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“You know, my boy, chess really is more invigorating when someone has to die.” – Caesar
There’s a human game of chess going on in San Francisco and the moves are deadly. The Bay area is being terrorized by a serial killer known only as ‘Caesar’ who has self-appointed one of the city’s finest (Casey Harwell) as opposing king. Bouncing between reality and the belief his is historical Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, he leads the department on a cat and mouse chase throughout the game, leaving decipher necessary clues to challenge the authorities who pursue him. He is narcissistic, quirky, explosive, and has a flair for what he does.
Infatuated by his own fame, Caesar has employed local journalist (Marcus Russell) who reluctantly follows each murder and writes his story.
“Many die, but I will live forever through your words. Extraordinaire!” - Caesar
How do you stop a madman who is always three moves ahead of you? Casey’s attempts lead him down a dark path where he must question whether he can actually catch this monster or will he become the very thing he fights?
The stakes can kill you because the next move is always Caesar’s.
Anita Burke
"Just finished this amazing book! I can not believe my lifetime friend wrote this incredible story! If you haven’t read 'Caesar’s Move' yet get you a copy today! The suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat….and that ending; just when I thought I had it figured out….nope; really, really didn’t see that coming! Its a must read! Bravo Brian 'Angelo'! You should be incredibly proud! It’s magnificent! "
Deborah Braden Whitley
"I read Caesar's Move and I can definitely say I came away with a smile on my face and also wanting more! Can’t wait for your next one!"
Beth Patterson
Catchy title; the psychothriller tale of cop vs. serial-killer. Primal fear sets in as the serial-killer plays his game. The charms of this killer lift this above run-of-mill thriller.The narrative moves briskly by cutting between Caesar's ambling account of his reality and a sharper detective, Casey Harwell. Caesar is a nobody living in a deceptively quiet life by those that think they know him. He wants to show his superiority by committing the Crime of the Century and become Somebody. Caesar is taunting the cops with a twisted game of chess where he seems to always be 3 steps ahead. While Caesar's villain roars on the page, Casey Harwell's character crackles with intelligence. Great read!
Caesar's Move Tease-
“Yes. That is true. I almost forgot about that. Truly a difficult time you must be going through right now. When it seems like the world has caved in on you and the only person who is present that could dig you out …is the very one that you abhor. Those that you called friends aren’t close enough anymore to remove the piles of earth you feel like are covering you… suffocating you beneath its unyielding pressure. But the one hand that is available to move the dirt and let your rib cage expand so you can take a much-needed breath … is the very hand you would most like to cut off. How ironic is that? You’re only friend … is your enemy. Does that make us anything close to friends now, Casey? Or still enemies? Does one cancel out the other? Or is it possible to be both at the same time? That is a remarkable concept, don’t you think?”
Casey said nothing.
“Which one do you want to be?” Caesar asked him in a slightly different tone.
Those words were strange to Casey’s ears. Not only had his life taken such a drastic turn, but now this. He had spent so much time trying to shut this man down and now he had asked him that.
“Why would you ask me that?”
“Someone needs to, my boy. Tell me you don’t need a friend. I think that you do. So, tell me, now that you’ve tasted something different, how are your taste buds salivating these days? Are you still an emotional vegetarian? Or are you feeling a little more carnivorous? Salads leave you still hungry, but a piece of meat stays with you a lot longer.”
“What are you getting at?”
“You missed the party, bud. We had a party tonight and you were a no show. Now, how are you going to enjoy the night when you’re cowering in the shadows? You need to come out into the light.”
“And compromise my position?”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, Harwell!” Caesar said, insulting his intelligence. “You’re not stupid. Read between the lines!”
His words went from calm, to extremely irritated in half a second. Thenquickly returned to a more gentle tone of voice.
“You need to reevaluate your thinking process. Question. Have you ever seen me, Casey?”
“No,” he replied with a bit of hesitation in his voice.
“But I’m in the light. Everyone sees me.”
Casey happened to glance over at a sidewalk light illuminating the cement below. He noticed the ring of light that fell to the ground and surrounded its base in a circular radiance; subtly displayed, but intense against the power over darkness. He understood what Caesar meant. Even though no one knew his identity, he was still well known and in the public’s sight. Everyone knew his name. He lived his fame in the shadows of what he did, popular in his own demented way, but unapproachable, enabling him to maintain his privacy.
“Is that enough for you?” Casey asked him.
His question triggered an emotional response from Caesar.
“Now, that is the question of the century. Is that enough? You think it would be, but just as soon as you put your faith in your accomplishment, they walk in and tear down what you thought would make a difference. Is that enough? Well, it would be if you were being judged by something other than a hypocritical self-centered piece of worthless dung. No matter how hard you try to make it just so perfect, so that maybe, for once they would-be impressed with it and tell you what a good job you did, but no!”
Caesar began raising his voice again.
“They have to kill it with their insecurities! Break it down, piece by fucking piece! Micro-dissect it so they can nitpick every little detail, so there was no way possible you could ever out do them! Much less to match up to! They could never let you be better than themselves! Always keep you feeling like you were less intelligent than was their superiority! It should be enough! But no! Was it ever?! Fuck that!”
-Creating Caesar's Move-
When I wrote Caesar's Move, I started with two men sitting at a little table outside of a street side restaurant. As they talked, one came across as extremely arrogant while the other displayed a more submissive nature. At this point I had no idea where I would go with it. No clue as to what genre of book this would end up being. It simply morphed into what it would become with each following line. Inspiration would hit me at the craziest of hours, day and night, forcing me to take a gazillion notes as to not lose the thought. It was exciting to create a man who lived within opposing personalities. Throw a game of chess in the mix, lace it with a heavy Italian flavor, and serve it to the authorities with a vengeance. A lot of research went into writing this book. I inserted a lot of myself as well as characteristics and traits of others close to me. So, in a sense, there may be a little bit of Caesar in all of us. I wanted my villain to be very bad but damn good at. This was a madman's journey from the beginning and yet I came out the other end still intact ... I think.