2020

It's July of 2020. Despite howls of protests from civil libertarians and privacy activists, the second term of President Lucas Hornsby is an unqualified success. Both the Mesopotamian Crusade and the Venezuelan Engagement are going well, and enhanced internal national security measures adopted by his administration have led to a safer, if significantly more restrictive, society. Now his hand-picked successor is in position to codify all the progress he's made. Only one thing stands in their way: an upstart presidential candidate named Jack Stevenson and his potential running mate, a vital, JFK-like Senator from California named Erik Carlson.

Oblivious to all of this, Erik's permanently high, surf bum brother, Lance Carlson, leads an aimless existence in Venice, California. A former Marine wounded in battle, he lives off the grid, happy to hide in his brother's shadow as long as he can find his next hit and ride the occasional sweet wave. But Lance is about to be yanked into a world of bare-knuckled politics, ruthless violence and a conspiracy so vast, it could topple a presidency. Once he's sucked in, he will face the wrath of all the President's men, including a mysterious fixer known only as Mr. Jones, who leaves countless bodies in his wake. In a security state where every move is watched, every word recorded, Lance desperately searches for a path to freedom, and maybe even the truth.

About the Author: Andrew Lyons's debut novel DARKNESS IN HIM was released by St. Martin's Press in 2003. Called a "pure, uncut hit of suspense" by Harlan Coben and a "psychologically chilling picture of a contemporary Raskolnikov" by Library Journal, the book was translated into German and French and was optioned for film.