Fire & Ice

In a 21st Century world ravaged by violence and greed United States Attorney, Giovanni Mastriano, and his beautiful, sophisticated, and aristocratic Italian born wife, Contessa Maria Garibaldi, a naturalized American citizen, fight relentlessly to protect their family and their beloved city of New York from the assaults of terrorists and organized criminal gangs who conspire to assassinate the President of the United States and his father, the former President. The conspirators, in the following week, launch numerous terrorist attacks, nationally, as a fanatical statement of revenge against the United States, and a calculated plan to siphon billions of dollars from Federal, anti-terrorism appropriations. 'Gio' and the Contessa are the 'thinking man's' and the 'thinking woman's' hero and heroine--intelligent and courageous, yet vulnerable and deeply human. Their patriotism and noble ideals compel them to engage in deadly confrontations and dangerous missions, worldwide, to defeat evil men and women who are determined to destroy America and the American way of life. From its glamorous beginning to its exciting conclusion 'FIRE & ICE' is a contemporary, epic story of heroic men and women confronting and prevailing against ruthless, sinister, and mortally dangerous criminals. It is a story told with an expert and engaging use of language, vividly created original characters, psychological depth, emotional intensity and an exciting plot worthy of the finest, literary fiction combined with the pace, sexuality, and humor of the most enjoyable and accessible works of popular fiction. Patrick Morelli, a graduate of Duke and Syracuse Universities, is an internationally acclaimed visual artist who created two major works of public art-the ten-foot bronze Behold father-and-infant monument overlooking the tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the King National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia and the Eagle Rock September 11th Memorial overlooking the former site of the Twin Towers-the latter under review for designation as a National Historic Site. Fire & Ice is the author's second novel. His first novel-a humorous, imaginative, and original work of comic fiction, The Doodle Letters-is available through his literary website, www.braveheartsandminds.com or in e-book format through Amazon. His internationally-acclaimed monuments and designs can be viewed on his visual arts website.