The Drone Enigma: A Jake Palmer Novel
About this ebook
“McManus hits a home run with The Drone Enigma, blending modern drone warfare with exceptional realism against possible terrorist threats to our national security.” —Brigadier General Jim Ward, USAF (Ret.)
“McManus sets the hook in the first few pages and then lets you run with it. Current and relevant to today’s modern battlefield, the plot’s twists and turns keep this a page-turner to the very end.” —Captain Steve Burish, USN (Ret.)
Jake Palmer accepts an offer from a defense contractor to consult with the company on the death of an engineer assigned to the top-secret Perseus Project—the development of the navigation and targeting systems for an experimental Navy drone.
Two days into the case, Palmer finds the defense contractor shot dead. What he discovers convinces him that both deaths are related to the project and that someone within the company is working with terrorists to seize control of the drone during a planned live-fire test in Afghanistan. With no hard evidence to support his theory, he is unable to persuade either the company or the Navy that an imminent threat exists. Concerned that he will disrupt the test, the company terminates Palmer’s contract and notifies the police.
Pursued by the police and headed for engagement with a large, well-armed terrorist cell led by the company insider, Palmer is close to defeat when he receives help from the most unlikely person. With only hours to spare, they race to stop an attack half a world away.
About the author
Ron McManus is an award-winning author of Libido’s Twist, The Drone Enigma, The Envelope, and The Chameleon. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is a former US Navy lieutenant, combat veteran, and corporate executive. Following graduation from the University of North Carolina, where he was a Naval ROTC midshipman, Ron served aboard the USS San Marcos (LSD-25) and later volunteered for in-country service in Vietnam where he provided support to the Navy’s patrol boat riverine operations throughout South Vietnam. After completing his active-duty obligation, he became director of Program Integrity at the North Carolina Medical Peer Review Foundation where he established NC’s first Medicaid fraud and abuse investigation unit. Over twenty-five years of Ron’s professional career was in R&D with a British pharmaceutical company, including an expatriate assignment in England where he and his wife Mildred worked and maintained a residence for several years. He retired from the company as the global vice president of R&D quality and compliance and began studying creative writing and authoring novels that reflected those that he enjoyed reading. Ron and Mildred reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay where he is currently working on his next Jake Palmer novel.
