Nazi dreams of conquest, plus the greed of a Russian-American industrialist profiteer, partnered to swap munitions for gold at Jekyll Island, weeks before Pearl Harbor propelled the US into WWII.It could have worked except “Murphy's Law”, a crop-duster, a Redneck poacher, a society dame, Club staff and a Royal Navy hero joined forces to thwart the best laid plans of the “Master Race”.

British writer Jack Owen served in the Royal Navy as a boy. Then wised up. He evolved into a local newspaper reporter and feed stop-press snippets to national media in England.Part of that beat ranged from Broadmoor Institute for the Criminally Insane to Sandhurst Military Academy. Difficult to separate, sometimes. Then he spent half a century covering, and uncovering, crime and society in the Palm Beaches as a staff writer and freelance journalist. He also became an antiquarian bo...

One Halloween the US Navy would like to forget, played a terrible trick on LIEUTENANT DAVID PORTER, in 1803.He, along with 306 other shipmates aboard the 38-gun frigate USS Philadelphia, including Captain William Bainbridge, were caught by pirates at Tripoli It took guile and courage to free them from their 18-month slavery in the grip of a murderous, despotic Pasha, and a renegade Scot-turned-Turk pirate. Plus the politicking of a President, Emperor and Pope.It also introduc...

I'm tickled pink to reissue Palm Beach – An Irreverent Guide almost three decades after it was penned.Its just as corny and “ineptly illustrated” (according to one early newspaper critic) as ever. However, it entertained visitors and residents alike for 10 seasons before the naughtier, Palm Beach Scandals – An Intimate Guide, bumped it off the shelves. Now they are both available in “tree and E-versions”.Much has changed on “The Islan...

Nazi dreams of conquest plus the greed of a Russian-American industrialist profiteer, partnered to swap munitions for gold at Jekyll Island, weeks before Pearl Harbor propelled the US into WWII. It could have worked except "Murphy's Law", a crop-duster, a Redneck poacher, a society dame, Club staff and a Royal Navy hero joined forces to thwart the best laid plans of the "Master Race".