The Dictator's Revenge

In the summer of 1993, Manuel Noriega sits in a Florida prison, plotting his revenge for the American invasion of Panama more than three years earlier. He offers a large portion of his numbered bank account to the ruthless leader of his favorite drug cartel. The “contract” calls for destruction of the Panama Canal, the lifeblood of Noriega’s homeland and jewel of American engineering. A Panama Canal pilot is kidnapped. The government turns to the US for help, and the mission is given to LDCR Carl Malinowski, a Spanish-speaking Navy SEAL who helped send Noriega to prison. Carl and his men soon discover that the kidnapping is just the beginning of an opaque and complex plot, a web of intrigue where nothing is rational or predictable. As the conspiracy unfolds, Carl demonstrates strategic and tactical brilliance at every turn. Ana Maria Castaneda, his Panamanian police partner and future wife, becomes an unexpected hero. Despite their desperate efforts, the former dictator’s revenge is about to ruin the country he once ruled… and rock the maritime world. But nobody knows for sure what is happening. Will Carl and his team find out soon enough to stop the attackers? Who are the attackers anyway?

“Paul Shemella has lived the life of his best fictional characters. He knows the people, the places, the politics, and the tactics – and he brings them to life within a most intriguing, exciting, and plausible story. This is action adventure at its very best.”

Admiral Eric Olson, U.S. Navy (Ret), former commander of United States Special Operations Command