Brazil has a population of one-hundred-eighty-million people occupying a land mass larger than the continental United States. The country puts satellites into space, dominates nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, boasts the world's second largest fleet of private jets, exports automobiles, weaponry, aircraft and consumer electronics. It has millions of acres of arable land, exports agricultural products to every continent, ranks ninth among the world's economies -- and has an unevenness of income distribution second only to Bangladesh.

The wealthiest ten per cent of the population enjoy more than fifty percent of the national income. Fifty-four million Brazilians live below the poverty line. A miniscule fraction of one percent of the population owns half the arable land, while twenty-five million agricultural workers survive on two dollars a day.

As a result of all of this, land wars - one of the subjects treated in my first novel "Blood of the Wicked" have arisen between the "haves" and "have nots". No one really knows how many lives have been lost in these wars, but documented cases exceed fifteen-hundred, one of whom was Dorothy Stang, an American Nun. She was shot dead (two bullets in the face) on the twelfth of February, 2005, four months short of her seventy-fourth birthday.

"...top notch... Gage smoothly expands his focus on the assassination of an ambitious bishop to encompass the controversial and entirely absorbing issue of whether the clergy should involve themselves in the politics of land distribution among the poor."

- New York Times

"Leighton Gage achieves both a powerful political thriller and gripping crime fiction in his fascinating debut...Gage proves himself a true storyteller."

- Florida Sun Sentinel

"A gripping and brutal tale of murder and vengeance. Highly recommended." (Starred Review)

- Library Journal

"Gage's emotionally-charged debut...vividly evokes a country of political corruption, startling economic disparity, and relentless crime, both random and premeditated."

- Booklist

"Gage's debut...creates a contemporary tapestry of Brazil (and) builds a compelling foundation for future Silva cases."

- Kirkus Reviews

"A terrific mystery, a strongly written and powerful novel that will be remembered long after the final pages are read"

- Mysterious Reviews

Read an Excerpt from Blood of the Wicked.

Listen to Leighton in a radio interview talking about Blood of the Wicked.

	Blood of the Wicked ISBN: 1569474702 ISBN-13: 9781569474709 Trade Cloth: 304 pages Hard Cover Price: $24.00 Coming in paperback January, 2009 Where to Buy: Find an independent bookseller near you. Amazon
	Buried Strangers Not yet on sale. Hard cover, January 2009