Brief

After the brutal murder of an American couple at an oil drilling site in Guatemala, an American oil company hires a group of vengeful U.S. military contractors to work with the Guatemalan government to protect their drilling sites.

What We Liked

- The revenge aspect of the story makes it resonate with readers.
- Suspense and a bit of a twist in the plot helps make the book engaging.
- A feature adaptation would require a large budget and a long time commitment for production. The subject and setting are conducive to creating a visually appealing and cinematic film. There is also potential to bring in a large fanbase and possibly creating a franchise.
- Though this is much more suited for a feature film, adapting this book into a limited television series would be doable with a large budget investment from a high end subscription based cable conglomerate such as HBO or an emerging media outlet such as Netflix.
- Strong, relatable protagonist; Suspenseful; Franchise potential; Interesting and lush locations; Revenge storyline.

Synopsis

In the Peten jungles of Guatemala, American oil company, Connelly Oil, is under siege. Their exploratory headquarters are attacked by a brutal Guatemalan terrorist group. Esteban Dario, the sadistic terrorist leader and his Cuban advisor Carlos Brazil, attack Connelly Oil's Site 3 under the cover of night. They overrunn the site and murder the Guatemalan government’s military security force hired to protect the site. Matthew Jamison, the site's engineer, is instantly shot to death in his home while his wife Nancy and their unborn child are viciously tortured and brutally murdered by Dario. Even though he is a terrorist himself, Carlos is sickened by Dario’s sadistic behavior.

Charles Ackerton is the head of Central and South American operations for Connelly Oil. He has the unpleasant task of traveling to Guatemala to find out the details of the attack on Site 3. He meets with the Guatemalan President Mora who explains to Charles that his government can no longer provide military forces to protect Connelly's interests from further terrorist attacks. Faced with the new Guatemalan policy and afraid of creating an international incident, Charles decides to hire American military contractors to protect Connelly Oil’s interests in the region.

Murder victim, Nancy Jamison, just happens to be the daughter of retired Special Forces Colonel James Morgan. Since Morgan lost his wife years before, Charles knows that Morgan’s reason for living his daughter. With this knowledge, Charles believes Morgan will jump at the chance to take the job of protecting Connelly’s interests and in turn be able to avenge the deaths of his daughter, unborn grandchild, and son-in-law. Morgan accepts the job to head the security force. He hires Bob Crockett, another retired Special Forces officer, as his executive officer. Morgan also hires his friend Jake to be the lead tracker in the operation. Jake feels a personal connection to the job because he just happens to be Nancy’s Godfather. Using Connelly Oil as a front for their military operation, Charles, with the CIA backing them financially, begins funneling men and equipment into the area to assist Morgan in his mission.

Janice Holdt, a reporter for a news service and her photographer, Jack, are in Guatemala looking for a juicy story. They begin to notice the influx of who they believe to be American military arriving to the area. Janice becomes interested in Crockett. She suspects he knows what is really happening. She approaches him in the hotel bar and tries to question him about his involvement with Connelly Oil. Unable to get any useful information from Crockett, she and Jack begin their own investigation. During the course of their investigation, Janice begins a romantic relationship with Crockett. Still unable to get any information from him, she and Jack head into the Peten jungle to get answers for themselves.

Morgan and Crockett concoct a plan to eliminate the terrorist threat by conducting military operations to drive the guerillas back into their base camp. They plan to attack them there and personally ensure that Dario pays for what he did to Nancy. Carlos and Dario become aware of the plans and mount their own defensive. To give them leverage, when the terrorist patrol comes across Janice and Jack deep in the jungle, they kill Jack and take Janice as a hostage. She is taken back to the base camp. Carlos, fearing that Dario will torture and murder Janice, keeps her hidden away.

When Morgan and Crockett learn of Janice’s capture, they worry that attacking the base camp will put her life at risk. However, they decide to pursue the attack anyway. The attack is fast and successful. Dario tries to escape but runs into Jake who makes sure he has the painful and brutal death he deserves as retribution for what he did to Nancy. Carlos takes Janice and just before he is killed, he leaves her at a safe location near Belize where she is rescued by British forces. Morgan, who has been shot in the attack, is agitated as he’s being sent to medical care. He can finally relax when he learns that Dario is dead. Crockett arrives at the Belize border and makes sure that the mission is complete.

In a twist and surprise to Charles, Connelly Oil, in conjunction with the CIA, where using his operation to further their own goals. Undercover, they are able to facilitate a coup ousting President Mora in favor of an official who is more sympathetic to their business needs. With Mora out of the way, President Victor Navarro is installed as the new President of Guatemala.

About The Author

Mr. Simmons, an Army veteran, lives in Tucson, Arizona where he works as an author and contractor.