In a poverty-stricken island in the Caribbean, the lives of four people become enmeshed in a life or death struggle.

Jacque Massoult, President-for-Life and absolute ruler of the tiny nation, who will use any means available to hold onto power; Martin, the most hated man in the nation, who is not what he appears to be; Stefan, a spoiled playboy, who finds he must learn to kill to live; and Alicia, Stefan’s sister, who is too shy for her own good. Together, they form a powder keg that explodes during an international beauty contest.

Charles R. Sterbakov lives in Florida with his wife, Libby. They are the proud parents of three daughters and a son, and have four grandchildren. He is a former software engineer who now runs a computer service company.

Mr. Sterbakov loves words. His favorite pastime is reading and writing, and he enjoys driving his wife crazy with word jokes and puns. He has won awards for his technical writing and previously wrote a computer-oriented column for a Philadelphia newspaper.

Two of his short stories have been published and Deadly Contest is his first novel. He welcomes comments and can be reached at Charlie@sterbakov.com.

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