Payne & Jones
The Payne & Jones series is a collection of books written by Chris Kuzneski, an American author. The series follows the adventures of Jonathon Payne and David "D.J." Jones, former members of the MANIACs—an elite Special Forces unit in the U.S. military. Although the main characters are ex-soldiers, the novels are not “military” thrillers. The Payne & Jones series has loose ties with Chris Kuzneski's other series, The Hunters.
Books
The Plantation (2002)
In cities across America, people of all ages are being taken by force. But these aren’t random kidnappings. They are meticulously planned and executed with a singular objective: revenge. Ariane Walker is one of the victims, dragged from her apartment while leaving few clues behind. Her boyfriend, Jonathon Payne, and his best friend, David "D.J." Jones, follow the trail to New Orleans. Together, the duo slowly uncovers the shocking truth behind the South’s most violent secret: the Plantation.[1]
Sign of the Cross (2006)
Payne and Jones are recruited to find Dr. Charles Boyd, an archeologist who recently found the Catacombs of Orvieto, the safe haven for the popes of the Middle Ages. While Boyd avoids pursuit, a series of victims turn up dead, people who were tortured and crucified like Jesus Christ on his final day. All the incidents are interconnected, but it’s up to Payne and Jones to figure out the common thread and why they were selected to solve the puzzle.[2]
Sword of God (2007)
Off the coast of South Korea, a young boy discovers a cave that is bathed in human blood. Less than a week later, everyone in his village disappears. In Saudi Arabia, a female archaeologist unearths an artifact that threatens the historical foundation of Islam. To some Muslims, it is a discovery that must be silenced at all costs. Meanwhile, an American soldier is brutally killed while interrogating one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists. Payne and D.J. Jones, his former commanders, offer to spearhead the investigation. They quickly realize that there is more to this than terrorist reprisal; there is a plot in motion that will burn the world in the fires of a holy war.[3]
The Lost Throne (2008)
The Meteora monasteries are built atop the towering cliffs of central Greece. Holy Trinity is the most isolated, its brotherhood the guardians of a long-forgotten secret. In the dead of night, an elite group of warriors carrying ancient weapons hurl the silent monks to the rocks below – the holy men taking their secret to their graves. Halfway across Europe, a terrified academic fears for his life. Richard Byrd has nearly uncovered the location of a magnificent treasure. But there are those who have dedicated their lives to protecting it, and they will stop at nothing to prevent its discovery.[4]
The Prophecy (2009)
When the writings of 16th-century visionary Nostradamus ring alarmingly true, Payne and Jones find themselves in a life-or-death race to stop those who would use the French seer’s predictions for their own dark purposes. In an adventure that spans two continents and several centuries, Payne and Jones must locate a sacred text that may change everything we know about the future.[5]
The Secret Crown (2010)
In 1886, King Ludwig II of Bavaria is declared insane by his government and forcibly removed from the throne. A day later, Ludwig’s corpse washes up in the shallows of Lake Starnberg. Rumors swirl about the tragedy, but few know why the eccentric king was really killed—and what secret was silenced by his death. In present-day Germany, hidden amongst the crates in a recently discovered World War II bunker are documents stamped with an elaborate black swan, the insignia of the murdered king. According to legend, Ludwig had stockpiled a massive treasure in the years before his death, a cache of gold and jewels that would finance the construction of the largest castle of all time. Some believe the treasure was the real reason Ludwig was killed, but in the years since his death, no one has found any evidence that Ludwig had hid anything. Payne and Jones agree to investigate the black swan documents and quickly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle to uncover the truth about Ludwig’s murder and the possible existence of the mythical treasure.[6]
The Death Relic (2011)
Vanquished by the Spanish Empire, little remained of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. From the ashes of their cities, a unified legend emerged: the Christians possessed a mysterious object, an artifact so powerful—so deadly—that it was known in the Americas as “the death relic.” When Maria Pelati’s research team disappears in Mexico, she calls Payne and Jones, who embark on a perilous mission to find the missing archaeologists. The duo quickly finds a link between the group’s work and its recent disappearance. Following the clues left behind, the duo tries to find her team by solving one of the darkest mysteries of the New World.[7]
The Einstein Pursuit (2013)
Working in secret, an acclaimed group of scientists has developed a radical new approach to modern medicine that could change everything we know about the human body and its limitations. But such knowledge does not come without risk. When their laboratory is attacked, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep this research from reaching the masses. As more details come to light, investigator Nick Dial realizes the attempt to bury the experiment might have exposed a hidden collective of the world’s greatest minds. What’s more, this group has been operating in the shadows for more than a century, founded by none other than Albert Einstein himself. Payne and Jones soon find themselves drawn into the mystery. On a collision course with the man behind the massacre, the duo must follow the history of scientific discovery in order to stop a villain determined to use modern advancements to create his own vision of the future—a future where he alone controls who may live and who will die.[8]
Recurring characters
Jonathon Payne, a retired Special Forces officer and former commander of the MANIACs. Payne is CEO of Payne Industries, a hi-tech company. He was introduced in The Plantation and has appeared in every entry of the series thus far.
David "D.J." Jones, Payne’s former second-in-command with the MANIACs. Best friends with Payne, he operates a detective agency out of the Payne Industries building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Jones was introduced in The Plantation and has appeared in every entry of the series thus far.
Nick Dial, director of the homicide division of Interpol. Dial was introduced in Sign of the Cross and made a brief appearance in Sword of God. His character was featured in Kuzneski’s thriller, The Lost Throne. His character played a large role in Kuzneski's eighth entry in the series, The Einstein Pursuit.
Petr Ulster, historian and curator of the Ulster Archives in Küsendorf, Switzerland.
Randy Raskin, a computer researcher at the Pentagon. He can access classified information that would otherwise be unavailable to Payne and Jones. The character is based on a real-life person, a college friend of Kuzneski’s from the University of Pittsburgh. Raskin was introduced in Sign of the Cross and has appeared in every entry of the series thus far.
MANIACs, an elite Special Forces team composed of the best soldiers in the United States military. The term MANIACs is an acronym for Marines Army Navy Intelligence Air Force and Coast Guard.
References
- ↑ http://chriskuzneski.com/plantation.html
- ↑ http://chriskuzneski.com/cross.html
- ↑ http://chriskuzneski.com/sword.html
- ↑ http://chriskuzneski.com/throne.html
- ↑ http://chriskuzneski.com/prophecy.html
- ↑ http://chriskuzneski.com/crown.html
- ↑ http://chriskuzneski.com/death.html
- ↑ http://chriskuzneski.com/einstein.html