It's the summer of 2007 and two documentary movies are being made about the life of acclaimed aviator Emilio Carranza. Nicknamed the "Lindbergh of Mexico" Carranza died tragically in 1928 when his plane crashed deep in the heart of the New Jersey Pine Barrens while returning home from his celebrated goodwill flight to the United States. Using the screen name Dante Reed, Danny Windsor has dyed his hair black for the part of the dashing, young Captain Carranza in one of the films. Geoffrey Martin, hoping to gather film experience to make his own documentary about his latest environmental interest, is providing local assistance on the other. Keeping shop at Colson's General Store, Kelly becomes captivated by the mysterious Madame Rita, a new age psychic who lures her into persuading the others to attend a spirited séance with calamitous results. Together the three intrepid teens find themselves awash on a tumultuous wave of movie making magic that plunges them into the depths of international intrigue-both past and present. Struggling against the forces of pride, prejudice and historical perspective the kids must penetrate the dark veil of truth that has kept this tragedy cloaked in mystery.

Early October 2013, an experienced hunter goes into a remote section of the New Jersey Pine Barrens alone ... and disappears. Five days later his pet cocker spaniel is found in his abandoned and unlocked SUV with the keys still dangling from the ignition. His wallet and cell phone lie undisturbed on the dashboard. For a solid week the authorities comb the forbidding woods but come up empty. Nine months later the case has gone cold. There have been no new leads in the deepening mystery. The ‘widow’ and her family are anxious to get closure and collect on the missing hunter’s sizeable life insurance policy. But the insurance company remains skeptical. Under pressure the company sends a small team back into the woods to conduct one final search for evidence of what may have happened to the missing man. The team includes Kelly Martin the insurance field investigator, her live-in boyfriend Danny Windsor who has scored a plum assignment with the local newspaper and Tom Banks, a well-known local guide and professional tracker. Also along are Park Ranger Randi Lee and the enigmatic FBI agent, Russell Shaw. Kelly’s brother Geoffrey is paired with Noah Parsons, a former Coast Guard commander to monitor the expedition remotely under the watchful glare of an incredulous NJ State Police Lieutenant and the growing irritation of an uncooperative cranberry farmer. Based in part on an actual event all signs point to something sinister as the search team runs into trouble from the start before sending them on an unexpected and dangerous adventure of their own. With a large payout hanging in the balance and a man’s fate lingering in mystery and doubt, every snapping twig, every falling leaf and every rustle of the wind will have your hair standing on edge.

Yankee Jazz is a collection of essays and reflections based upon personal experience. My first career was in Arts and Entertainment. I was in Southern California, in my early twenties and it was amazing. I met world famous celebrities, traveled in style and devoured life in oversized bites. I left that behind for a South American sojourn that led to even greater adventures including the chance to find the love of my life. When our daughter was born in Miami Beach, I entered a second career as a salesman in Corporate America. Watching her grow into the incredible young woman I see going off to college this fall has been worth every moment spent in this strange and challenging occupation. The ideas expressed within these pages mark the opening of my Third Act. I hope you enjoy the show. John P. Calu Lawrenceville, NJ

It's the dawn of a new summer on Long Beach Island and the fireworks have already begun. Ignited by a sizzling cast of shady characters that include a dime store Santa with an ax to grind; a matronly, metal-detecting museum curator; a dubious real estate developer; and a web of nefarious businessmen, power brokers and government officials doing battle with a radical group of surfing environmental activists, the stage is set for the explosive events about to take place. Geoffrey Martin has graduated from Princeton University and follows in his father's footsteps, exploring the trail of a recent biological outbreak that has descended upon Fort Dix and the fragile New Jersey environs that enshrouds it. He may not find the cure he's looking for, but he's certainly capable of cooking up an adventure wherever he is. Geoffrey's older sister Kelly has put a career in international politics on hold to provide part time clerical assistance for outspoken Surf City mayor Dillard C. Webb, while continuing to dabble in flights of romantic fantasy and outdoor summer fun. Their unpredictable pal Danny Windsor is too busy catching waves to notice that the tide is rising underneath him. Soon, he won't be able to paddle fast enough to get out of the way of the danger he has seen with his very own eyes. Once again united by time, place, and an unrelenting passion for mystery, the three summer sleuths find themselves confronting the vagaries of life and the tragic beauty that surrounds us all. No longer naïve teens, they continue to grow together, this time while assembling the pieces that will help to solve The Riddle in the Sand.

McKenzie ‘Mac’ Cole lost his job when Axiom Mutual, got bought out by a foreign, high-tech conglomerate. At age fifty, divorced and embittered retirement is not an option. So Mac goes into business for himself taking on a case involving the missing roommate of an enigmatic twenty-nine year old woman. Lucy Russell and Emily Rogers are inseparable- like sisters, and Mac gets twice the trouble he bargained for when ‘all the pretty pieces’ take him on a wild ride down a rabbit hole that eventually leads back to his former employer and the hidden agenda of the SOB who fired him.

McKenzie Cole is a private investigator with a Jersey attitude. When a dignified aging moralist hires him to reopen a forty-four-year-old unsolved murder case so she can nail the coffin shut on her estranged first husband, Cole is skeptical. But it’s a paycheck. Soon the “Hair”-raising mystery that ensues has Cole changing his tune. Challenged by conspiratorial cops anxious to keep the dead buried, a hermitic psychic harboring private visions of the past, and an assertive journalist with family secrets of her own, Cole finds himself back in school, where he learns that modern forensics applied to cold-case homicides can spawn unexpected results. In this latest McKenzie Cole tale—inspired by a true event—justice remains elusive until murder is laid to rest!

A well-meaning journalist’s ill-conceived exposé implicates Trenton’s long-tenured police chief in a scheme to deceive the public by underreporting its homicides to the National Crime Bureau. When the police chief suddenly disappears, McKenzie ‘Mac’ Cole, a private investigator with a Jersey attitude is called in to investigate. The search for the missing police chief and answers to the conundrum left in his wake leads Cole on a winding road down along the New Jersey Shore and into the police chief’s murky past. Tethered to the inquisitive female journalist the two find they have more in common than simply the goal of locating the enigmatic police chief and setting the record straight. When they discover that an obscure out of print book may hold the key to unlocking the secret to the mystery behind the manipulated records, the chasm in their relationship only widens until they find themselves on opposite sides of the table.

McKenzie Cole is a former insurance claims investigator-turned PI with a Jersey attitude. When a delivery boy is found dead and his troubled sister comes seeking revenge, Mac’s gut tells him to walk away. But, like a drunk who can’t turn down a drink, Mac can’t resist a good challenge. Meeting their provocative mother only complicates matters as mother and daughter combine forces to string Mac along. As his frustration mounts, so does the body count. The more Mac digs, the more deeply he finds himself immersed in a family full of secrets. With the sounds of reggae music wafting along the Delaware, Mac revisits a cherished childhood haunt turned “Twilight Zone,” filled with barking dogs, baked goods, illicit drugs and a rampaging former pro wrestler. At the end of the day, he’ll learn forgiveness isn’t everyone’s cup of tea—and only Lady Justice can balance the scales.

Where in the world is Billy Battles? As Book Three of the Finding Billy Battles trilogy begins we know where Billy is. He is in Chicago with his wife, the former Baroness Katharina von Schreiber living a sedate and comfortable life after years of adventure and tragedy. That changes with a single telephone call that yanks Billy and Katharina back into a life of turmoil and peril. Persuaded by a powerful old friend to go undercover for the U.S. government the two find themselves in Mexico during the height of the violent 1910-1920 revolution. There they grapple with assorted German spies, Mexican revolutionaries, devious political operatives, and other miscreants. Caught in the middle of the 1914 American invasion of Veracruz, they must find a way out while keeping their real identities secret. After managing to extract themselves from danger, disaster strikes. It’s an ordeal Billy is all too familiar with and one that will send him plummeting into a painful abyss of despair and agony. Consequently, Billy vanishes leaving family and friends to wonder what happened to him. Where is he? Is he dead or alive? What provoked his disappearance? In Book Three of the Finding Billy Battles Trilogy, those questions are answered, and the mystery behind Billy’s disappearance is finally revealed.

The untold story of Mexican aviators in WWII, including their role in the Battle of the Philippines, is revealed in this illustrated military history. When Mexico’s neighbor to the north entered World War II, German U-Boats began haunting the North American coastline. And when the Kriegsmarine torpedoed Mexican tankers, the young republic was drawn into the global conflict. At first, Mexico was forced to defend its coastline and shipping with general purpose biplanes. But it quickly organized a modern aviation force equal to the task. The newly formed Mexican Naval Aviation established its first squadron to patrol the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, the Mexican Air Force experienced its most rapid growth since it was established in 1915. In 1944, it sent combat pilots to fight alongside the U.S. in the liberation of the Philippines. Even before Mexico’s official involvement, Mexican nationals were volunteering for the Allied air forces of the British Commonwealth and the Free French naval and air forces. Using photos and archival testimony, Mexicans at War sheds much-needed light on Mexican involvement in the Second World War. The introduction also provides a detailed overview of Mexican military aviation from the Mexican Revolution to WWII.