Forger: A Psychological Thriller

 

Lester Gordon was laughed out of art school for wanting to paint like the Impressionist masters, but that’s the least of his problems:

He’s only Lester Gordon part of the time.
Sometimes he’s Louis Bétancourt, a painter of unfathomable talent who can create canvases good enough to fool all the experts on earth.

At other times, he’s a Jesuit priest named Father Gordon Humphries, who travels around the country giving Bétancourt’s paintings to regional museums.

And sometimes he reverts to Baby Les, a seven-year-old victim of abuse and neglect.

Dr. Cheryl Weissberg, a rookie psychologist, diagnoses him with multiple personality disorder and strives to unify Lester’s psyche.

She succeeds, but there’s a catch: When his personality is fragmented, Lester is docile and harmless; after he’s “cured,” he becomes capable of murder.

This gripping psychological thriller will make you want to lock the door, examine yourself in the mirror, and go searching for your childhood teddy bear.

Let’s hope you find it.

Praise for Forger:

“A personality-shifting masterwork from Mark Spivak, Forger is a thrilling mystery of psychological divides, reuniting identities, cold-blooded murder, and the flexible notion of innocence…this art-centered thriller has an undeniable appeal for art connoisseurs and mystery fans alike.” The Independent Review of Books

“Forger is an original, slick, and deeply intriguing novel. Mark Spivak handles Lester’s profound issues with interest and sensitivity while providing a clever, twisting, and thought-provoking mystery for the reader to unpack.” The Book Review Directory

“This is a very well-written story that will be very hard to put down once you pick it up. It combines everything a reader wants…Mr. Spivak has outdone himself with Forger and I recommend it to all. With the twists and turns involved in the plot you will be completely riveted by the novel until the very end.” Feathered Quill

Iconic Spirits

A fascinating portrait of twelve spirits that changed the world and forged the cocktail culture

What’s the relationship between moonshine and NASCAR? 

Why was absinthe considered to be the most dangerous substance on earth? 

Moonshine Nation

Moonshine is corn whiskey, traditionally made in improvised stills throughout the Appalachian South. While quality varied from one producer to another, the whiskey had one thing in common: It was illegal because the distiller refused to pay taxes to the US government. Many moonshiners were descendants of Scots-Irish immigrants who had fought in the original Whiskey Rebellion in the early 1790s.

Friend of the Devil

n 1990 some critics believe that America’s most celebrated chef, Joseph Soderini di Avenzano, cut a deal with the Devil to achieve fame and fortune. Whether he is actually Bocuse or Beelzebub, Avenzano is approaching the 25th anniversary of his glittering Palm Beach restaurant, Chateau de la Mer, patterned after the Michelin-starred palaces of Europe.

Iconic Spirits

A fascinating portrait of twelve spirits that changed the world and forged the cocktail culture

What’s the relationship between moonshine and NASCAR? 

Why was absinthe considered to be the most dangerous substance on earth? 

Moonshine Nation

Moonshine is corn whiskey, traditionally made in improvised stills throughout the Appalachian South. While quality varied from one producer to another, the whiskey had one thing in common: It was illegal because the distiller refused to pay taxes to the US government. Many moonshiners were descendants of Scots-Irish immigrants who had fought in the original Whiskey Rebellion in the early 1790s.

Friend of the Devil

n 1990 some critics believe that America’s most celebrated chef, Joseph Soderini di Avenzano, cut a deal with the Devil to achieve fame and fortune. Whether he is actually Bocuse or Beelzebub, Avenzano is approaching the 25th anniversary of his glittering Palm Beach restaurant, Chateau de la Mer, patterned after the Michelin-starred palaces of Europe.

Compelling stories, beautifully told

Mark Spivak, Book Author

In the realm of non-fiction, award-winning author Mark Spivak focuses on wine, spirits, food, restaurants and culinary travel. His first book, Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History, was published by Lyons Press in 2012. He followed this with Moonshine Nation (Lyons Press, 2014), hailed as the definitive book on illegal corn whiskey in America. From 1994-1999 he was the wine writer for the Palm Beach Post, and was honored for excellence in wine criticism “in a graceful and approachable style.” Since 2001 he has been the Wine & Spirits Editor for the Palm Beach Media Group, and contributes to a number of national magazines. He is also the holder of the Certificate and Advanced Diplomas from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Mark’s first novel, Friend of the Devil, was published by Black Opal Books in May 2016. Set in Palm Beach in 1990, it tells the story of America’s most famous chef, who has sold his soul to the Devil for fame and fortune. He is currently at work on his second novel, a political thriller set during the invasion of Iraq.

Tired of Grilled Phish and Rack of Spam?

Revised text now available in print, e-book and audiobook formats.

Joseph Soderini di Avenzano is America’s most celebrated chef…

Some believe he cut a deal with the Devil to achieve fame and fortune. Whether he is actually Bocuse or Beelzebub, Avenzano is approaching the twenty-fifth anniversary of his glittering Palm Beach restaurant, Chateau de la Mer, patterned after the Michelin-starred palaces of Europe.

Journalist David Fox arrives in Palm Beach to interview the chef for a story on the restaurant’s silver jubilee and quickly becomes involved with Chateau de la Mer’s hostess, Alessandra, unwittingly transforming himself into Avenzano’s rival. When the chef invites David to winter in Florida and write his authorized biography, he gradually becomes sucked into the restaurant’s vortex—shipments of cocaine coming up from the Caribbean; the Mafia connections and unexplained murder of the chef’s original partner; and the chef’s ravenous ex-wives, swirling in the background like a hidden coven.

As Alessandra plots the demise of the chef, David tries to sort out hallucination and reality, while Avenzano plays with him like a feline’s catnip-stuffed toy.

 “A little Kitchen Confidential, a little Real Housewives of Palm Beach, and a little Faust.”

 “Unlike anything I have read before.”

 “Caution: Descriptions of culinary masterpieces may cause hunger pangs.”

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