Death by Benevolent Tiger

About the Book

Los Angeles - 1950. A man is brutally murdered in an alley directly below the office of private detective Victor Deamis. The killing eventually plunges Deamis into a maelstrom of murder and intrigue, in pursuit of a smuggled Chinese art object. A Chinese gang called the Benevolent Tiger Triad, an ancient Chinese man who follows the teaching of Mao Tse-tung, a former Marine hero who now works for the CIA, and the daughter of a British diplomat, all appear involved in a race to find a carved jade horse, immortalized by a poet from the Chou Dynasty, named Tu-ping. Kidnaping, death, blackmail and betrayal mark the path Deamis must take through the forbidding streets and alleyways of ‘Little Tokyo’, as he attempts to solve the riddle of the Tu-ping horse. Eventually his investigation reveals an intricate pattern of deceit and intrigue, played out by both sides against the background of the Korean War.

About the Author

After discharge from the service Dene entered college, where he studied Film & Television production. He started his professional career in radio drama, and as an actor appeared in more than fifty stage productions across the country. He later became a fashion photographer for Max Factor in Hollywood, worked as a unit still man for the studios, and helped pioneer multiple screen, audio-visual shows for such major corporations as the Ford Motor Company, Pepsi-Cola, Reynolds Aluminum and IBM. Dene also has directed independent motion pictures, as well as written, produced and directed several religious and educational programs for worldwide release. This is his first novel.