An ex-spy struggles to dismantle a dangerous conspiracy in this explosive suspense thriller from the author of the Mongo Mysteries. As a Naval intelligence officer stationed in the Middle East, Jade Aden was trusted with secrets that would leave most people shaking in their boots. But after the fallout from an incident during Desert Storm forced her into early retirement, Jade made a new, more pedestrian life for herself and her two children in the picturesque town of Cairn-on-the-Hudson, New York. Employed as a river keeper, Jade monitors pollution created by weekend boaters and commercial tankers. But when something strange surfaces in the river, Jade's dangerous past is dredged up once more. She knows the object strapped to a dead sea lion is a mine from a top-secret weapons system supposedly canceled years ago. Because it was highly classified, Jade is forced to feign ignorance, but her silence soon leads to death and destruction.

A circus-performer-turned-PI uncovers dark secrets in a Hudson River town in this novel of "bloodcurdling adventure" and "genuine suspense" (Publishers Weekly). With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf. When his friend, FBI agent Michael Burana, suspiciously drowns in the small town of Cairn, New York, Mongo's pursuit of the truth takes him up the Hudson River to the scene of the crime. Long known as a village populated by artists, intellectuals, and writers, Cairn has recently become home to ultraconservative political commentator Elysius Culhane, whose autobiography title, If You're Not Right You're Wrong, is less a pun than a personal manifesto. Mongo couldn't care less about...

In this second Veil Kendry suspense novel, Veil must use his paranormal powers of clairvoyancy to track an African warrior-prince at large in the streets of New York. "Science fiction and suspense make a thrilling combination . . ".--Playboy.

A circus-performer-turned-PI who's also "the most engaging criminologist to appear in decades" must save his brother from a cult and a terrorist plot (Booklist). With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf. After a series of traumas and an accidental poisoning, Mongo's brother, Garth Fredrickson, is lying unresponsive in an off-limits government psychiatric facility. But that won't stop New York City's most resourceful private eye—because if there's one person in the world Mongo would do anything for, it's Garth. With a little unorthodox therapy, Mongo manages to bring his brother back to the real world. But it quickly becomes clear that Garth isn't himself. Soon the siblings are...

Product DescriptionMongo becomes entangled in an international hunt for "the world's most dangerous terrorist, " whom Mongo comes to discover may not be at all what he appears to be.

An American chess grandmaster gets involved with a Russian defector in the exciting debut novel from the author of the Mongo Mysteries. Highly focused and arrogant, John Butler has little time for anything other than achieving his ultimate goal: to become a world champion chess player. He already knows he's the best player in the world, but he needs the title to prove it. Now, with the most important competition of his life about to take place in Venice, John's carefully regimented existence is suddenly thrown into chaos when the CIA asks him to take part in a different sort of match. John's opponent, Russian world champion Yevgeny Petroff, plans to defect, and the CIA wants John to be their point of contact. John would never willingly agree to such a distraction, but when he's paid an unexpected visit by Petroff's sister, he finds himself a pawn in a complex, dangerous game of deception—and only the greatest player can win.

Comments from George C. Chesbro"Shadow may be where I started to build a reputation for pushing the envelope of detective fiction, crossing genres by mixing mystery and science fiction. In fact, nothing could have been further from my mind. Sci fi deals in alternate worlds/realities, and Mongo is very much a man of our time and reality. I just wanted to tell a good story, and it occurred to me that it would be great fun to explore the implications of having an actual telepath---but only one---in our world. I concluded that it would be dangerous and potentially disastrous for all concerned, and in the novel I attempt to show why."Shadow is widely believed to be my first novel. It is not. King's Gambit was published first, in England and Scandinavia. While Shadow was my first novel in the USA, and the first Mongo to appear in print, City of Whispering Stone was actually written before it, and rejected by a number of publishers. After the success of Shadow, City was subsequently picked up by one of the same publishers who'd initially rejected it."Mongo's first appearances were in a series of novellas that appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's and Mike Shayne's Mystery Magazine. These are collected in In the House of Secret Enemies." SynopsisShadow of a Broken Man is that rare work of fiction, a first novel that is so unusual, so taut and engrossing and yet so timely that it not only demands to be read in one sitting but will surely haunt the reader for longer afterward. On one level, this is a fast-paced thriller. But on another, far more important level it explores the uncharted powers of the mind---its infinite, perhaps dangerous, capacities and vulnerabilities. Brilliantly delving into that shadowy area of the extraordinary, the author explores how extrasensory perception can be used to ultimately affect the destiny of men and of nations.Dr. Robert Frederickson, known to his friends as Mongo, is a professor of criminology at a New York City university, a former circus headliner, a black-belt karate adept and a private detective---who just incidentally happens to be a dwarf. His investigation into the tangled history of a renowned architect named Rafferty, who died---or is supposed to have died---in a bizarre accident, brings him up against Lippitt, a strange victim of Communist torture, whose interest in Rafferty goes deeper than patriotism. Mongo's tenacity sets in motion an incredible chain of events that comes to an explosive and terrifying climax on a New York waterfront, in which a deadly secret is revealed.George Chesbro's gift for authentic detail, characterization and dialogue, his dazzling originality, and, above all, his inimitably cool style have combined to produce a uniquely powerful and entertaining first novel.---From the dustjacket of the Simon & Schuster edition

SUMMARY:In this second Veil Kendry suspense novel, Veil must use his paranormal powers of clairvoyancy to track an African warrior-prince at large in the streets of New York. "Science fiction and suspense make a thrilling combination . . ".--Playboy.

Professional assassin and martial arts master Chant is about to go from hunter to hunted in this thriller from the author of the Mongo Mysteries. John "Chant" Sinclair is precise, patient, perfect. A highly trained killer with a mastery of martial arts, he's able to slip in and out of any situation, in any disguise, all while maintaining absolute control. In a former life Chant was a soldier, but now he's the world's most wanted criminal, working for himself and taking only the jobs he wants. Governments want to either hire him or kill him. No matter the foe, Chant's skills have made him untouchable . . . until now. Years ago, one man taught Chant to be a dealer of death, a warrior whose very name, Bai, strikes fear into the hearts of men. Now, Bai has been hired to take out his former protégé, and when master and student face off, only one will emerge victorious—and alive. Chant is the 1st book...

A circus-performer-turned-PI takes on "murder and intrigue from New York to Iran" in this "well done, suspenseful" unconventional mystery (Newsday). With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf. When his former big-top boss asks him to find a missing Iranian strongman, Mongo is plunged into a three-ring circus of murder, espionage, and international intrigue. And when Mongo's own brother—police officer Garth Frederickson—gets involved, the detective must fly to Iran, a country on the brink of a revolution. Now he's searching for two missing men, from Tehran to the ancient city of Persepolis, playing a game of a cat-and-mouse with forces far beyond his control. And unlike his days as an...

"The most engaging detective in decades" returns to his big-top roots to solve some bizarre murders—but this time he's working without a net (Library Journal). With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf. Mongo's days as a professional acrobat are long over, but when he learns his former boss is down on his luck—and the circus has been sold—he heads to Florida to rally his fellow ex-performers to help buy back the spectacle they once called home. With seductive snake charmer Harper Rhys-Whitney in tow, Mongo sets out to make a deal with the traveling show's mysterious new owners. But when they track down the talented troupe in America's heartland, Mongo and Harper discover...

International criminal Chant confronts a diabolical doctor in this action-packed thriller from the author of the Mongo Mysteries. When John "Chant" Sinclair learns his oldest and closest friend has been murdered, there's only one thing on the professional killer's mind: revenge. But the man who inflicted Harry Gray's slow, painful death is no simple thug. After being thrown out of medical school, Richard Krowl dedicated himself to becoming a highly trained specialist in the art of torture. Now, other sadists attend his seminars, learning the tools of the trade from a "doctor" whose horrifying skills know no bounds. To avenge his friend, Chant must travel to a remote Pacific island and infiltrate Krowl's secret facility. What awaits him is more terrifying than most could imagine, but Chant has seen the depths to which humanity can sink—and nothing will stop him from exacting justice by any means necessary. Silent...