Ben Hunnicutt's planned 'together time' in Alaska with FBI Agent Liz Nichole is interrupted by her recall to Norfolk, Virginia to work a major dope smuggling case. He reluctantly accompanies her, expecting a romantic interlude, and finds that the smugglers are operating on the lands and rivers where he grew up.
His familiarity with the local people and countryside are utilized by the FBI to help in cracking the smuggling ring. During the round-up, Ben causes the death of one of a pair of murderous Irish twins who were ringleaders of the smuggling gang.
On his return to Alaska, he learns that the surviving twin has escaped prison and is stalking him with vengeance in mind. His stalker is an explosives and bomb-making expert, and devises various diabolical threats designed to keep Ben in a state of fearful anxiety.
FBI Agent Liz returns to Alaska to help contrive a trap, using Ben as bait, to apprehend the escaped murderer before he can carry out his scheme. The wary killer manages to stay a step ahead of his hunters, and seems destined to achieve his goal of destroying Ben. The culmination of the plot gives new meaning to the Shakespearean quotation, "Hoist by his own petard."
DON NEAL, author of the Ben Hunnicutt novels, is a retired soldier. Reared in Suffolk and in Surry County, in southern Virginia, he dropped out of the College of William and Mary and enlisted in the Army during the Korean War. His 28 years of service encompassed nearly the entire Cold War, taking him to Japan, Germany, South Korea, and Alaska. He has served in the Infantry, Artillery, Armor, and Air Defense Missile branches. His last ten years were with the Nike Hercules Air Defense missile units protecting Anchorage, Fairbanks, and their nearby military installations during the Cold War. Neal and his family have resided in Anchorage, Alaska for over 50 years. His interests include military history and the research and study of antique and historical firearms, with an occasional foray into muscle car drag racing.
His novels reflect Alaska as a Territory, then as a new state, aptly referred to as The Last Frontier. Each is loosely based on a historical Alaskan event.
keywords: Alaska, wilderness, Virginia, Irish, Ben Hunnicutt, gang, FBI, hang fire, smuggling, bomb making
