Judgment at Alcatraz

Praise for Dave Edlund
“Edlund is right at home with his bestselling brethren,
Brad Thor and Brad Taylor.”
–Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of the Caitlin Strong series
“compulsively readable”
–Publisher’s Weekly
Praise for Lethal Savage
“a near-perfect international thriller”
–Foreword Reviews
Praise for Guarding Savage
“required reading for any thriller aficionado”
–Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author,
Praise for Hunting Savage
“Crackling action”
–Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Deadly Savage


Title Page
Judgment
at Alcatraz
a Danya Biton novel
Dave Edlund
Durham, NC


Copyright
Copyright © 2021, by Dave Edlund
Judgment at Alcatraz (a Danya Biton novel)
Dave Edlund
www.petersavagenovels.com
dedlund@lightmessages.com
Published 2021, by Light Messages
www.lightmessages.com
Durham, NC 27713
SAN: 920-9298
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-61153-384-2
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61153-385-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020950845
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 International Copyright Act, without the prior written permission except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.


Table of Contents
Praise for Dave Edlund
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Author’s Postscript
About the Author
The Peter Savage Series
Nicole Graves Mysteries


Dedication
To my brothers Tom and Jac…
thank you for a lifetime of friendship
and fond memories.
I love you guys..


Acknowledgements
Who would have known that my first exposure to the thriller genre around 1979 would have had an impact on my life that is still being felt? The book was Raise the Titanic! by Clive Cussler, and it ignited within me a passion for the genre. I suppose it was inevitable that one day I would begin writing, and my inspiration is readily traced back to the Grand Master. Sadly, Mr. Cussler passed on February 24, 2020 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Thank you, Mr. Cussler, for your gifts of story to all readers, but in particular to me and the wonderful path of discovery it has led me down—a journey that is far from over.
Writing and publishing a book is not a solo endeavor, far from it. From research to the process of assembling the publication-ready copy, a lot of people with a wide range of skills are engaged, and their contributions are invaluable.
Let’s begin with the research. As much as I enjoy suspending belief when I read thrillers, there has to be (in my opinion) a strong element of factual grounding. In Judgment at Alcatraz, my long-time friend and explosives expert, Judd Holiday, advised on the shock sensitivity properties of various types of dynamite. Mr. Holiday has 17 years of experience as a bomb tech at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center at New Mexico Tech (sounds like the kind of job I would enjoy), and the scenes herein involving explosives have passed his scrutiny. Thank you, Judd, for sharing your expertise.
I am very fortunate to have Light Messages Publishing in my corner, as they have produced and published the Peter Savage series and now are backing me as we venture into this new series. Words cannot express my deep level of gratitude to the entire team, and most especially to my editor, Elizabeth, who never ceases to amaze me at her uncanny ability to catch what at first appears to be the tiniest of details, when in fact it is a big deal. Thank you, Elizabeth, as your skill, experience, and attention to detail makes these stories much better. And thank you to Betty and Wally, who handle more of the business routine at Light Messages, for always being responsive and professional, as well as executing the details of book publishing while making it look easy.
Since this is the first full-length novel featuring Danya Biton (pronounced bit – on) as the protagonist, there were many thoughtful discussions with the Light Messages team concerning a suitable title. After narrowing the options down to three, we ran a short poll on Twitter and Facebook. As the Fates would have it, it was a fan of my Peter Savage series who boldly rejected the candidate titles we put forth and came up with her own suggestion. This concept won unanimous support from the publishing team and now graces the cover. Thank you, Mona Stephens for your great idea!
I also wish to acknowledge and thank my talented daughter, Mackenzie, for the cover design and artwork.
As much as I love reading and writing thrillers, these stories are for you, the reader. Although Danya made her debut in Hunting Savage, and later appeared in Lethal Savage and the short story Deadly Atonement, my hope is to build a series on her adventures. If you enjoy Judgment at Alcatraz, please let me know. Posting a review (Amazon or Goodreads) is also great. Send messages to me through the contacts page on my web site www.DaveEdlund.com, or email me at dedlund@lightmessages.com.
Cheers
—DE


Author’s Note
Three quarters of a century has passed since the Nuclear Genie was unleashed with twin mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although not forgotten, that horror has faded with successive generations. Peaceful applications of nuclear power followed in the decades after the end of WWII, along with the inevitable accidents—perhaps most noteworthy being the disasters at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukashima. And so, with time, nuclear power plants have fallen from favor.
Although there is still debate about where and how to store radioactive waste from the remaining operational nuclear power plants, the topic is no longer the headline grabber it was in the 70s and early 80s. Even the clean-up of the Hanford Reservation in southeastern Washington—the site where plutonium was made during the Manhattan