order. But she knows what they think and laughs at it. She values herself too much to sell her sexuality. Actually, she discovered that she could predict movements in the stock market through the use of astrology and makes plenty of money through investments.
Passionate and filled with personal power, she enjoys helping others as much as she enjoys teasing. But there are others who are drawn to her overt sexuality, and that could be her downfall.
Alan Crawford is both a geek and a schlub. He was born in Chicago and brought up on its tough streets. He was the butt of jokes because he was always late. And lazy. Even now he is at least 35 pounds overweight. But he doesn't care because he’s so smart. He barely got through school because he was bored in all of his classes and didn’t pay attention. Although he has a high I.Q. he’s never gone after or worked at a good job because he wants to spend his time studying. He was bored with every job he's ever held.
And then he discovered two things: occultism and typesetting. He trained to be a typesetter before the modern computerized era. Instead of seeing what the page looked like on a screen, he had to visualize how a page would appear based on the intermixed code and text on the screen in front of him. As a result, he developed advanced skills in a basic mystical technique: visualization. This led him to the occult. He became fascinated by the mathematical and geometric transformations he found in certain aspects of the Kabalah.
A job led him to Los Angeles. His growing love of the occult led him to Simon’s magical order. He also has fallen in love with the mysterious Eris, but is far too shy to tell her and has to watch his every movement and glance when he’s around her so she doesn’t suspect. When he leaves work or the order meetings he just goes home to a small apartment where he studies and dreams of Eris’ touch. He has no hobbies and no friends outside of the order.
Angelica Firestone is a young goth punk. She is 21, but she frequently behaves as if she’s several years younger. Her hair is cut short and has been died jet black. She wears pale, whitish make-up so she looks as if she’s been stuck indoors throughout her life. She loves to dance and party. On the inside of her right thigh is a tattoo of a single red rose with a dagger through it. There is one drop of blood at the blade’s tip. She never had any self-discipline until she joined Simon’s order. Now, everyone has taken her under their wing and she is like the child of the order. Angelica is cute and sexy in a charmingly naive way. Everyone wants to protect and care for her. As a result, she has been allowed to grow mentally and spiritually. She has opened to the ability to channel other...“entities,” and has become the group’s seer.
The Baron is even more of a mystery than Eris. He has his own occult group, but they are independent and certainly not in competition with Simon’s group. Little is known about him and few know anything of his background. But one thing’s for sure: he's big. He’s six-foot-four and 300 pounds, but doesn't have an ounce of fat on his massive, muscle-bound body. He looks like a football lineman, with wide shoulders and stocky legs. His lack of body fat resulted in sharp facial figures. Although most images of male beauty today tend to focus more on a slender figure, he is definitely craggy and big, exuding a cold, cynical power.
The Baron—nobody knows if that is a name or a title—loves the finer things in life to a point of ostentatiousness. He wears custom-made clothes in modern fashions, but they really don’t look good on his massive frame. He appreciates fine foods and wines. Even though he doesn’t need it he wears a black patch over his left eye. A small ruby is embedded in the center of the patch. His strength is huge and his occult knowledge extensive. But pride can blind a person to reality.
Dr. Valdemar Orlac was born Hans Stringmeier. He grew up holding a wide variety of jobs, including a carnival barker and a tabloid reporter. He spent most of his time with the dregs of humanity and came to the conclusion that Barnum was overly optimistic when he said, “There's a sucker born every minute.” Five years in the army’s “black operations” gave him the skills to control people. Nietzche, Bentham, Darwin, and life as a carny gave him his philosophy. He presented this in a religious guise, the image of the opposite of what good people did. He called it “Satanism.” But his real intentions go far deeper than that, and part of his goal is to link neo-Nazi and occult groups. He realizes that Simon can be a great asset or his greatest foe, and he decides to do everything possible to make Simon an ally—or a corpse.
Miguel del Florio was one of the world’s most respected authorities on Norse mythology. But his interest in that area led to the loss of his job and the loss of his beloved wife through divorce. Embittered, he sought to find the real power behind the Northern ways. Unfortunately, that led him to Orlac, and he became an ardent follower.
These are just a few of the amazing people you will come to know and love...or hate...or fear in The Resurrection Murders. Intriguing, exciting, enticing, and involving, this book will pull you into its pulse-pounding pages from the first line to the last page. Order now or read some more information about this book.
The Background of the Story
The Plot
A Sample from the Book
About the Author
What People are Saying about The Resurrection Murders
How to Get a Copy
Other Books by the Author