Novelist Richard S. Hillman delivers an unnerving and irresistible novel of political intrigue and betrayal in the volatile Caribbean.

MESA (AZ)—Brighton Publishing LLC proudly announces the signing of novelist Richard S. Hillman for “Tropical Liaison.” Scheduled for eBook release in mid-2015 and print release in the fall of 2015, it will be available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other leading retailers, in addition to availability worldwide through the Xerox Espresso Book Machine Network. Distribution will be through Ingram Content Group, the largest wholesale book distributor in the world.

Synopsis: Manny White Vidal is an expert on Guarida, an oil-producing Caribbean nation riddled with poverty, corruption, and demagoguery. Trouble strikes when Claudio Sánchez takes power. Spewing anti-American rhetoric, the charismatic leader seduces the masses with promises of revolutionary reform.

The U.S. State Department, seeking to protect Big Oil, taps Manny to embed himself in the University of Guarida. Torn between his loyalty to the United States and his ideals sympathetic to social justice, Manny advocates for mutual understanding. Yet, he stumbles into a political minefield. And a torrid affair with a local hustler endangers his relationship with Dee, his prospective fiancée in New York. Meanwhile, Manny’s search for a disappeared cousin, who joined the Freedom Front after the Security Police murdered his parents, turns into a terrifying odyssey.

Convinced of American complicity in a botched attempt to assassinate Sánchez, Manny openly questions U.S. policy. Nevertheless, Sánchez accuses Manny of espionage, subjects him to water-boarding, and holds him hostage. Can Manny extricate himself from the complicated web of deceit, betrayal, and treachery into which he has fallen?

Sánchez offers a deal in which Manny denounces American intervention in exchange for his freedom. Will he take the deal or deliver a State Department ultimatum? Manny’s escapades raise questions about crossing cultural as well as moral boundaries, temptation and individual responsibility. Ultimately, both Manny and Sánchez must choose to take a stand, for either their country or their personal survival. Their choices are surprising.

“Richard S. Hillman takes the reader on an amazing path that eventually weaves together into an even more astonishing result. Crafted with an intricate plot and intensity on par with the works of Daniel Silva and William Beck, this brilliantly written story is destined to achieve its place in the literary world.” said Kathie McGuire, director of Brighton Publishing LLC.”

Richard S. Hillman has traveled around the world on the Semester-at-Sea faculty, served as Fulbright Scholar in Venezuela, participated in a People-to-People delegation in Cuba, and consulted at the U.S. State Department. An avid reader, his lifelong love of books has resulted in a voluminous personal library and inspiration to write. He has published non-fiction works, but finds crafting a novel more creative. Born in New York City, he has lived in Long Island, Maine, Scotland, Spain, Brazil, and Venezuela. He and his Jamaican wife currently reside in Florida.