The Floating Man William Crawford — William Crawford

An amazing scientific discovery in 1830 leads to a government cover-up spanning two centuries and two continents, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake. Replete with dark psychosexual overtones, the Floating Man is a mystery thriller that takes place in both past and present as fictional and historical characters collide. When ‘burned out’ investigative reporter John Hill returns home to take over the Beaufort Sentinel from his friend and mentor, James Campbell, he finds that his friend has literally fallen onto the story of a lifetime. The headline from 1830 screams out at them: Floating Man from France to perform Aerial Stunts this Saturday.Who was Henri Richaud? An early hot air balloonist . . . or something else? How did he end up on a plantation run by Harriott Pinckney Horry, one of South Carolina’s most famous women? As John and James begin their search for this mysterious friend of Napoleon and protégé of Pierre-Simon Laplace—one of the greatest scientists of all time—they find that virtually all historical references to him have been deleted.John and James soon enlist the help of John’s former investigative partner, Sheila Jefferson, now a staffer on the National Security Council. Big mistake. While romance ensues, alarm bells go off in a deeply embedded rogue cell of America’s labyrinthine intelligence apparatus. They soon find out that their search for Henri Richaud and the memoirs of the Sentinel’s founder, Robert Campbell, has deadly consequences. For Sheila, an erotic obsession turns violent as agents from the “Program” are dispatched to keep tabs on our trio. Join John, James, and Sheila, along with a cast of historical characters that includes Napoleon, Andrew Jackson, Chief John Ross of the Cherokee Nation and Harriott Pinckney Horry and the slaves of Hampton Plantation as they try to stay one step ahead of their pursuers in both the past and present.