Derra is a novel of murder and cultic ritual that unravels the impact of its title
character upon those whom she touches directly and indirectly. Dr. Noah Giles
enters a world of mystery and intrigue as he pieces together the life of Derra from his
own memories and the observations of others—including Detective John Sturgess,
Detective Graham Kennedy, and Derra herself. The trail to Derra includes traditions
reaching back to the beginning of recorded history, and a strange fusion of Native
American and Anglican history—with the lovely Jessica Burke representing the
former, and the enigmatic Father Luke representing the latter. Friends align with Dr.
Giles, but dark foes also abound, with none darker than the mesmerizing Leonardo
Mascagni.
Derra is also a novel about deep friendship. In his commitment to that friendship,
Noah Giles stumbles into worlds that push him to the limits of reality: blurring
distinctions between love and obsession, sanity and insanity, and physical and
spiritual reality. Derra herself is caught in a whirlwind, and whether she can be found,
let alone saved from a destiny for which she has been groomed, is the mystery that
consumes her one true friend.
