Within These Pages : The Costello Journal Part One

by Michael Hiebert

In the late 1400s, a Portuguese slaving vessel headed for Africa was thrown off course by a massive storm resulting in the vessel being shipwrecked on an unknown island. Left to wonder, just where they are and what had happened to the rest of their convoy, the crew finds themselves in harsh and cruel conditions under the delusional guidance of their once great captain Santos now full of malice and hate. The island conceals a dark secret, a massive grave of sorts spilling forth disease and decay resulting in an altercation with a ruthless African tribe performing a sacrificial death ritual upon the pit. This sets in motion an outbreak of a mysterious disease that causes a sickness of sorts, death, and reanimation, a living death for those caught in its wake. As chaos and confusion set in, our characters must fight for their lives in a hopeless situation of death and destruction, pain and loss, in hopes of freedom from the clutches of evil before all is lost.

Calamity and disrepair come to all who possess the Castello journal. The greed and evil that resides within the hearts and minds of man are brought to the forefront as the characters come face to face with true evils and unforeseen consequences as they struggle to overcome death's cold hand.

46 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2024

About the author

Michael Hiebert is the award-winning author of many books and short stories. He is the author of Dream with Little Angels, the first book of his acclaimed Alvin, Alabama Mystery Series. His recent work includes The Rose Garden Arena Incident (A Serial Thriller in Seven Parts) and Sometimes the Angels Weep, his first collection of short stories. He won the Surrey International Writers’ Conference Storyteller Award two years running, and his story My Lame Summer Journal by Brandon Harris, Grade 7 was listed by Joyce Carol Oates as one of the top fifty most distinguished mystery stories published in The Best American Mystery Stories. He lives in British Columbia, Canada, with his three children and dog, Chloe.

Be sure to check out his website at http://www.michaelhiebert.com and sign up for VIP access and be eligible for all sorts of free stuff. Michael can be contacted by email at michael@michaelhiebert.com