The Poe Consequence | Keith Steinbaum
In a section of Los Angeles near Dodger Stadium, two rival gangs rule in the streets. For the Alvarado Street Diablos, it's been a year since the murder of one of their closest members at the hands of their sworn enemy, the North Rampart Lobos. A drive-by killing in his honor is planned, but things go wrong and an innocent bystander is the victim. Several hours later the one who pulled the trigger suffers a horrifying death never before seen in its uniqueness. Many more such cases follow, all involving only these two gangs among the hundreds throughout the city. And each death occurs at the same time of the day. The exact same time of day. What can these two enemies do to survive against an unstoppable power intent on their mutual destruction? How is a gang-hating young boy's attempt to save the life of a gang member tied into preventing a loved one's soul from eternal damnation? What does a mysterious psychic's prophecy conveyed earlier in New Orleans have to do with all of this? Exploring both the hope and darkness that define our emotions, The Poe Consequence integrates social and ethnic divisions through acts of fate and supernatural horror for the reader to observe and imagine.