The Shitbird - Paperback

The Shitbird is the story of Colin McAllister, a seaman in the US Coast Guard, and a poor fit for the role at best. He's an outsider, a stoner with a bad attitude and a smart mouth, a combo that often puts him on the wrong side of an ass-kicking. He only joined up because he was fresh out of options when he was expelled after a college party turned into a case of suspected arson. And when he finds the dead body of well-liked shipmate Fred Sobel on the far side of a minuscule Caribbean Island during a routine afternoon of R&R, his life immediately takes a turn for the worse. His shipmates-most of them, anyway-jump to the conclusion that he must be responsible. They want to take justice into their own hands and throw McAllister overboard in the dead of night, but the intervention of Fred's closest friend-the popular Wade Lucas-keeps them at bay. Until, that is, McAllister's nemesis Dennis Hebert starts planting doubt in Lucas's mind. As Lucas's allegiance wavers and tensions with the rest of the crew escalate, McAllister quickly finds himself in a very dark place. Once sure of his own innocence, now he's not so certain. If he's not careful, he'll end up just like Fred-and maybe bring the whole crew down with him.