The Root of All Evil

Book excerpt: A serial killer is terrorizing Charleston. The third young woman, a tourist like the others, has been brutally murdered in her hotel room, the body mutilated. And once again, the killer has removed the victim’s heart. This is the work of someone with an agenda far darker than anything Charleston police detective Harry Holmes has faced before. This killer leaves behind a macabre signature: Entwined in the women’s hair is a strange, scraggly, odd-shaped root. Detective Holmes has no traceable DNA, not even a bloody footprint - only one thing to link the crimes: the murdered women had all taken a tour with Charleston writer and tour guide, Andrew Rutledge. And Rutledge, scion of an old Charleston family, is experiencing bizarre dreams and blackouts. Set against the luxuriant background of historic Charleston’s exceptional beauty and centuries-old customs, The Root of All Evil weaves a haunting and suspenseful tale of the awe-striking power of good and evil. “When darkness stares you right in the eye, all you can do is stare right back.” "David Farrow's novel of Charleston history, mystery and witchcraft kept me wide-eyed and spellbound. It kept me reading late into the night and listening for ghostly footsteps on the stairs." Charles Kuralt "...in the best tradition of Stephen King, Clive Barker and Dean Koontz, the end of the novel is as much a surprise as the beginning." Georgetown Times "There's violence, a little bit of sex, some rough language and a whole lot of Charleston... entreating and engaging..." The State