First published 2005
Frik Van Alman's drilling operation in Venezuela's Dragon's Mouth channel strikes something impossible: four otherworldly stones buried in an underwater cavern. When his lab chief Paul Trujold tests the artifacts, the results are staggering. Connected together, these stones hint at a power source that could transform global energy production and destroy the oil industry overnight. Trujold fears what Frik might do with such a discovery and secretly distributes the stones to safer hands, including his daughter Selene, an environmental activist fighting Frik's drilling operations. A lab accident kills Trujold before Frik can recover the stones or learn the location of a crucial fifth piece. Desperate to reclaim his discovery, Frik turns to the Daredevils Club, elite thrill seekers who gather each New Year's Eve to share tales of their exploits. The team includes a battlefield doctor, a demolitions expert, a deep-sea diver, and two undercover operatives. Their mission takes them through Venezuelan jungles and underwater caverns in a deadly hunt that tests every loyalty as the stakes spiral beyond anything they imagined.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, high-stakes
Setting: Venezuela, Dragon's Mouth
288 pages · Kindle Edition · Forge Books