Don Canaan

A sampler of books, short stories and articles by award-winning journalist Don Canaan

"Entangled," a stand-alone novella, concludes the battle of good vs. evil that permeated the series of "Daddy's Girl," "Pretty Little Girl" and "The Baby Thief." "Entangled" will reveal answers to questions raised in the earlier books (available in e-Book, print or audio book formats, as well as in Portugese and Spanish versions). "Daddy's Girl" tells how and why Armen Bedrosian, a pedophile, originates the story. For 20 years he sexually abused his teenaged daughter in this a prequel of good vs. evil. When Armen's 13-year-old daughter is kidnapped, she repays her ransom debt to daddy with daily sexual submissions. She later abandons the now Alzheimer's disease-afflicted father at a county fair. Detective Liz Roberts conducts an investigation to locate the daughter, and by doing so discovers long-lost secrets of her own past. "The Baby Thief" examines an OB/GYN that many considered a saint. But Liz Roberts exposes her as an intriguing monster who sells pregnant girls' babies. This series of intertwining leaves, includes an illegal love affair that results in murder. One reviewer wrote "The story is so gripping that I couldn't even stop reading to eat or sleep."

We first meet Baby, a 10-year old Jewish boy, abused by his mother, when he learns that his GI father has been killed in Europe during a World War 2 battle. This shocking news, as well as the Nazi extermination of six million Jews, transforms Baby's quest to one involving alcohol, LSD and murder. This drug-induced euphoria continues to haunt him and his search for love because wherever he goes... realistic visions of Nazis constantly follow him. Judith, a magazine editor, attempts to rescue Baby ...trying to unlock his fantasies and return him to reality. But by doing so, Baby's paranoia and guilt just increase. Read 'Spaced-Out: Baby's Final LSD Trip'...by award-winning reporter Don Canaan. This novella... with its historical 'ripped from the headlines' background... is a book that you'll want to finish in one sitting.

Studies have confirmed that molested children often become molesters themselves. "Daddy's Girl," a horror novella based on a true "ripped from the headlines" story, serves as a prequel to "Pretty Little Girl," a psychological thriller in which a female detective searches for a molested daughter who, in a concerted attempt to regain her identity, abandons her now-demented father. "Daddy's Girl" offers a framework for the reader to understand incest and its disastrous effect on sexuality, intimacy and relationships. In the fictional case described above, we learn that the daughter's father in "Pretty Little Girl" inherited his sexual proclivity from his father, whose mother was impregnated in a demonic liaison. The prequel tells of two previously-friendly deities; one worshiped, the other banished in a coup d' tat. In an attempt to regain his throne, the defeated god creates a situation in which this future pedophile is created. This may frighten the reader but it will also enlighten you as to what goes on behind closed doors in thousands of households; occurrences in this horrific R-rated story rarely talked about or acknowledged. Laura, the pretty little girl, does not see herself as a victim or as a survivor, just as reimbursement for ransom that her father paid after she was kidnapped at age 13. But after 20 years Laura yearns for a life of her own.

Everything changed when Laura turned 13 and her father developed Alzheimer's disease. She became the perfect caregiver daughter. She sexually became her dad's caregiver for the following 20 years. Just ask anyone who has ever known her - especially her schizophrenic mother. Laura devoted her life to taking care of her parents, even when it meant the loss of her own hopes and dreams. But as she matured, Laura decided it was time for her to reclaim her life. And she did so by setting off on a journey to gather the shattered pieces of her past so that she could forge a new future. Detective Liz Roberts, whose problems also included being abandoned by her birth mother, is assigned to a case when a confused man is found alone, wandering around the Big Fresno Fair, unable to tell anyone who he is or where he came from. The only clue to his identity is a piece of paper in his pocket that says "My name is Larry". As Liz uncovers his identity, she also begins to uncover long-kept secrets. Meanwhile, an upcoming family event forces the detective to face her own painful past.