Alaskan Queen

Alaskan Queen
Richard A. Heininger
2016
Amazon Digital Services
Digital format
$ 2.99
234 pages

Lieutenant Cody James is living his dream.  He is a U. S. Navy Officer who has the responsibility of following ships via GPS throughout the world.
Throughout the years of military schooling, his dream changed from being a pilot. His moral character drove him to continue to succeed, just in a different field.
Now Cody is on loan to the U. S. Coast Guard to assist in the development of a global fleet tracking navigational system.  The focus is the Caribbean Sea.   The system follows the usual paths of various legitimate shipping routes and is searching for anything the could be involved with smuggling or a terrorist attack.
One ship, Island Pearl, is drawing his attention by changing its regular route.  Why? Could they be smuggling?  The ship has always passed inspections. Obviously, tracking this boat is a priority.
Cody just hopes that this is not a time-consuming detail since he is soon to be married.   Starting out with your career taking precedence over your wife is probably not a good habit.
Fortunately, Cody's bride-to-be is Abbie who happens to be the daughter of Rear Admiral Stewart.   She obviously understands a military life.
Cody is thrilled that his family from childhood can attend this particular time in his life.   Being an orphan, his family consists of other children with similar backgrounds who bonded into a family throughout the years.
The newlyweds plan to spend a few days at a luxurious hotel, have a few excursions, and then a cruise on the Alaskan Queen.  Plans seldom work out perfectly, and it seems as if danger is constantly in the path of the newlyweds.  Are they destined for disaster?
Juan Ernesto Degato is also fulfilling his dream, being rich. Coincidentally, he shares a similar background with Cody, being orphaned.  However, his choices led him in the opposite direction.
He just needs to complete one job assigned to him by the embassy.  Completing this job will give him enough money for the rest of his life.  Unfortunately, failure is not an option.
Cody and Juan seem destined to be on a collision course.  For both, it is a life or death situation.
Alaskan Queen is the debut novel for Richard Heininger, a retired lawyer who resides in Council Bluffs, Iowa most of the year, and in Texas to avoid Iowa winters.  The basis for this novel is from an Alaskan cruise he took with his wife.  Fortunately, that ship was only attacked in his imagination.
Alaskan Queen is a fast-paced novels that all readers would enjoy.   The reader accompanies Cody through each challenge.
I personally would prefer to read this novel after a cruise, not before, and definitely not during.
You definitely need to read Alaskan Queen.  
I look forward to more thriller from new author, Richard Heininger.