A Devil Waits at the Crossroads

About the Book

The novel, “A Devil Waits at the Crossroads”, is a fictitious work. There is no intent to undermine traditional religious beliefs, although strange and little understood alternatives do exist. But whatever belief one may have, there has to be a recognition that both good and evil coexist. The novel includes pernicious and adult situations, and is not intended for a general audience.

John Bower is a management-level engineer sent to São Paulo, Brazil, to direct a major highway design project. Despite his tireless dedication, circumstances beyond his control frustrate his efforts, and he enters into a private world of bitterness and self-pity. His loving wife, Liz, is aware of his problems, but is limited in her efforts to help. To provide her husband a bit of timely relief, she commits them to a long weekend tour to Salvador, Bahia, with a group of other Americans expatriates. Liz hopes the trip will become a welcome diversion and an opportunity to rekindle their oft-neglected marriage. But even before reaching Salvador, an odd incident portends ill for John. His negativistic outlook towards life has already exposed him to insidious forces beyond his control.

Once in Salvador, while others simply enjoy one of Brazil’s premier tourist regions, John is drawn to Candomblé services, the spirit religion synonymous with animism as practiced in Africa. A Brazilian acquaintance explains how this activity was brought to the New World by slaves, and subsequently blended into their paralleling practice of Catholicism. John is not only intrigued by the colorful rituals, but develops an intense interest in the black people themselves. Unfortunately, he is not aware of the dangers involved, and blunders into this uncanny realm without guidance or forethought.

Once back home in São Paulo, John continues with his ill-advised meandering, attending a number of services of the so-called Saint George cult. Instead of deriving the intended benefits, he becomes a victim of spirit possession and negatively affects all those around him. His life deteriorates into a series of perverse sexual encounters, drunkenness, and abandonment of responsibilities. Eventually, John capitulates to the desires of the evil within him. He abandons his wife and professional responsibilities to return to Salvador for a more self-gratifying existence.

Liz, in shear desperation, resorts to whatever means are available to find and save her husband. She seeks the aid of Brazilian friends who enlighten her with regards to mediumship, possession, and the very meaning of life, death, and the Hereafter. In the midst of her heartbreaking efforts, she is cajoled to seek the help of a charlatan and practitioner of Quimbanda, the outlawed devil worship, but is saved from this misguided course of action by a local spirit healer. Ultimately, she is reunited with John due to help from a most unlikely source, the feared Policia Militar.

Liz departs for Bahia, determined to gain back her husband, but finding him becomes easier than restoring his soul. John has succumbed to a life of carnal pleasures, and now lives with a black woman in a slum along the outskirts of Salvador, reflecting the desires of the spirit that has possessed him. Mustering all her strength and courage, Liz confronts the spirit, despite realizing that her efforts might fail and that the final outcome of her struggle is frighteningly uncertain.

About the Author

The author is a civil engineer who has spent many years involved with major highway and transportation projects throughout the world. These travels have led to a life exposed to a variety of fascinating cultures and unusual personal experiences. Places encountered became the vivid settings for a series of novels in which fictitious characters find themselves caught in odd situations and unforeseen adventures, some enlightening, others horribly traumatic and tragic. “Excursion into Vengeance” takes place both in Mexico and closer to home in the Pacific Northwest. The author has now retired to the Seattle area where writing has become his full-time occupation.