Wired by the F.B.I.

Christian Romano lives his life as a con-artist, burglar, drug dealer, and a ladies’ man, using his good looks to con wealthy women out of jewels and money.

When he is arrested and jailed in one of the most violent jails in the U.S. (Cook County in Chicago), a steamy affair begins with a nympho female jail guard. When he loses control of the romance, Christian must end the affair by reporting her to Internal Affairs. It turns out that she is already under suspicion for supplying drugs to various gang members inside the jail. He has to decide if he is “rogue” enough to help set her up for arrest.

Meanwhile, the FBI wants to recruit Christian to gather information against a sadist ex-cop, Scott Mason, who has been arrested for murder. The risk? Christian must wear a wire and testify. The reward? Witness protection for Christian and his girlfriend and a modification of his prison sentence.

Will Christian risk his life for a chance at freedom? Will the female sheriff “get even” with him? Or will his life end at the hands of the jail’s drug lords or a lunatic former cop?

Winners

Victory is a potent force in life, one that brings an exhilarating rush of joy and an infectious wave of euphoria. In Winners, we explore the magnetic aura of those who triumph, those whose spirits soar with success. Their zest and positive energy are not just personal gains but are an inspiration to all who witness their achievements. To exist on the side of winners is to embrace a life unrestrained, a life that stretches beyond horizons and dances with possibility.

What Death Revealed

In a tale that spans two disparate worlds within one city, this gripping novel dives deep into the divide between the glistening capital of the Free World and its neglected districts, home to 700,000 citizens mostly of color. Eight years after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sparked riots that shattered the city’s core, the scars of racial fury and systemic injustice remain as evident as ever.

Amid this backdrop of crime and burnt-out neighborhoods, Jimmy McFarland, an earnest young District Attorney, stumbles upon evidence of corruption tied to a six-billion-dollar Metro subway project aimed at reconnecting the city’s fractured communities. Though clearly a matter for the FBI, McFarland embarks on a rogue investigation. In doing so, he crosses paths with Larry Williams, a black police sergeant whose rough exterior belies his own complicated relationship with justice and morality.

Walking a precarious line between courage and recklessness, McFarland and Williams form an uneasy alliance. Fueled by McFarland’s idealistic pursuit of justice and Williams’ pragmatic understanding of its rarity, the duo confronts a daunting array of racism, corruption, and murder. As they untangle a web of powerful players who thought they were untouchable, the question remains: Can they navigate the system’s deep-rooted flaws to achieve some measure of justice?

“With characters that you won’t forget, an important story that keeps pages turning fast, and gritty detail that says the author knows whereof he writes, Lash’s novel is definitely not to be missed. If he can tell a tale this good, it is a mystery why he was spending time running a premier environmental organization and being an innovative college president. First rate.”
– Gus Speth, author of Let Your Tears Water the Earth and other books.

“Jonathan Lash has given us a perfectly written, perfectly paced, and completely absorbing inside view of how prosecutors and police actually solve crimes, all set in the turbulent days in Washington following Martin Luther King’s assassination and Nixon’s downfall.  Lash’s tale is one of justice triumphant against great political odds, a message that many a reader will welcome today.”
– Gary Milhollin, President, Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control.

“What a great read! Jonathan Lash uses his background as a white prosecutor in Chocolate City (Washington, DC) to weave an engrossing tale of murder, corruptions, racial conflict, and love. The Black DC cop and white AUSA who are the story’s principal heroes will stay with you, and those familiar with DC will find a bonus in the varied references to landmark shops, restaurants, and venues in the District.”
– Florence Wagman Roisman, William F. Harvey Professor of Law at Indiana University.

Vengeance Is Mine

Vengeance Is Mine is the story of the Calloway brothers, William and Samuel. As young boys, they idolized their father, who served his country in the Marine Corps. Thomas Calloway was a standout student and football player for the Crimson of Harvard University. He became a distinguished lawyer and married the love of his life. He provided a sturdy foundation for his two boys to follow in his footsteps. William is brilliant like his father, with an I.Q. of 170, while Samuel is hot-tempered like his mom but loyal to a fault. William is the older brother, attending Harvard and studying law just like his father.

Upon graduation from college, Samuel is now old enough to enlist, and the boys do so together. They see plenty of combat, and along the way, they are both changed by the brutality of war. True horror is what one human being can do to another. When their tour of duty is over, William decides he wants to make a difference in the world and forgoes his law practice to submit his application to the FBI. His military background, high I.Q., and law degree make him a great fit for the bureau. Samuel is content to open up an exotic knife shop in his hometown of Warm Springs, Virginia. It doesn’t take William long to realize that red tape and politics get in the way of actual justice. Frustrated, suspended, and near losing his job, he has a talk with Samuel one day about how justice would work in their world. Samuel is reluctant to get involved at first but agrees to keep an eye on a suspect who has eluded the law so far, a suspect William knows is guilty but can’t prove. Samuel follows the suspect and catches him in the act of committing a horrible crime against an innocent child. What follows is one man’s definition of justice.

Until the Next Time

The mountain went about the business of its day, and the normal, expected sounds of nature surrounded them. Still, the old man noticed how little he could hear from the visitor walking with him. If he concentrated, he thought he heard footfalls into the snow and the crunchy leaves and twigs beneath it, but he couldn’t be sure. They moved in a ghostly silence. Then the thought popped into his head, “The Ghost of the Mountain” and that saying finally made perfect sense to him.

They walked up to a ridge that overlooked the knoll, and then stopped, the visitor looking down the other side of the ridge at something below. The old man stood beside him and saw, far down below them, hidden in all of the underbrush and seemingly uncrossable rocks and boulders, a clear and flowing stream. The man slipped and fell now and then, and each time he did, the visitor patiently waited for him to get up and move on. “Very strange” he thought to himself. “After all these years, I am being taught how to live on the mountain!” He felt himself to be more a part of this mountain.

Unthinkable

Brady Johnson was looking forward to a peaceful retirement on a Northern Minnesota lake and in his St. Petersburg, Florida condo after decades of fighting Mexican drug cartels. He tried to forget the past, but the many bitter enemies he made in his years with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in San Antonio Texas, did not retire, did not forget, and did not give up their burning thirst for revenge. They caught up to Brady in Florida.

Years earlier his wife’s rape and death at the hands of a cartel triggered a murderous rampage against all drug dealers, and when the same cartel murders a new-found love interest in Tampa Bay, it ignites the same rage that drove him over the edge the first time.

He finds himself teamed up with two women – a Mexican National former DEA agent, and a Native Canadian, both of whom had survived cartel assassination attempts – and when they venture into Mexico after the traffickers, they uncover a joint cartel/Muslim terrorist plot to inflict a series of horrific attacks on the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Attacks that would effectively destroy all three countries.

When the cartels realize that they, too will be destroyed by the Jihadist offensive, they renege on the partnership they had forged with the Muslims and eventually join forces with Brady’s small group. But, in trying to prevent the terrorist attacks, the trio uncover another, more sinister plot against the United States unfolding in Northern New York and Ontario. Their quest comes to a shocking conclusion in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River.

Two Times Platinum

With a quarterback and two rappers trading autographs in the elevator and a film producer with secured funding and national distribution waiting in reception, it is another picture perfect day in the offices of Dex Randle’s Philadelphia entertainment and sports law practice. That is, until Val Clifton and organized crime boss Vince Carpozzi march through the glass doors with an envelope stuffed full of cash. An emerging pop star with killer looks and a voice destined for fame, Val's desires quickly rise to conflict with Carpozzi's devious scheming and control.

Soon love struck by her producer and fellow Dex client, Trolly Turner, the three must conceal a budding relationship from Carpozzi and his cronies. Following a gambling ploy gone awry and feeling a lack of appreciation from Val, Carpozzi vows to ruin them all. Blood is shed and lives are forever changed before Dex can salvage the day with a little help from some unlikely resources.

Twenty

COVID-19 is real. Twenty is an imagined outbreak that could be unleashed on the Earth’s population. We could even be at threat from otherworldly contamination. Labs exist for research everywhere, mostly driven by greed, which is a basal instinct of human nature.

There are some who believe the COVID-19 epidemic was wrought on civilization either by intentional or accidental release from a laboratory funded in most part by the United States in Wuhan, China. The ensuing ineptitude of all parties involved should convince someone their safety is most definitely at risk from future disease mutations and creation in the incubator the global population provides. Trust in governments, drug companies, and major corporations to ensure your ultimate protection is doubtful at the very best. This novel portrays one of the possible scenarios that could happen. All you need is to turn the first and the journey thereafter will hook and lead you to the explosive finish.

Troubled by Elephants

Colton undertakes a cross-country road trip to his hometown in the vague pursuit to rekindle purpose in life. A cumbersome encounter with his sister’s new neighbor, Kit, leads to entanglement with threats to Kit’s life. An international cartel believes Kit holds documents her ex-husband placed with her.

Meanwhile, the police are investigating the disappearance of her ex-husband, suspecting Kit knows more than she will reveal. Avoiding his own issues, Colton attempts to help her, only to become mired in a world that further challenges his sense of self, all juxtaposed against hometown memories and Southern culture, the paradox he both escaped and longs for.

Trouble Rumbles at Dawn

Welcome to the tranquil yet precarious town of Indigo Flats, nestled in the vast expanse of west Texas. Its peaceful façade shatters when a prominent businessman is brutally murdered, unearthing a cache of guns and drugs that send shockwaves through the region, putting the feared Mexican Ortega Cartel on high alert. However, the stakes intensify exponentially when a second murder rocks the town—a member of the cartel’s own family falls victim, igniting a relentless race against time for determined Detective Sharon Case.

With the relentless cartel crossing the border into Indigo Flats, Detective Case finds herself thrust into a perilous battle on multiple fronts. She must navigate the treacherous landscape of solving the murders while combating the vicious intruders and scrambling to safeguard her own family. As the clock ticks relentlessly, the line between right and wrong blurs, forcing Detective Case to make harrowing choices to uphold justice and protect all that she holds dear.

Transformation of a Village

In Transformation of a Village, experience the evolution of Adoma, an African village on the brink of change. When the elders alter the age-old system of selecting rulers, choosing merit over lineage, a ripple of discord sweeps through the community. Reluctantly crowned the new chief, city-bred John navigates a path of tradition and modernity, aiming to uplift his village through self-help projects. But as he soon discovers, the road to progress demands alliances beyond the village borders, pulling the Central government into their fold to accelerate Adoma’s journey towards a new dawn. Through a blend of suspense and drama, this tale explores the pulse of a community amidst a changing world.

Through the Mist

Samuel Nagy fancied himself as an admirer of the ocean. He spent many hours fixated on the coastal waters of Maine while standing outside the tower of Cape Elizabeth’s famous lighthouse. During one calm, peaceful morning, he witnessed a little more than he’d expected. Stumbling across a group of outsiders to his hometown, Samuel learned of a criminal syndicate so ruthless, it would risk the lives of his entire family.

The Irish Mafia found refuge within the community of Portland Maine. Their bloodthirsty members tormented local citizens creating and fortifying a criminal empire reaching all aspects of life in the city. Their livelihood centered on exporting valuable stolen goods overseas. Anyone caught hindering that process succumbed to the violent nature of mob life.

Samuel found out the hard way mob bosses silenced all witnesses. He fell directly into the middle of crime spree so horrific, he discovered the antics of the Irish Mafia literally would involve the dead. Risking his own life, Samuel reached out to government officials in positions of authority for help. Unfortunately, mafia ties within the government halted any assistance. Samuel turned to his father for assistance and advice, but even his most trusted parent seemed to walk a thin line. Samuel was confused about his father’s position, concerned he might somehow be involved with the mafia.

Turning to the streets for solace, a most inconspicuous homeless man befriended a young Samuel, giving him sound advice on how to handle his predicament. Samuel carried out his actions using that advice, determined to learn of his father’s involvement with the Irish Mob while protecting his family in the process. Unfortunately, the mob wasn’t going to have a recent graduate of high school interrupt their plans. Removing any and all witnesses was the only stance for the mobsters.

Samuel had no choice but to expose the mafia’s actions, while bringing attention to their criminal syndicate. An all-out adventure that span not only Portland, but also the islands off the coast of Maine led to a standoff with some of the most notorious killers the State of Maine had ever seen. Filled with fast-paced boat chases along the coast, to underground investigations, Samuel worked his hardest to expose every detail of the Irish Mafia’s enterprise. The only cost: he would never see his father again.