"Michael's Cardinal Sin" is the first in a trilogy of political action thrillers and a "prequel" to a trilogy of novels exploring the reaching of modern terrorist organizations: One to the Nth Degree - The Code 17 Conspiracy; One to the 4th Degree - The Marian Conspiracy; and One to the 3rd Degree - The Shroud of Turin Conspiracy. MCS is set in the fall of 1979 and includes Pope John Paul II's visit to Chicago during the week of October 4-6 and in, as well as about, the city's iconic Old Town District. The novel's theme centers upon a white shoes law firm partner, Michael Avalov, who gets irrepressibly drawn into an international drug cartel's operations. He begins by defending the city's Archbishop Cardinal against suspicions of a federal Grand Jury that he is, in fact, a part of the drug cabal. Michael soon questions the way in which the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies in Chicago as well as Washington DC. are trying to bring about the larger cartel's demise at his client's expense. A transformation occurs, however, as Michael comes across a host of high ranking Vatican prelates, foreign ambassadors, city officials and local gangs who do appear to serve as a team of drug distributors and hit men. Yet, who would believe the unlikely cabal's fantastic end game may go so far as to include silencing his client as Pope John Paul says Mass in Chicago's Grant Park? Michael's Cardinal Sin, then, is a winding and twisting tale built upon the author's own 40 years of experience as a lawyer, journalist and media relations professional in Chicago as well as the nation's capital. It's a deep dive into Every Man's need for loyalty, how betrayal can destroy rather than build trust and relationships. MSC asks how institutional greed, avarice and misguided cultural beliefs can interplay in the real world of global economics, politics and power ... and whether today's far-reaching drug cartels are all that different from today's global terrorist organizations
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