Jet Trails at Dusk

Everything in Tony's life is perfect until two catastrophic events drive him to transform his life. Tony's newlywed wife Virginia realizes that she does not want a life of marriage, and abruptly divorces him. The resulting emotional turmoil motivates Tony to alter his career path as he creates a highly successful food service business. While on his journey to fortune and fame, Tony is devastated by the story of a teenage girl who commits suicide, triggered by sexually explicit deepfake photos of her posted to social media. Tony resolves to combat systematic privacy invasion by eliminating his physical and technological footprints from public scrutiny, going completely off the grid. To do so, Tony conceives of a way to have himself legally declared deceased. Tony's effort to successfully sustain his ruse is threatened by his divorced wife who is envious of the wealth earned by Tony after their marriage ended. In her attempt to recover Tony's estate, Virginia initiates an affair with a nefarious government agent, Richard Armitas. Desperate to keep from being cut off from his romance with the beguiling Virginia, Armitas utilizes his expertise and resources to unravel the mystery behind Tony's apparent death and the inexplicable disappearance of his vast fortune. To cover his tracks, Tony creates fabricated identities not listed in any public or private databases. His personifications enable Tony to peacefully live and work without scrutiny, until Richard Armitas begins to whittle away at the credibility of his pseudo stand-ins. While trying to evade a cross-country pursuit by the experienced Agent Armitas, Tony must decide whether to stay off the grid or come back to the public spotlight to save the life of a high-ranking U.S. Government official who is facing a decision that will impact the nation.

Jet Trails at Dusk is a high-stakes legal thriller where technology is the ultimate villain. Tony Larson's orderly life shatters when his wife Virginia divorces him, calling him too predictable. Seeking reinvention, Tony builds a lucrative business empire but becomes disillusioned by technology's relentless invasion of privacy. Determined to disappear, Tony orchestrates his own death and crafts new identities to live off the grid. Two years later, Virginia, consumed by jealousy over Tony's wealth, seduces FBI agent Richard Armitas, who risks his career to hunt Tony down. As Tony evades a relentless pursuit, Supreme Court Justice Abigail Johannson's life hangs in the balance—her survival depends on a bone marrow transplant from the presumed-dead Tony. Tony faces a choice: remain hidden or reemerge to save Abigail and defend Americans' right to privacy. In a gripping climax, Tony delivers a powerful plea before the Supreme Court, redefining justice and freedom.

Jeffrey P. Shafer was raised in the Washington, D.C. area. During his career as a business owner, he also taught entrepreneurship courses at a women's college in the Cleveland area. Following the sale of his business, Jeff started working as a high school and club volleyball coach. His first novel, Our Game (2021), tells the story of the first woman to play on a professional baseball team with men. He was inspired to write a novel about the acceptance of women into professional sports after listening to the hopes and dreams of his students and athletes. Jet Trails at Dusk (2024) is the story of one man's crusade against technology's invasion into the private lives of Americans. Jeff currently resides in Cleveland and San Diego. www.jeffreypshafer.com