LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - Jan 30, 2012) - Author Gordon Snider (http://gordonsnider.com) takes readers to a unique time and place in American history, 1906 San Francisco, in his thriller, "The Hypnotist."
At the turn of the century, the city was a study in contrasts, defined as much by the opulence of its nouveau riche society as it was by the opium dens, prostitution and gambling in neighboring Chinatown and the grinding poverty of its Mission District tenements.
"Marta Baldwin (the protagonist) is a practical young woman who has inherited enough money from her father to meet her modest needs and finance her charity, the Pacific Aid Society," Snider says. "Her mission is to help the poor, in particular, by teaching women how to budget their families' meager incomes."
But Marta soon encounters a tall, wild-haired man on the street. His blazing amber ring and burning eyes wield a strange power over her body and mind. After their brief, frightening meeting she figures out he must be the "demon with magical hands" the superstitious immigrant poor believe is bewitching their daughters and spiriting them away.
"The hypnotist uses his powers to kidnap girls. He then delivers them to the tong, the Asian gangs that control Chinatown's underworld, to work in their brothels," Snider says. "When Marta's young assistant, Missy, disappears, Marta realizes it must be the work of this man and she sets out to find her."
Her journey takes her into a dangerous world, but it also leads to surprising new feelings toward the man she enlists to help her.
Author Linda Thompson ("Ciara's Gift," "Chelsea's Crossroads") writes that Snider "deftly weaves his story into San Francisco's Chinatown in the early 1900s, and his exciting tale makes the historical events of that time extremely real."
Amazon.com reviewer James T. Kirk writes, "I find it well written and enjoyable. ... I find myself lost in the framing of the story, that is, I feel as though I am in 1906 San Francisco."
Snider has written four novels; his others are "Sigourney's Quest," "The Separatist" and "Venice Lost."
About Gordon Snider
Gordon Snider worked as an independent marketing consultant for 30 years and taught at four universities, most recently at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In addition to four novels, he's written two business books, "Winning Marketing Strategies" and "How to Become a Killer Competitor."
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