After ten years living quiet under Caribbean skies, Lance thought he’d outrun the man he used to be. Hawthorne, California proves him wrong.
Pulled back into Los Angeles by unfinished business and buried blood, Lance finds himself stalking the remnants of a Haitian criminal empire—only to discover something far bigger taking its place. The ports are changing hands. Power is shifting. And the new kingpin, Los Reyes, doesn’t just move drugs—he traffics influence, bodies, and politicians.
As Lance hunts, he becomes the hunted. Old allies turn dangerous, civilians become collateral, and every street in Hawthorne, Watts, and Compton feels like a chessboard where the wrong move gets you buried. A woman from his past—Kennedy, the daughter of a man Lance killed years ago—reappears with the resources and cruelty to finish a revenge decade in the making. She knows where he’s been. She knows who he loves. And she’s already sent men to erase him.
Caught between dismantling a criminal network or becoming its weapon, Lance faces a reckoning he can’t drink away or outrun. The cost of survival keeps rising, and the past demands payment with interest. As empires fall and new ones rise, Lance must decide whether this is his final stand—or just the first deposit on a return to a life he swore he left behind.
Dark, relentless, and morally unforgiving, this noir thriller traces one man’s collision with power, memory, and the truth that territory never disappears—it only waits.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James H. Waggoner is an accomplished explorer, veteran, subject matter expert in acquisitions, youth mentor, speaker and author.
As an avid traveler Waggoner has lived in 15 countries and visited 40 countries. Since retiring from his twenty-year career in the U.S. Air Force, Waggoner has published six books, including the Amazon Charts Best Selling children’s book ‘I Wish I Could Be a Pilot One day.’
Waggoner writes action-adventure fiction about overcoming obstacles and reflecting on the complexities of the human condition.
Originally from Los Angeles California, Waggoner graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Management Studies. He holds master’s degrees in Contract Management and Managerial Leadership. He is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
Away from his keyboard you will easily find Waggoner coaching young athletes, swinging a golf club, enjoying a fine cigar and spending time with his family and friends in Northern Virginia.
OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR
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BOOK ONE: Empty Soul for Hire explores a hidden world of murder, betrayal, and greed where Lance Goodman has carved out a lucrative career torturing and killing the enemies of a select and savagely vindictive clientele. The tale’s protagonist, in the tenth year of his one-man reign of terror, is a man at war with himself and the world around him. To others, Lance appears ordinary despite the monstrous deeds he commits. Perhaps he reflects the monster lurking inside us all, kept at bay only by circumstance and good fortune.
Waggoner’s netherworld heavies circle one another like scorpions in a calculated dance of death, knowing the contest is zero-sum: in each encounter only one survives. By chance, Lance meets Jordan Hughes, a beautiful and self-sufficient young woman who seems to offer him refuge and a way to escape the demons devouring him from within.
Empty Soul for Hire is an exciting story of malice, deception, and brutal revenge. But it is also a story of compassion, humanity, and the miracle of redemption through love. Once you’ve read it, you won’t forget it.
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Can her grieving heart be mended?Peyton Moreira has loved one man in her life. When she receives a dreadful knock at her door from military officials informing her that Collin has been killed, her world is shattered with several unanswered questions. Alone with no family on the island of Okinawa Japan with her two children, she has secluded herself to a life of youth activities, volunteering and an occasional outing with other parents.When she crosses the path of Oliver Davidson, a kindergarten teacher whose charm and assertiveness intrigues her, it does not take long for sparks to fly between the two and soon Peyton’s trepidation about love and relationships finds her in a compromising position. However, when this single mom finally allows another man into her heart, she is tested in ways she did not see coming. The Widow’s Whisper is heart throbbing, energetic and affectionately written. James H. Waggoner delivers a love story full of hope and determination.
Since her break-up with William and after months of self-reflection about why their relationship failed, Samantha is finally ready to take a second chance at love when she meets Bryson - an attractive young executive who appears to have all of the attributes she yearns for.
Though Samantha and Bryson think they are ready to move forward in a committed relationship, they both quickly realize that they have a lot of healing to do from the emotional scars of their past. James is brave enough to allow the piece to unfold with a distinct simplicity that never loses its edgy romantic aura. James doesn’t disappoint with the sexual tension and steamy resolution.
In his fourth novel, James H. Waggoner, paints on a grand canvas, boldly and confidently, conveying the struggles of love and relationships in this modern-day romance. Arduous Love is a must read sure to make you appreciate love and the bravery it takes to give it a second chance.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
Writing Style Summary
Readers tend to describe his work as:
- Gritty and cinematic
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Character-driven thrillers
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Emotionally intense with moral depth
If you boiled reader opinions down into one sentence, it would be:
“Dark, brutal, fast-paced stories with surprisingly deep emotional punch.”
Readers who enjoy:
- Dark thrillers
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Anti-hero protagonists
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Fast-paced, high-stakes storytelling
Tend to really like James H. Waggoner’s books.
COMING SOON
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