A Gathering of Vultures

Murder, mutilation, and carrion... in paradise? " "There shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate." -ISAIAH 34:15 Professional ballroom dancers Terri and Rick Hamilton aspire to be world champions. Unfortunately, Terri's recurring back and health problems place that goal well out of reach. They travel to Terri's birthplace, Florianópolis, on the scenic island of Santa Catarina off the coast of Brazil to vacation and visit their best friends and mentors. Along the picturesque beaches, dead penguins and eviscerated bodies wash up on the shores of paradise, and Antarctic blasts play counterpoint to the tropical storms that rock the island. The scenic wonder is home not only to urubús, a unique sub-species of the black vulture, but also to a clique of mysterious women who offer Terri perfect health and the promise of fame--at a terrible price. Rick fears Terri is being drawn into a cult and that his own life may be in danger. Will it be too late when he discovers something even more terrifying lives beneath the tranquil, tropical veneer of the island? Idyllic one moment and nightmarish the next, you never know what you'll encounter in the city of Florianópolis--murder, mutilations, carrion, or the lure of eternal youth. Praise for "A Gathering of Vultures " "Discovering a truly different sort of horror novel is a rare pleasure... and cause for much rejoicing. Donald Michael Platt's A Gathering of Vultures provides a glimpse of singular evil. Even the exotic Brazilian locale and the back story--involving competitive ballroom dancing--may be unique within the genre. This is the darkest of dark fantasies. Through fevered imaginings of the first rank, coupled to macabre yet erudite prose, Platt crafts an unusual and involving nightmare." --Robert Dunbar, author of The Pines and The Shore

About the Author

Donald Michael Platt is an award wining author of five published novels: "Rocamora,"an International Book Awards Finalist, and its sequel "House of Rocamora" set in 17th century Spain and Amsterdam during their Golden Ages. "Close to the Sun," a WWII novel about USAAF and Luftwaffe fighter aces has garnered three Indie Book Award Finalist Awards. The Historical Novel Society named his novel "Bodo the Apostate" an Editor's Choice title, calling it "a masterfully-controlled narrative" of the Carolingian Empire. "A Gathering of Vultures," a contemporary horror novel set in Florianópolis, Brazil, was also selected as an Indie Book Award Finalist in Horror.Donald and his wife Ellen currently reside in Winter Haven Florida along with his cat, Bodo, a loquacious tyrant.

Reviews

News