John R Downes

A Spokane architect's ever-constant struggles with the Establishment, lawyers, bureaucrats, politicians, educators, activists, and myriad others, exhibits his bulldog nature, talent, and vision of the future he needed to weather the storms and overcome.

A Spokane architect's ever-constant struggles with the Establishment, lawyers, bureaucrats, politicians, educators, activists, and myriad others, exhibits his bulldog nature, talent, and vision of the future he needed to weather the storms and overcome.

The Accidental Candidate -- A janitor doesn't need to campaign with friends like this. Overheard At a Coffee Shop -- Farfetched, yet oddly believable-or not. Conversation On an Airplane -- A marble champion solves the National Debt. Ocean Mist -- Do clients follow a trusted adviser who opts for a career change? Custer's Witness -- Crow Indian Ashishishe was his scout at the Little Big Horn. Discord In River View Heights -- Border encroachments change everything. Three Days On An Orphan Train -- POV of an orphan who has already been selected. Seeking Powerball -- A lost ticket is life-changing. Congregation of Investigators -- A satire about the 20th century's biggest murder trial. Demise of the Blue Goose -- An old Packard, newlyweds, and two thieves intertwine. Dmitri's Retirement -- A hard-working Russian plans well. All is not what it seems.

Two Came Running is a depiction of heroism, talent, and genius--all embodied in one family. A war hero's prodigious son and daughter cope with multiple tragedies in their youth but rise to prominence on the world scene. Separately they perform vital roles in the struggle against the twentieth century's greatest menace.Commencing in Chicago and rural Nebraska during the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, their journey takes them into the 1930s and 1940s through Hollywood; Washington, DC; and England as WWII rages.