TALL POPPY SYNDROME is my first novel, a political thriller complete at 92,000 words.Thomas Jefferson Daniels is a ghost — make that a G.H.O.S.T. A forty-five-year-old retired Marine Major, decorated war hero, and former covert operative, he has no digital footprint, no traceable past, and one consuming secret: he enabled the operation that is threatening to tear the United States apart.When Robin F.X. Levine, the world's richest man, is kidnapped by a paramilitary group and a coordinated drone strike poised to decapitate Washington's leadership looms over the Capitol, DHS drags Jeff out of his quiet suburban New York life as their last, best hope of uncovering the network behind it. What they don't know is that Jeff is not only an integral part of the plot — it was his idea that drove his men to attempt to overthrow the government they once swore to protect against all enemies, foreign and domestic.Months earlier, a drunk driver killed Jeff’s wife in a hit-and-run, and the driver walked scot-free. In the throes of grief, Jeff accepted a deal: help his former unit, and we will get you justice. As the mysterious architect of sedition manipulates intelligence from the shadows and steers the country toward global conflict, Jeff tries desperately to extricate himself, outmaneuver brothers-in-arms, and decide how much of himself he's willing to sacrifice — because the man who started the fire may be the only one who can put it out.