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Managed Paranoia – Book One Click for high-resolution image

Managed Paranoia – Book Two Click for high-resolution image

Managed Paranoia – Book Three Click for high-resolution image

Rhodium Tycoon Click for high-resolution image

The Seventh Pawn Click for high-resolution image

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Managed Paranoia Series – Overview

The Managed Paranoia Trilogy is a near-future thriller series set in a world tightening under surveillance, political pressure, and rising authoritarian control. As governments and corporations push deeper into personal autonomy, former Navy Medic Hank Gunn, marine biologist Bella Espinosa, and billionaire inventor Olin Ou are drawn into a conflict where technology, truth, and loyalty collide. Blending maritime action, high-stakes intrigue, faith, and the enduring struggle for freedom, the trilogy delivers a fast, immersive journey through a future that feels dangerously close to our own.

The Seventh Pawn – Overview

The Seventh Pawn is a dark, reflective near-future thriller following Julian, a man wrestling with personal loss and the tightening grip of an intrusive state. As he navigates a landscape shaped by surveillance, leverage, and shifting loyalties, his search for meaning exposes both the fragility and resilience of human conviction. Set within the broader Managed Paranoia universe, the novel stands alone while offering a gripping, introspective gateway into the themes of liberty, faith, and consequence that define Finlay Beach’s world.

Author Biography

Finlay Beach, a speculative fiction author, delves into narratives of individual liberty and faith-based values. His award-winning series, “Managed Paranoia,” merges thrilling adventures with deep reflections on freedom, authority, and spiritual journeys. An adventurer at heart, Beach’s early escapades on the water fueled his passion for storytelling. Drawing from personal experiences and a profound belief in free market principles, his work offers a compelling exploration of individual autonomy and moral dilemmas. Beach’s written work includes the short story “Rhodium Tycoon,” his novel The Seventh Pawn, and the critically acclaimed Managed Paranoia, part of the “Hank Gunn Series.” “Rhodium Tycoon” is available for free from his author site (https://www.openthegift.com). His novels are available as ebooks and in paperback.

Book Information

• Managed Paranoia – Book One, Near Future Thriller 
  • Publication Date: 2022 
  • eBook ISBN 979-8-9857705-0-6 (ASIN B09S8K6SW7), 
  • Paperback 979-8-9857705-1-3 
• Managed Paranoia – Book Two, Near Future Thriller 
  • Publication Date: 2023 
  • eBook ISBN 979-8-9857705-2-0 (ASIN: B0BPKLQYDY)
  • Paperback 979-8-9857705-3-7
• The Seventh Pawn – A Managed Series Prequel
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • eBook ISBN 979-8-9857705-4-4 ebook (ASIN: B0CVFCD1D4)
  • Paperback 979-8-9857705-5-1 
• Managed Paranoia – Book Three, Near Future Thriller
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • ebook ISBN 979-8-9857705-9-9 (ASIN: B0FMPFK27S)
  • Paperback 979-8-9857705-8-2

Q&A — Author Interview

Q1: What inspired you to write the Managed Paranoia series?
I’ve always been drawn to the tension between faith and technology. When you really look at our lives, a lot of our struggles come down to one or the other — or the way they collide. The series grew out of that idea. I wanted to drop ordinary, imperfect people into situations where technology promises answers but forces harder moral and spiritual questions instead.

Q2: Who are the central characters in the series?
Hank and Bella sit at the center of the story. Hank is a former Navy medic who just wants a straightforward life as a professional sailor — until his boat sinks and everything unravels. Bella is a marine biologist who’s resilient and capable, but still dealing with the fallout of a dangerous past relationship that refuses to stay in the past. They’re flawed people trying to make decent choices under pressure.

Q3: How do you balance action with deeper themes like faith and freedom?
Action is what keeps the pages turning. The deeper themes show up through the choices characters make when things go wrong. I don’t want to stop the story to explain ideas — I want readers to feel the tension first, then recognize the questions underneath it.

Q4: What sets Managed Paranoia apart from other sci-fi thrillers?
The world is very close to our own. The technology, politics, and social pressures are things we already recognize — just pushed a little further down the road. Add to that an honest treatment of faith and personal liberty, and the story feels less like speculation and more like a warning wrapped in a thriller.

Q5: What do you hope readers take away from the series?
A sense of hope, even when things look bleak. The books don’t shy away from dark situations, but they aren’t cynical. I want readers to walk away feeling that conviction still matters, and that perseverance is possible even when systems and institutions fail.

Q6: How does your own background influence your writing?
I’ve always enjoyed science fiction that asks big questions — not just about technology, but about meaning, responsibility, and belief. That curiosity naturally shapes how I write. I’m less interested in flashy gadgets than in how people respond when fear, power, and conscience collide.

Q7: What is your approach to world-building?
I tend to start with what already exists. Current trends in technology, government, and culture don’t need much exaggeration to become unsettling. I project those forward and ask, “What happens if this keeps going?” That helps the world feel familiar and believable rather than invented for its own sake.

Q8: How is faith handled in your novels?
Faith shows up through struggle more than certainty. Most people wrestle with God at some point — I know I do — so my characters do too. They find themselves in situations where easy answers disappear and they have to look beyond themselves for meaning or grounding.

Q9: How does The Seventh Pawn fit into the larger universe?
The Seventh Pawn started as a standalone story focused on Julian, a man dealing with loss, family strain, and an overreaching state. As the story developed, connections to the Managed Paranoia world emerged naturally. It ended up becoming a prequel that deepens the universe by showing how dark things can get before hope has a chance to surface.

Q10: Where does Rhodium Tycoon fit into the series?
Rhodium Tycoon is a short piece centered on Olin Ou, one of the most influential figures in the universe. It’s written as a leaked document and offers insight into the mindset behind the technology and decisions that shape the larger story. It stands on its own, but it also adds context and depth for readers who want to understand how the world of Managed Paranoia came to be.