WHAT DEATH REVEALED by Jonathan Lash (Dominican Republic)

A new book –

What Death Revealed: A Story of Virtue, Vice and Violence
Jonathan Lash (Dominican Republic 1967-69)
Austin Macauley Publishers
July 2025
378 pages
$23.95 (paperback); $$4.50 (Kindle); $38.95 (hardcover); to come (audible)

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In a tale that spans two disparate worlds within one city, this gripping novel dives deep into the divide between the glistening capital of the Free World and its neglected districts, home to 700,000 citizens mostly of color. Eight years after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sparked riots that shattered the city’s core, the scars of racial fury and systemic injustice remain as evident as ever.

Amid this backdrop of crime and burnt-out neighborhoods, Jimmy McFarland, an earnest young District Attorney, stumbles upon evidence of corruption tied to a six-billion-dollar Metro subway project aimed at reconnecting the city’s fractured communities. Though clearly a matter for the FBI, McFarland embarks on a rogue investigation. In doing so, he crosses paths with Larry Williams, a black police sergeant whose rough exterior belies his own complicated relationship with justice and morality.

Walking a precarious line between courage and recklessness, McFarland and Williams form an uneasy alliance. Fueled by McFarland’s idealistic pursuit of justice and Williams’ pragmatic understanding of its rarity, the duo confronts a daunting array of racism, corruption, and murder. As they untangle a web of powerful players who thought they were untouchable, the question remains: Can they navigate the system’s deep-rooted flaws to achieve some measure of justice?

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Johnathan Lash (Dominican Republic)

Jonathan Lash, former President of Hampshire College, served previously as president of World Resources Institute (WRI), senior staff attorney of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Peace Corps volunteer and trainer.

An internationally recognized environmental leader, he chaired the President’s Council on Sustainable Development for Bill Clinton, and led Vermont’s environmental program under Governor Madeleine Kunin.

He holds a law degree and master’s degree in education from Catholic University of America and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College. President Lash has dedicated his career to building institutions that help solve the pressing problems of our planet.