Death S Door

Death's Door

“A Grade A thriller . . . twisted, near-omnipotent villains, brutal violence, sharp plot twists, solid (and enthralling) historical research.” —The Vancouver Sun Canadian Mountie Robert DeClercq and his Special X team are facing down a stolen mummy with a trail of corpses in its wake. The question is: Is this the work of one killer? Or is it some sort of diabolical conspiracy? DeClercq’s investigation leads him to a local porn king who specializes in snuff videos and a fresh trail of mutilated female bodies being dumped around the Gulf Islands. But just when DeClercq narrows in on the criminality behind these abominable murders, an old enemy returns. Not only is Mephisto determined to destroy DeClercq once and for all, but this megalomaniac won’t stop until he puts all of humanity at the brink of Death’s Door. . . . “There are psycho thrillers and there are psycho thrillers, and the ones to watch are those by Michael Slade. This high-powered mystery stars a psycho so heinous that you might want to take a deep breath before starting this baffling case. [Death’s Door is] a story to be read with caution.” —Ottawa Citizen “There isn’t a precedent for the barbaric brilliance of a Slade novel. With its well-researched, candid ventures into the most deranged of sick psyches, Death’s Door is a witches’ brew of intense intellectualism, police procedure, and white-knuckle, wince-inducing gore.” —Rue Morgue “Slade has finely honed his skills . . . You’ll be up all night reading it and, before you finally sleep, you’ll check under the bed.” —The Vancouver Sun/DESC

Death's Door

Death's Door

In this seventh installment of James R. Benn’s hit WWII-era mystery series, Lieutenant Billy Boyle goes undercover in the Vatican. Lieutenant Billy Boyle could have used a rest after his last case, but when his girlfriend, Diana Seaton, a British spy, goes missing in the Vatican, where she was working undercover, he insists on being assigned to a murder investigation there so he can try to help her. An American monsignor is found murdered at the foot of Death's Door, one of the five entrances to Saint Peter's Basilica. Wild Bill Donovan, head of the OSS, wants the killing investigated. The fact that the Vatican is neutral territory in German-occupied Rome is only one of the obstacles Billy must overcome. First is a harrowing journey, smuggled into Rome while avoiding the Gestapo and Allied bombs. Then he must navigate Vatican politics and personalities—some are pro-Allied, others pro-Nazi, and the rest steadfastly neutral—to learn the truth about the murdered monsignor. But that's not his only concern; just a short walk from the Vatican border is the infamous Regina Coeli prison, where Diana is being held. Can he dare a rescue, or will a failed attempt alert the Germans to his mission and risk an open violation of Vatican neutrality?