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Brazilian Odyssey
Summer of 2022

Professor Luke Shannon’s study mission to Brazil takes an ominous turn. Tatiana, a fiery student with indigenous roots, has a secret agenda. She seeks the killers of her cousin, “the guardian of the forest,” assassinated on All Saints Day 2019. Teaming up with a veteran reporter in the Amazon, they press hard to discover the truth.

Those in power feel threatened and push back. A Colombian drug lord enters the fray, taking Tatiana, Luke and the journalist down a dangerous path. São Paulo’s crime syndicate and Big Ag interests play for keeps. They’ll eliminate anyone who gets in their way. Who will prevail?

Note:Reporter Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Pereira disappeared deep in the Amazon jungle on June 5, 2022.  Thanks to local villagers, the Federal Police arrested several suspects. But who ordered their murder? Brazilian Odyssey is dedicated to them.

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Havana Odyssey: Chasing Ochoa's Ghost - released Labor Day 2020.

Professor Luke Shannon gets upbraided by a Cuban exile at Seattle University.  Luke didn’t keep his promise to a high-profile dissident 30 years ago.  He learns that the niece of Cuba’s deceased Hero of the Republic is still alive but in failing health. Ana was also Luke’s former lover. In Miami, Luke catches Cubana Aviacion’s last flight to Havana.

Then Covid-19 hits Cuba in 2020.  All bets are off if Luke will prevail. His odyssey takes him through police interrogations, steamy salsa clubs and tropical storms.  The Inspector, tipped off by the Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C. is intent on locking him up.  Whom can Luke trust? Startling news slaps him in the face.  Now he must escape.

Note:  The demise of General Arnoldo Ochoa is a topic of debate among expatriates and cognoscenti of Cuba. Ochoa’s military campaigns in Africa are still taught at the U.S. and Russian War Colleges. This book is based on 65 interviews of Cubans in-country and from exiles abroad. Its places and names have been changed to protect the innocent.

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On The Edge: An Odyssey September 2016

AS VISITOR TO HAVANA, SHOULD HE FOLLOW THE SAFE ROUTE OR On the Edge: An Odyssey gives inspiration to professionals to land on their feet despite harsh circumstance.

“Murphy's high octane adventures provide fast reading for those keen on showbiz south of the border," writes Steve Solot, author, Brazil Cinema Today, and president, Rio Film Commission.