Slay the Dragon by William McGinnis
In Oakland, California, the pandemic and protests are at an all-time high. While these protests began peacefully, someone is intentionally turning them violent by planting pallets of bricks along the marching routes. Their invitation to violence proves successful as one protest leads to the death of an African American Oakland police officer.
While this officer’s death gets very little coverage, it catches the attention of Adam Weldon, a former Navy SEAL, in William McGinnis’s Slay the Dragon (Whitewater Press). Adam teams up with BC Davis, a tech-savvy cop who was present at the scene of the crime, to better understand why this murder was kept so quiet. In their search for answers, the pair stumbles upon far more than they bargained for.
As potential suspects appear, the duo uncovers evidence that this violent attack had international forces behind it. What originally looked like an incident caused by local rioters reveals information that China was heavily involved. Startled by their discovery, the pair calls on Admiral Ty Jeppesen for help. Their old friend says their findings are correct and reveals that the People’s Communist Party has been corrupting the United States for years. Ty wants to help uncover more evidence, but he says getting higher levels of law enforcement involved will only raise suspicions from the People’s Communist Party sooner.
Ty recommends the pair continue their low-profile investigations — and do so quickly — as they realize someone is already on their trail. While Ty helps from afar, Adam and BC are also able to recruit Harry Bellacozy, a Silicon Valley billionaire with the privacy and recourses to keep them safe.
AN ACTION-PACKED DRAMA
Slay the Dragon is full of action from the beginning. Not long after Adam and BC start uncovering information about the ongoing government corruption, they are met with trouble. From car attacks to sinking personal boats, our protagonists are forced to escape nail-biting situations on their quest to both solve the murder of the Oakland police officer and reveal the truth about China’s motives.
The characters in this thriller also provide an intriguing dynamic. Their contrasting personalities and backgrounds allow the reader to visualize how different sides of power can work together. While Adam and BC have strong law enforcement skills, Ty passes along government insight and Harry Bellacozy has the financial resources to pull it all together. Through their shared skills and desire to create change, the reader is taken on a dynamic and engaging journey through a thrilling, yet plausible tale.
About William McGinnis:
A California native, William McGinnis grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. From his youth on through college and graduate school, McGinnis seized every opportunity to sail San Francisco Bay and raft and canoe rivers throughout California and beyond.
More recently, McGinnis has been pouring his love of adventure, skill with words, and joyous sense of fun into taut, rip-roaring and upbeat thriller novels. These include: Whitewater: A Thriller (the first Adam Weldon Thriller), Gold Bay: An Adam Weldon Thriller, Cyclops Conspiracy: An Adam Weldon Thriller and, his newest release, Slay the Dragon: An Adam Weldon Thriller.
McGinnis’ other works include, Sailing the Greek Islands: Dancing with Cyclops, The Class V Briefing and numerous magazine articles.
