Book 1
Game of Twins - The Special Agent
In 1663, a beautiful woman in Hartford, CT, was acquitted of being a witch but then crucified by townspeople. One of her teenage twins survived the subsequent chase. She promised there would be hell to pay.
Fast forward to Atlanta, Georgia, in 2015, when teenage twin girls are ritualistically murdered with black crosses. Atlanta’s top homicide detective, Suzanne Delacroix, is so impacted by the crime scene that she quits. But she’s compelled to investigate. With the help of a reporter, an FBI friend, and an old fishing buddy of her cop father’s – she discovers that the murders are linked to another set of twins’ murders four decades ago, just outside Atlanta in Woodstock. And others. And that she’s long been part of the Evil Game of Twins.
This novel is the anchor book of the Game of Twins series that occurs in the present time. The story picks up several decades after the prequel book Game of Twins - The Special Agent ends.
Game of Twins is the story of --
Atlanta’s TOP HOMICIDE DETECTIVE confronting a gruesome crime scene, which even she can’t process. The investigation turns her toward similar cold cases which are all strangely linked -- over the course of a century.
It’s the story of A DEADLY GAME played by a Satanic coven that sacrifices teenage female twins and screws with investigators by using breadcrumbs that link murders.
It’s the story of a middle school LACROSSE CLUB CHAIRWOMAN who, on the surface, is a typical suburban sports mom, but underneath is EVIL personified.
It’s the story of a SATANIC COVEN, the Atlanta Tribe, whose powerful and wealthy witch members worship their Dark Lord who they believe rewards them with money, power, and sex if they devote themselves to eliminating “persons-of-light” so that Darkness can finally take command.
It’s a story of REVENGE: for a mother burned at the stake and one of her twin daughters murdered centuries ago. Also, a story of REVENGE for the murder of a father made to look like an accident; for the murders of multiple sets of innocent teenage twins; for the murder of Atlanta top cop; for a successful Black farmer wrongfully executed decades ago, and for the killing of a country cop who tried to do the right thing.
It’s the story of how a SMALL EVENT, like a kid getting kicked off his middle school lacrosse team, can reverberate across many lives with unintended consequences.
It's a story of a suburban FAMILY torn apart by injustice and events beyond their control.
It’s the story of REDEMPTION for an Atlanta pizza proprietor, once Mafia hitman, who failed to save his wife and young child from assassins years ago – but who gets a chance to save his adopted son from certain death.
It’s the story of LOVE between two longtime friends who have veiled their feelings – but hope one day, things will be different.
It’s the story of lots and lots of SECRETS: a top detective racked by debilitating nightmares for two decades after being sexually assaulted in college; an assistant lacrosse coach who overhears something that puts his life in danger; a sports mom who is a witch and much worse; a southern Sheriff who aided and abetted the murder of an innocent Black inmate four decades ago; an FBI agent (long deceased) who solved cases of murdered twins but went to his grave without telling anyone; a wealthy Atlanta banker/rancher who ordered the execution of an innocent Black neighbor wrongfully blamed for killing his daughters.
It’s also the story of a PLACE, a big, thriving metropolitan area where the supposed southern charm, gentility, and goodwill of its citizenry – in upper and middle-class neighborhoods – failed to take a back seat to lies and deceit, sexual abuse, murder – and even witchcraft.
Most of all, it’s an age-old story of GOOD versus EVIL – with Evil fighting to finally gain the upper hand – and Good, hanging on by its fingernails. CROSSES symbolize that battle with the EVIL symbolizes the black double cross; the GOOD by silver and gold cross necklaces, the name of the protagonist, DELACROIX (of the cross); and the name of North America’s oldest game, LACROSSE.
Book 2
Game of Twins - Kidnapped
This crime-mystery-thriller eBook is the sequel to the (present-day) Game of Twins eBook. Now married to her longtime lawyer friend Kip Davies, former Atlanta Homicide detective Suzanne Delacroix is quite content being his wife and mom to her stepdaughter twins. Her peace is upended when the twins are kidnapped outside their Atlanta private school; she hopes against hope the kidnapper wasn’t her nemesis, Pamela Loncart, on the FBI’s and Interpol’s Most-Wanted lists – who no one has seen for two years.
Suzanne agrees to pay $8 million for the twins’ release. That works out badly, and her ex-APD partner, Dusty Rayfield ends up dead. Her only idea to get her twins back is to kidnap the Loncart twins who she believes are playing lacrosse somewhere in the U.S. She marshals help from several people who’ve already experienced the Game of Twins to locate and kidnap the Loncart boys – hoping to trade twins for twins. Harrowing and illegal, best case.
Note: Books in the series are chronological, but each reads great as a standalone. Game of Twins, Game of Twins – Kidnapped, and Golden Frog Poison – Game of Twins are set in the present day. Game of Twins – The Special Agent is the prequel that is set in the era of J Edgar Hoover. It is the historical noire fiction of the series.
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Book 8
Book 9
Book 10
Book 11
Book 12
Book 13
Book 14
Book 15
Book 16
Book 17
Book 18
Book 19
Book 20
Tom Ranseen
I've always been an avid reader and try to read a book a week. I've lived and breathed written words for five decades. At Duke and GW I started to become a decent writer. As a business marketing guy for several companies, and then as a freelancer for seventeen years, a huge amount of my time was spent developing online content from scratch, I still do some digital marketing for dog services local businesses. But six years ago I swerved -- to write fiction.
I just finished my 4th book which is the finale of my Game of Twins mystery/thriller series: Golden Frog Poison - Game of Twins. Game of Twins - The Secret Agent, Game of Twins, Game of Twins - Kidnapped. The story is chronological, but each book reads great as a standalone.
And it was lots of fun publishing the Game of Twins audiobook. Marilyn Ramos, the narrator, did an awesome job. Check it out on Audible or Amazon or iTunes
I have two amazing grown children, both graduates of Indiana University. One is a Nashville policeman and the other is a Nashville city planner. I reside in Franklin, TN with my Airedale, Keri. A Duke graduate, I'm a fanatic college basketball fan.