Conflict of Interest

Review Readers' Favorite Review by Jack MagnusReview Rating: 5 Stars Barry L. Hughes' historical action thriller, Conflict of Interest, is an exciting and fast-paced novel set in the jungles of Central America...  Hughes' plot is taut and suspenseful, and his descriptions bring every sound, sight, and scent encountered by the two in that jungle to life. Conflict of Interest grips the reader in the opening paragraph and doesn't let go until the last page...  Conflict of Interest is highly recommended. Product Description Based on actual events. In 1964 Cuban-backed El Salvadoran rebels invade a contested strip of land in Honduras killing everyone in a US-based drilling crew except two men: the alcoholic job site manager and one of the rig workers, a Korean War veteran. The rebels must not let them escape alive. Complicating matters, the US is embroiled in Vietnam and entangled with the Soviets in Central America. If the men survive it could create an international incident… and if they don’t? Same outcome. From the Author 1 THE TIE THAT BINDSRusty Bach stared across the Honduran jungle canopy long before the sun burst over the horizon. The sky was still that light steel grey as the rising sun's rays began to sing its song through the mist filtering ever so slightly above the green leaves. The world was coming to life. The biggest thing on his mind wasn't Kennedy's assassination the year before or the war heating up in Vietnam. It wasn't even that he'd been awake for over twenty-four hours. What he was thinking about was his wife and kids back in Texas. How much he missed them. And then, he remembered why.Why he was there, in that jungle, in the heat and sweat and fatigue and... and, just like in Korea, he set his mind on one thing: survival. Just getting through each day. Plodding on. No matter how much he wanted to get the hell out of there, he would continue to place one symbolic foot in front of the other.In his mind's eye he envisioned that ten acres along the Rio Colorado, right outside of Bay City, Texas, and him standing there with his wife, Charlene, and four kids... maybe five when he got back. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, thinking luxuriantly about fishing with his kids on their own dock: maybe even out of their own boat. About sitting on the back porch of his own house rocking on his own porch swing with Charlene--And then the belching diesel engine on the rig blew acrid, black smoke right into his face and the yells from the crew below warning him... AFTER... that the drill would be spinning back up, brought him back to the present moment - six months into a year-long stint drilling oil and gas wells for the Government of Honduras."Hey, Rust," one of the guys below yelled up at him. "Shift's over! Get the hell out of there!""Yeah! Headed out to get some grub!" He pulled his gloves tightly onto his hands, locked his cleat in on the rope and rappelled down to the ground below the drilling deck. It was about the only part of the job he liked. Well, that and the food.He unlocked and dropped the rope off and began the hundred or so yard trek toward the cook shack... and then remembered be needed to let Buck know he was finally off shift.Buck Simmons wasn't happy at all. That was probably because he was sober; temporarily, anyway. There was a buzzing in his head and his eyes were still crusty and blurry and his face was as red as what was left of his wavy hair. He couldn't find the damned bottle."Shit! Where's--""Left upper drawer," Rusty mumbled as he slipped into the open door without a sound."JESUS! You scared the... you gotta stop doin' that!" he growled reaching into the drawer and finding the bottle of cheap local bourbon right next to the 357 magnum revolver; half-empty, just like the revolver."Habit."Buck rolled the cap off and took a deep swig. "'Shit's bad.""Then why drink it?""Cause I ain't got a hobby... yet. Whatta you want, anyways?""I'm off shift.""No shit?" He fumbled