Murder . . . Romance . . . Adventure

Jake Starky gave thirty years to his country. He’s earned his retirement. It’s great. It’s marvelous. He’s stagnant. The man who made Inspector General of the Marine Corps before age fifty is rusting like a precision instrument left out in the rain.

But when Carlos Dupree is brutally murdered in a dark alley on Capitol Hill and the police log it as a mugging gone awry, Dupree’s rich widow has reasons to believe otherwise, and turns to Starky’s fiancé, Major Kelly Smith, who uses her feminine persuasion to coerce Starky into investigating the murder.

With each twist of the sinuous trail, leading from a seedy loan shark to a homeless indigent to a legendary treasure worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the novice sleuths find themselves drawn into a mire of betrayal, lies, and deception. But when Starky stumbles into the crosshairs of a covert CIA/FBI operation and then becomes prey to a paramilitary force, the stakes turn deadly.

Unknown, even to his widow, Carlos Dupree owed a debt for more than four decades. A debt whose repayment could rock the western world, while liberating a bankrupt society from a Third World despot.

“A real page turner! There are very few books that don’t have at least some “slow” spots. This is one of those books. I very much enjoyed this one!” M. Eversmeyer, Business Owner, Riverton, NJ

“Written with depth, precisely provocative pace, and intrigue, Alan Payne’s Black Horizon is compelling reading. His protagonist’s coterie of interesting companions brings to mind David Baldacci’s Camel Club. The effect is one of engaging suspense right through to its dramatic conclusion.” Valerie Wallace, Retired Writing Teacher, Augusta, Maine.

“As good as a any of the other writers in the genre. Enthralling storytelling, coupled with characters that make you want to root for them and see what happens next. The mark of good story telling is that subtle ability to draw the reader in, paint recognizable situations that sweep the reader along through the twists and turns as the story unfolds. A great read . . . looking forward to the next one.” J. Felt, Business Consultant, Montross, VA.

“Black Horizon is a fun thriller in the realm of Clive Cussler and Robert Ludlum novels! Very enjoyable--a B+. And I give fewer marks higher than that, even to the big guys. Don't miss it." Tom Crimmins, Nuclear Physicist, Fredericksburg, VA.

“This book caught my interest from the very first page. Good Reading.” Don Hooper, Avid Reader, Ocala, Florida

Also by Alan Payne on Smashwords

The Q Conspiracy

A blackmail threat so devastating the senator and the Israeli diplomat would pay anything to cover up the conspiracy.

Nothing could go wrong!