F. W. Lane

The Croesus Tithe F. W. Lane

Akin to a modern-day Robin Hood, Central American Ernesto Alvarez leads the one-hundred-member organization of the Enlightened Way; they're not a terrorist group, but they are extremist in promoting the rights of the underprivileged to better themselves at the expense of the wealthy. With the help of his private army, Alvarez robs the rich to support the poor-taking a generous cut for himself, of course. Greed prevails when Alvarez teams with American expatriate Arnold Fleischer, a man known for his skills in "creative" accounting. Their target is the forty-five-square-mile island of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands in northwestern France. This innocuous little island, home to many multi-millionaires, ranks as one of the wealthiest enclaves in the world. As wealthy as it is, Jersey is a soft target, virtually defenseless. Alvarez and Fleischer plan to exploit this vulnerability by holding the island hostage for sixty-five million dollars. As the strategy takes shape for a May Day conflict, outside forces play a key role. But in the end, who will really benefit from the coup of this beautiful island?