Phil Williams - 2050 - Psycho Island

She was surrounded once again, but the men lowered their rifles. Some of the men were white. The Netas were mostly Puerto Rican. A couple stood just behind the men. They weren’t dressed in fatigues. They looked like they were on vacation.

“Where am I?” Summer asked.

One of the white men stepped forward, his rifle pointing down. He was tall and muscular with a bushy blond beard. “The US Virgin Islands.”

Summer felt a wave of relief that almost brought her to her knees.

“I’m Rob. What’s your name?”

She looked around at the men with their rifles and crisp fatigues. “Summer.”

“Are you hurt?” Rob asked.

She shook her head. “I think I’m okay.”

Rob unscrewed the cap on his canteen and extended it to Summer. “Would you like some water?”

Summer took it tentatively, then gulped the contents dry. When she handed the canteen back to Rob, she said, “Thank you.”

“Where did you come from?”

Summer glanced back at the sea, then said, “Psycho Island.”

Citizens chose safety over liberty long ago.

Now they have neither.

Derek Reeves is stranded on Psycho Island, the most dangerous place on the planet. He’s alone and hunted by the most powerful gangs on the open-air island prison. To survive, he’ll need help. To escape, he’ll need a miracle.

That miracle might just come from the man who stole Derek’s family. Jacob Roth is married to Derek’s ex-wife, Rebecca. When Jacob agreed to use his wealth and power to rescue Derek, it didn’t go as planned. Jacob hired Project Freedom, a group of drug smugglers and con men who provide closure and false hope to families of island prisoners. For a fee, Project Freedom produced fraudulent video evidence of Derek’s demise on Psycho Island. This was meant to satisfy Rebecca’s desire to help her ex and the father of her daughter.

But, when Summer Fitzgerald washed up on that beach in the Virgin Islands, the truth about Derek washed up with her. Jacob’s plan for a cheap and easy disposal of his wife’s ex-husband turned into an expensive and elaborate plan to actually rescue his rival.

Summer Fitzgerald is a fugitive, the first escaped convict from Psycho Island. She travels to Silver City, the only place that welcomes enemies of the state and also the possible location of her dissident father. The freest city on Earth occupies a tiny slice of Panama, between the jungles of the Darién Province and the Gulf of San Miguel. Summer is desperate to locate and recover her son, Byron, who was taken from her by the state after her arrest.

Truman Bradshaw, a part-time Silver City resident and the full-time CEO of Thorium Unlimited—the growing worldwide energy supplier, and rival to the old banking money masters—offers to help Summer locate her son, but the price might be more than she can pay.

After the bombing, Naomi Sutton adjusts to life without her husband. Naomi tries to resume her illicit relationship with her chief of staff. Unfortunately, her disfigured appearance is too much for him to take. His love is only skin deep.

Despite her rejection by her lover and the ongoing threat of assassination, Naomi continues her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. She soon finds out that she’ll only go so far on her own merit. Ultimately, she must make a choice. Either compromise her principles and make a deal with Jacob Roth or be relegated to the dustbin of history.

Dear Reader,

I’m thrilled that you took precious time out of your life to read my novel. Thank you! I hope you found it entertaining, engaging, and thought-provoking. If so, please consider writing a positive review on Amazon and Goodreads. Five-star reviews have a huge impact on future sales. The review doesn’t need to be long and detailed, if you’re more of a reader than a writer. As an author and a small businessman, competing against the big publishers, I greatly appreciate every reader, every review, and every referral.

If you’re interested in receiving my novel Against the Grain for free and/or reading my other titles for free or discounted, go to the following link: http://www.PhilWBooks.com. You’re probably thinking, What’s the catch? There is no catch.

If you want to contact me, don’t be bashful. I can be found at Phil@PhilWBooks.com. I do my best to respond to all emails.

Sincerely,

Phil M. Williams

I’d like to thank my wife for being my first reader, sounding board, and cheerleader. Without her support and unwavering belief in my skill as an author, I’m not sure I would have embarked on this career. I love you, Denise.

I’d also like to thank my editors. My developmental editor, Caroline Smailes, did a fantastic job finding the holes in my plot and suggesting remedies. As always, my line editor, Denise Barker (not to be confused with my wife, Denise Williams), did a fantastic job making sure the manuscript was error-free. I love her comments and feedback. Thank you to Deborah Bradseth of Tugboat Design for her excellent cover art and formatting. She’s the consummate professional. Thank you to my beta readers, Sue and Kay. My last line of defense against the dreaded typo!

And, of course, a huge thanks to you, the reader. Without you, I wouldn’t have a career. Keep on reading, and I’ll keep on writing.

Lastly, thank you to all those who oppose tyranny—past, present, and future.

© 2020 by Phil M. Williams

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First edition, 2020.

Phil W Books.

www.PhilWBooks.com

ISBN: 978-1-943894-54-3

Cover design by Tugboat Design