The Black Rose - Presumption of Innocence

A young Boyd Lawson embarks on a journey of self-discovery and finds himself in a world of crime and deception from which there is little hope of escape. When his cash laden vehicle is hijacked in Northern Baja, Boyd is beaten and released at the border. He returns to Los Angeles to find the woman he's been seeing has vanished from her ransacked condo. He turns to his friend and neighbor for help. A rookie LAPD officer, Celia Rodriguez knows nothing of his criminal past. Refusing her plea to meet with local authorities, Boyd relies on the services of an unscrupulous ex-detective and becomes an unwitting player in a sting operation that leaves him a dead-man-on-the-run. Falsely accused of a crime, he is imprisoned in Mexico City's infamous Black Palace. Left to confront his personal failings and to identify those who would sacrifice his life out of personal greed, Boyd's path to freedom and redemption begins with the unwavering devotion of his friend, Officer Rodriguez. But it is the woman with the black rose tattoo that plays the final hand as the intentions and true identity of his assailants are revealed. Author's Comment: With The Black Rose, I set out to tell the true story of a social outcast, a young man whose challenges become increasingly complex as he allows himself to fall from innocence into a world of crime. I wanted the novel to breathe, as in the style of old story-telling, allowing the suspense to build to a crescendo in the final chapters. Although drugs and money laundering are the backline, the heart of story is self-awareness, fate, love and redemption. Editor's Comment: "This book is amazing! It's got all the elements: suspense, violence, sex, drugs... the pace is riveting and the action is very easy to follow."