The ring is evidence needed to support her father’s alibi, and Jack’s statement is crucial. To help secure her father’s release from prison, he joins Katie in Henderson, Nevada where she lives. But it’s not that easy. Someone is willing to kill to keep her father behind bars. As Jack and Katie race to stay a step ahead of the killer, they put their lives on the line to discover the identity of the man responsible for her mother’s murder and the truth behind her death.
“Great story, great adventure, great new writer!”
—James Rollins, New York Times Bestselling Author of “Blood Line”
NIGHT MARCHERS
A JACK FERRELL ADVENTURE
A Dying Old Man’s Request Leads to Treachery, Death, and Lost Treasure
Kealakekua Bay, the Big Island of Hawaii, February 1779
Enraged warriors attack. Ten minutes later, Captain Cook lay dead on the beach, his body hacked to pieces. His attempt to ransom King Kalaniopuu for the return of a boat stolen by the natives for its iron has cost the renowned explorer his life. One week later, Cook’s remains are buried at sea. His spinal column, ribs, sword, and uniform were never recovered.
South of Necker Island, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Present day
A tiger shark attacks. Marine biologist Jack Ferrell plunges his dive knife into a coal-black eye. That afternoon, a floatplane lands next to the NOAA research vessel Albatross. Jack’s friend Robert Foster has come at the desperate request of Jack’s former girlfriend, Katie McIntyre. Her grandfather is dying, and it’s imperative he talks to Jack.
Katie’s grandfather Charles tells Jack an incredible tale about Hawaiian antiquities—including the bones of King Kalaniopuu and the final remains of Captain Cook—stolen by a soldier during WW II and lost inside a lava tube on the island of Kahoolawe. A story Charles McIntyre dismissed until Coleman Treadway—a ruthless antiquities dealer claiming to be the soldier’s grandson—showed up asking questions.
Now Katie’s grandfather wants Jack to find the relics and return them to the Hawaiian people before Treadway can get his hands on them.
Jack’s promise to fulfill the old man’s dying request propels him, Katie, and Robert into a deadly race for the treasure, but it’s no easy task. Not only is Treadway willing to kill to satisfy his insatiable greed, but Kahoolawe is a restricted island littered with unexploded ordnance and home to Jack’s most dreaded foe of all, the legendary ghost marcher of the night.
CAVE DWELLER
A JACK FERRELL ADVENTURE
Two civilizations collide in a subterranean world
December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor: Five Japanese two-man mini-subs speed toward the mouth of the harbor. Four mini-subs are sunk or captured. The fate of the fifth sub, I-16, is unknown.
Late at night, nearly three quarters of a century later: Marine biologist Jack Ferrell sails into a mysterious fog off of Kauai’s Na Pali coast.
Dense fog banks don’t form in Hawaii . . . or so he thought. They certainly don’t glow in the dark.
Concealed within the mist is the sloop Julie Ann floundering in a rogue remnant of drift net. A young woman’s scream pierces the damp air, and he rushes to her rescue.
The next morning, Jack dives to check the damage done to the reef by the net and discovers a sunken WWII Japanese mini-sub and the answer to a Pearl Harbor enigma: the fate of I-16. But in a depression in the coral, lies a greater mystery: a human skull the size of a grapefruit.
Through a colleague, he learns the skull is from an extinct species of child-sized human being that lived 12,000 years ago on the remote Indonesian island of Flores. But this skull is no 12,000-year-old fossil
In search of answers, Jack, the woman from the Julie Ann, two close friends, and a select team of scientists plunge into a subterranean world deep within the rugged mountains of the mystical Na Pali coast. And what should have been a routine scientific excursion becomes a deadly encounter with the unknown and a race against time when the expedition battles the elements, personal fears, and even one of their own to unearth the key to the origin of the skull and the surprising truth behind one of Hawaii’s famous legends: The Menehune.
MURRIETA GOLD
A JACK FERRELL ADVENTURE
A Century-old Tale Leads to a Fortune in Bandit Gold
Jack Ferrell clutches a cryptic e-mail his brother Deacon sent days earlier when he wrote of treasure hunting and buried gold. Now Deacon’s missing. And the authorities won’t get involved. For Jack, a single objective remains.
Find his brother.
Deacon’s trail leads Jack to the Historical California gold-rush town of Angels Camp. There he talks to Al Brink, a local drunk Deacon mentioned in his notes. Al tells Jack a story he told Deacon—a wild-west tale about a stagecoach robbery committed on the road outside of town in 1862 in which the legendary bandit Joaquin Murrieta and his gang of killers made off with three hundred pounds of gold bars destined for the San Francisco mint. Gold that Murrieta allegedly hid in the nearby mountains during his getaway.
An interesting wild-west yarn and one Jack would’ve believed if not for the historical fact Joaquin Murrieta was killed in 1853 by Captain Love of the California Rangers, his head placed in a jar of brandy and put on display in San Francisco. But Al swears history got it wrong—Murrieta was alive to commit the robbery in 1862, and that Deacon believed it as well.
Find the gold, find Deacon.
Jack sets out to retrace the fabled bandit’s footsteps. Then he meets Theresa Montero, Murrieta’s great, great, great granddaughter. The two of them join forces, and with the aid of valuable clues provided by Ms. Montero’s family bible, they embark on a quest for the gold.
For Jack, it’s to find his brother. For Theresa, it’s to set history straight.
BLOOD GOLD
A JACK FERRELL ADVENTURE
Death, Murder, and Greed in the Guyanese Jungle
Marine biologist Jack Ferrell is in Guyana, South America conducting research into an increase in shark attacks when he witnesses a man violently assault a beautiful woman. He rushes to her rescue and afterwards discovers the woman is a part of an international research team analyzing water samples at the request of the government.
The only explanation for the woman’s attempted murder is that the person behind the attack doesn’t want the research team to expose the source of the deadly toxins killing the Mazaruni River.
Jack is quick to discover the shark attacks and the water pollution are connected. And when his two close friends join him expecting a leisure holiday, the three of them are immediately drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game as they race against time to stop the man behind the poisonous tide. A pursuit that takes them deep into the Guyanese jungle where a modern-day gold rush is destroying the rainforest and men kill for the riches buried there.
“Brings plenty of wild action to an exotic setting.”
—Thomas Perry, New York Times Bestselling Author of “A String of Beads”
TIBETAN GOLD
A JACK FERRELL NOVELLA
Deception and Resolve Lead to the Recovery of a Golden Idol
Marine biologist Jack Ferrell is on the beach on Maui loading supplies in his Zodiac in preparation to drive his friend’s new boat to Oahu. He hears a woman scream and sees two rough-looking men chasing her on the beach.
He waves her into his waiting Zodiac and takes her to his friend’s boat. Safely on board, she tells him the two men chasing her had stolen a golden idol from a collection of antiquities that belonged to her father who died suspiciously. And that she traced the thieves to Maui and stole it back from them. The problem is, she tossed it into the sea to prevent them from reclaiming it.
There’s a chance the precious statue can be recovered and he agrees to go after the idol. A relatively routine task until he finds himself fighting for his life when the thieves come after the girl. And he’s the only person standing between her and certain death.
“William Nikkel definitely knows how to kick butt and take names. He’s a gifted storyteller.”
—Steve Berry, New York Times Bestselling Author of “The 14th Colony”
SHIPWRECK
A JACK FERRELL ADVENTURE
Death and Vengeance in Paradise
Jack Ferrell never expected to hook a body. When he embarks on a mission to catch and tag a great white plaguing Hawaiian fisherman, he is put to the test, physically and emotionally, in his most challenging adventure yet as he plunges into the treacherous water off the coast of Lanai in an area known as Shipwreck Beach.
A mission that reunites him with a former lover, Dana Mores.
As they head toward disaster, an unfortunate turn of events leaves Jack and his friends marked for death with “Shipwreck” exploding into one of the most dangerous and suspenseful adventures of his career. One that marks a major turning point in his life and leaves him a different kind of man.
“ ‘Shipwreck’ is the perfect blend of mystery and adventure. An engaging, fast-paced thriller with a fascinating and fun hero.”
—Allison Brennan, New York Times Bestselling Author of “Poisonous”
SAILOR TAKE WARNING
A JACK FERRELL ADVENTURE
Coin Fraud, Blackmail, and Lost Treasure
Jack Ferrell is spending time at Lake Tahoe. All he wants is a break from Hawaii to put Dana Mores death behind him. But a twenty-dollar gold piece, thrust into his hand by a dying man draws him into the enigma surrounding the coin.
But he’s not prepared to stick around. Then his brother Deacon asks him to help a lady friend out of a jam. A brief interlude of indiscretion has left pretty, dark-haired, Melissa Martinelli the victim of blackmail.
He’s ready to turn the fake coin over to law enforcement, bring about a quick end to the blackmail scheme, and return to Hawaii when he discovers a clue leading to a century-and-a-half old cache of stolen gold. A trail that entangles him in a web of violence and death in the seedy world of coin fraud, blackmail, and lost treasure. Making him the target of a vengeance-driven man named Ryan Chambers who wants the gold, and Jack’s head on a platter. But nobody wants that more than Chambers’ nephew, Paul Davidson.
“A mysterious gold coin . . . a murderous inferno . . . and a story that roars like an F-16. Nikkel is a true master of the thriller, so crack open ‘Sailor Take Warning’ and be prepared to stay wide awake till the very last word. Yes, it IS that good.”
—Bestselling Author Shane Gericke, “The Fury”
SEA OF HEARTBREAK
A JACK FERRELL ADVENTURE
Murder, Drug Violence, and Lost Treasure
In 1945, a B-17 bomber takes off from Manilla carrying a gift to General Douglas MacArthur from the Philippine president. The plane disappears.
Until now. Jack Ferrell rescues Allison Hunter who’d been pushed overboard by her husband and left to drown. He takes her ashore in Waikiki, reluctant to get involved. She’s not his problem to fix. Or is she? When his boat explodes under suspicious circumstances and she’s killed, the situation turns personal.
He sets out to settle the score, and is reunited with the beguiling and mysterious Cherise Venetta. Through her, he learns the surprising truth behind her reason for being on Oahu. And the possible location of a gold-plated sub-machine gun that disappeared on a flight to Pearl Harbor nearly seventy-five years earlier. Working together, they become embroiled in a plot to bring down a major drug trafficker. A deadly trail that re-enforces what he already knows. When he’s on the edge, he’s completely alive.
“The much-appreciated return of Jack Ferrell serves up a smorgasbord of deceit and duplicitousness across a landscape steeped in classic crime noir. William Nikkel seems to be channeling his inner Don Winslow in crafting a book that is equal parts Raymond Chandler, Elmore Leonard, and John D. McDonald. Travis Magee has nothing on Jack Ferrell and Nikkel is every bit the equal of the genre greats ‘Sailor Take Warning’ emulates. Be warned: You won’t be able to put it down!”
—Jon Land, USA Today Bestselling Author
Table of Contents
HOSTILE WATERS
COPYRIGHT
OTHER BOOKS BY WILLIAM NIKKEL
AUTHOR’S DISCLAIMER
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PRAISE FOR HOSTILE WATERS
HOSTILE WATERS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
CHAPTER 66
CHAPTER 67
CHAPTER 68
CHAPTER 69
CHAPTER 70
CHAPTER 71
CHAPTER 72
CHAPTER 73
CHAPTER 74
CHAPTER 75
CHAPTER 76
CHAPTER 77
CHAPTER 78
CHAPTER 79
CHAPTER 80
CHAPTER 81
EPILOGUE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
GLIMMER OF GOLD
NIGHT MARCHERS
CAVE DWELLER
MURRIETA GOLD
BLOOD GOLD
TIBETAN GOLD
SHIPWRECK
SAILOR TAKE WARNING
SEA OF HEARTBREAK