Rough Justice

About the Book

It is early fall, and the nights are growing longer and colder in the dark quiet reaches at the top of the isolated coastal inlet. John Kirby, and his friend Hal Gordon have traveled to the head of the inlet in a small powerboat. The two men anchor their boat in a river mouth and go ashore to explore the area. John and Hal are counting on the run of spawning salmon in the river to attract grizzly bears, which they hope to photograph. While exploring a valley bottom, the two men stumble on to a large marijuana grow operation.

Frank Nelson, a lieutenant in the Scorpions, an outlaw motorcycle gang, learns that the two outdoorsmen have discovered their hidden operation. He orders his enforcer, Howie Martin, to destroy the men's boat, trapping the two men in the wilderness valley. Frank calls his boss in Vancouver and arranges for more bikers to be flown up the coast. The gang members commence their campaign to hunt down and silence the two intruders.

In the days that follow, the Coast Guard searches the surrounding waterways for John and Hal, while the two men battle for their lives in the woods against increasing numbers of gang members and the hostile elements.

About the Author

Although he lived in several communities around the province of British Columbia during his earliest years, Mark Johnstone has spent most of his life in the city of Campbell River, on Vancouver Island. Mark and his wife Anne have two sons, Cody and Sam, at home, while their eldest son, Shawn, and their daughter, Alicia, are out on their own.

Mark graduated from high school in Campbell River, BC. Through work experience and home studies he has achieved first a 4th, and then a 3rd Class Stationary Engineering Certificate. He graduated magna cum laude from a two-year full time program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, with a diploma as a Mechanical Technologist. Several years later Mark received a diploma for the completion of a two-year program in Health Services Management.

Mark worked a variety of small jobs during his teens. Then he spent a few years as a steam engineer in a large pulp and paper mill. After technical school Mark worked in sales and engineering of equipment for the commercial fishing industry for a few years. He traveled extensively throughout North America while working in that industry. For the last two decades Mark has worked in Maintenance Management in the Health Care Sector.

Mark has always enjoyed the outdoors. As a child his parents took the family outside for most of their recreation activities, and Mark has continued that tradition with his own family: fishing, camping, boating and hiking as much as time will allow.

Mark has enjoyed several different hobbies over the years. He has competed successfully in many shooting competitions. For several years he worked closely with a local theater group, doing set design and construction. Mark spent five years volunteering with the local Coast Guard Auxiliary, and this time was both exciting and educational. For the last five years or so he has focussed on fiction writing, and is presently working on his third novel.