Peter Steinmuller, a young American jazz pianist, is stranded in Switzerland after his band gets fired from a cruise ship. When he responds to an intriguing newspaper notice, he finds himself on a convoluted path that covers three continents, a path that may lead to fortune and clues to his own ancestry. Two appealing women -- the brisk American, Matey, and the cosmopolitan Helene -- share Peter's life as he is alternately befriended and betrayed by Frederich von Egger, a powerful and enigmatic figure who holds the keys to his quest. Skillfully blending fiction with today's headlines -- how Swizerland handled the assets of Jews who perished in World War II -- Bruce Ducker weaves a compelling story of neutrality and action, cruelty and sex.
BRUCE DUCKER is a jazz pianist, airman, poet, and fisherman who lives in Colorado. Bloodlines is his sixth novel.