Patrick Burke

Stringer Patrick Burke

Freelance video journalist and private investigator Terry Randall finds the streets of Chicago a fast trade to more deadly adventures than he'd ever known in his days as a Chicago cop. While chasing after news stories, he finds himself on the hunt for two exceptionally deadly serial killers. One is a psychotic serial arsonist with a penchant for roasting the occupants of apartment buildings. The other is a crazed bomber with a fixation on blasting liberals and their ideals to a place beyond hell. As Terry races the clock, one step behind these madmen, the body count continues to rise. He stalks the streets in his Crown Victoria with his police scanner, waiting for one or both of the killers to strike. While he hunts he taps into his many contacts in law enforcement, the news media and some of the less savory personalities he's befriended over the years. While Terry is periodically called away from his hunt to cover other news events, he's always quickly drawn back to the serial killers, in whom he's taken a personal interest. Things heat up when the bomber starts calling Terry with obscure clues about future detonations. As Terry compiles information and studies his personal film library, looking for the edge he'll need to find the killers, he disregards the rulebook and indulges in his own ideas of fair play. While walking a tightrope of right and wrong, he finds himself teetering on the edge of what could very well be his own destruction. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patrick Burke was born and raised on Chicago's south side and now resides in the neighboring suburb of Oak Lawn. He is a Viet Nam veteran and received two purple hearts and a silver star in that conflict. He studied law and literature at De Paul University, Richard J. Daley College and the American University at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Write to him at iib@comcast.net.