"There will be a price to pay for bad medicine."
Trial and Redemption
Janus Key Series Book 2
by Thomas Reilly
Genre: Time Travel Fantasy, Suspense
WINNER
OF THE LITERARY TITAN GOLD BOOK AWARD
AMAZON BEST
SELLER
SCIENCE
MEETS MAGIC…
In his latest inspirational and suspenseful
novel, Trial and Redemption, Reilly continues the saga of a mystical
Janus key and its time-bending influence on 21st-century characters,
first introduced in the award-winning Chasing Time.
Disgraced
scientist Brian Ellis finds an improbable ally in Julie, a college
student trying to reset her life after a family tragedy. Guided by a
Janus key with magical powers to predict future events, they embark
on a crusade to bring a corrupt pharmaceutical executive to justice,
prevent a medical tragedy, and restore peace to their shattered
lives. However, Brian guards a dark secret that may imperil both
their mission and their redemption.
Filled with unexpected
twists and turns, memorable characters, and heart-stopping suspense,
Trial and Redemption is an emotive mix of medical and legal fiction
with a touch of fantasy.
Chasing Time
Janus Key Series Book 1
A time-bending adventure like no other
A Literary Titan Gold Award winner
“A brilliant debut novel from start to finish, you won't be able to put it down.” — N.N light’s review
“It had me sitting on the edge of my seat until the conclusion.” — Reader’s Favorite
"An earnest and moving novel, Chasing Time is an emotive mixture of contemporary fiction and fantasy, for a story that reads like a potential film.” — Self-Publishing Review
Chasing Time takes the reader on a thrilling adventure as history professor Tony Lucas seeks an ancient time-bending key that may hold the secrets to a miracle cure for his beloved wife, trapped in the throes of the debilitating and deadly ALS. Racing against time as the disease extracts its unforgiving toll, Tony embarks on an amazing quest involving a series of unexpected plot twists, cryptic clues, and memorable characters.
Driven by a strong male lead, this heartwarming book combines realistic medical elements with a hint of fantasy to create a gripping, suspenseful narrative. Reilly spins a compelling tale of a devoted husband’s resilience and perseverance as he pursues a life-saving mission that extends from ancient Rome to modern-day America to the lush olive groves of Andalusia. The story takes the classic medical drama, historical fiction, and fantasy genres and turns them all completely on their heads. With its precise and witty style, Chasing Time is an engaging, must-read story like nothing you have read before.
PROLOGUE
February 1965
With teeth
chattering from the bitter cold, Billy trudged along the frozen, urban streets
marked by tall, darkened buildings that swayed in surrender to the punishing
wind. The frigid chill seeped through his threadbare clothes, numbing his
fingers and toes, and paralyzing his mind. Freezing, starving, jobless,
homeless; could things get any worse? With his last embers of hope vanishing
into the icy landscape like fallen snowflakes, the barren sky was suddenly
illuminated by a bright, piercing light. Attracted to the beam like a moth to a
candle, Billy approached a two-story, brick building and entered through a
large revolving door into a spacious lobby bathed in luminous white light. Once
inside, he sighed in welcome relief as a burst of warm, rejuvenating air
permeated every pore of his frozen body. A concave-shaped reception counter
bearing an encouraging sign, Welcome
Veterans, beckoned to him. Suddenly, a small, stern-faced man clad in the
white lab coat of a staff physician materialized, ghostlike, from behind the
counter and spoke in a menacing voice. “You are not welcome here. Get
out.”
“But I am a
veteran.” stammered Billy.
“The man
replied, “I don’t care; get out or I’ll have the guards drag you out by your
feet.”
Reluctantly,
Billy turned around and headed back into the arctic unknown. It’s so cold; I’ll freeze to death out here.
Shivering in a violent tremor, Billy suddenly realized
his whereabouts as he felt the hard mattress rub against his aching back. It
happened again, this dreaded, recurring dream! Jolting upright, the familiar
glare of two red beams emanating from the opposite side of the room met his
torpid gaze.
That
damn key. Ever since I won it, I’ve had this nightmare. And those eyes stare
back at me like glowing embers every night. They never light up during the day.
Billy recalled the recent events with the strange key.
Among the first crop of American soldiers to be deployed in the escalating
Vietnam conflict, the eighteen-year-old enjoyed traveling the beautiful country
and chatting with the friendly locals in his role as a military adviser to the
Army of the Republic of Vietnam. But as the tempo of the war increased and
wandering became more perilous, his disillusionment with the conflict grew,
especially after witnessing several traumatic incidents, including a brutal
attack in a Saigon restaurant by hostile Vietnamese forces. When his tour ended
in early 1965, he was more than ready for some R & R back home in Peoria,
approximately one hundred and fifty miles south of Chicago. First, however, he
and a few army buddies decided to stop in New York City for an extended stay.
He had never visited the Big Apple, America’s largest city, and was anxious to
tour its major attractions.
One evening,
during their ritualistic poker game in the cheap Brooklyn hotel room they
shared for their New York adventure, one of his colleagues, depleted of cash,
placed an ancient-looking key attached to a tarnished brass ring in the pot.
When Billy won the round, he grabbed the key with the rest of the winnings and
asked.
“Okay,
Harry, what am I supposed to do with this thing?”
Harry
replied, “I hate to lose that keyring; it was my good luck charm. Look at it
closely. The key’s shaft is carved in the image of a two-faced, old man, one
looking forward and the other backward. The eyes sparkle, almost like they are
seeing right through you. I’m sure it represents Janus, the Roman god of time.
Maybe it will bring you luck.”
Billy
laughed in derision. “Well, I don’t know anything about Roman gods, but I could
use some good luck.” With that, he tucked the small icon into his shirt pocket
and proceeded to deal the next hand.
It was later
that night when jolted awake from a disturbing dream that had seemed so real—
roaming frozen, urban streets in a state of poverty left him trembling in
despair—when he noticed one set of eyes on the old icon shining brightly at
him, like two ruby red embers. Within a few minutes, the lights subsided, and
the icon remained dark until the next night when the pattern repeated itself.
Tonight was the fifth night in a row with that same dream and with those same
piercing lights greeting him as he woke.
This recurring dream is really bothering me.
What does it mean? Could it be a signal from this strange key about my future?
The following
morning on his way to a local coffee shop, he decided that he had had enough of
the ancient keyring. Glancing around to make sure he wasn’t noticed by any
passing pedestrian, he grabbed the icon and flung it into the middle of the
empty street, hoping his action would cast away his nightmare.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Well, thought Tony, I blew it. In baseball lingo, he had struck out with
George Janusowski. But even worse than that, he had sealed Ann’s fate. Perhaps
he shouldn’t have been so truthful with George; the prophecy stories with the
key probably scared him off. But what choice did he have? He tried to formulate
an alternative plan to approach George. However, his abrupt departure had
conveyed an unequivocal message; he had heard enough from Tony. Short of
assaulting George and stealing some Pol-1905, there was no way he was going to
obtain a sample of the compound. In his desperation, Tony even mulled over this
outlandish possibility for a second before dismissing it as sheer lunacy. The
only thing to do now was to rush back home to Ann.
As he navigated his way from the hotel onto the gritty and grey streets
of Manhattan toward Penn Station, the pent-up stress, frustration, and anxiety
of the past few months, a direct result of his single-minded pursuit to uncover
a miracle cure for Ann, seemed to erupt all at once in an intense explosion of
emotional outbursts. Ensnared in his present, dire situation while
investigating strange clues from his past that foretold a future still six
years away, he felt as if he was chasing time itself. But like navigating a
winding river with its many twists and turns, his search had led from one
unknown stop to another with no clear destination in sight. Rarely, during his
relentless quest, had he paused to vent his own feelings and frustrations. Now
they were cascading out of him like a thundering waterfall. He took no notice
of his fellow pedestrians, rushing here and there to various locations in the
city as he succumbed to his own emotional turmoil. First, he felt extreme rage,
railing at fate for dealing him this hand, at George Janusowski for denying him
a sample of Pol-1905, and even at himself for failing Ann. Rage surrendered to
self-pity. What more could I have done? he asked himself. I’ve pursued every lead I
could. Finally, his emotions morphed into abject depression as he contemplated
life without Ann. Would it even be worth living?
In a zombie-like trance, Tony eventually reached Penn Station, purchased
his ticket for the four o’clock train to Wilmington, and joined the long list
of passengers forming a snaking queue outside the departure gate. He descended
a narrow and dingy staircase to the darkened train platform, entered one of the
rail cars marked Coach, and took a window seat. He hardly noticed as the
conductor announced the scheduled stops en route to Wilmington: Newark, Newark
Airport, Metro Park, Trenton, and Philadelphia, and he barely sensed the
movement of the train as it nudged forward out of the station.
Soon the entire train was plunged into the shadows as it entered the
century-old rail tunnel that spanned the Hudson River, linking Manhattan to New
Jersey. A few minutes later, the train rolled to a complete stop somewhere
under the depths of the river. Tony recalled hearing that this ancient tunnel
served over four-hundred and fifty trains per day; they were probably delayed
yielding the right of way to another passenger train. How
fitting, he thought. Stalled in the near-total blackness of a decrepit rail tunnel on
the bottom of a river. The
situation perfectly echoed his miserable mood; only darkness lay ahead.
Just then, he noticed a small flicker of shimmering red light emanating
from his jacket pocket. He wouldn’t have even detected it except for the eerie
black background that permeated the passenger car. His first thought was that the
light signaled an incoming message on his phone, but he quickly realized that
cell service was non- existent in the subterranean train tunnel. Reaching his
hand into his pocket, he pulled out the ancient key and audibly gasped in
astonishment as he noticed piercing red lights blazing from one set of Janus’s
eyes. It was sending him a message!
Tony quickly recovered from the shock of seeing the key light up for him
after a fifty-four-year hiatus. His first impulse was to glance around the
railcar to observe any unusual movement or activity among his fellow passengers
that might signify some sort of signal or message. By now, the train had
resumed its journey, and the lighting in the car was markedly improved as it
exited the tunnel into the swamplands of northern New Jersey. Passengers were
reclining in their seats, many dozing after a long day of either working or
shopping in Manhattan; nothing unusual there. He then grabbed the J.P. Morgan
tote bag stashed under his seat and started to comb through its contents. As he
was leafing through the conference program booklet, he recalled the message he
had read as a boy; it was in the form of a New York Times, front-page headline.
Remembering that today’s Times was included in his packet of papers, he hastily
pulled the newspaper from the bag, unfolded it, and studied the front page. As
far as he could tell, no story about the future was referenced in any of the
top headlines that included; “North Korea Tests New Weapon,” “White House and
Justice Department Discuss Congressional Report,” and “Democrats Try to Wrest
Back Voters.”
Just as he was starting to doubt the idea that the paper contained a
message, he noted a small insert near the bottom of the page that read,
“Yankees Win Home Opener, 8–3.” Wait a minute; George Janusowski had told him
that the Yankees home opener was tonight. Normally, Tony would have followed
the Yankees’ schedule religiously and known the specifics of their home opener.
However, in his singular quest to help Ann, all extraneous interests, even
baseball, had been suspended. Tony quickly turned to Section D of the paper to
the sports news. There he read the headline, “Expectations High as Yanks Host
Red Sox in Tonight’s Home Opener.” The ensuing article described the outlook
for the Yankees’ season and previewed the starting lineup for the night game,
scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m. Nowhere did it indicate the game had already
been played. According to Tony’s watch, the current time was 4:25 p.m. How
could the front-page blurb report the score of a game that hadn’t occurred yet?
This had to be a message from the Janus key!
Tony felt a rush of exhilaration as he pondered his next move. Reaching
for his wallet, he pulled out the business card that George Janusowski had
handed him only a few hours ago and located his phone number. Entering this
number on his iPhone, he texted George the following message. “You want proof?
Here it is: Yankees 8 Red Sox 3.”
Tell us about a favorite character from a book.
Edmund Dantes in Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo
personifies the path from abject, hopeless misery to unfathomable heights and
riches. I have always found his incredible journey exciting and gratifying.
What made you want to become an author and do you feel it
was the right decision?
I challenged myself to write an engaging and entertaining
novel; this was my prime motivation in becoming an author. Positive feedback on
my books reinforces the idea that it was the right decision.
Advice you would give new authors?
1)Don’t take shortcuts: in researching a topic, developing
storylines, and crafting your work.
2) Read, read and read to learn and improve your craft.
3) And remember my favorite quote, attributed to Ernest
Hemingway. “There are no great writers, only great rewriters.”
Describe your writing style.
Clear, entertaining and informative.
What makes a good story?
I believe the key is to create believable characters and
storylines that readers can relate to and enjoy.
What is your writing process? For instance do you do an
outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
I create a very rough outline at the start, but as the story
develops, I add more depth and details with chapters that spring from my
imagination as logical follow-ons to previous material.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Inconsistent and illogical storylines. Prose that is too
flowery. Unoriginal plots.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
For me, it is coming up with coherent storylines that are
original, believable, and entertaining.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers
what they want?
My philosophy in pleasing readers is a simple one, especially
since every reader has different likes and dislikes. If I like the story, then
I believe most readers will.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what
would it be?
I would advise him to start writing books earlier in his
life. The longer you practice an art, the better you become at it.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters
from the opposite sex?
By nature, I am a reserved and private person and somewhat
hesitant to write about characters who wear different shoes than me ( so to
speak).
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Each of my two books took a bit over one year to write. Per
Hemingway, I constantly write and rewrite.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
For me, not writer’s block but what I would term “original
plot block”, that is the difficulty in conceiving original storylines.
Thomas Reilly is a retired biotechnology scientist who holds a doctoral degree in microbiology. He is the author of numerous essays and articles on science and technology. TRIAL AND REDEMPTION is a story of medical suspense coupled with a hint of magical realism. His first book in the Janus Key series, the award-winning CHASING TIME, was reissued in 2023. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife Linda.
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I like the cover art. Looks good. Sounds like an interesting story.
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