| Synopsis: |
When a hurricane disrupts a music festival on Cape Cod, it flings together the unlikely combo of a West Indian folk singer and a white debutante on a wild journey through the turbulent times of the late 1960s. Set mostly in New England, the novel takes place against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, anti-war protests and the sexual revolution. In addition to exploring attitudes on racial integration, this fast-paced mystery uncovers acts of deceit and betrayal, while finding love and heroism in unexpected places. In Once Upon a Storm, after the hurricane erupts, a young white woman is found nude and disoriented on a beach road. A fire-ravaged yacht is discovered nearby with the bodies of the yacht owner and two crewmen onboard. An hour too late, the town's sheriff connects the young woman to the boat accident, but she has already taken off for Boston with the folk singer. The young couple become fugitives and is later assaulted by the brother of the dead yachtsman. They are also pursued by the police, the woman's eccentric father, and others. Their flight takes them into the heart of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, where the debutante for the first time confronts black inner city life and hostility. Hal Fleming has been a diplomat, an aid director and a college instructor. His first book, The Brides' Fair, is a tale of international intrigue and terrorism set in Morocco, where he lived for five years. Other shorter works take place in West Africa, where he also served. He lives with his wife, Arlene, in Great Falls, Virginia. Publisher's Web site: http: //www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/OnceUponAStorm.htm |