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Odyssey in The Congo
Breakwater Bay follows a journalist who is headed to Madagascar for a diving vacation where he instead winds up sucked into a shady rescue mission in lawless Somalia. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
A video popped up on YouTube about a pushboat pushing 6 barges up the Congo River with 300 Congolese living in a shantytown aboard the barges. It captured my interest and I found myself researching The Congo for a possible story. It just took off from there.
How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
This book was a different style for me. It was more about the journey and the characters encountered on that journey. It was an odyssey in The Congo and beyond. I tend to write fast-paced stories, so it was easy for me to balance the elements.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Yes. The pushboats and barges on the Congo River were intriguing as well as the use of child slave labor in the illegal diamond mines. I also wanted the book to create awareness of this sad/abusive situation.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Emerson Moore and the direction of the next book?
I’m developing a book that’s centered on the Lake Erie islands. It’s in the early stages. I will be releasing Not Alone At Home, a humourous Thanksgiving tale, this fall. It’s a sequel to the successful Alone At Home. I’m currently writing a romantic mystery set in Southport, NC. It will be released next spring.
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Investigative journalist Emerson Moore thought he was headed for sun-soaked relaxation on a diving trip to Madagascar. But when he crosses paths with a smooth-talking, down-and-out British reporter, everything changes. Sucked into a shady rescue mission in lawless Somalia with his old friend “Mad Dog” Adams, Moore soon finds himself deep in the heart of the African continent—on a journey far more dangerous than he ever imagined.
From skirmishes with Congolese militias to a harrowing expedition up the treacherous Congo River, Moore and his crew dodge corrupt security forces and bloodthirsty bandits. The deeper they go, the darker the secrets become—until they uncover a clandestine diamond operation near Kisangani that could shatter lives and fortunes.
As the chase takes them from the jungle shadows to the polished corridors of Antwerp, Moore discovers a chilling link between the illicit diamond trade and a powerful U.S. real estate empire. And when violence erupts back home in Put-in-Bay and Chincoteague Island, Moore must confront the terrifying truth before chaos spreads—and more blood is spilled.
High-octane, globe-trotting, and relentlessly thrilling, this electrifying adventure grips you from the first page to the last, perfect for fans of Nelson DeMille, Clive Cussler, and Brad Thor.
Breakwater Bay
Breakwater Bay throws you headfirst into an old-school, high-stakes adventure with plenty of attitude and grit. It kicks off with a mysterious body found in the trunk of a stolen Camaro, and then quickly pulls back the curtain to reveal a tangled backstory involving a globe-trotting investigative reporter, shady characters, hidden agendas, and some very sketchy rescue missions. The story shifts between Lake Erie and far-flung places like Madagascar and Somalia, where a journalist named Emerson Moore finds himself (once again) in way over his head. Alongside his buddy, the rough-and-ready Mad Dog Adams, Moore takes on everything from Somali pirates to drunken Brits with questionable motives.
Honestly, one of the first things that grabbed me was the pacing. Bob Adamov wastes zero time—Chapter 1 has a dead body in a trunk. And just a few pages later, we’re in Madagascar watching Moore and Adams get dragged into a so-called “rescue” mission that sounds more like a barroom tall tale than something you’d actually sign up for. The dialogue between characters—especially the dry, sarcastic banter between Moore and Adams—is a real treat.
Now, don’t get me wrong—this book is a total popcorn read. But what makes it rise above the average thriller is Adamov’s knack for creating vivid settings. He doesn’t bog it down with flowery prose—he just drops you in and lets the mood soak into your skin. That said, the story does flirt with chaos at times. When Moore and Adams agree to help a washed-up British reporter rescue a supposedly kidnapped teen, I couldn’t decide if I should roll my eyes or buckle up. Turns out, it was both. The whole setup was a con, but that twist made me laugh more than groan.
Gordy, the Brit. He’s infuriating. He lies, manipulates, and nearly gets everyone killed in Mogadishu. I wanted to throw him overboard right alongside Adams, who threatens just that at least twice. Still, I gotta admit, Gordy adds a touch of tragic comedy to the whole ride. The dude’s a mess, and maybe that’s the point. His wild, unreliable energy keeps things unpredictable, even if you spend half the book yelling at him in your head.
Breakwater Bay is one of those books you read for the ride. It’s for people who like their thrillers with exotic backdrops, lots of action, a sprinkle of absurdity, and characters who feel like your uncle’s crazy fishing buddies. It’s part mystery, part buddy comedy, part “what-could-possibly-go-wrong?” travelogue. If you’re a fan of Clive Cussler, or if you just want to kick back and follow a fast-talking reporter into mayhem, this one’s got your name on it.
Pages: 288 | ASIN : B0F2GG7LJ8
Do What You Love
On Wahoo Reef follows a PR executive from Atlanta who quits his job to open a scuba diving operation in the Caribbean. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
In twenty-plus years of working as a scuba instructor and boat captain in the Caribbean, I’ve met a lot of visiting divers who fantasize about doing just that, without realizing how much hard work goes into running a small business in the tropics. Something’s always breaking. Something’s always going wrong. Nothing works the way it should. Getting parts from the hardware store isn’t an option when there is no hardware store. The pretty beaches, palm trees, and hammocks are for tourists.
Many readers will be able to identify with Wally. Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your character’s life?
Some of Wally’s predicaments are so close to real life, I winced as I wrote them. The dread of opening the boat’s engine compartment every morning to see what broke overnight. Will we be able to cover payroll at the end of the week? It costs how much to repair that? But there are good memories, too, the reasons you stay in spite of all that. I drew on those for the scuba diving scenes, for the nightlife scenes, and for making the island itself a character in the book.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Do what you love, and keep doing it no matter what obstacles pop up to complicate things. Every job has complications and negative aspects, but if you’re doing what you love, they’re worth the trouble.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
In a Sandy Lie’s protagonist is an unqualified land surveyor sent to Blacktip Island to scout land, on the sly, for golf course construction. He discovers the island is geologically useless for golf, but sends back glowing, bogus reports while using the company expense account to have an extended stay in the tropics. It’s a small island, so the locals know he’s hiding something, and concoct all kinds of wild rumors to explain his motives and doings. More comic misadventure in the same vein as On Wahoo Reef. It will be available as soon as I can get it finished.
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Wally Breight’s a miserable-in-his-job P.R. executive who dreams of escaping to happily-ever-after in the Caribbean. When he stumbles across a run-down scuba diving operation for sale on Blacktip Island, he snaps it up and settles into paradise. But paradise has other ideas. His dive boat’s a lemon. His business partner proves the age of piracy isn’t dead. Scuba guests are scarce. And a free-spirited dive mistress might party him into an early grave. If Wally can’t get a handle on paradise, pronto, he’ll be leaving Blacktip Island faster than a coconut in a hurricane.
A Reluctant Protagonist
Flotsam follows a diver that stumbles upon two murder victims. While assisting in the investigation she becomes the next potential victim. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I knew from the beginning that Ricky would be a reluctant protagonist and that it would be tied to her being a divemaster, so that was the first step. The second was that it needed to be something that was outside of the normal divemaster experience — dive accidents are something they train and any accident would reflect badly on Ricky, so it couldn’t be anything having to do with a diver. As I tried to figure this out, I decided that “place” might help in the decision. Once I decided on Palau, and its complex relationship with the Japanese, I began to research the yakuza and found a story about the yakuza kidnapping a South Korean politician with plans to weigh him down and throw him overboard into the Sea of Japan (spoiler alert: Japanese officials intercepted the boat just as the yakuza were bringing him up to the deck and he was saved)
Ricky is a complex character that even other characters have trouble understanding. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Ricky doesn’t think she’s complex. She is, at her core, conflict-averse. That’s why she tries to keep whole oceans between her and her family. But she has a trigger, which is an innate sense of responsibility. And when that trigger gets flipped, when others refuse to take responsibility and accountability that is theirs, she is stubbornly going to work to right the wrong. But there’s a better answer: Ricky is based on roughly a dozen women divemasters I’ve met over the years. They work and live in a male-dominated environment, 24 by 7. They have to know when to be conciliatory and when to be dominant. They are fun-loving but incredibly reliable once they step on the boat. For Ricky, the history that influences her decision of when to make that switch goes back to her teenage years in Hawai’i and her experience with a man who murdered her best friend.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Obviously, I’ve included a mix of local politics and environmental advocacy in the book. These are prominent in Palau’s everyday experience. In fact, when you enter Palau today, they take up a whole page of your passport with the Palau Pledge. It begins “Children of Palau, I take this pledge as your guest to preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home.” Palau is at the forefront of the concept of shark sanctuaries and continues to expand that model. I don’t think you can tell a story about Palau without including that.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Most people will be disappointed to hear that it’s not called Jetsam. There are actually four categories in maritime law that relate to shipwrecks. Derelict and Lagan are the other two. Book two will be Derelict. I’m a big fan of Tana French and her concept of keeping the story fresh by maintaining certain elements but shifting others around in the Dublin Murder Squad. The sites change and the protagonists change. Minor characters become lead characters. I decided that I would use a primary characteristic of expat divemasters and that every book would be in a new locale. Derelict is based in the Sinai Peninsula in Dahab, a small town with a very famous (and dangerous) dive site. I went to Dahab on December 27 of 2012, one day after the new president imposed a new constitution, spurring protests and clashes throughout the country. Some of my experiences made it into the book. It will be available in June of 2022.
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When her morning dive is interrupted by a spinning tangle of chains and bodies, she is dragged into an international free-for-all. As authorities bicker, and rumors fly, the villains fight to eliminate loose ends, tracking Ricky through WWII tunnels, on a high speed chase through the lush tropical islands, and back to where it all began – the edge of her favorite cliff.
FLOTSAM
Flotsam, by Tracy Grogan, is a slow-burn thriller that follows an ex-pat to the Palau Islands named Ricky. Ricky Yamamoto is a divemaster for a local dive shop who enjoys her time underwater far more than life on solid ground. That is until she comes across two bodies during a leisure dive and gets herself tied up in a crime much bigger than originally anticipated.
Readers are introduced to the major plot almost immediately in this work of fiction. This suspenseful novel is richly detailed and builds readers curiosity leading them through the hair-raising adventures of Ricky while building up to an incredibly intense final act.
The story is broken up into specific times and wherever Ricky is currently at in terms of the story. Readers will find this type of story setup helpful in keeping track of the story setting as they try to follow the events of the investigation and Ricky’s personal life. This mystery novel presents facts and information leading the readers down many possible paths, not knowing what information will be useful to solving the mystery of the murders.
Readers who enjoy the thriller or mystery genre will be kept on their toes in this intriguing novel. This is an engaging story that readers will enjoy following just as much as they enjoy solving the mystery at the heart of the novel.
Ricky remains a mystery throughout most of the novel, leaving readers to draw conclusions until the author decides to reveal key characteristics and personality traits. This style allows readers to be their own judge of character and draw their own conclusions without the author explicitly telling them how to view a character, making the mystery more entertaining.
Flotsam is incredibly well-written and readers will find Ricky intriguing and likable. Readers of mystery and thrillers will love this travel adventure mystery that is filled with international crime and murder.
Pages: 386 | ASIN : B09KPZVJ81
LITERARY TITAN 