The story follows Luke Payne, a retired Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer and native of Ocean Beach. (Photo courtesy of Barnes & Noble)
A new cyber-thriller set in San Diego, Quantum Deception, by Ron James, follows Luke Payne, a retired Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer.
Payne, a native of Ocean Beach, is the type of protagonist who is a reluctant hero, pushed from his quiet life living in his Liberty Station art studio into a global battle against cyber warfare.
Much of the novel, released by Holly Oak Press, is inspired by James’s life. As San Diego was always part of James’ story, he wanted to give the city a pivotal part in his novel. Readers will recognize iconic locations woven into the novel’s fabric, from Hodad’s and Pacific Shores to Balboa Park.
“Luke Payne is very much drawn from my own life,” James said. “Both of our fathers served in the Navy, and both of us followed in their footsteps. His Ocean Beach cottage is modeled after the one I lived in on Del Monte Street, and like Luke, I spent years sailing in San Diego Bay, running businesses on Newport Avenue, and frequenting the same local haunts.”
Not only is Luke Payne modeled after James’ life, but he’s also modeled after the people he’s close to.
“Luke’s decision to become a Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer echoes my nephew’s real choice to join the Coast Guard in the same role,” James said. “Like Luke, I’ve survived my share of dark, traumatic times that ultimately made me stronger. We’re also both abstract artists, though Luke is more accomplished on the canvas. The foundation he’s tied to is based on an arts center I once planned at Liberty Station. And yes, we both even drove red Fiat Spiders.
James is a U.S. Navy veteran who served during the Vietnam War before attending Shasta College, where he graduated with honors and served as student body president. He later earned a B.A. in communications from California State University, Fullerton.
He is also an avid traveler, an abstract painter and a digital news pioneer. What is most interesting, however, is that James co-authored a book in 1994 that predicted the rise of the Internet. Could Quantum Deception also be a prediction of the future?
“Back in 1994, when I co-authored The Multimedia Casebook, we predicted the internet would transform how people live, work and communicate — and that proved true in ways few imagined,” James said. “With Quantum Deception, I see similar possibilities with artificial intelligence. Like the Internet, AI has the potential to be profoundly beneficial, but it also carries risks if left unchecked. The novel plays with those dualities: how innovation can empower and connect us, but also how it can be weaponized.
“In that sense, the story isn’t just a thriller — it’s a lens into the very real choices we face about our technological future.”
James explained that his goal with writing Quantum Deception is to entertain and to educate.
“I wanted to take complex subjects like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and global power struggles and make them accessible, without ever losing sight of the human side of the story. At its heart, the book is about people — their resilience, relationships and choices — set against a backdrop of technology and geopolitics,” James said.
“San Diego is woven throughout the story. It’s not just a backdrop, but part of the DNA of the book — its neighborhoods, its coastline, its Navy legacy. Just as I’ve lived it, Luke Payne lives it,” James said.
James is currently outlining the next Luke Payne thriller, which takes place primarily in Africa. The story will follow the reality of poaching and human trafficking and how advanced technologies are reshaping the fight against them. The novel will blend global issues with personal stakes, but this time against the backdrop of Africa’s wild landscapes and hidden criminal networks.
“The goal is to build a series where readers can follow Luke as he confronts not just the villains of the moment, but also his own evolving sense of duty, loss and redemption,” James said.
Grab a copy of “Quantum Deception” at your local bookstore, or get it online .
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