When Reuben Axtell, a college student and member of the Nez Perce tribe, hears a ghost story from his cousin Rains, he doesn't know what it could mean. Rains tells of a chilling encounter with a hysterical laughing man in the wilderness of Idaho.
Rains then turns up dead.
Before he can discover the truth behind his cousin's demise, Reuben is framed for a crime he didn't commit. The only people who might believe him are Derrick and Ray Anderson, two brothers retired from the military.
The three soon discover that Reuben's situation is connected to the Allen Conference. In this exclusive annual symposium in Sun Valley, Idaho, billionaires and brilliant minds meet and mingle. For a brief period of time, some of the most powerful people on the planet are all gathered in one location.
That location is one giant target. The Guardians, a secretive terrorist group led by a vengeful former marine and a half-mad bioweapons specialist, are planning an attack. The group has created a devastating weapon with a strange connection to the laughing man.
It's a race against time as the Andersons partner with Reuben and his grandfather to prevent a major terrorist attack.
About the Author: Clifton D. Petty was inspired to use the wilderness of the western United States, especially the Sun Valley area of Idaho, as the setting of his new military thriller, Before the Sun Goes Down.
Petty is a professor of management based out of Springfield, Missouri. He is married and the father of three children.
