Enduring a six-month assignment to photograph thousands of orchids in the highland wilderness of Borneo, nature photographer Sebastian Arnett finds himself bored and lonely, drowning sad memories of his dead wife in pools of alcohol. When an Australian intelligence agent invites him for weekend explorations of remoter corners of the jungles, he agrees, with deadly consequences.

An aged Dyak woman presents him with a black orchid, long thought to be just a myth, but the rare gift comes with a curse: The power to kill with his thoughts. Sebastian soon learns that he does not control his lethal new power.

After he accidentally kills the commander of a secret special operations group, members of the command go rogue intending to capture or kill Sebastian. He goes on the run … for his life.

The Mark of the Spider, Book 1 of the Black Orchid Chronicles, is available in digital and trade paperback (5.5 x 8.5″, 334 pp.) formats only at