The Black Hand

What if America's future came down to a "Dream Team" of twelve men, three women and a single word? After the murders of seven NBA All-Stars on the return flight from the 2020 Summer Olympics, a small clandestine team as diverse as America, must save the country from itself. On August 9th, 2020, the world is celebrating the close of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo Japan. The date of the closing ceremonies was chosen to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki. But a domestic terrorism group in the U.S. calling itself the Crna Ruka (Bosnian for The Black Hand), chose the date August 9th to attack America in remembrance of a different day in history. The sixth anniversary of the riots in Ferguson, Missouri.

The group chose the name the Crna Ruka for its legacy of success in causing international chaos. For it was the same name selected by a group of Bosnian Serbs in 1914. It was this group who was responsible for the assassination of a royal figure that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I and the loss of 20 million lives.

The story of August 9th, 2020 is told through the lens of a presidential briefing one year later on August 9th, 2021. The "8/9 Commission" provides a narrated and interactive account of the people, places and social dynamics behind the attacks. Sara Gujic, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist from St. Louis, leads the 8/9 Commission. Gujic, a survivor of the Bosnian Wars of the mid-90's, presents a compelling chronicle as members of Congress, the National Security Council and the American people listen and watch. Gujic is not only the storyteller, she is a member of The Black Hand.

Three iconic American cities play outsized roles as the backdrop for this compelling thriller set in the very near future. Its oldest, most powerful and deadliest. St. Augustine, Florida, Washington, DC and St. Louis, Missouri.

The team of American heroes assembled to eliminate the threat of the Crna Ruka has no collective experience in counter-terrorism operations. However, the field leader of this team is the deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis. He has access to intelligence and experience to lead his team to success. He and his best friend, a combat veteran with a tragic past, form this hodgepodge of a team based on solely on the histories and destinies of their two families.

In the end, The Black Hand, is first and foremost a story about language; interpretations, misinterpretations, titles, honorifics, code names, nicknames and slurs. Even a single solitary word and that word's legacy and currency are vital in determining the future of America. The Black Hand is a commercial thriller of 103,000 words.