Two Days of The Adder: And Other Stories From Around the World

The body plunged from the brink of the precipice into the depths of the chasm, landing on the jagged rock at the edge of the river, a rushing torrent that would drown out the sounds of the impact or cries of anguish, if there were any. Now, only the gods of the Aegean, whether Greek or Roman, Christian or Moslem, would know what had happened.

Ken Byrns was born in North Dakota and spent most of his boyhood in Colorado and New Mexico. He attended San Diego State College and the Graduate School of Northwestern University. He is a graduate of Colorado Northern University (BA), George Washington University (MA) and the Canadian National Defence College. He had one year of law at the Law School of George Washington University. He is a Lieutenant Colonel, USAFR (Intelligence). He spent 23 years in the American Foreign Service. He started his diplomatic career in Mexico and served in a half-dozen posts abroad, ranging from South Africa to Iceland, before ending up in Izmir, Turkey, where he was Consul General. He then opted for early retirement to go into the fields of foreign trade and investment. His work took him all over the world. He has had short stories, poems and articles published. He has published two novels. The first, The Daughter of Ramon Godoy, is based on his experiences as a Vice Consul in Mexico City. The second, A Spy Sat Down Beside Her, is an espionage thriller, with the action in Occupied France during World War II. He is retired, lives with his wife, Ginny, in Powell, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. They have eight grown children. Ken Byrns spends much of his time writing but also keeps active in community affairs and plays tennis the year around.