End of the Beginning — Charles R. Dillon

Charles Buford Lowell had settled down once again in the quiet resort community of Sunriver, Oregon with a new bride. On a honeymoon cruise on the Mexican Riviera at Manzanillo, he notices boxes of cargo identified with the nuclear seal being loaded on a ship destined to Ensenada, Mexico. He was obligated to report it to the IRI, a clone of the CIA. Charles was once again forced to return to duty with the IRI against his will. In Mexico City the newly elected president of Mexico, the anti-American General Agustin de Iturbide, plotted with his Vice President and Secretary of Defense to demand the return of California to Mexico. To back up his demand, he would negotiate with Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. He intended to plant them on the island of San Nicholas or San Clemente, which are close offshore the California coast. He knew they had been forgotten when the Treaty of Guadalups Hidalgo was signed in 1848 which gave the U.S. the land that became California, Arizona, Texas, and more, for $15,000,000. He decided the islands, including Catalina, were still part of Mexico. He decided to blackmail the U.S. to return only California. To do this, he would detonate one nuclear bomb on an island and destroy it. Charles learned that President Iturbide intended to issue a proclamation which will prohibit all Christian symbols in Mexico. He would permit Iran to send in Moslem missionaries to convert the people to Islam in payment for the weapons. Charles had to stop the general. The story develops in a complex background of intrigue and adventure, with unforgettable characters with varying motives and opinions. The ending will surprise you.