The Dark Backward

by D. W. Buffa

First published 2011

William Darnell has defended every type of killer across his long career. He has seen murder born from envy, revenge, money, love, and rage. He promised himself retirement after his last case involving a yacht captain accused of murder during forty days lost at sea. Then he meets Adam. The defendant speaks no recognizable language and was discovered on an unknown island, charged with murder, rape, and incest. Adam learns faster than anyone Darnell has encountered and belongs to an ancient civilization hidden for over three thousand years. As Darnell prepares his defense, he uncovers evidence that Adam may be from the lost tribe of Atlantis, surviving in secret on a Pacific island. The case forces Darnell to question everything he believed about myth and reality. This strange trial becomes unlike any case ever brought before a court, challenging the limits of human imagination and leaving Darnell to wonder whether Atlantis exists beyond ancient legend.

Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, crime, thriller

Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator

Setting: Pacific Island, Atlantis

Period: 3000 Years Ago

306 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

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