a garden of vipers

When a young reporter is found murdered, Mobile detectives Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus wonder if there may be more to this slaying than a standard homicide.

Simultaneously, the detectives are drawn into the dealings of the Kincannon family, ""picture- perfect"" socialites and philanthropists with ties to Ryder's partner . . . and to his journalist girlfriend.

When Ryder is abducted by bizarre and unknown forces, he's given up for dead by all but those closest to him. Digging fast as Ryder's time disappears, they discover a web of connections between the murdered reporter, the dealings of an elusive bearded man, and the charitable enterprises of the Kincannons. The question quickly becomes: What will the perfect family do to protect an image of perfection?

The answer: Whatever it takes.

Jack Kerley worked in advertising and teaching before becoming a full-time novelist. He lives in Newport, Kentucky, but also spends a good deal of time in Southern Alabama, the setting for The Hundredth Man.

His love of the suspense genre was sparked at age thirteen, when his father gave him a collection of Saint stories by Leslie Charteris. Other cited influences include William Shakespeare, Louis Armstrong, and any large and moving body of water. Jack Kerley is married with two children.