The Shaney Incidents

Book excerpt: John Thornton returns home from the war in Iraq, being wounded, suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from his combat experiences and attending the United States Homeland Security School and returns to his job at the Center City, Oklahoma, Police Department as a detective. When a very strange haunting of a local elderly ladies’ home and three suspicious deaths occur in Shaney, Oklahoma, a suburb of Center City, it becomes apparent the current investigation authority of the Center City Police Department cannot solve these cases. John Thornton serves as a liaison between the US Department of Homeland Security and the Center City Police Department and makes a plea to a retired United States senator, Nathaniel Andrews, for help, which brings him, Robbie Jensen (US DHS medical examiner), Sofia Clark (a CIA agent), and Dr. Lisa Wayne (psychiatrist) together to form a specialized US DHS Special Investigations Division into existence to work these cases under the authority of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Although John does not believe in the paranormal, what he experiences firsthand changes his mind. However, even with this group, with the aid of the Oklahoma Paranormal Research Association, the investigations are still very dangerous for all. The tension is high for everyone as the tasks become much more dangerous, both physically and psychologically. The solving of these cases, however, makes the risks all that more important to the US DHS Special Investigations Division team members to save innocent lives.