Mark Thiessen/NGS
Longtime National Geographic editor Paul Martin’s latest novel—Impossible Journey: Danger, Death, and Deceit on the Lewis & Clark Expedition—offers an imaginative new account of America’s greatest adventure story, with an added twist of mystery. Setting off into the wilderness lands of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804, the members of the Corps of Discovery travel 8,000 miles, from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back. Along the way, they face treacherous river passages, grueling mountain crossings, and threatening encounters with hostile tribes—as well as the constant menace of an unknown turncoat, a man willing to kill to prevent the expedition from achieving its rightful place in history.
Three previous historical novels include Summer of Love, a mystery set in California and Vietnam in 1967, a tumultuous era of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, played out against the backdrop of a divisive war; Dance of the Millions, a tale of voodoo-inspired killings in post–WWI Cuba, when soaring sugar prices created overnight millionaires and Americans flocked to the island to escape Prohibition; and Killin’ Floor Blues, a story that takes place in the bleak years of the Great Depression, when a serial killer stalks Robert Johnson, Ma Rainey, and other pioneer blues icons. Paul’s other novels are Lost in Saigon, a story that grew out of his service in Vietnam, and Far Haven, a time-travel thriller set in a dystopian future America and plague-ridden 14th-century England.
Paul’s nonfiction includes a trio of biographical collections profiling a hundred fascinating but little-known men and women. Secret Heroes portrays some of the most inspiring unsung Americans. Villains, Scoundrels, and Rogues depicts a startling roster of American ne’er-do-wells. And American Trailblazers chronicles individuals who performed some unique original feat that’s been overlooked. Three additional nonfiction books are associated with National Geographic—Land of the Ascending Dragon, Messengers to the Brain, and Science: It’s Changing Your World. Paul has also written two privately published works, a chapbook of poetry and a compilation of articles and recollections from throughout his journalism career.
Contact: paul@paulmartinbooks.com
