Michael Patriate is minding his own business, well, the business of merging two mega corporations. But when he’s snatched away and deposited in Renaissance Italy, he has to start over with nothing except his business skills and the wristwatch that might get him killed.
Synopsis
In his single-minded drive to succeed, businessman Michael Patriate allowed Sheila, the woman he loved, to slip away. And when his picture on the cover of High Finance Magazine validates the years of sacrifice, a midnight attack on a Manhattan street interrupts his celebration. Dumped alone into a backward country that is—impossibly—Renaissance Italy, he starts over in provincial Caorle with ambition and business experience his only resources.
Michael fights his way back to the top and takes on the ruthless merchants in neighboring Venice, while he falls in love with Cecile, a young widow. But he catches the attention of a rich merchant and the doge of Venice, who each want his business savvy and knowledge of advanced technology. Will he act to make himself rich at the cost of disrupting society? Can he change history? Will he turn his back on friends and on Cecile?
How would you make your way if thrust into an impossible situation where all you possess, down to the culture and technology that define your world, is stripped away? What choices would you make? How far would you go? The King of Silk tells the story of one man's journey.
Excerpt
He heard himself groan and cracked open his eyes. Ragged denim cuffs skirted a pair of spotless white sneakers planted on the curb inches in front of his face. In the gutter lay the magazine; his picture mocked him from its cover. A hand fished in his pockets.
Don’t hurt me.
Michael’s mind replayed a photograph of an unshaven behemoth clad in a dirty orange ski cap and dingy athletic jacket despite the heat. The monster towered above him from up on the sidewalk and pinned him with a crazy vacant stare.
Michael closed his eyes again and mumbled, “Just take what you want.”
Professional Reviews
DeWanna Pace
“THE KING OF SILK is a thriller with a sharp intelligence
that blends history, mystery and romance adeptly.
Joe Douglas Trent is a new voice in fiction to watch.”
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