Jim Lively Knihy

Retired lawyer Sanders Pierce would rather spend his time painting at his art gallery, but when a former colleague, now general counsel at a major health benefits firm, asks him to investigate potential internal deceptions, he can't resist. Mostly because the amount she offers for his contract work is too good to pass up. He insists he will abide by the standard of law, which could expose the firm's fiduciary conduct as arbitrary and capricious. He gets assigned to a small office in the lower floor of corporate headquarters where he interviews various employees and studies flowcharts. At first no one reveals much of concern, until he receives an email from a mysterious source with a grim warning: Nothing is what it seems. As Sanders digs deeper-and receives more cryptic messages-he meets others he didn't expect: an exotic dancer at a strip club, a psychotherapist who could be a dominatrix, and someone who tries to assassinate him. What has he gotten himself into? What started as arbitrary and capricious is now dangerous, and Sanders has to escape without getting himself killed.

What is it about Charles Pierce that makes people want to kill him? He's retired from his law practice, does pro bono work for non-profits, and has turned all his attention to focus on his art. He even rented a studio, as part of a gallery where exhibitions are well attended and the wine flows freely. So why does a mysterious and hostile young man threaten him, while the woman who tried to poison him last year shows up at an exhibition to purchase one of his abstract paintings? Charles can't seem to avoid associating with criminals. Even Detective Gonzales believes he is somehow involved in a series of local murders because his business cards are found at the scene. No one, least of all Charles, can explain it, but the more he seeks clues and answers, the more he finds the whole situation to be a Surreal Absurdity.

Charles Pierce thinks he has it all figured out at last. He's bought a building to use as an art gallery, creates new paintings almost every day, dates a smart and beautiful woman, and hired a marketing whiz to promote his upcoming gallery opening and art show. So why isn't everything exactly what it seems? Why does he keep finding hints and clues that people who show up in his life and at his gallery aren't completely honest with him? And how did the guest bathroom in his gallery become the most popular spot in the entire place? What's really going on in there? Something illegal and dangerous? He can choose to ignore his suspicions, or he can get in touch with the detectives who saved his life last year. Either way, Choking on the Splinters isn't an option.

How does a functional alcoholic and possible schizophrenic, who is also a successful attorney for the health insurance industry, handle the demise of a plaintiff due to a technicality that denied him an expensive life-saving procedure? Simple. Charles Pierce retires and books a cruise to escape his meaningless life and personal demons. Little does he know that the dead plaintiff’s widow, armed with poison and intent on revenge, has booked the same cruise.Upon departure, a mysterious woman seduces Charles. She warns him that the unhinged wife of her lover may be onboard, but then she suddenly vanishes. Bewildered, Charles can find no trace of her guest registration. After he investigates the possibility of foul play, Charles contacts the ship’s chief security officer. But the officer is too preoccupied to pay any attention to his findings because someone has stolen a priceless diamond from the ship’s boutique.What else could go wrong?Find out, as you follow the baffling plot twists and unpredictable actions of Charles. Worry about him while he struggles to find answers and avoid getting killed by a growing list of other strange characters, who all exhibit Aberrant Behavior.