Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
—Scott Dominic Carpenter, author of Theory of Remainders
In 1990s San Francisco, the gruesome death of former district attorney Harrison Rose uncovers a 19th-century double homicide aboard the ship Hurricane, and begins the hunt for Inca gold smuggled from Peru to California by wayward Catholic priests.
During the Gold Rush, dozens of ships were abandoned in San Francisco by sailors bedazzled by the news of gold in the California hills. These ships were buried under downtown landfill, and a huge Inca treasure is aboard one of them. Rose's daughter Hannah hires old flame George Krishna Walker to investigate after the police rule her father's death an accident. Walker, born in San Francisco and raised in India, is drawn into a web of intrigue, historical puzzles, mortal danger, and the rekindling of his love for Hannah.
His search for a modern-day murderer and the ancient golden hoard unravels two criminal organizations, one a Chinese triad doing business all over the Pacific Rim, the other an artifact-smuggling ring called Caruso that uses code related to the famous tenor.
Driven by what he learns in his investigation, Walker undertakes a dangerous journey into the Peruvian jungle in search of evidence related to Rose's death and the Hurricane's cargo. He delves into the conquest of the Incas and learns about an immense golden ransom paid to conquistador Francisco Pizarro, believed to be buried aboard the long-lost Hurricane. One torment follows another as Walker faces death and torture, forcing him to face his own violent past and his age-old fear of losing those he loves most.
With the help of unconventional consultants and techniques, Walker solves both cases and falls in love, again, with the daughter of the deceased, and she with him.
George Walker is reminiscent of Arkady Renko in Gorky Park and other books by the late Martin Cruz Smith; the plot echoes the complexity of Terry Hayes's I Am Pilgrim. The emotional landscape features Walker's South Asia past and his conflicted attraction to Hannah Rose. Passage of the Hurricane is a map of history, adventure, and emotions across generations. Set against the iconic backdrops of San Francisco, the California missions, and Peru, it delves into love, loyalty, redemption, and the pursuit of truth. With an intricate plot and strong characters, the novel promises to be a standout addition to the mystery and thriller genre.
—Scott Dominic Carpenter, author of Theory of Remainders
James Lawrence is a pseudonym for the writing team of James O’Reilly and Larry Habegger, who have worked together on literary projects since the 1980s. An earlier version of Passage of the Hurricane appeared in the San Francisco Examiner as a daily serial in 1982, followed over the next few years by three reader-participation mysteries. James and Larry have also written dozens of stories for magazines and newspapers and co-authored a syndicated newspaper column that appeared in five countries over thirty-two years.
In 1993 they launched the award-winning Travelers’ Tales publishing company, which has published more than 160 books of travel literature, memoir, and the occasional work of fiction. James and Larry have worked together on all of these books.
James was born in Oxford, England, grew up in San Francisco, and now lives with his wife Wenda on the banks of the Icicle River in Central Washington. Larry lives with his wife Paula Mc Cabe on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, where he looks down at the waterfront and ponders the mysteries concealed beneath the piers.Part One
Gold Mountain
Part Two
Child of the Sun
Part Three
City of Saint Francis