There’s no better place in the world than Sunset House and My Bar to have a release party / book signing for the novel Return to Cayman, considering that quite a bit of the book takes place in those two locations. The response to the book, on island, has been very positive.

As part of the week-long celebration, I went diving with Sunset Divers and Off The Wall Divers and my friend Thomas Shropshire. I would whole-heartedly recommend either operation if you’re looking for someone to dive with. Sunset Divers is fall-in-the-water easy and Off The Wall is a small operation that makes you feel like a spoiled member of the family.

I donated 100 percent of the sales on-island to the Cayman Magic Reef Recovery effort and we raised more than $400 US for the project. A portion of all online sales through July 31 will also be donated to the effort so you can still help out by getting copy of Return to Cayman today!

Cayman 27 also came to the signing and interviewed me on the water front. You can watch the story  here. 

Here is a quick raw video clip of signing books. Many thanks to my wife Beverly Douglas for taking the photos and videos.

 .

Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage proceeds to benefit reef recovery effort

A cruise ship drops anchor on a coral reef.  A car goes berserk and runs into George Town harbor, nearly drowning the driver. Communications between Grand Cayman and the outside world are cut off.

Is this a case of cyber terrorism by a radical bent on protecting the environment? Or is it something else entirely? It’s up to Mike Scott to unravel the mystery before the entire world is thrown into chaos.

If you want to find out the answers, you’ll have to read the latest thriller novel from Eric Douglas. Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage is a suspense thriller full of twists and turns set on the idyllic Caribbean island of Grand Cayman. Return to Cayman is the sixth book in the Mike Scott thriller series. The first book, Cayman Cowboys, was published in 2005. For the 10^th anniversary of that book, Mike Scott is literally returning to Grand Cayman to see friends and celebrate his friends’ 10^th wedding anniversary when life takes a turn as soon as Mike touches down.

One of the underlying themes in Return to Cayman is a cruise ship dropping anchor on a living coral reef. This part of the story mirrors an actual event. On August 27, 2014, a cruise ship dropped anchor and destroyed thousands of square feet of reef on the island. Local divers are volunteering their time and energy to restore the reef. Douglas is donating a portion of the proceeds from all Return to Cayman book sales through July 31, 2015 to the reef recovery effort.

“As a diver, the ocean and the environment are extremely important to me. I wanted to use this book to make a contribution to the reef recovery effort and also to educate readers about what happens when an accident like this happens,” Douglas said. “It’s important that we all understand that damage to a reef on Grand Cayman is important to everyone. With dedicated effort, it can be repaired, however.”

The story is also about cyber crime, including elements from today’s news headlines with hackers shutting down the internet and taking over cars. “Our world today is so interconnected, I’m not sure we realize just how fragile and vulnerable our digital infrastructure is. I’m not an alarmist, but there are ways people could take over our lives without a lot of effort,” he said.

Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage is available on Amazon and other online retailers in softcover and in ebook format on Kindle.

Early reviews:

It is a great read that moves from page to page at a nice fast pace and a plot that could have been part of the morning’s headlines. Mixing over blown egos with a bit of talent, computer hijacking and reef destruction made for an intriguing story. It was a little disorienting to have someone other than Keith & Karin Sahm running the Sunset House but your descriptions of it and Cayman was like visiting friends.

It is a great way to bring attention to the tragic and extensive damage the Carnival cruise ship caused to the reef near Don Foster’s. Even nicer that you are choosing to donate some of your proceeds to its restoration.

Dan and Betty Orr, retired President of Divers Alert Network

From the beginning, I was impressed with Eric’s writing style. His Mike Scott adventures continue to be at the top of my must-read list with every new release. The latest brings Mike back to the Caymans where the series began. It’s just good writing that paints a vivid picture and tells a story comparable to a summer blockbuster action movie. Two big fins up!

“Greg The Divemaster” Holt: Host/Producer of ScubaRadio….the world’s first and only nationally syndicated radio show devote to diving!

Get ready to lose some sleep.   Mike Scott has returned to Grand Cayman for a celebration.   Little does he know that his world is about to turn upside-down.   Tech, intrigue, scuba diving and international conspiracy–all the right ingredients for a gripping Mike Scott adventure novel.

Jon Rusho, PADI Course Director, tech guru and avid reader

“The best Mike Scott adventure yet, humanized with a pinch of mid life crisis (‘what good is a life, our stories, without loved ones to share with?’), layered over an enlightening love letter to the (contemporary) sea.”

Daniel Boyd, author/filmmaker, Chillers, Carbon

RETURN TO CAYMAN is a hold-onto-your-seat, destination thriller filled with eco-terrorism, computer hackers, cybercrime, drones, attempted murder, hostage-taking (of an entire island!), and expertly written scuba diving scenes. This Bond-like ride is filled with international characters, including brainy Italian and Russian beauties, plus the best Bond Girl of all: the stunning Grand Cayman Island herself.

Marie Manilla, author of Shrapnel and The Patron Saint of Ugly

“Mike Scott is one of Eric Douglas’s best characters: smart, savvy, and skilled, his adventures set once again in the rich, lush landscapes of the Grand Cayman islands is not to be missed.”

Eliot Parker, author of Breakdown at Clear River and Making Arrangements.