Sin & Sanctum

It is the peak of tourist season for the Iowa Great Lakes region, but the vibrant resort area is shaken when a retired FBI agent disappears and body parts begin to surface. When the governor asks former federal prosecutor Michael Cain to investigate, Michael peals away, layer by layer, the sordid attempts by a self-anointed criminal mastermind, Bart Farley, to win a casino license for the lakes area.

With his nightclub and oversized excursion boat as a front, Farley schemes to use prostitution to blackmail a member of the state’s gambling commission. But Farley’s plan implodes when a trafficked girl escapes and a second is murdered by his client. Obsessed and with his own life at risk, Farley will stop at nothing, not assassination, human trafficking, blackmail, nor multiple murders, to achieve his goal.

Standing in his way is Michael Cain.

Gene Gross is fortunate and grateful for the outstanding mentors who encouraged him as a young musician and teacher. Gene served 38 years as a band director and following retirement, maintained a private studio for ten years. As a horn player, he performed with bands and orchestras throughout South Dakota and Iowa. His chamber compositions for horn are published by Grand Mesa Music.

Gene is a Past-President of the Iowa Bandmasters Association and served as chairperson of the organization’s Endowment Fund Committee for 21 years. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of South Dakota, a Masters of Music Education degree from Drake University, and additional postgraduate studies at the University of Iowa. He and his wife have two sons and five grandchildren and live in Ames, Iowa.

An avid reader, Gene’s fascination with mystery novels began at an early age. By fifth grade he knew he would write a novel; it just took a few decades to finish his first novel, The Girl in the Net.