Drago Descending
Private Investigator David Drago is a former policeman and Gulf War veteran struggling with his combat experiences, his time spent in the psych ward of a veterans' hospital, and the darkness of his past. A mysterious client approaches Drago to locate his missing fiance, Jesse Greenlaw. He hesitates for Jesse is a former girlfriend and an integral part of his murky past. The case draws him into the world of pornography where Jesse worked at the time of her disappearance. He discovers a labyrinth of violence, sexual intrigue, black witchcraft, and Satanism. The deeper he digs, the deeper he descends into a netherworld haunted by terrifying visions of angels and demons alike, where nothing is as it seems. David Drago is trapped in a nightmare. Unfortunately, he is wide awake.
From the Publisher:
"An author whose typical word play, poetic descriptions, and rich, subversive imagination compliments a style both minimal and sensuous, Greg F. Gifune's DRAGO DESCENDING is a marvelous exploration of pain.
Black magic and Satanism have long enjoyed precedence in the weird tale. Unfortunately, over familiarity has reduced the effectiveness of occult themes, traditional folklore rarely addressing the interests of contemporary audiences. What a pleasure, then, to read a novel that lends fresh twists to stale themes, revitalizing such tropes as witches, Satanists, and devil pacts by using them to mirror the desires of contemporary characters – people who are us when the lights are low and we grapple with our lusts and emotional disabilities.
DRAGO DESCENDING is neither horror nor dark fantasy, crime noir nor erotica. It is, in fact, the rarest breed of narrative--a story unaware of genre. Gifune's themes are universal, his approach fluid, and his ideas honest. Combining the earthy, grimy resonance of urban terror with a spiraling mythical-biblical premise, Gifune's exploration of madness, spiritual warfare, pornography, and the paradoxical beauty and devastation of human relationships is a perfect marriage of form and subject. Interweaving the sinister grace of shadows with the shocking animalism of passion, Gifune's themes are equally inspiring and depressing.
Drago, a man walking the tightrope between decency and depravity, is a fascinating study of internal conflict. A private detective scarred by his experiences on the police force, the Gulf War, and a stint in the psychotic ward of a Veterans' hospital, Drago's biggest emotional scar is his lingering love for Jesse, a deliciously rendered femme fatale. Once Drago is contacted by a mysterious man to find her, he's drawn into a world hiding within the seemingly normal world – the exterior of society which parallels his fragile balance between savagery and sacrifice. Drago's world isn't simply haunted by demons and angels; it's haunted by flawed good intentions. Perception itself is the trap.
Breathing with the greatness of classic tragedy, Gifune keeps his action furious, and his atmosphere an integral component of meaning. Elements of setting and weather foreshadow emotionally significant action without seeming trite, and the ending, while initially appearing a convenient ploy, actually lends greater ambiguity to a story concerned with the shadowy borderlands between appearance and truth. A first rate thriller!"
– William Simmons, Reviewed for Cemetery Dance Magazine
