Behind Every Great Fortune

"So you see, Otto, behind every great fortune, lies a great crime," boasted Princess Zina Yusopov, the richest woman in Tzarist Russia. * * *Set in the turbulent second decade of the 20th century, Behind Every Great Fortune is the first in a trilogy of historical fiction that brings to life the story of Otto Kahn, the international financier whose fortune was so great that he was immortalized as the iconic Monopoly man. It captures the Gilded Era dramatized by the popular series, Downton Abbey.In a world spiraling toward global war, Otto Kahn plans the unthinkable. Two forces stand in his way - Naval intelligence officers led by Commander James "Strafe" Oliver and the legendary mad monk, Rasputin. Behind Every Great Fortune bristles with espionage, sexual depravity, betrayal and ritual murder as it chronicles the first terror attack on New York City, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the murder of Rasputin, the Russian Revolution and the and the bloody devastation of WWI. Behind Every Great Fortune adroitly weaves historical facts with colorful characters of the day such as Margaret Sanger, Vaslav Nijinsky, Prince Felix Yusopov and Mata Hari as the suspense builds to a bloody crescendo.At the end of the 20th century, Oheka Castle, Kahn's Gold Coast monument to wealth and decadence, has been ravaged by vandals. As modern-day developers attempt to save Oheka from the wrecking ball, they discover hidden passages, a mysterious bunker, and encrypted messages. Will they halt the razing of Oheka Castle in time, or will the secrets of how Otto Kahn amassed his great fortune be buried forever?As the 100th anniversary of these events approaches, Behind Every Great Fortune presents a fresh look at the seminal events that shaped the world. According to one reviewer it is an ". . . exciting, imaginative novel with many scenes of high dramatic intensity."