Patrick Dent

Execution of Justice is my first novel. When I graduated basic training at Fort Benning, GA, in 1982, I had nine hours to kill at a civilian bus station near the fort. Back then, eighteen-year-olds could purchase beer, and I fully availed myself of this privilege. \n\nSharing my long wait (and my beer) was a retired veteran who told me a fantastic tale of being a secret assassin for the military during the Viet Nam era. He claimed to be a chauffeur who received his assignments from top ranking officers while driving them around various European bases. His missions were in violation of international law, and as such would be disavowed by the US government. He operated assuming 100% of the risk, using his own life as a shield to protect his country. No one would ever know that he even existed.\n\nI decided the gentleman was either delusional or pulling the leg of a naive teenage recruit. The stories, however, continued to bounce around inside my head for many years. I wondered what personal background a person would need to embrace such a brutal and selfless path.\n\nEventually, a story began to form - a military covert operations plot with a deeply personal narrative. The protagonist, John Drake, was forged at the intersection of childhood abuse, loyalty, betrayal, and the need for a greater purpose. Drake’s quest for redemption and inner peace would take him through the darkest recesses of the international underworld and the human mind. \n