Author Mark Parragh, best known for the John Crane spy adventure series, breaks new ground in his first novel outside the Crane series, Rumrunners. To be published by Waterhaven Media in April, Rumrunners is a historical action adventure set in Florida and the Caribbean in 1924 – the era of prohibition and the heady days of the first Florida land boom.

The novel tells the story of two brothers, Colin and Stephen Ridley, British expatriates who grew up on a struggling farm at the fringe of the Bahamas. Colin ran away to fight in the First World War and came back a changed man, while younger brother Stephen was left behind to shoulder the burden of keeping the family’s doomed farm working. There’s a great deal of anger and resentment between them. But facing a family crisis and a need for fast money, they come together to smuggle illegal alcohol into Florida. Real estate empires are rising all along the Florida coast, and fortunes are being made overnight. It’s a frontier full of rich, thirsty customers just across the water. Getting liquor to market is just a matter of outrunning the Coast Guard, and the brothers have a very fast boat. It should be easy money. But as the brothers soon learn, easy money is never easy.

“This is a book I’ve wanted to write for a long time,” said Parragh. “It’s a story of action, adventure, and romance on the high seas. It’s got gangsters, fast boats, the kind of eccentric characters the islands are known for. It’s a fun ride, and I just hope my readers enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

In addition to being Mark Parragh’s first step outside the John Crane series, Rumrunners is also Waterhaven Media’s first publication to go “wide” and be marketed on platforms other than Amazon.com. Rumrunners will be available from vendors including Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and iTunes. Additional platforms will be announced as they are available.

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Waterhaven Media is a boutique content development firm located in Reston, Virginia. The company can be contacted through its web site at waterhavenmedia.com or by email at inbox@waterhavenmedia.com.