Place of Fear by Ken Pelham

Deep in the rainforest of Guatemala, a missing scientist, long given up for dead, languishes in a lightless prison cell. Fueled by a powerful, unknown narcotic, his senses are on fire; he can feel them expanding far beyond human bounds, even as the drug tears at his sanity.

Upon learning that his friend is alive, Carson Grant mounts a frenzied rescue before the appointed time of execution. While a cutthroat band of looters, seeking easy riches, closes in for the kill, Grant stumbles onto the remnant of a mysterious hybrid civilization intent on destroying anyone that threatens to expose it. Trapped and desperate, Grant entrusts his team’s survival into the hands of a young Maya cop and his beautiful, haunted sister.

Winner of the 2012 Royal Palm Literary Award, PLACE OF FEAR propels you inexorably toward a collision between Norse myth and Maya history, wherein only ultimate sacrifice brings survival. PLACE OF FEAR is the stunning prequel hinted at in BRIGANDS KEY, the thriller described by The Florida Weekly as “a perfect storm of menace!”

PLACE OF FEAR is available from Amazon.

 *****

Ken grew up in the South Florida town of Immokalee, and lives with his wife, Laura, in Maitland, Florida. A member of Florida Writers Association, writing keeps him off the streets and out of trouble, although he’s sometimes spotted cycling, fishing, or scuba diving. Visit Ken at kenpelham.com for updates on his work, musings on suspense fiction, and an account of travels in Belize and Guatemala for background for this novel.