The Maiden Voyage — Richard K. Thompson

Saddened by the accidental death of an old friend, Neal Thomas travels from California to a small beach community in Virginia to attend the wake. While there he befriends Dan Hughes, a man Neal knew as a boy, who confides in him that his life is being threatened by members of a local drug cartel. Desperate for someone he can trust, Dan reveals his hiding place for evidence against the cartel and asks Neal to give it to the authorities if anything should happen to him. Neal's promise to do so sets off a myriad of bizarre circumstances that launch him on a quest filled with romance, intrigue and unimaginable rewards.