home
about the author
plot teaser
sample chapters
Q & A
reviews
buy the book
local book clubs
contest
links
appearances
press room
contact

Plot Teaser

LOVE, HATE, AND DESPERATION

Hovering in the corrosive clouds over Io is a colony of volatile gas mines. The colony’s leader—known to everyone as “the king”— maintains order through stern, dictatorial control.

Renowned for his viciousness when he was the king’s bodyguard, Horrocks has since risen to the staid post of mine foreman. The years in between were spent suppressing his violent nature, a triumph both gratifying and fragile. He and his wife Sari have overcome misfortune and poverty to achieve their current success.

When the king goes into hiding after an attempted assassination, Horrocks is chosen to spearhead the frantic manhunt. First he must find the Ringers—a new breed of bodyguard surgically altered to mimic the king. They went missing just hours after the attack, and Horrocks suspects them of treachery. Guilty or innocent, they've left a trail that might lead to the king.

The hunt forces Horrocks to revive his suppressed ferocity and to question the imperfect way of life that he is fighting to preserve.

Guilfoyle thrives on chaos. A decade ago he was Horrocks’ chief rival, but a very public disgrace has reduced him to a scavenger, looting derelict spaceships to survive. The king’s bitter bastard children task Guilfoyle with beating Horrocks to their father. They plan to prevent the king from ever reclaiming power. Guilfoyle immerses himself in the hunt, hoping his interference will reverse all of Horrocks’ accomplishments.

In the tradition of science fiction pioneers Alfred Bester and Dan Simmons comes Counterfeit Kings—a gritty exploration of a dangerous future whose citizens have sacrificed everything and now, in a time of unimaginable catastrophe, they learn the true meaning of the word desperation.