Winner of the 2024 Independent Publishers (IPNE) Award for Fiction A TALE OF POWER, BLACKMAIL, GENIUS & REDEMPTION Deception Downeast is a suspenseful page turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat as you pull for and against a cast of fascinating and artfully drawn characters. Hardworking fishermen, an energy conglomerate, and a tech billionaire clash in an epic struggle for the future of a postcard-perfect Maine village. Sam and Marylin Wicker, desperate for a fresh start, accept a dream offer to return to their home town, where they become trapped in a spiral of deceit and danger. Powerful outside forces and explosive local conflicts force them to choose between their own survival and the sacrifice of their idyllic village. At stake are the preservation of a way of life, the global balance of energy dominance, the life of a good man who made a mistake, and a natural paradise in peril.