Brotherly Love, a novel by Henry T. Manning
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Brief Summary
Seth Hunter, a research scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency, has been robbed. Thieves have taken files from Seth’s computer that predict the economic impact of crude oil released into the Gulf of Mexico from specific offshore platforms. Shortly after the theft, attacks on the oil platforms begin in the order indicated in Seth’s research.
Brotherly Love is a story about the efforts of Seth and his two law enforcement partners, first Sarah and then Megan, to capture the eco- terrorists. The story begins in Naples, Florida and concludes in Seattle with investigative twists in several cities in between.
Excerpt from Prologue
Billy Donavan turned to face the man pointing the gun at him. The late afternoon sun, low in the sky behind his captor, only added to Billy’s confusion. Was the otherworldly aura surrounding the gunman the result of the sun’s backlighting, or was this Billy’s first glimpse of the afterlife? An eye-blink later and Billy’s confusion had passed; he knew he was a trigger- pull shy of being shot.
This afternoon’s escape through the backcountry had left Billy scraped and bruised. He was clearly in pain, but his suffering was more complicated than the sting of abraded skin and the pain of bruised limbs. His suffering originated deep inside a broken psyche.
Billy was as surprised as anyone at the violence that seemed to result from his noble intentions. From his perspective, he had been executing a well reasoned plan, one that would bring financial reward and, more importantly, the paternal recognition that was so important to him.
For Billy, the killings had seemed like watching the unexpected scenes of an original movie unfold. He was convinced that a body double, a stand-in, was acting for him; the carnage, so necessary, was all being done in the third person. Billy was certain that he wasn’t evil, the killings, carried out as he suspected by an evil stand-in, should have left him blameless.
Billy wasn’t frightened at the prospect of being shot and left for dead on the forest floor. He could imagine the dappled sunlight blanketing his lifeless body, allowing him the peace he would never know in life. Instead, what bothered Billy most about his present predicament was being judged by another, measured against someone else’s moral code.
Henry Manning is a visual artist and writer living in the Pacific Northwest. His paintings depict colorful abstract landscapes, visually pleasing and calming.