The Salome Effect

“This book has a good plot with plenty of action that keeps you interested. There’s the right amount of character development. You get to know the main characters enough to like the good guys and not like the bad guys.

…And then it ends. You’re left wanting more and yet satisfied at the same time.

It was a good book and I recommend it.” – Kim K.

Synopsis

Robert sits in a strip club in Torino, Italy.  He is an American military veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.  He lives a lonely and empty life.  Depressed and drinking heavily, Robert’s world would spin out of control if not for his only joy; Mariana, a beautiful Romanian stripper.  Robert is convinced that if he wins her love, he’ll get better and take charge of his life again. His desire for Mariana burns as fierce as her passion for art, particularly the works of Caravaggio.

Robert learns of an exhibit of a restored painting by Caravaggio, Salome With the Head of Saint John the Baptist.  Desperate to impress Mariana, Robert devises a plan to take her to see the priceless painting.

Shaken by his episodes of PTSD, Robert’s plan transform into a dangerous scheme.  He recruits an accomplice to help him steal the painting so he can give it to Mariana.  But things go badly…

A city-wide police sweep of strip clubs threatens Robert’s plans.  He soon finds himself guilty of murder and art theft, chased by unknown assailants, threatened by his accomplice, and unsure of Mariana’s feelings for him.