Book excerpt: Three Strikes, You're Dead is a tale ripped from today's headlines. The novel reveals a world where baseball, a pillar of American culture, is threatened by sinister forces. As a plethora of fentanyl overdose sweeps the nation, cases involving high school and college baseball players arouse the attention of Richard Moreland, a seasoned DEA agent now stationed in Seattle. Unsanctioned by his higher-ups, Moreland masterminds an ad hoc mission to investigate one apparent fountainhead of the drugs--Colombia's Winter League. Vic Jennings, an amateur umpire; Whitney Westin, a DEA agent who's already demonstrated a flair for undercover assignments, and Diego Leon, a Colombian crew chief umpire, uncover an international scheme that leads back to minor leagues in the U.S. Its ultimate ambition may threaten all of America's pastime.