Books by Will Ottinger

2019 Maxy Awards "Best Mystery-Detective"Two old letters reveal the existence of an unknown Van Gogh painting. Only four individuals have ever seen the work, all now dead. One deceased man, an alcoholic thief, claimed to have smuggled the painting out of France at the beginning of World War Two. His two sons dedicate themselves to finding the Van Gogh, seeking personal redemption for their father and damaged childhoods.Valued at $250 million, the painting attracts an unseen hired killer, three unscrupulous collectors, and the Russian mob. One brother undertakes the search for the painting, accompanied by a beautiful ex-KGB assassin as his bodyguard. Together, their quest takes them from New York to Los Angeles, from Paris to Amsterdam as murders pile up around them. Welcome to the high-end art world, secret deals, and billionaires willing to go to any length to get their hands on the last Van Gogh.

The year is 1918, during the final chaotic months of World War One where three pilots must each confront their personal demons in the skies over France and Belgium. Nathan Fleming, fleeing from Chicago's slaughterhouses, is a volunteer officer in the Royal Flying Corps, struggling to overcome his working-class origins. His newfound friend, Billy Teal, is a wealthy Southerner and gifted pilot who cleverly conceals his insanity and murderous intent. Across the lines, they face Leutnant Stefan Dietzel, a disillusioned ace of the Imperial German Air Service, separated from his dying wife and tasked with molding a forgotten group of young pilots. The three fight to survive in the high arena-where the average lifespan is three weeks-and on the ground, where they touch the lives of those whose paths they cross: Rawlings, the alcoholic commanding officer living with daily fear. Blake, the meddling sergeant who sees everything. Caroline Stanhope, an upper-class young woman shattered by the war who falls in love with Fleming. And Rudi Reiter, a renegade German pilot and Dietzel's closest friend. Madness, compassion, and fate collide with tragic consequences on the war's final day, creating a legacy of guilt and redemption that must be reconciled 20 years later. Meticulous researched and historically accurate, A Season for Ravens is a fast-paced novel recounting the first aerial war-where sudden death is deemed an acceptable gamble.