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This website is about books.  It's an avenue to learn more about Sam Hook, other books, and the short stories, written for myself and readers. 

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Leaderboard is the third book in the series with Sam Hook.  Confronted with a cry for help, he searches for Erin, the woman he helped escape from a perverted mad man in Duck Hook.  She is held captive in a large office building, the Renaissance Center in Detroit while looking for files hidden by her father.  The files have the cure to cancer.  Sam's two love interests, Crystol and Erin, meet for the first time, how will they react to each other, Sam wonders.

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Andre is actively pursuing a conspiracy to take over a city, influencing the presidency among other things.  He confronts Sam, dueling with him.  Their skirmish ends with one being shot and the other a broken leg.

 

Sam Hook wants to become a professional golfer - however his past life as a Navy Seal puts him in the middle of a international conspiracy.  He becomes intertwined in a conspiracy, not by his own choosing.  A secret organization follows Sam from one golf tournament to another pushing him into the action.

      He meets two women that have an impact on his life and his new career.  The first woman is Erin, meeting her in "Duck Hook."   The second woman is Crystol meeting her in "Center Cut."  Both of them challenge him, but in different ways.

      The Organization is represented by Andre Winters, who executes projects to disrupt the world economy.  The spread of a deadly virus ignites the conflict between Sam, Andre, and the Organization.

     ​Follow the exploits of Sam and Andre in Duck Hook, Center Cut, and upcoming books.

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Much like the Lee Child thrillers that follow Jack Reacher, the Vince Flynn novels and Ian Fleming’s James Bond, Center Cut takes readers on a psychologically suspenseful adventure that involves golf and a global conspiracy. This complex story follows former Navy Seal Sam Hook as he attempts to become a professional golfer.

This story involves the shooting down of a passenger jet, the release of a virus to spread death on the population in and around Columbus Ohio, a drug lord bent on finding who took his $35MM and a budding relationship between Sam and Crystol.  Sam met Crystol at the home of Bernie and Amanda Kunckleman, they found several pallets of money floating in the Atlantic, snagging it when they were fishing.

Crystol Lombardo is a second major character.  She was raped at age 12 by a group of boys a few years older.  Several years later, the same group of boys came to her parent’s home to rob them.  Instead they killed her mother and father in front of her.  Because of the boy’s connections, they were not punished.  She made the choice to stand up, to use the experience to become stronger.  A friend of the family took her in, a former Army General, to help her train mentally and physically.  She spent time in the Army sharpening her skills and learning to use weapons.  When she returned from active duty, Crystol exacted revenge on the boys – now men.

Her features are distinct, especially the tattoos on each shoulder.  A dragon on one, with the tail curling down her arm and a black panther on the opposite shoulder, with the tail curling down her arm.  The symbolism of both tattoos is she’s a badass.

Sam Hook wants to separate himself from the past, to become a different person.  The distance between the skills needed to be a Navy Seal and professional golfer are almost polar opposites.  It has been done before, but it’s more difficult than being great at either.  He wants to be great at both.

Jack Nicklaus selected Sam to play in his tournament in Columbus Ohio because of his military service and becoming the hero deterring a terrorist attack the previous week in Charlotte, North Carolina.  He arrived early to warm up for the Pro/Am and work on his game.  Many professionals do that to promote their sport.  Starting out on the driving range all alone, he soon meets a young female golfer and an obnoxious golf reporter.  The reporter hounds him about the unjustified choice to allow him to play in the Memorial Tournament.  He is saved from the reporter by a diminutive man willing to supply Sam a place to stay during the tournament.  Bernie and Amanda Kunckleman own a home next to the golf course, giving Sam quick access to the facility with no cost to him.  What Amanda and Bernie don’t tell him is several weeks prior to his arrival they found millions of dollars floating in the Atlantic Ocean while fishing.  The money’s “rightful” owner, a drug lord named Alejandro, sends men to find and gather his money before the FBI captures it.

The action started when Sam found the men holding Bernie and Amanda against their will, demanding the money back and using force to carry out their goal.  Sam had no choice but to step in and protect the two nice people, not knowing why.

Sam finds out the money going to the drug lord was payment for running chemicals and weapons into the United States from Mexico.  Alejandro is working for the conspiracy, directed by Andre Winters for the secret organization.

Andre and Sam met before, one time during the first Iraq invasion, the second time two weeks prior in Charlotte, NC.  Their battles never ended with a clear winner.  Sam wanted this time to be different.

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Postings will update projects and add content.

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Mark Ridgely

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