The Chimera: A NORTHERN NECK MYSTERY With George & Grace O'Bannion Book I

THE CHIMERA introduces a pair of amateur detectives, Grace and George O'Bannion. Grace is a retired Army Intelligence officer and George a retired history professor. The story is set in eastern part of Virginia's Northern Neck, a largely rural economy of farming, fishing, oystering, crabbing, tourism and a multitude of small businesses but also hosting a population of comfortable to wealthy retirees, thanks to its hundreds of miles of waterfront. In turn, they help enable a rich cultural life of arts, music, and entertainment in the area. George had written a highly successful series of historical novels that boosted their retirement portfolio and when Grace decided to retire early from the Army, disillusioned by the lack of focus, strategy and progress in the "War on Terror," they left their urban world for the Northern Neck. When the lady who cleaned house for them every other week is arrested for the murder of a prominent citizen, George and Grace cannot believe her capable of the crime and get involved.

Child of a career soldier, Edgar Doleman grew up in two countries and eight states. On graduating from college, he followed his father onto the Army, serving in Berlin, Korea, Vietnam and various posts in the U.S. After retiring from a second career in information technology, he and his wife retired to the Northern Neck where she encouraged his writing and conceived the initial idea for "The Chimera." But the project was put on hold as she fought an ultimately losing battle with cancer. Finding it too painful to continue with "The Chimera," he focused on a work started some years earlier and "Arlen's Gun - A Novel of War in Vietnam - a Journey from Alienation to Brotherhood" became his first novel. "The Chimera" is now the second and has expanded into a series.