A Luke Dodge Adventure Novel

Growing up seaside in Malibu, California, young Luke Dodge forms a deep connection with the ocean. A coming-of-age story, Luke learns by doing as he free dives to feed his family starting at age six, then joins the San Diego Tuna fleet at just 12 years old. His love of the sea is smashed as he and five friends are rammed by a fuel tanker in the dead of night. His ailing mother needs cash for a life-saving operation. Luke's only hope is to enter and win the world spearfishing championship in Spain that pays a $200,000 grand prize. 

Temporarily exiled in Panamá with his fiancée Dr. Nici, Luke finds that the country is a spearfishing and fishing paradise. While hunting robalo just outside the gates to the Panamá Canal, he discovers a massive, unexploded, radioactive dirty bomb. Luke makes a few wrong moves and becomes the prime suspect in a plot to blow up the canal.

In the closing days of World War II, General Yamamoto’s men are transporting billions of dollars of stolen Dutch gold via submarine. The submarine is sunk nearly on the same day as Yamamoto’s Betty bomber is shot down by American P-38s over Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. For 65 years, the gold sits at the base of an active underwater volcano near Bougainville. Papua New Guinea is Luke’s new home. He is trying to forget his turbulent past by living amongst the natives; fishing, whaling, and free-diving.