"A CITY FOR THE DYING blends the gritty settings and textured characters of a Dennis Lehane or George Pelecanos novel with the drug cartel elements of Don Winslow." -Bill Ferris "Welcome to the world of Eradicus Purify, a man who is rocketing toward success when his world is blown apart, forcing him to face a question all people must grapple with: Why am I here and what do I do with my life?" -Chris Keats After a Mexican drug cartel steals eighteen million dollars' worth of Oxycontin from a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Mexico City, it ends up on a truck headed for the Continental Freight terminal in Strickland, Illinois, setting off a chain of horrors that tears through not only Strickland and the nearby wealthy city of Vinings, but the entire United States. Trapped in the middle of it all is Eradicus Purify. "It's not what you do in life that matters, it's why you do it. How many times have I told you that?" -Joseph Purify, speaking to his son, Eradicus. Eradicus Purify, pushed by his mother as a child to succeed in spite of the difficulties growing up in crime-riddled Strickland, expects to achieve all of his goals: To escape from his childhood city, to get away from the drugs and the violence, to have a chance at a real life, a successful life. Maybe even to date Alexa, if she'll have him. He's well on his way too. He's earned his undergraduate degree; he' s working toward his MBA in Finance; he's on the cusp of earning an internship at a prestigious New York City investment bank; he's even thinking of asking Alexa to dinner. But going to school during the day and working for Continental Freight at night has left him dead-tired, utterly exhausted. So when his uncle, a man who, along with Eradicus' father, recently attempted to steal eighteen million dollars' worth of Oxycontin from a Mexican drug cartel, offers him a job that would allow him to quit his day job, he's too weak to refuse. And then his life begins to unravel. "...when a Mexican drug cartel brings their violence into our country, they have crossed the line of drug trafficking and into terrorism. If they murdered fifty-three United States citizens last night, it is proof positive we need to finally do something about our borders. Illegal immigrants seeking work to support a family is one thing...but when a drug cartel feels comfortable waging their war in our country and on our people, it is apparent we are moving toward anarchy." -Strickland Police Chief, Patrick Munro A QUICK Q AND A WITH THE AUTHOR Q: So you wrote a novel about a Mexican drug cartel? A: Not really, at least not in the way Don Winslow does in SAVAGES. When considering the initial plot, I started, like many authors, with a "what if" question. After reading about an unsolved pharmaceutical theft in Mexico City on the DEA's website, I asked myself, what if those drugs ended up in a Midwestern city? What would happen? How could its arrival disrupt and destroy the life of one resident, in particular. Little did I know when I started writing the book that Mexico's drug violence would be an almost daily focal point in our newspapers. However, the book is about Eradicus Purify, first and foremost. Q: Eradicus Purify? Is that really his name? A: It's certainly a unique name, but, as a writer, unless you're creating an Everyman character, you should strive for a name that is a little different and informs the reader about the character. That's my opinion, anyway. Of course, a name like Eradicus Purify is blatantly obvious. You know he kicks ass. However, once you get to know the character, you see that he's anything but a one dimensional, violent person. In fact, given the choice, Eradicus would choose a life of the mind over violence every day. What I find intriguing about his story is that he is forced by circumstances and by one bad choice to fight for the life he desires, and in the end, it is violence that leads him to his true calling in life.
About the Author: I am the author of A CITY FOR THE DYING, the first in a series of novels featuring Eradicus Purify. I graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism, and currently live in the Chicago area where I am at work on my second novel.