Publisher's Synopsis
The "Evolution of a Killer" series follows the life of Lazarus Solaris, millionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist and the International assassin known as "The Chameleon." An assassin known for his unusual ethos which sets him apart from other killers, making him a conundrum to enemies and law enforcement alike. Lazarus goes to exceptional lengths to determine if the killing of his target is justified. Over the twenty-plus years he has been plying his craft he has voided contracts after deciding the death wasn't justified. Not only voiding them, but he also places the would-be targets under his protection, warning those who contracted him these people are never to be touched, or Lazarus would destroy the life of the person who contracted the kill. One side-effect of his code is the forming of friendships with some of the most unlikely people - people who now owe their lives to the man dubbed "A sociopath with the tattered remnants of a conscience" by one of his professors in his college years. Book One, EVOLUTION, set in Texas, has Lazarus taking a contract to help a South Texas Banker disappear, escaping the retribution of his Drug Lord half-brother - having embezzled millions from Los Zapatos de la Muerte Cartel. Using all his resources, Lazarus deals with the Drug Lord and relocates the banker to Argentina - where both parties receive an unexpected package which determines their fates. Through flashbacks in time, you learn the history of Lazarus. Born in Iowa and orphaned at the age of seven, he spent the next eleven years in the south of France, being raised by his Aunt, Ziva Soloveitchik, Holocaust survivor and sister to his mother. At the age of 16, Lazarus is changed forever by the betrayal of a man he loved and trusted, setting him on a path into the darkness. He spent the next three years training himself to shoot, fight, and alter his appearance in preparation for what would be the first of many kills - taking the life of man who stole his childhood. Evolution also introduces you to those who are important to him, particularly, Katsumi Tanaka, whom he rescued from a sadistic brute when she was sixteen. A woman he meets while executing his contract in Texas, changes his life forever. Book Two, FAMILY MATTERS, finds Lazarus seeking vengeance for the kidnapping and subsequent shooting of one of his few friends, Derek Grimsrud. Grimsrud, aka Mr. Black is a CIA operative Lazarus saved from execution by drug dealers in Juarez, Mexico. The man behind the kidnapping is the newly crowned head of the Zapatos Cartel, Andres Camacho, who is seeking revenge for the killing of his men by the CIA. The concept of an extended family is a foreign concept to Lazarus, the assassin known as the Chameleon. While going after Camacho, Lazarus is confounded by others who come to his aid, including the CIA director of black ops, a weapons dealer, and even the President of Mexico. One by one, their acts of generosity plant the seeds in Lazarus' subconscious. In the end, it is bitter-sweet lesson learned.Book Three, ROGUE ASSASSIN, takes you back to 2007 and the abduction of a sixteen-year-old girl by Benito Grasso - the renegade son of the most powerful Mafioso in Sicily. Unfortunately for Grasso, he grabbed the niece of Lazarus' arms dealer and friend, Paolo Salerno, brother to Stephanie's grandfather, Giuseppe - head of the family. Under the freshly minted identity of Cooper Johnson, Lazarus and his newest associate, Leonard James promise to bring Stephanie home safely. "Cooper" teams up with MI-6 agent, Caitlyn Noonan to avoid running into issues with the British Government, since Grasso has taken the girl to London. Lazarus brings together a team of mercenaries from past operations to handle the rescue - without killing Grasso. Killing him would start an all-out Mafia war between Enzo Grasso and the Salernos. No-one said it would be easy - which makes it even more challenging.
