The Little Kingdoms (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781491772249)

It's 1993. America's shocked by the World Trade Center bombing and the botched raid on the Branch Davidian Compound. Both Main Street and Wall Street struggle with recession.

College graduate, Richard Carnegie, arrives in New York with a promising opportunity at Moody's Investor Services. He's asked to house-sit for an aunt in Ozone Park, Queens. The home's empty; except for Tony, the upstairs tenant, a widower. Tony's outdated mindset both amuses and irritates Richard. Tony's estrangement from family adds to his bitterness.

On the first day of work, while riding the subway, Richard meets Ester Chan. They quickly bond over their love for tennis and finance. A relationship is formed. Richard soon discovers that Ester's tastes are both expensive and risqué. An affair leads into habits that would shock Richard's family back home. However, the closer they grow, the less he's able to break her spell.

With the pressures and the excesses of their rising lust, Richard is unaware of the hidden vice around him. Ester's connections and power pull him deeper into a world that he cannot control, leading to a life-altering event, and a miracle.