CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Nov. 21, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- During WW II, General Wild Bill Donovan recruits Hannah Lord's father, Lieutenant Jason Lord, into the OSS. Jason becomes the sole survivor of a betrayed espionage reconnoiter into Czechoslovakia to locate and assess a uranium mine. In 1963, Jason is abducted, and rogue super-power agents threaten Hannah, looking for a map of the mine which they will sell to a terrorist nation. It is hidden in Four Chimneys, the family mansion on Lake Ontario in upstate New York.
In 1964, an earthquake uncovers human bones on the estate. When the local police chief volunteers to guard Hannah and the bones, he is murdered. Restless spirits choose Hannah to carry out their quests. A manuscript in the secret passage raises questions about the discovery of America. Scandinavian, Italian, and Chinese voyagers sailed up the St. Lawrence to Four Chimneys searching for a new land.
Going far beyond a ghost story, The Ghosts of Four Chimneys chronicles Hannah Lord's spiritual journey. Among others, the bones belong to Native Americans who first lived on the land, freedom-seeking African Americans who arrived on the Underground Railroad, and white settlers who envisioned America as a new Eden.
Four Chimneys' caretaker, handsome Adam Tom, inherited his mixed blood from the union of an Iroquois Indian and runaway slave girl. He can protect Hannah from espionage agents, a murderer, and drug dealers, but he cannot protect her from herself.
When Hannah begins to doubt her sanity, a sisterhood of descendants of the ghosts helps find her missing father and carry out his dream of making America a world leader for peace.
This tale of suspense and historical accuracy is told with humor and pathos. Past events weave their portents through the changing society of the Sixties and bring fresh insights to the struggles facing America today.
About the Author
Born in upstate New York, Shirley M. Knappe is a retired English teacher. She has a B.A. from SUNY in Albany and M. Ed. from the University of Miami in Florida. She taught at the George Junior Republic for juvenile delinquents, and in Florida high schools during desegregation years. Taking early retirement, she established Miami Alyn, an organization raising awareness and support for a children's hospital in Jerusalem, Israel.
The Ghosts of Four Chimneys by Shirley M. Knappe
House of The Eighth Consciousness
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