Brownout (ePub)

Falsely accused of a sexual crime in the Philippines RICK DALY, an ex-school teacher loses the love of his life MARILYN, as well as his business. A clash of cultures as well as his own naïveté sees his life spiralling out of control. A prison escape amounts merely to a change of jails. In a world where political correctness has gone mad, reverse socialism forces many honest individuals to the wall, and a cynical disregard for values other than the dollar is decaying society from within, Rick almost loses his soul. Crime follows punishment and it is his very success at drug and arms dealing, that forces Rick to finally face his demons.

Rick Daly must learn to succeed at love as well as business but he has chosen one hell of a proving field - the Philippines. He is a tenth man, one of those individuals who, through no apparent fault of their own, attract trouble and the blind wrath of authority. While he finds and loses his ideal woman, his few remaining relatives, who live in the U.S., are steamrollered by a collapsed superannuation fund and an avaricious bank. The Neo Con financial culture effectively murders his uncle. His fate draws Rick into contact with an ex Nazi and also Islamic rebels in Mindanao. Imprisonment in the Philippines, Australia and finally the USA, following the events of September 11, causes Rick to turn to crime. His accomplishment at his latest endeavour results in a personal catharsis. Sex, money and power are not enough. Rick discovers necessary spiritual values and the real meaning of the swastika.

The accidental adventures of Rick Daly take the reader into a sea of cultural flashpoints that pointedly reflect on his or her values at the same time as exposing the huge cracks in the world's current political and social order. In addition to the vast numbers of expatriate Filipinos this novel may appeal to the millions who suspect that humanity is collectively heading along the primrose path.