Guiding Daniel

Guiding Daniel details the meteoric rise and ultimate self-destruction of an American icon. It is at heart a murder mystery, but it is also an examination of America's somewhat dark obsession with celebrity. In a culture where fame is accepted as a pronouncement rather than achievment, celebrities provide the reality through which adoring fans live a virtual life. Ultimately, disgrace and downfall are themes that familiarize celebrities in a relatable way. We see that they too, are as flawed and human as the rest of us. Danny Cagle is a gifted poet and musician whose star is on the rise. When his wife Laura goes missing he must balance a burgeoning career, the care of his one-year old son and a search for answers to Laura's disappearance. Predictably, as his fame increases, so does his drug usage, leading him into the kind of self-destruction that so emphatically defines an American icon. Guiding Daniel is a story of creative success, revenge, and a fall from grace. It defines graphically Dostoevsky's contention that: "e;As long as man remains free he strives for nothing so incessantly and so painfully as to find someone to worship."e; Guiding Daniel has all the elements to engage the reader. It has a believable plot progression that provides clues, twists and a culprit whose motives evolve over the course of the story, and finally, a conclusive resolution.