The Illusion of Being Here

In the novel The Illusion of Being Here a letter from Catherine the Great sends Paul and Luke on a quest through Charleston South Carolina. Paul a history professor at the College of Charleston hopes the letter will give him credibility to gain job security. His cousin Luke a diplomat wants to find the letter because of his deep interest in Russia where he lived until a tragedy drove him out. As the search through Charleston continues Luke recalls his life in Japan Germany Beijing and meeting with a Gypsy witch in Moscow who has sensory connections to know the future. Each of those incidents provides Luke with a clue to what he is trying to find in his life while Paul is pushed to consider where his real passions are leading him.