About the Zack Starr Series

This series of three novels has the same protagonist (Zack Starr). The novels can be read independently of each other as Zack does not refer to events between each of the stories. However, Zack’s character develops throughout the course of the three novels so there might be more continuity by reading them in the following order; The Mica, The God Particle and Vostok.

Zack Starr has some personal issues he is working through. He has had a few career changes and struggles with some past trauma associated with those career choices. He also can’t seem to find a woman that wants to have a long-term relationship. His father is a strong balancing force in his life and provides astute insight or some times ridicule in order to guide his son along life’s path.

Zack had a short career in the Canadian military and then moves to a position with the Canadian Government as a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) agent. The first novel picks up his life at this point (The Mica). The second novel picks up after another career change where he is now working as a self-employed detective (The God Particle). The third novel (Vostok) has Zack continuing his career, now as an established self-employed detective. Each novel is themed around a different interesting place on earth that may not be widely known about by the general public.

The Mica – Zack Starr is a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) agent embedded with US Homeland Security in Washington, DC. Zack’s job is to find Canadian-based threats against America and stop them. He has found nothing much worth pursuing, until now.

Zack’s investigation into the murders of two American Mohawk Indians who were couriering cash across the border leads to a discovery. The date of the attack is set. The scope of death and destruction will be unparalleled. The result will be catastrophic for Canada and America. A hired team of killers is heading to a place called The Mica – Canada’s most vulnerable high-value target and best kept secret.

As the clock ticks down to the date of the attack, Zack and his career-driven supervisor, FBI Agent, Monica Stevens scramble to put the pieces of the puzzle together that will stop the disaster.

Background for the Story

The Mica Dam construction was completed in 1973 and is one of the largest earthfilled dams in the world. The dam is located about 135 kms from Revelstoke, British Columbia. This style of dam is unusual as most dams today are built with solid concrete. The Mica is the farthest dam upstream on the Columbia River with a massive reservoir contained within Kinbasket Lake.

The premise for the book comes from the idea that the Mica is easier to destroy than concrete constructed dams because of its eartherfilled core. If this destruction came to pass there would be massive downriver calamity from Revelstoke all the way to Portland, Oregon.

Read more about The Mica Dam here.

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The God Particle – Scientists are conducting experiments with the Large Hadron Collider to discover the basic building blocks of life. This incredible machine
is about to be destroyed by those who disagree with the blasphemous science, but first, some elite scientists need to die.

Zack Starr has been trying to build a business as an international detective. After two years of struggling as a local private investigator he is given his first real international assignment. His task is to protect the life of a scientist whose colleagues are being systematically murdered.

Zack is trying to keep Dr. Tina Hall alive despite the past personal history between them. The two come to an uneasy truce to focus on keeping Tina alive while discovering the reason as to why her associates are being brutally assassinated.

Background for the Story

The LHC is the worlds largest particle accelerator. It has been called the most complex and expensive machine mankind has ever built. The LHC was constructed between 1998 and 2008 with the collaboration of over 10,000 scientists worldwide. The LHC lies beneath the French Switzerland border. The tunnel for the collider is built in a circle with a circumference of 27 kilometers. Particle accelerators/colliders are used to smash atomic particles together using massive amounts of energy and at velocities approaching light speed. Large detectors then record the collisions and help scientists understand the basic building blocks of the universe and even go so far as to hypothesize theories related to the “The Big Bang” or the creation of the universe. The most recent research has been focused on the Higgs Boson particle which the media had dubbed “The God Particle” as it is said to be a basic building block of our entire universe.

The premise for the book comes from the idea that many religious groups do not like the idea of science explaining how the universe was created as it goes against their fundamental doctrine. Those associated with the LHC and the collider itself are a threat to some and a particular fanatical religious denomination sets out to destroy the people involved with the LHC and the LHC itself.

Read more about the Hadron Collider here.

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Vostok – NASA conducted a survey from space that has uncovered the largest magnetic anomaly of its kind on the planet. Mysteriously it seems to be located on the shores of Lake Vostok which lies beneath 4,000 meters of Antarctica ice.

Zack Starr is a problem solver for individuals who have run out of options. A world-renowned scientist has been kidnapped along with her two friends. Zack’s pursuit of the abducted women takes him from the small town of Tolo, Greece to the bustling city of Dubai, U.A.E. The chase takes an odd turn and Zack follows the trail to Argentina. A trail of bodies is left in the wake of his pursuit. The continent of Antarctica will add to the body count and reveal the audacious plan of the Russian billionaire. A plan that some would say is simply suicidal.

Background for the Story

Lake Vostok is the largest fresh water lake in the world and lies 4,000 meters beneath the Antarctic ice cap. The lake is 250 KM long and 50 km wide and 500 Meters deep at is deepest point. The lake has an air pocket dome over top of it and is heated by fissures in the earths core. Scientist believe that the lake has been closed off from human touch for anywhere between 10,000 and 10,000,000 years. Many believe there would be thousands of new species thriving within the lake the likes of which mankind has never seen. The Internet has many conspiracy theories related to Lake Vostok and what lies within it. Two of the more popular ideas are that the lake contains the lost City of Atlantis or Lake Vostok is an ancient alien landing sight. The reason for these outlandish theories is the large magnetic anomaly discovered in the lake by a NASA survey conducted from space. This magnetic anomaly is the largest of its kind in the world and to date is unexplained.

The premise of the book is that someone wants to get through the ice to the lake and find out what the cause of the magnetic anomaly is. This individual believes that the Vostok discovery will bring untold riches and worldwide recognition. This individual will stop and nothing to get what he wants.