The Piranha Assignment Guest Blog by Austin Camacho
With five popular Hannibal Jones detective novels under my belt I’m known pretty much as a mystery writer. Few people know that my first attempt at a full length novel was the story that eventually evolved into The Payback Assignment, the first book featuring ex-mercenary Morgan Stark and retired jewel thief Felicity O’Brien. That story was pure action without a hint of whodunit.
But now when people ask me what kind of book The Piranha Assignment is I hesitate. Consider: THE Piranha is America’s newest super weapon – a stealth submarine that will give the U.S. total command of the seas. Built in secrecy in Panama, the Piranha is ready for testing, but CIA agent Mark Roberts feels that something is not quite right about the project. Sounds like maybe a political thriller.
Roberts asks for help from his friends Morgan Stark and Felicity O’Brien who run a personal security agency. Their investigation of Francisco Bastidas, the head of the Piranha project reveals that he also runs con games for amusement.  To stop him they have to con the con artist. This part of the book feels kinda like a caper story.
Stark and O’Brien go undercover and join the Piranha security team to dig deeper into events at the compound. They find that both the project and its leader are not what they appear to be. There’s a hidden threat to our nation from a foreign power. Hmmm…. Almost a spy story!
They finally learn the truth after assembling a collection of clues I scattered along the way for the more observant reader. So there’s definitely an element of mystery in this one – and I think the real villain’s project will come as a surprise to most of my readers. I’m pleased with the puzzle I constructed here.
But there’s a lot of action! To avert nuclear disaster and reveal the truth Stark and O’Brien must defeat an army of terrorists, stage a daring deep ocean escape, and survive a climactic battle with Rodrigo Herrera, a crazed giant who kills jaguars with is bare hands.
So what kind of books did I write? I guess I’ll have to call The Piranha Assignment an international-political-mystery-spy-action-thriller. But what do I know. After you read it, go to My Facebook Page – and let me know what YOU call it!
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