William Manchee is an attorney by trade and practices law in Dallas with his son Jim. Originally from southern California, he lives now in Plano, Texas with his wife Janet of some 41 years. Manchee discovered his passion for writing late in life at age forty-eight and has vowed to write a novel every year for the rest of his life. So far he is on schedule as Tarizon: Conquest Earth is his seventeenth published novel. He is the author of the nine volume Stan Turner Mystery series inspired by many actual cases from his past. His other works include Death Pact, Plastic Gods, and a nonfiction book called Yes, We're Open, Defending the Small Business Under Siege which has been published in eight foreign countries as well as the United States.
<p><em style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;">After centuries of religiously motivated war, the world has been split in two. Now the Blessed Lands are ruled by pure faith, while in the Republic, reason is the guiding light—two different realms, kept apart and at peace by a treaty and an ocean.</em><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><span style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;">Children of the Republic, Helena and Jason were inseparable in their youth, until fate sent them down different paths. Grief and duty sidetracked Helena’s plans, and Jason came to detest the hollowness of his ambitions.</span><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><span style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;">These two damaged souls are reunited when a tiny boat from the Blessed Lands crashes onto the rocks near Helena’s home after an impossible journey across the forbidden ocean. On board is a single passenger, a nine-year-old girl named Kailani, who calls herself “the Daughter of the Sea and the Sky.” A new and perilous purpose binds Jason and Helena together again, as they vow to protect the lost innocent from the wrath of the authorities, no matter the risk to their future and freedom.</span><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><span style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;">But is the mysterious child simply a troubled little girl longing to return home? Or is she a powerful prophet sent to unravel the fabric of a godless Republic, as the outlaw leader of an illegal religious sect would have them believe? Whatever the answer, it will change them all forever… and perhaps their world as well.</span></p>
<div class="ic-element wb-text-content"> <div class="wb-text-content"> <h3 style="width:auto;" align="center"><font style="width:auto;color:#111111;" color="#ffff33">Clint Hunter, <em style="width:auto;">Crescent Blue</em></font></h3> <p style="width:auto;"><span style="width:auto;">An unwelcome phone call from his new partner Paula Waters interrupts attorney Stan Turner's family vacation in Colorado. A long time client and friend, Dusty Thomas, stands accused of the murder of an IRS agent and continues to barricade himself in his barn while holding a contingent of federal law enforcement agents at bay. A witness who happened upon the scene identifies Thomas as the man he saw standing over the victim with a shotgun in his hand.</span></p> <p style="width:auto;"><span style="width:auto;">Leaving his family in Colorado, Turner hurriedly flies to the scene in Texas where he meets the agents and arranges a meeting with the accused. Thomas, known for his long and bitter feud with the IRS concerning seizures of his property, professes his innocence. He swears he found the already dead agent on his property after responding to the sound of gunshots; however, he agrees to give himself up with the assurance that Turner will defend him in court.</span></p> <p style="width:auto;"><span style="width:auto;">Without Turner's knowledge, Paula Waters arranges for a radical anti-government organization called the Citizen's Defense Alliance to post Thomas' bail and deposit money for the defense in the firm's account. Turner angrily speculates on the consequences of this alliance if the firm fails to prove its client innocent. Word of this action leaks immediately to the press, and federal agents begin surveillance of Turner's every move.</span></p> <p style="width:auto;"><span style="width:auto;">Before research for the trial begins, another distraction arises. Tex Weller, one of the firm's best clients, unexpectedly deposits more than a million dollars into the firm's account and then disappears. Investigation reveals documents suggesting a link between the money and a scam originating in Ecuador. While Waters prepares for the upcoming trial, Turner flies to Ecuador in search of his friend.</span></p> <p style="width:auto;"><span style="width:auto;">Left in charge of the trial preparation, Waters uncovers evidence that the murdered IRS Agent, Bobby Tuttle, sported a reputation as a bully who rose rapidly in the agency because of nepotism. Tuttle apparently maintained a "hit" list of persons and organizations to prosecute for tax evasions, and cultivated enemies both inside and outside the IRS. Waters finds herself hard-pressed to keep up with the ever-expanding list of potential suspects.</span></p> <p style="width:auto;"><span style="width:auto;">Pressure builds to piece together the puzzle of Agent Tuttle's murder as the trial date looms. In the meantime, Turner and Waters must work their way past an investigation of sedition, a gang related insurance swindle, and a charge and conviction of felonious action. But in a courtroom climax that would make the venerable Perry Mason stand and applaud, stunning revelations and unexpected connections bring the mystery to an unanticipated and startling conclusion.</span></p></div></div>