The works listed on this page are currently being marketed to agents/publishers. For more information, please contact Tony Ruggiero.
Coven
Small towns and the secrets they keep have always been a guilty pleasure for the fascination of outsiders. One such town is Putnam, Connecticut. Mainly a rural area, Putnam relies upon the tourist trade for the locals to make a living. However, in Putnam the town’s shop owners have an extra edge that helps keeps them prosperous over other towns; they have a coven of witches that occupy the town council and secretly use their witchcraft to guide the town in a positive way in areas of social well being and economics. It has worked well until one of the shop owners is murdered in broad daylight in front of his store by the use of black magic by a witch. Coven of Deceit is a completed thriller/suspense novel of 115,000 words.
Brief synopsis: As the town council searches for the truth in the mysterious death of shop owner Joe Caruso, they uncover disturbing secrets about the ostracized female warlock who they suspect was involved in the murder, as well as secrets in the past of their own leader of their coven that are directly linked to the murder. Bob Whitworth attempting to escape his own nightmares of his past arrives in Putnam to take possession of the recently vacated shop. He makes a purchase the first day in town, a painting of a mysterious woman that he has seen in his dreams and who offers him a respite from the nightmares if he does her bidding. The images on the painting slowly change as the control it has over him increases. This talisman and its purpose are kept secret from Bob until he is prepared to perform the act destined by its creator. Meanwhile, Bob is attracted to two mysterious women, Sharon Robbins, the Mayor of the town and leader of the coven of witches, and Julia Leftson, the female warlock. Although they look very similar in appearance, one wants to kill Bob and the other wants to save him. Chief of Police, Martin Daniels, uncovers information about both of these women that reveals Bob Whitworth didn't pick this town at random. He was summoned by the use of witchcraft to take an unwilling part in a ritual that will put an end to his dreams, and his life.
Evil From Above
In 1965, Rudy Cross loses his wife in a mysterious accident at sea. He kills himself four years later. In 1969, John Blythe loses his wife in a freak accident where she falls off the roof of the Fairfax Hotel. He mysteriously dies in his home thirty years later. The only common thread between the two is a stone gargoyle which Rudy Cross brought back from France and sits on the roof top of the Fairfax Hotel, which was owned by John Blythe. However, this sole connection was enough to cause Robert Blythe, John’s brother, to change his name to Benton in an effort to protect Sam, his young son, from something.
With the sudden and mysterious death of millionaire John Blythe, Sam’s life begins to change. He meets Omni, a woman he finds mysterious and intriguing. She moonlights as a research genealogist and offers to look into his family history. In a surprisingly short period, she uncovers the truth about his parentage—that he is actually the nephew and sole heir to millions from the Blythe estate. However, there is much more she does not tell him.
Sam’s newly acquired wealth forces him to seek sanctuary from the media onslaught. As Sam Blythe, he is now the owner of the Fairfax Hotel and he takes up residence in the penthouse suite. Sitting atop the hotel, a stone gargoyle which Sam names Freddy, keeps watch over the city below. Within the grasp of this dark and ancient power, Sam struggles to save himself from the tempting pull of the medieval creature and someone who seeks to gain the control of the creature by killing him.
Freddy is a completed thriller/suspense novel of 96,000 words.