That Way Madness Lies

Divorced, middle-aged and living alone, Gene Gatz is an archaeology professor whose best years are behind him. When he heads off to Spain on a summer expedition to explore a castle with a colleague, he discovers a rare Mayan codex and a mysterious diary written by a Spanish conquistador. Gatz learns that the codex allegedly holds the secret to eternal life. But the transformation comes at a terrible cost. To regain his youth, Gatz must make a blood sacrifice of a virgin bride. As the codex begins to exert a strange influence over him, Gatz identifies his young student Sara Drake as the ideal subject for the gruesome ritual. Convincing the unsuspecting Sara to marry him, Gatz murders her in a Mayan temple on their honeymoon and drinks her blood from the heart he has plucked from her chest. He passes out and awakens to find himself a vampire. What follows is a dramatic pursuit of the vampire Gatz by Detective Tony Drake, the psychically gifted brother of the murdered Sara. The chase culminates in a life and death struggle to prevent Satan himself from entering the physical world. That Way Madness Lies is a thrilling and at times violent horror novel that explores the human condition through themes of aging, faith, revenge, love, remorse and prejudice. Born and raised in Philadelphia, but currently living in central Mexico, William Rand is an English teacher with a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida. He was inspired to write this book after visiting the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. Publisher's website: http: //sbpra.com/WilliamRand