The De Lafitte Protocol: Book 2 (Paperback)

The de Lafitte Protocol is the enigmatic name given to a devilish plot, hatched by a cunning but dismissed ex-MI6 agent who secretively plots to assassinate all members of the wealthy de Lafitte family, thereby gaining control of their vast family foundation. The first book is a galvanizing mystery thriller, paradoxically opening among the languid preparations of the annual stag hunt at Chateau Lafitte outside Paris; the home of the Comte de Lafitte, which has held stag hunts there, on and off since 1778. The first book of this trilogy is unequivocal in revealing that it is dealing with an attempted assassination of the hero of the book, as he exits the Oxford Sheldonian having been awarded his doctoral thesis on Nuclear Physics. This one off failed attempt, deepens the mystery as Charles gains 10 years time to partially overcome his severe handicap, when all hostilities seemingly cease: only to be revived with the ensuing brutal assassination of The Master of the stag hounds, his uncle Jacques Le Comte de Lafitte. Several other members of this eponymous family, are also assassinated at Eton and Oxford, spanning three generations. The shroud of the mystery begins to unravel, when the young hero Dr. Charles Russell-Lafitte is appointed the new head of the family. He and his cousins intend to set up a sting operation, to flush out the unknown protagonists. Charles retains his great optimism and zest for life. The book unforgettably illuminates how his life, guided by his traditional Christian faith, remains open to all nuances of balanced thought. For the reader, it ends on a cliffhanger, as the family fly over for their famous fox hunt 'The Mississipi run', ignorant of the lethal booby-traps. This is also where this 2nd book of the trilogy commences, when the switched at birth twin of Charles, called Il Regazzo by the ex- Mafia, is seen setting up his deadly assassination weapon at the hunting fixture in Kentucky. At this juncture, the love plots in the book emerge, the love story of Charles with a distant cousin, and intriguingly Il Regazzo with another unknown cousin. This alarmingly intriguing read is greatly enhanced by the atmospheric detail, almost participative portrayal of international stag and fox hunting set in unique American countryside, amidst a flurry of bizarre individuals, among the busy lives of this intriguing family. If readers are thrilled by reading this first and second book of the trilogy, the final book fully resolves the mystery behind The de Lafitte protocol. They will then witness the on and off dramatic outcome of the love story of Charles and his twin and their distant cousins and wonder? How good lives can and do, in the end overcome the evil machinations of ungodly scenarios, guided by the 19th Century convert, John Henry Newman.