John Rado

At the height of the Spanish Inquisition, high-ranking noblemen begin dropping like flies, with alarming frequency and unexplained violence. But can local 16th-century sheriff Ruy de Mendoza discern who's responsible when no one wants to cooperate? After all, before Mendoza can even identify the bodies, the crime scenes are mysteriously cleared - and the villagers pretend the murders never happened.

A treasure buried on an island of the Antilles. A pirate without a straight leg, without a boat, treacherous and bloodthirsty and without the treasure map. A baroness flamboyant, unscrupulous, praying mantis, penniless, but with a boat. A young man without fear and without brains, but with the treasure map engraved somewhere in his failing memory. A doctor without drinking, providential specialist of failing memories and other atypical amnesia ... It is this dream team that sails anchor one morning in the year of grace a thousand and seven hundred and a few, towards the treasure island and its coves of pink sand.

After witnessing a murder, a hapless pair of misfits escape their own near death experience by posing as male strippers - only to find themselves neck deep in even bigger trouble.

Walter Rhum, an amateur skateboarder, realizes his dream of turning pro and riding for the world's greatest skateboard company, Machotaildrop. Set in an anachronistic time and place, Machotaildrop is the greatest skateboard company of its day and the regal and grand sport of skateboarding has been thriving for many generations. Walter's journey serves as a window through which we discover the dark underbelly of what appears at first to be a benign skateboard company.