A Sharp Edge

Who's betting against the Federation?

Billionaire Dominic Trask has discovered that some people are making investments that will only pay off if the Federation of Human Planets falls.

With no other place to turn, and not knowing who to trust, he contacts the one person he knows isn't involved: Deke Sharp, operative in the Federation's D Branch intelligence service.

Deke Sharp and Suzie Fuller speed to Gotham on Elizabeth to investigate Trask's data. What they find is terrifying.

Can even D Branch overcome this threat?

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INTERVIEW WITH RICH WEYAND

"A Sharp Edge" is book three of the Deke Sharp series?

Yes, it's book three, the conclusion of the trilogy.

What's our storyline here? Is it the piracy operation again?

No, cleaning up the piracy operation is over. This book starts when Dominic Trask discovers that some people are making bets in the equities markets that will only pay off if the Federation of Human Planets fails. He doesn't know what to do, doesn't know who may be involved. He calls the only person he knows wouldn't be involved, Deke Sharp.

So Deke Sharp goes to investigate?

Yes, Deke and his wife Suzie Fuller go to Elizabeth, Dominic Trask's home planet, to investigate. They find that the Federation is under attack, and only D Branch is in a position to stop it. If they can, and that is not at all clear. No more on that, or it would make for significant spoilers.

How was this book to write?

It went quite a bit faster than the first two, as I got my health issues back under control. It took 51 writing days for 80,000 words.

And the cover?

Another superb effort by Luca Oleastri and Paola Giari of Rotwang Studio in Italy. That's Deke Sharp and Suzie Fuller in the thick of it.

What's next for you? A new series?

I'm not sure. I've started a new book, but I don't know if it's a series or a one-off. It's sort of a first-contact farce.