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Kingdom ComeStory Inspiration
What would you kill for?
That was the question I asked myself when I sat down to write KINGDOM COME. What level of greed, ambition, and circumstance would push a regular person like you or me to commit murder? I set the story in the real world of my best friend's jet-set family, whose hard-nosed billionaire father really does do battle with the unions and organized crime on a regular basis. During their long painful process of building a mega-mall in downstate NY, I heard first-hand the stories of corrupt politicians, backroom deals, crooked union bosses, and the death threats issued by the mob. One night, I had to personally respond when my buddy called me from a dinner in Syracuse to say that a strange vehicle had entered his family compound not far from where my home is. While two men dressed in dark clothes parked outside the main house and walked around, the babysitter and children cowered in their bedroom. I loaded my shotgun, jumped in my Suburban, and raced up the road. By the time I got there, the intruders had gone. I hid in the shadows outside the house, armed with my shotgun, until the police arrived. My friend was certain the men were sent from downstate to deliver a message. My story is loosely based on MacBeth. The main character, Thane Coder, is a man who ascends to the top of an empire at the behest of his greedy, ambitious, and immoral wife. After a disappointing company reorganization, Thane's wife convinces him to cut a side-deal with the mob-controlled union in order to get his own piece of the action. Once Thane's in, there's no way out, and when he's faced with the choice of destroying his own life or committing murder, he chooses the latter and assumes the trappings of tremendous wealth and power. The backdrop for the book, private jets, opulent offices, and the forty-million dollar hunting lodge with its catacomb wine cellar, towering fireplaces, and living room-size hot tub, are all real. Through my friend, I have experienced a slice of this lavish lifestyle, and know full-well its seductive power. Thane Coder is the first character since Clay Blackwell (the main character of my first and semi-autobiographical novel, RUFFIANS, 1993) based on myself. He, like I think I am, is a decent person haunted by the traditional human frailty of ambition. I wanted to put Thane in a situation where a series of poor, but not evil, decisions, left him boxed into choosing between self-preservation and murder. The suspense in the novel comes, not from knowing if Thane will kill to reach the top, but whether or not he can get away with it. I hope you enjoy the ride. 
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