Eyes of Poseidon by Richard Wickliffe

Why would Zach Carson, a successful doctor, husband and father, leap from a cruise ship at 3:00 am?

His wife Katie, along with an FBI agent who works organized crime, unravel Zach’s fate as a struggling small-town doctor who’d been lured by a new organization in Miami promising wealth. Then came unfathomable success.

But after threats and extortion, Zach Carson knew there was no way out. His family would never be safe. What’s discovered next changes everything.

EYES OF POSEIDON author, Richard Wickliffe, spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing his latest thriller:

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

The cliché still holds true, “If it sounds too good to be true…” With people -or corporations- promising extraordinary wealth and success for actions that seem dubious, think twice. And if this audience includes authors, we should use our remarkable investigative skills before believing anything “too” good.

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

Using a fluctuating timeline, it begins in the middle, then follows the wife-protagonist in her quest to uncover the truth behind her husband. Recent films have proven our audiences are intelligent and enjoy narratives beyond what was considered ordinary. Mixed with old-fashioned monstrous villains, nightmares, utilizing detailed law enforcement research.

Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?

How many have been on a ship at night and gazed straight down, fearful of what would happen if you fell overboard? That concept sparked my manuscript, so I did painstaking research behind cruise ship procedures in such emergencies. Many “official channels” won’t reveal much. But there are other survivors and witness sources out there -and I discovered cruise lines registered in west-African nations to dodge certain laws!

No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?

A reader compared the second half to the structure of that of “Gone Girl.” Without revealing spoilers, I do enjoy good stories that do their homework to explain in detail how certain things could actually happen in the real world.

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?

Initially, John Grisham’s early works for just straight-forward good stories told with such details you felt like you were there. Since then, the procedurals of Michael Connelly, and the roaming-retired-assassin genres of Mark Dawson and Lee Child.

*****

This is Richard Wickliffe’s fourth novel, inspired by actual crimes. He’s a winner of Best Popular Fiction at the Florida Book Awards for his last thriller, which was optioned by a major film studio. Rich enjoys speaking, including at the FBI’s InfraGard Counterterrorism conferences. His writing typically borrows from the unique (scandalous, criminal or satirical) environments of South Florida where he resides with his family.

To learn more about Richard and his work, please visit his website.