http://www.amazon.com/Doyle-Flynns-Alaskan-Environmental-Crime/dp/1468555529
Doyle Flynn, disbarred Alaska environmental lawyer, afflicted by depression, recently divorced, is haunted by ghosts both living and dead. Fate, in the form of an aged Chinese businessman from Doyle's past, gives to Doyle the opportunity for deliverance from his transgressions, present and past. The opportunity comes in the form of an assignment uniquely suited to Doyle's conscientious nature, grit, and training in environmental law. The issue is whether Doyle, confronted by threats internal and external, can beat the odds and break the cycle of self-destruction he has been heretofore unable to rise above. Where better to test Doyle's resolve than in the Alaska he inhabits.
Roany Phelan lived in Anchorage Alaska and practiced environmental law there until leaving the state in the late 1990s. His heart remained in Alaska, motivating him to write this story, drawn from the colorful side of the city he once inhabited. Roany is working on the sequel. He is married with children.
DOYLE
FLYNN’S
ALASKAN ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME STORY
ALASKAN ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME STORY
A NOVEL BY
ROANY PHELAN
ROANY PHELAN
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© 2012 Roany Phelan. All rights
reserved.
No part of this book may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without
the written permission of the author.
Published by AuthorHouse
8/15/2012
ISBN: 978-1-4685-5552-3
(sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4685-5551-6
(e)
Library of Congress Control
Number: 2012903369
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illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery ©
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Because of the dynamic nature
of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have
changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in
this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility
for them.
AUTHOR’S STATEMENT
This story is a work of fiction. As in all fiction, while
the literary perceptions, insights, and descriptions in the story are drawn from
the author’s experiences, the events and characters are either products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. No reference to any real person
is intended or should be inferred.
ABOUT THE COVER
The front cover illustration is from a painting by Wasilla,
Alaska artist Judy Vars. For information about Ms. Vars’ artwork contact her at
Cabin Fever In Alaska.
DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is dedicated to my sweet wife, to whom I am
likewise dedicated. Without her encouragement and suggestions I would not have
had this story published. Having her in my life has made the story much, much
better. Thank you, my love.
In addition, I send my heartfelt gratitude to those in the
writing and publishing industries who read the story, offered their constructive
criticism, and encouraged me to get the story published. Thank you for you
indulgence.
Roany Phelan
Picture this. In the cold winter a late middle-aged man who
is fit for his years looks out through small, square, imperfectly glazed panes
of antique glass that distort his view. He is alone. Then through the distortion
he espies the familiar figure of a younger man he has never before seen. The
younger man who has materialized from nowhere approaches and, still at a
considerable distance, looks in the direction of the place where the middle-aged
man stands.
The older man is unconcerned by the intrusion. He knows he
cannot be detected because there are no lights and he stands back from the glass
panes, in the darkness. He realizes he is in the middle of what they used to
tell him was a black spell. The distorted illusion of the younger man is part of
the spell. The late middle-aged man appreciates that the spell and the illusion
that comes with it signify it is alright to be doing this. Consequently he feels
relief.
The older man does not mind that the door is not locked. He
welcomes the approaching illusion’s anticipated entrance because now he knows
the illusion that is part of the black spell is coming to rescue him from the
spell itself. Encouraged, the late middle-aged man turns his back on the
imperfectly glazed panes of glass that are the only source of light on this dim,
overcast winter afternoon. He walks to the middle. He inhales very deeply and
enjoys the comfort of what he smells. Gasoline, engine oil, tractor grease. Cut
hay. Through his nose he exhales evenly and with measured force.
He comes to a point of tranquility when he hears the door
rattle open behind him. He hears the younger man enter and move about. He
finally senses the presence of the younger man standing right next to him, no
longer an illusion but really there, whispering into his ear. The younger man
brings the exact salvation that the late middle-aged man had hoped for when he
first saw the younger man through the small square, antique glass
panes.
Thousands of feet above, in the sky, a commercial passenger
airplane moves in the direction of the place where the late middle aged man and
the younger man are still standing. The aircraft, a 747, begins its descent. It
comes over that portion of the Alaska Range that separates Southwestern Alaska
from what is known as South Central. It comes down toward where the Anchorage
Bowl sits along the Cook Inlet. The fuselage of the big 747 is marked with the
name “China Airlines.” Aboard, the pilot announces in Mandarin Chinese that the
passenger cabin crew should make final preparations for landing.
The passengers talk rapidly, almost all in Chinese, excited
by the view as the plane descends towards Anchorage International Airport. One
passenger does not speak because he is traveling alone and is preoccupied by
thoughts of his business in Anchorage. He speculates about whether has come too
late.
