The
Fraternity of the Soul Eater
A
Samuel Roberts Thriller
Book
3
Scott
A. Lerner
Genre:
Urban Fantasy, Thriller
Publisher:
Camel Press
Date
of Publication: June 15, 2015
ISBN:
978-1-60381-289-4
ASIN:
Not yet available
Number
of pages: 218
Word
Count: 57k words
Cover
Artist: Sabrina Sun
Book
Description:
It’s
been a while since Samuel Roberts was called upon to save mankind,
and he’s getting restless. His girlfriend Susan thinks he’s a
danger junkie, and he’s worried he has a hero complex. He’s back
to his usual small-town lawyerly duties in Champaign-Urbana, handling
divorces and helping people beat DUI raps. But then a young
fraternity pledge calls. During an initiation ceremony he witnessed
the live sacrifice of a young woman, but he had so much alcohol in
his system that no one believes him. Except Sam. Lately Egyptian lore
has been creeping into his life, his dreams, and his movie
preferences, and he’s pretty sure he knows why. Evil is knocking on
his door again.
Is
the call welcome? Why can’t Sam be satisfied with his comfortable
legal practice and gorgeous redheaded girlfriend? Maybe it’s
because he knows that, as inadequate as he may feel to the task, he
and his friend Bob may be humanity’s only hope against ancient
supernatural forces combined with modern genetic engineering. Come
hell or high water. Or in this case, the underworld or subterranean
pyramids.
The
Fraternity of the Soul Eater is the third book in the Samuel Roberts
Thriller series, which began with Cocaine Zombies and continued with
Ruler of Demons.
Available
at Amazon
Excerpt:
She
was wearing tight black jeans and a low-cut cropped T-shirt that
exposed ample cleavage. A golden ankh dangled between her breasts. On
one forearm was a tattoo of a bird I assumed to be a lark, and on the
other, a tattoo of a hawk. Her bright blue eyes matched her hair. She
was striking looking but by no means beautiful. A slight muffin top
was made more visible by her short shirt, and she had apparently
broken her nose at least once in her life. She smelled like
sandalwood and cinnamon.
I
would never cheat on Susan, but I had to admit there was something
sexy about Lark. I tried to put my prurient thoughts away and deal
with the issue at hand. Also, the ankh made me wonder if she was
playing for the other side. I was not a big fan of birds, which for
me had always been a harbinger of bad luck.
“So
what is it that you couldn’t tell me at the courthouse?”
“I’m
a graduate student at the University of Illinois and heard from a
friend about Chris’s case. I went to the preliminary hearing to get
more information.”
“That’s
fine—it’s an open courtroom—but I can’t tell you the
specifics of his case.”
“I
am here to help you, not the other way around.”
“Cool!”
I leaned back in my chair, trying to look casual. “Tell me what you
know.”
“My
sister was at a party at that fraternity three years ago. She has not
been seen since. I believe she was killed there. I can’t prove it,
but I have been trying to ever since.”
“Did
you call the police?”
“No,
I called Pizza Hut.” She sighed. “I’m … sorry. This whole
thing …. it’s hard to talk about. Yes, I called the police and
the FBI. I even hired a private investigator.”
“No
luck?”
“None.
In fact, they all told me to let it go.”
“I
take it from the fact you are here that you didn’t ‘let it go.’
”
“You
take it right. I was attending the University of Iowa. I was close to
getting an MFA in fine arts but I transferred to the University of
Illinois a year and a half ago. I’ve been investigating the
fraternity ever since.” As she spoke Lark moved her arms about in
quick gestures, reminding me of the bird she was named for.
“What
have you learned?”
“For
starters, I believe your client.”
“Why?”
She
hesitated, as if pained by what she was going to relate. “Last year
I dated a guy named George Hammond. He was a rich kid, kind of a
geek, but he was okay. I essentially stalked him until he agreed to
go out with me. At first I was only interested because he was
pledging the fraternity. I know I was using him, but he was using me
too. When he got accepted into the fraternity he told me a few of
their secrets.”
“Any
chance I could chat with George directly?”
She
shook her head, a little violently. “Not unless we hold a séance.
I’m sorry. I appreciate you speaking with me, and I don’t mean to
be sarcastic. George died in a car accident. Actually, he was
murdered, but I can’t prove it.”
“What
did he tell you?”
“Every
fall the fraternity sacrifices a girl. Their choice is based on her
not having much in the way of family or money. They want someone who
won’t be missed. The organs are removed as though she is to be
mummified. Since there’s no pyramid to bury them in, the bodies are
not wrapped or mummified or even kept.”
It
was difficult to absorb what she was telling me. “That is
nightmarish. What the hell do they do with the bodies?”
She
jerked her shoulders up and down in a shaky shrug. “Who knows?”
“Why
would they do such a thing?”
She
looked mournful now. “George didn’t know. It may have been to
test the pledges’ loyalty to the fraternity. He said they would
commit the murder at a hidden temple and that the members would have
to chant ancient prayers as part of some strange ritual. The leaders
of the fraternity told him that the girls’ souls were being fed to
the ‘Soul Eater,’ but George didn’t think they were serious.”
“Do
you believe what George told you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She
looked me hard in the eye. “My sister is missing.
About
the Author:
Author
and attorney Scott A. Lerner resides in Champaign, Illinois. He
obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University
of Wisconsin in Madison and went on to obtain his Juris Doctor degree
from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. He is currently
a sole practitioner in Champaign, Illinois. The majority of his law
practice focuses on the fields of criminal law and family law.
Lerner’s first novel and the first Samuel Roberts Thriller, Cocaine
Zombies, won a bronze medal in the mystery/cozy/noir category of the
2013 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Awards. The second book in the
series is Ruler of Demons. The Fraternity of the Soul Eater is book
3. Book 4, The Wiccan Witch of the Midwest, will be released on
Halloween, 2015.
You
can find Scott online at: www.scottlerner.camelpress.com
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