A Spirit of Fraud: An Occult Thriller Set in 1876

It is 1876. Under the apparent direction of the Archangel Uriel, a secret British occult Brotherhood, moves to seize a virtually defenseless America. Annie Eva Fay, as the premier American spirit medium, discovers the chilling presence of Uriel’s minions. But Annie Eva Fay is a con woman, her spirits a fake. And Uriel, is he also a fake? Will Annie have enough time to learn the truth?Annie gains the support of the Pinkerton Agency after she saves the life of their rookie operative, Aaron Levin, from a GRC attack. Annie and Levin work to combine Annie’s unique contacts and insights with Pinkerton resources to finally confront the GRC and its enigmatic leader, Lord John Acre, in a New York warehouse owned by the GRC, and stocked with weapons and explosives. She creates convincing psychic illusions that have allowed her to live well, her childhood experience living as almost a slave a far memory. Annie will do anything to keep that degrading memory from ever becoming real again.And the GRC?Several of the characters in the novel are historical, including Annie Eva Fay, President U. S. Grant, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, Robert Allan Pinkerton ... and the Ancient and Exemplary Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross.

From the Back Cover

From a review in Kings River Life Magazine: "... comparable to The DaVinci Code". "Annie Eva Fay ... the greatest female mystifier." Harry Houdinii. It is 1876. A British occult brotherhood, devoted to the Archangel Uriel, plans to seize a defenseless America in the waning months of the corrupt Grant administration. Only the premiere spirit medium of the day, Annie Eva Fay, detects the presence of the Archangel's minions and must gather the necessary powers to resist them. Annie's spirits are all fake. But what of the apparent powers of the Archangel? Are they also fake? Annie must confront the the powers of Uriel to understand in time to protect America.

About the Author

I am a retired high-tech executive, having done business in 24 countries most recently in Asia, primarily throughout China. I have had three mystery short stories published with John Randall Brown, a retired high-tech executive turned professional mentalist. Think Thomas Crown as a fake psychic and a reluctant detective. My biography of Anna Eva Fay, The Indescribable Phenomenon, was published by Hermetic Press in Seattle. Magician Harry Houdini called AEF, "The greatest female mystifier"; while detective Allan Pinkerton called her "... a woman possessing a terribly fascinating power and capable of any devilish human accomplishment." They were both right. Anna Eva Fay is also the protagonist of my new historical occult thriller, A Spirit of Fraud, set in 1876 in which she must face the powers of the Archangel Uriel to defeat the plans of a British occult brotherhood to seize America in the waning months of the helpless Grant administration. I have lectured on the history of mentalism and spiritualism at several venues from the Magic Castle in Hollywood and the Magic Circle in London, to the annual Meeting of the Minds of the Psychic Entertainers Association. I am an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle in London, and a member of the Order of Merlin Sword of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. I have also written a number of non-fiction articles for magic and history magazines in America and Europe.

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