NightHawk Crossing

By: C. Edgar North

Narrated by: Henry Marshall

The story centers on people, drugs, and weapons smuggling and the ruthlessness of a well-entrenched criminal organization. The smugglers are mainly Native American Indians and motorcycle gang members led by a chieftain with a Navy SEAL background. Although the smuggling is within the aegis of the Border Patrol and various ICE sub-agencies, the FBI steps in when two Border Patrol agents are killed by smugglers. The pursuit of the killers not only uncovers drug and gun distribution rigs in America but also unveils a major plot to supply a secret weapon to the Taliban and Al Qaida and subplots of the State Department, Canadian spy agencies, NATO, and the CIA. The story transports the listener from the Okanagan Canada-USA border region to England, Kyrgyzstan, and the Maldives. Action scenes include: murder of two Border Patrol Special Agents; ambush and murder of Korean human trafficking gang members; a winter ambush and destruction of two FBI helicopters while attempting to intercept a smuggling operation; a gun battle between smuggler and FBI helicopters; and a Navy SEAL underwater approach assault on an armory and meth lab on a remote island in the Maldives.

The story and the persona are complete fiction but ideas have been gleaned and exaggerated from some “life experiences and characterizations” and events. For example, trans-border drug smuggling by helicopter in the Okanagan is well known and some aircraft have been confiscated. In another example, the Taliban and Al Qaida used a resort in the Maldives for conferences when your author was working in the Maldives. Some towns have been fictionalized but other well-known landmarks are retained.

The Chieftain is portrayed as a sociopathic “anti-hero” - well respected in his environmental activities and leadership roles with no remorse for killing adversaries. He is not “killed off” in the story - although much of his well-ordered world is lost - as your author has at least three more episodes in mind.

©2010 Glen Witter (P)2019 Glen Witter

the narrator ruined this for me

the story seemed intriguing. An aboriginal chieftain becomes a crime lord to better his tribe folk and it has a tremendous scope involving special forces, several law enforcement agencies and world wide travel, but the narrator has a flat monotone voice that does not convey any emotion at all and really made me considering giving up the book.