Friendly Fire

2024 Feathered Quill Book Award winner, Mystery/Suspense category In the tradition of the best legal and political thrillers, Friendly Fire is an explosive tale of greed, revenge, treason, and murder. When Geoffrey Tate, one of the worlds richest individuals and the CEO of Yukon, the countrys preeminent artificial intelligence company, is shot and killed by his young trophy wife, its going to grab headlines. And seasoned Newshound reporter Nik Byron intends to be the one generating them. But Niks investigation quickly leads him down a treacherous path he didnt foresee. The sensational trial that follows Tates death threatens to derail Bullwhipthe militarys next generation of AI-inspired war machinesand scramble the fortunes of political heavyweights and Pentagon brass alike. His journalistic instincts aroused, Nik embarks on an uncertain hunt for the truth that takes him deep into the murky worlds of Washington lobbyists, the military-industrial complex, and the Saudi intelligence apparatus. Undermined by a vindictive boss and a jealous rival reporter, Nik turns to trusted Newshound colleagues, Mia Landry and Patrick Mo Morganas well as a Pentagon whistleblowerto land his story and unravel the mystery surrounding Tates death. But in doing so Nik risks alienating Samantha Whyte, the chief investigator for the Northern Virginia County Sheriffs Department and his lover. Worse still, the story puts him in the sights of a contract killer.