Operation Masquerade

Construction workers in the San Juan Islands of Washington State discover the body of a man who had disappeared three decades earlier. Threats again haunt investigative journalist Rent Beacham as he turns to the San Diego Herald newspaper archives to dig into the man's disappearance following a toxic-waste scandal in the wake of the America's Cup sailing regatta in San Diego, California.

Rent confronts prominent property developer James Michael "Mike" Johnson, the former owner of the San Diego boatyard and whose son-in-law has thrown his hat in the ring to become the next congressman to represent California's 25th Congressional District, which encompasses California's Imperial Valley.

Rent exposes the Johnson family's web of financial ties to ADU construction, hazardous waste disposal, lithium mining, and entities redeveloping a geothermal plant and solar arrays to power an artificial intelligence data center in what the local boosters have dubbed as "Lithium Valley."

The threats escalate to include the lives of Rent's loved ones as he connects the dots between the cold case, mysterious hazmat disposal activity, a clownish Congressional campaign, and the murky depths of AI avatars and deepfakes as election day looms.

Further threats and abductions portend a dramatic showdown with ruthless rogues cloaked in a veil of propriety as he closes in on those behind the three-decades-old murder.

Although this is a work of fiction, its inspiration emerged from current events, including the indisputable pitfalls posed by artificial intelligence.


Booklife Review:

Meticulous portrayal of investigative journalism's dogged pursuit of truth.

Rent's unwavering determination to expose greed and corruption before it's too late draws readers in-and leaves them primed for the next installment.

Rent's girlfriend, PI Alicia Velasquez, adds a sharp, unfaltering perspective, as she helps nail down evidence and pull off risky stakeouts at the Mexican border.

Comparable Title: Michael Connelly's The Proving Ground.