Book description
Ike Schwartz thought he could return to his hometown and ditch the
demons that pursue him. More than anything, he wanted to blot out the
pain and anger that came when his wife of less than a month was gunned
down in a CIA foul-up. So he buried himself as sheriff in rural
Picketsville, Virginia, a community indistinguishable from any of the
hundreds of small towns that hang like beads on Interstate 81 running
from Pennsylvania down to Georgia. Aside from its Civil War history,
Picketsville's only real claim to fame is Callend College, a private
women's school located just within its corporate limits. The college is
notable, in turn, for housing one half of the billion dollar Dillon art
collection, carefully secured in an underground bunker originally built
in the late 1950s as a super bomb shelter. It's bad news for both Dr.
Ruth Harris, the newly hired president of the college, and for a shadowy
group whose services have been contracted by Middle Eastern fanatics-The
New Jihad-when the collection is scheduled to be removed to New York.
The plan is to steal the half billion dollars worth of fine art and
statuary, and ransom it back for millions. With the closure of the
facility imminent, the operation must be moved forward, which, in turn,
creates unanticipated risks and problems. And everyone dismisses Ike
Schwartz as a stereotypical rural sheriff. He is, however, a man with
uncommon skills, a tough hide, and a notable past-all of which make an
arresting first novel. Just weeks before its scheduled removal, a
valuable family art collection is stolen from its highly secure
small-town Virginia college location. Picketsville sheriff Ike Schwartz
must flex his intelligence to catch the thieves, who killed a security
guard and took two hostages. Later, they demand a million ransom to be
paid to an alleged terrorist group. Complications include the assistance
of a renegade FBI agent and possible collusion between the Mafia and the
collection's “owner.” A solid debut. Ramsay lives in Surprise, AZ. Dr.
Frederick Ramsay was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his
doctorate from the University of Illinois-Westside Medical Campus. After
a stint in the Army, he joined the faculty of the University of
Maryland, School of Medicine, teaching Anatomy, Embryology and
Histology; engaged in research and also served as an Associate Dean.
During this time he also pursued studies in theology and in 1971 was
ordained an Episcopal priest. He is the author of several scientific and
general articles, tracts, theses, and co-author of The Baltimore
Declaration. He is an accomplished public speaker and once hosted a
television spot, Prognosis, on the evening news for WMAR-TV, Baltimore.
He is also an iconographer with works displayed around the world. He
lives in Surprise, Arizona with his wife and partner, Susan.
