Chasing Smoke

Anthony Lee Gabbro is a sociopathic monster, a sexual deviant whose lust for power, control and violence knows no bounds. Det. Jim Lansing's life is consumed working the strange rape cases and the latest series case, a rape/ homicide which threatens to bury him in political pressure, Catholic guilt and professional failure. If that wasn't enough, Lansing's boss saddles him with training a rookie detective; failing justice systems, incompetence and error - some of it his own - become overwhelming. As a result, Jim is visited by a cop's worst enemy and greatest fear: the 3:00 am night terror known as The Hour of Regret. Det. Lansing, chasing an elusive suspect and frustrated at what he describes as "chasing smoke," reaches out to his beautiful ex-wife, Anne, a sex crimes investigator with FBI training in profiling sexual-sadist serial offenders. As they work the cases together, they also work on their relationship and love begins to once more blossom. But, there is no way for them to know that Gabbro has plans to unleash his terrible rage on Anne. The only woman Jim has ever truly loved finds herself at Gabbro's mercy and the investigation, careers and her very life hang in the balance. Like any story well told, it is difficult to know where the truth ends and the fantasy begins. Especially in the world of crime, police work, politics and love, where anything can happen, the line between actual truth and believable fantasy can become extraordinarily blurred. This novel exposes the dark corners of the world, which people lust to know, but fear to understand.