Dragon Bones

A group of strangers holed up in an abandoned church closed by the Catholic Church six hundred years ago sets the stage for an old world European mystery. News of the Messiah walking through an ancient city’s gate raises suspense and invites the question: What exactly is the Church of Rome hiding in Dubrovnik, Croatia?

Secrets in Rome run deep and are well-hidden, especially in less saintly places where bloody wars have stained so many lives. When a United States Senator’s daughter ends up in the same church and refuses to leave, Jules Bailey, who works for the American embassy, is summoned there to unravel the secrets. Jules has the same old soul and open mind and heart that she had in Winstead’s previous novel Wiggle Rooms, and the gift from her mother’s side is still with her and burning to be used again. When Jules teams with a handsome young Catholic priest, they must dodge those closest to them as the secret of the dragon bones—a secret no one should be told, much less can understand—is brought to life. Full of Balkan lore, religious fervor, death, wandering souls, and guilt, Dragon Bones will keep you wondering until the very end: Will the young American witch and the priest solve the mystery of the dragon bones before the Vatican succeeds in covering up another angelic tale of Faith and Passion?

Award winning international author D. A. (Dennis) Winstead was born and raised in Franklin County, North Carolina. After graduating from North Carolina State University and entering the George Washington University Graduate School of Public Policy in 1988, he began working for the United States Department of State. As a senior government official at the Department for twenty-three years, Dennis Winstead focused on economic and security development policy and traveled extensively during his years of civil service—mostly in post-conflict nations in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Currently enjoying a slower life in Atlanta, Georgia, he writes fiction based on his travels and embellished by his experiences and cultures, old folklore and superstitions, and religious fervor. Beyond his knack for creating mysteries, Winstead brings a special realism to his depiction of the Christian expat living abroad, always offering a fascinating and illuminating perspective into U.S. and world politics as well as the culture, traditions, and history of various lands, usually Christian lands stricken with deep sadness in their pasts. He writes with empathy for his characters and offers catharsis to his readers through the difficult journeys of healing that his characters endure. Far beyond being just thrillers, his novels create understanding of the human condition across many times and cultures. Just released, Dragon Bones is the author’s fourth work of fiction and the second of the Jules Bailey–Christian Witch Series. This time Jules has ended up in Croatia, a place where Winstead traveled to numerous times following the signing of the Dayton Accords peace agreement in 1995, ending the Balkan wars of the 1990s. During these frequent visits to Zagreb, he traveled to Dubrovnik where he was inspired to write this story.