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Being Hunted By A Shark
Curse of the Caribbean centers around an ex-commando whose vacation turns dangerous when he meets with cartel violence and modern day piracy in the Caribbean. What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of writing a thriller series?
Curse of the Caribbean is book 5 in what is now a 7-book series. I find the most challenging aspect is developing a unique enough storyline for the reader, so that each episode is fresh and unique.
How much research went into portraying the islands, waterways, ports, and maritime culture featured in the book?
I am constantly amazed at how much research goes into writing a book of fiction. I’ve visited just about every island in the Caribbean, so had that knowledge to fall back on. Because I changed the usual location for this storyline, the amount of time devoted to research was considerably longer than the earlier episodes. Getting the marine setting accurate represented the bulk of the research as well as the tropical flora and fauna on the islands and the reefs.
Which scene was the most fun to create?
Perhaps the scene that stands out the most is the one where Lou is unknowingly being hunted by a shark.
Can readers expect more adventures for Lou Gault, and if so, where might his next challenge take him?
Yes. As I mentioned, Curse of the Caribbean is book 5 in the series. In book 6, Eyes of the Assassin, an ancient cult re-emerges and begins sending assassins into the world. A high-profile politician in Washington DC, who frequents Lou Gault’s resort is targeted and the assassin ends up following him to Lou’s. In book 7, Kate’s Reckoning, the action takes place in Ireland. Lou and his family travel to attend a family wedding only to discover Kate’s fiancé wasn’t killed in a hit-and-run, 20 years earlier, he was murdered.
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Left to die on a small, isolated island in the Lesser Antilles, Lou and Kate are forced into survival mode as they desperately try to find a way off the island and back to civilization. Lou plans on hunting down the people who betrayed them and to retrieve the sacred Abenaki artifact he left onboard their boat before being marooned.
Intrigue, murder, deceit, cartel money, MI6 agents, tropical rain forests, and the discovery of a mysterious ancient island culture intertwine as the plot twists and turns in this harrowing, action-packed adventure.
As alluring as the Caribbean appears, it is still a land where evil lurks.
Curse of the Caribbean
Curse of the Caribbean is a fast-moving Lou Gault thriller that throws readers straight into cartel violence, stolen yachts, and modern-day piracy in the Caribbean. Author Dave McKeon opens with a brutal introduction to Antonio Sanchez, a cartel assassin known as “The Butcher,” and from there the story quickly expands into a dangerous scheme involving hijacked luxury boats, corrupt networks, MI6 attention, and a vacation that goes very, very wrong.
I really enjoyed the book’s mix of tropical adventure and gritty crime thriller energy. Lou Gault is the kind of rugged, capable hero readers expect in an action series, but the story also gives plenty of room to Kate, Jake, Koby, and the villains, making the plot feel bigger than one man against the bad guys. The Caribbean setting adds a fun contrast too: bright beaches, boats, and island ports sit right beside murder, cartel power, and lurking danger. This would be a fantastic read for fans of thrillers, crime fiction, maritime suspense, adventure fiction, and modern pirate thrillers.
The villains are nasty in a way that keeps the stakes high. Sanchez is especially chilling because he’s not just dangerous; he genuinely enjoys the violence. Carlos and the Chameleon add more layers of calculation and corruption, so the threat feels organized rather than random. The story leans into exposition and detailed backstory, but fans of plot-heavy thrillers will probably enjoy how much ground the book covers and how many moving parts come together.
Readers who enjoy Clive Cussler-style adventure, especially books like Sahara, will find a similar appeal here: exotic locations, dangerous waters, hidden agendas, and capable heroes pulled into a larger conspiracy. Curse of the Caribbean is darker and more violent than a breezy treasure-hunt adventure, but it has that same “one more chapter” momentum. It’s a good pick for readers who like their thrillers packed with boats, bad guys, survival instincts, and a sun-soaked setting with danger just beneath the surface.
Pages: 326 | ASIN : B0DXQ1NDP3
SABOTAGE
Dave McKeon’s Sabotage is a high-stakes thriller that plunges readers into a world of crime, deception, and hidden identities. The story follows Lou Gault, a former elite soldier turned peaceful resort owner, and Santino Varni, a ruthless crime lord with an alter ego, Luigi Secondo. As Varni seeks refuge in Gault’s remote fishing lodge, tension builds when he tries to buy the land for mysterious reasons. Meanwhile, a brutal murder in Boston signals that Varni’s world of corruption is far from dormant. As these two worlds inch closer to collision, Gault finds himself caught in a dangerous game of power, one that threatens his land, his family, and his life.
McKeon does a fantastic job crafting an intense atmosphere right from the first chapter. The opening scene, where an assassin methodically kills a prosecutor in a parking garage, sets a chilling tone. The detail in this sequence is gripping. The way Popeye, the hitman, relishes the kill, even taking the victim’s Italian leather shoes as a prize, immediately tells us what kind of people we’re dealing with. The book throws you straight into the fire and keeps the heat cranked up.
One of the strongest elements of Sabotage is the contrast between Lou Gault and Santino Varni. Lou is a man of integrity, a protector of the land, and someone who values the simplicity of his life. Varni, on the other hand, is a man who bends reality to his will, eliminating obstacles without a second thought. The scenes where Varni pressures Gault to sell the resort are thick with tension. You can almost hear the underlying threat behind his words, even as he tries to frame the offer as generous. When Gault repeatedly refuses, you just know things are going to get ugly.
The duality of Santino Varni, or rather his dissociative identity disorder, is one of the book’s more fascinating aspects. By day, he plays the role of Luigi Secondo, a charming, well-mannered guest who befriends the lodge’s residents. But at night, the voice of the real Varni creeps into his thoughts, reminding him who he truly is. This internal struggle adds an extra layer to the villain, making him more than just a standard crime boss. At times, I even felt a sliver of sympathy for Luigi, who seems to want to break free from the monster that created him. But then Varni reasserts himself, and the sympathy vanishes as quickly as it appeared.
The book builds to an explosive conclusion, and while I won’t spoil the details, I will say that the slow-burn tension pays off. McKeon lets the danger simmer, letting readers feel the growing sense of inevitability before delivering a hard-hitting climax.
I’d recommend Sabotage to fans of crime thrillers, especially those who enjoy stories with moral dilemmas, intense action, and psychological depth. If you like books where every interaction feels like a potential standoff, this one’s for you. McKeon keeps the stakes high, the characters compelling, and the pages turning.
Pages: 452 | ASIN : B0D9ZWHPXQ
