The Divine Travel Agency

A Frank Corso Mystery

Description

In New Orleans, a week before Hurricane Katrina, Frank Corso investigates the disappearance of a French Quarter mystic and uncovers ancient mysteries that could threaten mankind.

Frank Corso runs his own Wall Street research consultancy and has an unusual ability to make friends. A forty year old bachelor living in New York, he is getting increasingly comfortable to a high-life marked by eroding moral virtue. On a business trip to visit a New Orleans based company, he gets more than he bargained for. In the weeks before Christmas of 2004, he is recruited by his ex-girlfriend to find her friend, a young mystic, who has disappeared.

New Orleans is a city in Transition. The economy has been improving post the dot com crash, and local government and business leaders are leveraging the city’s crown jewel, The French Quarter. The haven for tourists also has a dark side. The city is marred by political corruption and violence. In 2004, it has the distinction of being the murder capital of the United States.

Corso soon finds The Big Easy culture known for its architecture, food and music, filled with a rich marinade of diverse and unusual characters. Befriending people with deep roots in the shallow clays of the Mississippi River, his life is about to change course. He is about to discover the secrets of…The Divine Travel Agency.

Sujets

• Traditional
• Nueva Orleans
• Hurricane Katrina
• Detective
• French Quarter
• New Orleans
• Mystery
• La Nouvelle-Orléans
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 05 novembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665713993
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Reviews
“It moves! A suspenseful ride, with a tour of New Orleans.”
– FAULKNER HOUSE BOOKS
“What do you get when a New York financial analyst applies his dialectical skills to a kidnapping on the streets of the French Quarter—amidst rumored voices from the afterlife—of which he is deeply skeptical? You get Dashiell Hammett meeting Anne Rice, with a twist of Dan Brown thrown in.”
–LOUISIANA WEEKLY
“The new Frank Corso mystery provides the Creole flavor of New Orleans merged with high finance, murder, and just a bit of Hoodoo.”
– GARDEN DISTRICT BOOK SHOP
“The Divine Travel Agency spellbinds as it unravels, each chapter revealing a new dot to connect, and our undaunted Corso navigating his way to the connections. It’s an ambitious, touching, absorbing debut.”
– CRESCENT CITY BOOKS
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to narrate the Audiobook for The Divine Travel Agency and bring Frank Corso to life! The author’s ability to take the reader through the allure of New Orleans is magical! It has mystery, supernatural, love, life, and humanity…it is real!”
– TOM VERA, ACTOR
“A love letter to: The mystique of New Orleans.”
– NEW YORK, NEW YORK
“The Divine Travel Agency is an all-encompassing book filled with mystery, spiritualism, history, and local New Orleans flavor. A riveting page turner, the writer skillfully navigates the reader through a series of intertwining events with a diverse cast of characters. The layered story lines make this book a captivating read.
Franco Corso embarks on an investigation that would change his life forever. He not only delves into the world of corruption, mysticism and love, but ultimately finds the true essence of family, tradition and faith. Never having been to New Orleans, I will definitely reference this book in getting around town, visiting the sights, restaurants, and drinking holes one can only find in The Big Easy.
Hope there will be a sequel to this story following Franco on his next journey! Definitely would love to see the characters come to life on the big screen. 5 Stars! Fantastic read!”
– MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY
“A good read. I really enjoyed the lovable characters and references of New Orleans. Being from Nola, I can really relate.”
– HOUSTON, TEXAS
Most impressive is the extensive research on a variety of subjects....ranging from the Occult, Bible, Business, Voodoo and Hoodoo, etc. I found all of these subjects to be both interesting and educational. The story is riveting, and an easy read. Any Louisianan, or persons who have visited New Orleans (and have read this book), will feel completely at home. The Author names the streets, major sightseeing musts, in such a clear way, that one feels the wonder.”
–BARNEGAT, NEW JERSEY
“This is really First Class story telling. I’m a spy novelist junkie. Frederick Forsyth has spoiled me. I buy too many novels, read the first 10-15 pages and throw it aside. I waited for more with every turn of the page. Frank Corso is a winner.”
–BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA
“Very well done, great stuff, I love it.”
–NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS
“I couldn’t put it down wondering what happened to the girl, and what next?”
–NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
“Intrigue, what you expect when reading a novel based in New Orleans. Lots of character development, from all walks of life, including the ‘supernatural’. Leaves you hopeful for a next novel!”
–PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
“A suspenseful thriller, mixed with powerful themes.”
–LINCOLN, RHODE ISLAND
“Like the original James Bond Novels, The Divine Travel Agency combines espionage thrills with a deep sense of place (and food). At the same time, there is spirituality underneath the story that elevates it above standard thriller fare. We are left wanting to see more of our hero, Frank Corso’s journey.”
–CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
“A superbly weaved narrative! An emotional ride of murder, mystery, and deception.”
–EAST GREENWICH, RHODE ISLAND
“I love the mystery and characters in this book. A very engrossing story.”
–HAMMOND, LOUISIANA
“I am so glad I had the privilege of reading your intriguing book. I absolutely love it. I was 100% speculative about it because of the “supernatural” element mentioned on back cover. But, WOW! You made it interesting, credible and completely within the realm of the possible. In my opinion, your story was more complex than most, many stories within the story which could be difficult to read; however, you not only accomplished it, you did so masterfully! I was hooked from the very start and thoroughly enjoyed the entire read!”
–AUSTIN, TEXAS

There are things known and unknown, and in between are the doors” - Jim Morrison
The Divine Travel Agency
For
My father
He lives on through these pages in my memories. He maintained anything was possible, as long as a man always remains a gentleman.
&
In memory of James Robert Moffett
&
Lee Edward Long, Jr.
A
Frank Corso
Mystery
 
 
T
H
E
TRAVEL AGENCY
D
I
V
I
N
E


Copyright © 2021 A Frank Corso Mystery.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Interior Image Credit: Darren Wotherspoon and Giuseppe Colosimo
 
Copyright © The Gideons International. All rights reserved.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-1397-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-1398-6 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-1399-3 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021921038
 
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 03/31/2022
Contents
Author’s Note
Interlude
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Envoi
Acknowledgements
Prelude
Chapter I

In the weeks before Christmas in 2004, The Divine Travel Agency takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through New Orleans with a mystery that leads to a staggering discovery. The culture of The Big Easy is revealed in a Creole feast by some lovable and, not so lovable characters. This extraordinary story captures the magic soul of North America’s most European city in transformation, in the year before Hurricane Katrina.
Meet Frank Corso, a Wall Street field analyst and almost middle-age bachelor. He drinks far too much; is inclined to self-analysis, with a natural tendency to be influenced by powers of suggestion; and, has a peculiar ability to recall things. When he’s recruited to investigate the disappearance of a young mystic in The French Quarter, strange things happen. He discovers more about her, and about himself, than he ever imagined, when his personal disposition and unique research techniques are summoned in a struggle to understand an unusual encounter with the supernatural. What he uncovers will change his life, and could threaten the course of human history. He is about to discover the secrets of…The Divine Travel Agency.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
#1-9-9-3-2-7-8-6-8-2-1
Registration #: TXu002231185
SR#: 1-9932786821
Archangelo Francesco Corso
The Divine Travel Agency: A Novel/Frank Corso
I.        Mystery-Fiction
II.        New Orleans
III.        Supernatural
IV.        Theistic
Typeset in Dante MT Pro
Map and Art by Darren Wotherspoon & Giuseppe Colosimo
Coming for Christmas 2022, the next Frank Corso Mystery:
The Yellow Agent from Hong Kong (read on for a selection)
Author’s Note
This is a work of fiction. Certain main persons, who appear as: Father Sal, Father Sal, Tom O’Hara, and Archangelo Francesco Corso, A/K/A, Frank Corso (my alter ego’s alter ego), perhaps have a basis in reality – as do some of the events and places during the timeline that supports the internal logic of the story. There are also actors like, Jim Bob Moffett, Chef Paul, Caveman, Major Nagin, Judge Feldman, and Joanne of Faulkner House Books, who populate pieces in the book, which are actual individuals. All other characters that make-up the raw material in this story are invented – although, perhaps to an unusual extent, it may appear they don’t realize it.
Similarly, some locations, establishments, and events which move the story are historically factual, and necessary to provide a reference structure for readers looking forward to experiencing New Orleans, I have done my best to make that clear. Writers of fiction, however, often use a mix of fact, fiction, and history to immerse their readers and to make their stories ‘work’ in what is sometimes referred to as, ‘faction’. As you may learn from a reference to dreams in reading the story, ‘faction’, like a wake-like dream state, does not – in fact – actually exist. It is, in reality, fiction. Accordingly, many of the places, busin