On April 20, 2010 the infamousBP oil rig exploded spilling millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf ofMexico. Images of iridescent oil slicks dominated national and internationalnews for weeks. However, such visible spills are not the only threat to ouroceans. Even more harmful toxic substances can be dumped without detection intothe marine environment by purposeful or inadvertent actions of companiesseeking to minimize governmental oversight and maximize profit.
Currentsof Deceit is a mystery - thriller that begins in Key West, Florida, whereScott Simmons, a fisheries biologist and his girlfriend, Linda Stevens, abiochemistry graduate student, discover abnormally high levels of PCBs andmercury in fish collected from the local market. Before sounding any alarm,they attempt to find the source of the toxins. They suspect that the toxins maybe emanating from an isolated southern Caribbean island and carried northwardby ocean currents that merge with the Gulf Stream. They enlist the help of a retiredprofessor of marine geology, Dr. Charles Alexander (Dr. A.), who had doneextensive work in the Caribbean.
Dr. Alexander relates his prior experienceconducting research on the island with two of his graduate students. Unknown tothem, their presence on the island had inadvertently interfered with the plansof an unscrupulous waste management company in collusion with corruptgovernment officials. Fearing that the scientists would interfere with theirdeceptive scheme involving millions of dollars, Dr. Alexander and his students wereframed with trumped up charges and imprisoned after a failed attempt to murderthem. After approval of the project,deceptively disguised as an oil storage facility, and satisfied that they wereno longer a threat, Dr. A and his students were released from prison and expelledfrom the island.
Now, years later, Dr. Alexander convincesScott to return to the island with him to see what they could learn since hehad been there. How had the island changed? Could they learn the real reasonthat he and his students had been expelled? Could they find any evidence of atoxic source? If so, how serious aproblem was there? Could they determine who was responsible? Could thoseresponsible be brought to justice? Did their presence pose a threat to anyone?Were their lives in danger?
There are many twists, turns andsurprising developments as the story unfolds before these questions are answered.Could such an environmental disaster actually happen? Perhaps it already has.
The Story Behind This Book
Ronald D. Perkins is a Professor Emeritus of Earth and Ocean Sciences at Duke University. Dr. Perkins has conducted extensive research in South Florida, the Bahamas, and the British West Indies and has participated in numerous field trips for students and industry to examine modern marine sedimentary environments. His extensive experience diving and conducting research throughout the Caribbean provided the background for this, his first novel.
