NAMELESS
By Joe Conlan
HOW WOULD YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE IF YOU HAD NO NAME AND THERE WAS NO RECORD OF YOUR EXISTENCE?
Chilling and taut, NAMELESS, introduces a fresh and exciting twist on the deadly game of cat and mouse. By virtue of one impulsive and deeply human, but all too grave mistake, a good and decent man finds himself pitted against the embodiment of evil and threatened with losing everything and everyone he loves and values; including the pristine reputation he has endeavored all his adult life to establish.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel Falcone unwittingly steps onto course for a head-on collision with a frighteningly brilliant psychotic serial killer, whose harrowing childhood abuse and neglect left him devoid of humanity and salivating for revenge. Framed for a brutal murder on a commercial cruise ship, and fighting for the right to raise his sons and clear his name, Falcone races against the clock and struggles to keep his eyes on the prize, even while his profound guilt and self-loathing threaten to destroy him faster than his maniacal adversary.
The beginning of Daniel’s journey had its roots in a childhood accident that led to his teenage brother’s tragic death. Crushed by an overwhelming sense of remorse arising from his perceived contribution to the loss, Daniel ultimately devotes his life to upholding the law. As a young, rookie FBI agent, he is quickly dubbed the Bureau’s golden boy. On a meteoric rise to the top, he is tapped as the Special Agent in Charge when his mentor steps down. His life and career seemed full of promise until he is framed for the brutal murder he doesn’t even remember, yet is certain he didn’t commit.
A perfect, page-turning summer read, NAMELESS takes you on an action packed journey as it explores:
- Good vs. evil - We all want to believe good will triumph over evil, but life lessons are learned in how we handle the curve balls thrown our way.
- Life changing events - Is the way we react to pain and suffering really all about choice?
- Fate - Is our life course plotted for us or do we have free will to decide our own destiny?
“When I sat down to write NAMELESS,” says Conlan, “I wanted to explore why two people, who each experience horrific childhood experiences, can be so diametrically opposed. Why does one person choose good over evil? Is it a choice or is a greater force at work?”
Joe Conlan received his undergraduate degree in psychology and his law degree from the University of Florida. He prosecuted both misdemeanors and felonies in Broward County for three years and then spent the remaining twelve years of his law career trying civil cases in the South Florida area. Conlan loves to spend time with family, friends and his two best girlfriends who just happen to be Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
~EXCERPT~
Chapter 1
“This is bullshit,” Nikki shouted out loud to no one in particular after her vain attempt to wave down a gray Chevy Silverado pickup. The middle-aged male driver slowed to a near stop then accelerated past her, almost running over her feet when she stepped off the curb. It wasn’t an hour earlier; she decided this would be her last night on the streets. She was sick of it all; the repulsive, dirty, old men, the perverted degenerates of the world not to mention the constant danger to her health and life. She planned to make enough money tonight to get a bus ticket home and start over. There was a slim chance she could move back into her parents’ house. Her stepdad was irrelevant. He would have no real say in the matter. She had burned bridges with her mother. “Burned” actually was an understatement. They were blown to smithereens. Nikki was hoping that time had healed some major wounds. Whatever happened, she was going to find a way to make an honest living and turn her life around.
The man parked in a Sports Utility Vehicle across the street on Biscayne Boulevard had been watching her for the last ten minutes. It was the first time he had seen her. Until only recently he was very familiar with all the whores working this strip. According to his calculations, this one was a runaway minor, new to the area, no older than seventeen. There was little doubt she was unfamiliar with local practice or was just plain stupid. There was normally a high police presence at this hour to protect and monitor patrons leaving the dollar movie theatre across the street. Most of the whores didn’t show up until just after midnight. They knew it was when the theatre closed and the parade of johns driving up and down Biscayne kicked off. It was after 10:30pm and the infrequent passersby had no interest in what the girl was selling.
Just the way she shamelessly flaunted her body parts to draw in customers was enough to evoke the man’s ire. Her willingness to screw any pathetic asshole prepared to pay was a capital crime as far as he was concerned. When she practically threw herself in front of the Chevy pickup, he knew it was time to act before she ruined everything and got herself arrested.
He started the SUV, pulled out of the parking space and made his way around the block. In the short distance he drove, he had to dodge a homeless man hoping to spit-wash his windshield for change and two derelicts selling crack. As he approached the prostitute, she stepped onto the street and flashed him a full breast. At that moment, he had the overwhelming urge to coax her into his truck, slit her throat, and be done with it. Instead, he took a deep breath and cleared his mind. The instant he stopped, she was at his passenger window.
“Can I get in,” she asked?
“It’s not locked.”
She hopped into the passenger seat without hesitation. Seemingly as an afterthought, she
inquired, “You’re not a cop or serial killer, are you?”
“No. I’m gonna pull outta here before we get arrested.”
Satisfied with his answer, and more focused on making the money for her bus ticket, she
replied, “That’s fine. What are you into?” “How much for the night?”
“One thousand.” She thought that should be enough for the bus, plus a few extra dollars to live on while she looked for a job after she got back home to Macon. What luck to have a big pay-off with her first john of the evening.
Dyed and Gone
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