The Watchmen

By Mike MacCarthy

Adam Tanner never expected running for a local school board seat to become a fight for his life.

For years, parents and grandparents across the country have watched with growing frustration as public education descends into conflict, secrecy, and political power struggles. Adam Tanner decides he has had enough. Determined to bring accountability and transparency to his community's schools, he launches a campaign for the San Diego City School Board, promising to challenge the entrenched system and put students and families first.

But powerful interests are determined to stop him.

Before he can even reach the voters, Tanner is kidnapped at Washington's Dulles Airport and transported far from civilization, abandoned in the unforgiving wilderness of the Allegheny Mountains. Badly injured and struggling to survive raging storms, wildfire, and dangerous wildlife, Tanner's only hope lies in staying alive long enough to return home before election day.

Meanwhile, retired U.S. black operations specialist Ivan Samsonoff begins searching for the missing candidate. What he discovers shocks him. Tanner's kidnapping is not a random act of violence but part of a carefully orchestrated plot involving foreign operatives, covert intelligence networks, and powerful figures determined to control the outcome of a seemingly small local election. As the conspiracy unfolds, Samsonoff realizes the stakes are far greater than a school board race.

With time running out and assassins closing in, Tanner must survive the wilderness and expose the forces trying to silence him. If he fails, the truth about what is happening inside America's public school system may never be heard.

The Watchmen is a gripping political thriller that blends action, espionage, and contemporary debate about the future of American education. It is a cautionary tale for parents, grandparents, educators, and citizens who believe that the fight for the nation's schools is far from over.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1977288553
• ISBN13: 9781977288554
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"