The Lies That Bind: (DarkHorse Trilogy)

First in an epic trilogy that begins in the antebellum South, where a swindler and a group of runaway slaves fight against an evil plantation owner's legacy.

1859. When his latest business venture goes bust, Durksen Hurst finds himself on the run from a mob-and in the last place he ever wanted to be: Turkle, Mississippi. In the thirty years since Hurst had been there, a lot has changed. The only plantation that has survived is the one owned by the French family. Missus Marie Brussard French runs her dominion with a strong hand and an iron will, never giving her son, Devereau, the authority and independence he so desperately craves. And now their power faces its greatest threat...

Hurst has pitched a new scheme to a group of runaway slaves he encountered. He'll make them freedmen and partners on the plantation he's dreamed of building. All Hurst has to do is pull two deadly swindles: get a Chickasaw chief to sign over the land, and convince a government agent to transform the document into a deed.

But the Frenches have their own secrets to hide-and don't need a rival landowner threatening their hold on the town. The appearance of a beautiful and mysterious woman only adds fuel to the fire. And as rumors of a civil war swirl throughout the South, the fight between Hurst and the Frenches turns into a battle neither can afford to lose...

"The action and drama are compelling from the first page to the exciting conclusion."-Historical Novel Society

Ed Protzel grew up in St. Louis, the son of a Jewish father and a part-Cherokee mother. For a time he lived in an orphanage when his parents divorced, and left home after high school to live in St. Louis's bohemian Gaslight Square entertainment district. These experiences gave Protzel a unique perspective, which is reflected in the traits of many of his fictional characters: outsiders and gamesters-male or female-on lonely quests, seeking justice, love, and fulfillment against society's blindness.

Protzel began writing both novels and screenplays while in college, working on them in his spare time while employed in securities management. He kept writing as he moved around the United States. He did some freelance work for 20th Century Studios and completed several original screenplays, one of which was optioned by a producer. But Protzel couldn't abide what he calls Hollywood's "hyper-Darwinism," so he enrolled in grad school at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he earned his master's in English and creative writing.