William Barrow carries a dark secret. A very dark secret.
An archivist for the Smithsonian Institute and also a part-time operative for the CIA, no one would ever suspect the handsome ‘thirty-ish’ William is in fact the most reviled human being to ever walk the earth. His infectious warmth and sense of humor make such an assertion especially hard to believe.
But long ago, William Barrow had another name…one that is synonymous with shame and betrayal: Judas Iscariot.
Forced to walk the earth as a cursed immortal, William/Judas is on a quest to reclaim the thirty silver shekels paid to him in exchange for Jesus Christ. Twenty-one coins have now been recovered—thanks in large part to the help from his latest son, the esteemed Georgetown University history professor, Alistair Barrow.
Ever hopeful the complete coin collection will buy him a full pardon from God and end his banishment from heaven, William plans a visit to a remote village deep within Iran’s Alborz Mountains to retrieve ‘silver coin number twenty-two’. But the CIA has a different objective for this trip, one that pits both father and son against an unscrupulous Russian billionaire searching for something else that’s just as precious within the ancient mountains of Iran…something that threatens peace in the modern world if William and Alistair fail to reach it first.
*This new edition of Plague of Coins comes to you after a thorough tightening of the story, following constructive feedback during the past year. I would like to thank Alisa Gus, of Curiosity Quills Press, for her invaluable editing assistance in preparing this book for re-release. Peace to all, Aiden James ~ April 16th, 2013**
Acclaim for the novels of Aiden James:
“The intense writing style of Aiden James kept my eyes glued to the story and the pages seemed to fly by at warp speed. …Twists, turns, and surprises pop up at random times to keep the reader off balance. It all blends together to create one of the best stories I have read all year.”
—Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews for The Devil’s Paradise
“Aiden James has written a deeply psychological, gripping tale that keeps the readers hooked from page one.”
—Bookfinds review for The Forgotten Eden
“Not only is Aiden James a storyteller par excellence, but his material for his story is riveting.”
—Huntress Reviews for The Forgotten Eden
“The hook to this excellent suspense thriller is the twists that will keep readers wondering what is going on as nothing is quite what it seems. Adding to the excitement is that the audience will wonder whether the terror is an evil supernatural creature or an amoral human…Aiden James provides a dark thriller that grips fans from the opening.”
—Harriet Klausner, Amazon’s #1 book reviewer for The Forgotten Eden
“Aiden James writing style flows very easily and I found that Cades Cove snowballed into a very gripping tale. Clearly the strengths in the piece were as the spirit’s interaction became prevalent with the family… The Indian lore and ceremonies and the flashbacks to Allie Mae’s (earthly) demise were very powerful. I think those aspects separated the work from what we’ve seen before in horror and ghost tales.”
—Evelyn Klebert, author of A Ghost of a Chance and Dragonflies
“Aiden James is insanely talented!”
—J.R. Rain, author of Moon Dance and Vampire Moon
“As with the previous titles I have read by this author, I found the author's writing style to be silky smooth and the main plot line to be extremely creative. The fertile imagination of Aiden James definitely knows what today's readers want to see in their stories.”
—Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews for The Vampires’ Last Lover
A variety of twists, surprises, and subplots keep the story moving forward at a good pace...my attention never wavered as I forced my eyes to stay open well into the night. Aiden James is a Master Storyteller, whose career is on the rise!
Out-freaking-standing-excellent! * Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
So much adventure and suspense, so much inner turmoil, and plenty of venomous creatures and such evil bad guys who don't let up for a second. Don't miss this unfolding series. It's off to a page-turning start, with plenty of excitement and more good versus evil than can be packed into just one book.
Fantastic premise and execution! -- Eve Paludan
About the AuthorAn author fascinated by Gothic history and the supernatural, Aiden James presently has written thirteen novels and eight co-authored books with many more to follow--including one more solo effort (Judas Chronicles)and four more co-authored books by the end of 2013. He resides in Tennessee with his lovely wife, Fiona, and their two sons, Christopher and Tyler. An avid researcher of all things paranormal, Aiden still spends time investigating haunted locales throughout the Deep South.
To learn more about Aiden James and his latest books, please visit his website: aidenjamesfiction.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter.