Ecstasy

by Bill Halamandaris

When the girl of his dreams appears on Christopher’s doorstep, it seems to be the answer to a prayer; but it is really the beginning of a nightmare. She is in trouble. No doubt. It wouldn’t be the first time, but this is something different, something she hasn’t been able to smile or talk her way out of, something ugly, something likely to follow. There is a predator out there and she is the prey. When she disappears, Christopher must go looking for her. The search takes him into the catacombs beneath the Capitol where he finds remnants of Washington’s most notorious flesh-peddlers and must face his greatest fears, battling the massive man who has taken his love and will do anything to get back what she has taken from him. Beneath this storyline is another level of meaning, both philosophical and scientific. In nature most creatures are phototactic, meaning they move toward or away from the light. The extremes are the moth and the cockroach. One is drawn to the light. The other hides from the light and seeks the deepest part of the night. The structure of this novel is based on the developmental stages of the moth and the comparison of men to moths. Man’s distinction, of course, is that we can choose. The second structural element is provided by Virgil’s Aeneid. These words are carved on an arch at the entrance to the catacombs beneath the Capitol. Facilis descensus Averno – The way down to Hell is easy. While it is not reflected there, the passage Hoc opus, hic labor est. – The path out of Hell is hard.

218 pages, Paperback

Published March 20, 2015