What happens when a detective suddenly takes on a case that is way beyond what he expected? Danger - adventure and perhaps a disaster if it is not handled properly for all those living in Southern California.
PI Frank Sanders is "blown away" by the woman who strolls into his office one morning. Not only is she drop-dead gorgeous, she's also rich and willing to pay whatever it takes for him to find her missing father, world-famous geologist Dr. Stephen Jaspers who went rock hunting in the desert and hasn't been heard from since. A retired Riverside California Police Department detective, Frank is used to searching for people. He takes the case, assuming it's a simple missing person. But what he uncovers is more than he bargained for, leading him to suspect that he's about to be blown away--literally, this time--along with everyone else in Southern California.
Excerpt
We’d ignored the warnings about no trespassing and
the use of deadly force authorized, and now we were
about to pay for it…
I was looking at the high walls around us as the Jeep
drove through the ravine. “We’re sitting targets here.”
I wasn’t psychic but it was a pretty good guess since Alicia
screamed, and I heard the unmistakable sound of a rocket
being fired from behind us. A good half-ton of mountain
blew skyward thirty yards in front of us.
I downshifted the Jeep. We ran through the cloud of exploding
dirt clods and continued toward the dry lakebed Alicia
had told me about. In the distance, I could see the opening
of the canyon. I also could hear another missile being
fired, but this time it was a lot closer and nearly ripped the
front of the Jeep off, if I hadn’t instinctively yanked the
wheel to the right and skimmed the fenders off of the west
wall of the ravine.
I looked over at Alicia and saw a slight trickle of blood
escaping from a small wound on her forehead but couldn’t
make out the words she was yelling. I was stone deaf at that
moment.
Daylight broke in on us like a waterfall as the Jeep shot
out of the canyon and sped across the dry lakebed. My
hands were trembling on the steering wheel and my concentration
was nearly shot as I heard the roar from above getting
closer. I started to zig-zag across the bed of the dry
lake, trying to make us a harder target for the pilot in the
helicopter.
My hearing was still off but the loud explosion beside
me crashed into my eardrums. I turned and saw Alicia
kneeling on the seat, shooting the Glock at the approaching
Apache. This is really starting to get dangerous.
Professional Reviews
Operation Scorpion
In Operation Scorpion by John R. Beyer, Frank Sanders is a
private detective in Southern California. When a beautiful
client comes in, asking him to find her missing father, Frank
takes the case, thinking the man just got busy and forgot to
call his daughter. But Frank soon learns that it’s not that
simple, after all. As the case develops, he discovers a ring
of corruption with some very powerful and dangerous players.
True to Beyer fashion, the story is fast-paced, intense at
times, and thoroughly entertaining. It will hold your interest
from beginning to end. ~ Taylor Jones, Reviewer
Operation Scorpion
Operation Scorpion by John R. Beyer is the story of Frank
Sanders, retired River California cop turned private detective.
He gets a new client whose father is missing and, at the
time, all Frank knows is the client is beautiful and rich
enough to pay him for the work, and she hasn’t heard from
her father in over three weeks. The case should be a simple
search and find. But alas, that is not to be, and Frank is soon
embroiled in deceit, betrayal, and deadly secrets that put
everyone in Southern California at risk. Who do you trust
when the corruption goes to the highest levels? This time,
Frank may have bitten off more than he can handle. Operation
Scorpion is fast paced, tense, exciting, and intriguing. I
really liked Frank and thought the character development
was exceptional. There’s a lot going on, so you’ll want to
read carefully, or better yet, keep it around to read again if
real life gets too boring. ~ Regan Murphy, Reviewer
Jack London’s cousin writes a heartwarming, young adult story about the glory of life. It is also a heart-pounding adventure to a new and strange world.
