The Secrets of Nine Irish Sons I Series

From an Irish American who sees modern Ireland as a perpetuating land of ancient mysticism and grand magical people, comes an epic novel about an Irish family whose dashing good looks, charming personalities, and joyous love of life becomes the envy and unquenchable obsession of another family---one very rich, very shallow, and unmercifully corrupt, creating a nightmare that lasts for over twenty years. The story is set in Aghadoe , Ireland , just a bit west of Killarney where the land is rich and glorious with green meadows and blue lakes. The heroine, Mary Elizabeth O'Malley is more than the mother of nine Irish sons. She is blessed with a supernatural gift, a secret of hers, that becomes the fixation of a vicious assassin whose passionate lust to control her, leads to a deceptive plot that leaves her isolated and abandoned in a deserted drug compound in South America for twenty years. Accused of murdering her husband in a trumped up trial, Mary Elizabeth O'Malley remains sane by dreaming about her family back in Ireland , while her kidnapper waits for his father to die so he can inherit his fortune and find the woman he believes will help him control a vast criminal empire. Back in Ireland , her nine sons grow up intent on discovering the truth behind their parent's disappearance. Each grown brother has kept his own clandestine activities secret while developing the skills needed to uncover the needed clues. One day, a fated hint brings the long estranged brothers back to their home where they rediscover their love for each other and hope for their future. Along the way, they discover ruthless and massive corruption and such unspeakable scandals that the CIA, FBI, and Scotland Yard have teamed up to help them uncover a criminal network of massive proportions. Though just recently released this novel is already receiving five star reviews.

The Secrets of Nine Irish Sons is an epic, consists of three books. The first volume is subtitled “The Beginning” and the second, “The Rose Oisín.” The stories follow a large fictional family in Aghadoe, Ireland that in today’s world is almost extinct. But in the world I grew up in, large Irish families were many, and great grist for a child’s imagination. There were always secrets! What was most fascinating about those conversations were the vacillating perspectives that would emerge after each emotion or shocking act was revealed —”I don’t know why she would put up with that?” one would whisper and then lots of ideas would follow on what everyone guessed about the victim’s knowledge or the predator’s circumstances. In my novels, the family reigns supreme. Commitments to take care of family members aren’t dismissed by unfortunate circumstances, boredom, anger, rejection, loneliness, or hard times. Dreams of a better life are just that—dreams. Desires, ambitions, faults, mistakes, regrets—and every accompanying emotion are held inside. They are things that require personal growth, change, persistence, strong family intervention, discipline, or minimally, are stored away until or unless more advantageous moments emerge. These are things that are predominantly Irish and in our modern society of self-indulgence are often dismissed as emotionally unhealthy. So while The Secrets of Nine Irish Sons’ books are not unlike typical spy or mystery novels, they are wrapped in a great deal of mental discourse, and each machination reveals the deep sources of internal pain or expectant glory within each individual’s personal destination. For example, one of the son’s secrets is his passionate admiration for his brothers who he feels are smarter, better looking, physically stronger, and far more successful [and desirable to women] than he is or ever will be—a mere low-wage Latin school teacher in a parochial school. One has to imagine a Matt Damon-like character—a young man who smiles and aims to please and yet shies away from the spotlight. None of his brothers would ever suspect that Teddy feels he is not their equal or that they are in any way superior. Writing about the quiet torments of this young adult who is still seeking a way to prove himself to his family is an example of many of the internal challenges we all know. For Teddy, he continues to use the childhood skills he developed learning Latin conjugations to organize and memorize large amounts of clues that the rest of the family does not keep up with, as if it is his personal responsibility to do what he does best. His continuous ambition to be something more and yet, continue on the same road he has always been on is one of the mysteries of life that we all experience. As Joyce said, “We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love. But always meeting ourselves.” Despite his insecurities, like most of us, he continues his trek towards his dreams without validation as if he will recognize some super hero change in himself. He will not, but his family will. And just as all secrets weirdly compound themselves, the recognition and praise they privately discuss about him is cached into new secrets. That example is just one of many dozens of secrets weaved into the book’s mysteries behind various criminal plots and strange behaviors. None can be explained fully, no more than one could understand why one human being is willing to save a stranger’s life and yet another, will recklessly destroy a person’s life out of unconscionable greed and selfishness. What is meant to happen is for the reader to meet up with him or herself on occasion and enjoy the coincidence.

Many of the most ancient of the noble Irish stories stem from a common lore---a thread that weaves mysticism, magic, and sovereignty into a succession of hidden guardians---the protectors who were their gods. In The Forces of Stones, the identity of the protectors is uncovered. They are the ancestors of the Nine Irish Sons---not gods, but men and women who had been endowed with great strength, shrewd intellect, and insatiable loves. As each life is unveiled, the men discover that they come from more than a long lineage of courage and generosity---but extraordinary and romantic heroes who were ready, willing and able to conquer the ruthless of the world. As they guard their many secrets---love affairs, personal ambitions, remorse galore, and longings that they cannot name, they learn about their Druid grandfather, powerful grandmother, the covert work of their abandoned father, and the magic and extraordinarily challenging life of their great grandfather---a character of such charisma that he easily could surpass the magnetism of Fitzgerald's Jay Gatsby. But these men see themselves as alone, vulnerable, and weak. They suspect they are from a glorious past, and often fantasize about the victories of the future, but like most every other Irish descendant, doubt they---the living---possess any such supernatural power. They fail to see that the ability to turn a phrase, learn a difficult language, face an enemy, and use medicine as synchronous with outwitting an enemy, healing, or casting spells. They talk around language, bringing their private implications into every discussion, and yet, are unaware of the power of their words, or the messages they send. The fixation for this kind of privileged confidence can be traced back to their beloved history---a habit that began with the Druids who believed the gods were their ancestors. It is this unbroken Celtic history that drives them towards unknown and dangerous destinies. They arrive at various destinations fully prepared to change and just like one of their unknown strange warrior ancestors look for the strength to discover the mettle and valor of their enemies, and then make the ultimate decision---life or death. They are modern twenty-first century men that avoid battles until they have no choice. Why is there no true bliss among these Irishmen who measure and control personal joy with practical roadblocks? As James Joyce wrote, “We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love. But always meeting ourselves.” And so it is the same with the Nine Irish Sons. Each, frightened by memories of a childhood---one of immense worry, not for themselves but for the lives of their parents. That is where they depart from the typical ancestor who was known to walk away from a quarrel to hear the bard and exchange legends of caliber, faith, and honor. These men find solace only in their unique ability to challenge and succeed against the cruelest of evil forces, and their unparalleled commitments to meet exceptional expectations. Without knowing their full history, they are each carbon copies of the men from their past. Each maintains his weapon with the same meticulous care as the most ancient swordsman. They eat, drink, and dress with the same sense of importance as their most ancient forefather. But the story wouldn't be an Irish one without more that just heritage wound around their lives. Their rare plots of land are filled with stones---and like the land they love, the world of inhabitants around them is either worthy of their scrutiny or inadequate. Similarly, this mysterious island holds them as if they were tethered by some supernatural power and causes them an elusive remorse when they are away. And yet, they are continually thrust out into unknown lands to face the worst cold blooded crimes known to the world.