The Islander

About the Book

A gypsy myth, crystals with potent powers, an Allied assassin in World War II and the spirit of Mussolini mix together in this complex prequel-sequel to "Island Nights."

The story, related once again by the "Island Nights" narrator, Avery Mann – with an assist from his friend Jacques Lafitte – is a fictional, fanciful account set primarily on remote Bois Blanc Island in Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac.

But it wanders far afield, too – to the killing fields of Europe in World War II, to the woods of Italy at that war’s end, and to the sea off Italy’s shore – before returning for a climactic storm and light show in the Straits.

Once again, Avery, along with Lightfoot Jack, leads readers on an adventure – with new characters and one old friend providing surprising twists along the way.

The story is about family history turned upside down, about wartime perils, about inhumanity, about friendship, about love, and about faith.

About the Author

A.C. Haeffner is a longtime journalist with experience on four daily newspapers, including a stint at USA Today. He has won eight New York State writing and editing awards, including best columnist among small-circulation dailies in 1997. He and his wife, Susan, and sons Jonathan and David live in Odessa, New York, where he currently operates his own memorabilia business and does freelance writing. This is his first novel, and is being published simultaneously with a sequel.