Welcome to Book Readers Heaven! Find Books, Reviews, Short Stories, Authors, Publicity, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff including politics, about life... "Books, Cats: Life is Sweet..."
For the last few weeks, I've been reading and proofreading the latest novel by author-artist Walter Jack Savage. I met Jack online about 15 years ago and have shared a close friendship online from one side of the United States to the other... You'll find Jack on Facebook in particular where a large cultural membership shares about books, art, music and more! Ironically, or perhaps by design by Jack, his latest novel takes us back into the 1970s when the cold war with The Soviet Union was ending, while at the same time a continuation of Russia's desire for domination continued to fester...
While I was reading, I could not help but think about one of my supernatural experiences - A God Incident for me...
I remember a work friend asked me to go with her to listen to missionaries that had gone into Russian territory. For whatever reason, I knew that I had to go--and that there was something that would happen... To that end, I invited a closer friend to my home after that inspiring tale of responding to the needs of those in the Soviet Union, both Russia, the Ukraine and other areas...
Reading the story of Igor Volchev who had been imprisoned by the Russians, for various reasons--even having the reasons changed and Volchev moved from prison to prison without any notice or control over what was happening to him, my memory was stirred. I don't remember the prisoner's name--it could have been Igor...
I do remember that my name was Sonya and she was the soulmate of the Russian prisoner. That night when I came home, I asked my friend to just stay with me--that I felt I should not be alone but didn't know what was going to happen...
Soon, I was taken over by God's Holy Spirit, I listened to myself as I spoke in tongues, knowing that I was ministering to my love, my husband, as he fought grave illness... He died that night; I had been sent as like an angel to be with him in his final earthly pain-filled moments... My close friend shared with me what had happened as a witness. In Jack's book, he talked about a meningitis breakout that had spread through the camp where Igor was held for a long time, but Igor had not contracted the deadly highly-contagious disease, thankfully, since he was soon moved to a different camp... The unknown Russian soldier I visited that night had died, perhaps by a disease--perhaps from the cold and lack of food... just like those who are in prison, many times without a reason, except that the government official demands it...
I'll be sharing more of an overview of Jack's new novel soon...
In the meantime, it is difficult not to consider the headlines of today's world, as Russia has invaded Ukraine... We see a country that is controlled by a dictator moving on a sovereign country, where men, women and even older children are taking up arms to fight for retention of their democracy
So, while Grandmothers and children stand to support their military in fighting against the Russian dictator Putin, we can find those in America--Trump and his followers of White Nationalist and more-- repeating the lies that Putin is using to act aggressively against the Ukraine...
Tell me, any of you who are willing to speak out... Why do republicans speak for a dictator and carry his word, albeit incorrectly! Note that Greene condemns democrats for communist acts...while she supports Putin who is indeed...a communist! Please get the script clarified if you're going to lie and support terrorists! But isn't that the case...Disinformation is what they call it...Speak lies on any subject, no matter what and some will believe...unfortunately!
I may not be physically able to fight...but I will fight with Words to speak for retaining a democracy that is now being attacked here in the United States by republicans acting on behalf of a former president that still claims The Big Lie and refuses to acknowledge that the majority of Americans support and wish to continue having a democratic government! Which just happens to be led by Joe Biden, The Duly Elected and Certified on January 6th, 2020, president of The Unites States of America!
Let us Raise Words to Fight Against the lies being spewed across the World!
Amazing Grace was written by a former slave trader John Newton...Once sailing a ship full of slaves from Africa his ship was hit by a fierce storm... Newton feared for his life and got down on his knees and begged the good Lord to spare his life...He promised the Lord that if he would only spare his life he would change his ways a stop trading slaves.. The storm calmed down and Newton wrote the song Amazing Grace, full of sorrow and love and hope that he would be forgiving of his sins.
I had never heard the story of how Amazing Grace had been written, so I thought that might be true for some of you! Just Think! a man who was bringing humans to be sold as slaves to America and met Jesus and His Truth! May we recognize that lies, including the Big Lie is hurting humanity across the world as those who want only power and riches are working to take the democracy that so many have fought to keep for all of those living in America and across the world. Use Your Words to Speak Against Those Who Cause Dissension and Chaos Rather than Peace and Love!
Oh! And A Shout Out! to Linda S. Prather - I think I have now completed all of her books, during those times when I got away from all of the above... Her diversity of writing across genres is one of the best I've seen and I loved every single one of her books...more on them later!
It was December, 2008, when I announced a new book and author, A. J. Tata with the Threat Series... It was April, 2015, when Jake Mahegan was introduced in Foreign and Domestic! Now ten years later, he is one of the top thriller writers in America... There's a reason! And all you have to do is read one of his books to understand why...
Jake Mahegan is a formidable character that is exciting, comfortable in command and brilliant in strategy... But, in this latest novel, we see another side of him. He has fallen in love... And love can make a difference during combat and urgent action... No problem for the world, but definitely a problem for our hero! And I loved every incident where he was forced to deal with both love demands as well as military urgent action... So, I thought, if you are interested, I would include this video about how Jack Mahegan was born...
Dark Winter:
A Jake Mahegan Thriller
By Anthony J. Tata
...Gorham didn’t want to focus solely on dominance of the social and commercial world; he wanted political power. He had read Von Clausewitz’ On War and knew that military action was simply politics by another means.
Given the state of the world today, Gorham knew that the deep political divisions in the United States and around the globe made the world ripe for a hostile takeover.
“Boss I’m talking to you,” Shayne said.
“Yes?”
“You’re sure you want to launch the nuke? It’s your one freebie,” Shayne said.
“Yes. North Korea strikes Japan with a nuke. World’s third largest economy. An extension of the United States for all practical purposes.
The digital trails we’ve left for Assange and his lackeys to sniff around show Russia and Iran in full support of the North Korean weapons program and the launch. And you’ve got the follow up congrats e-mails ready for AUTO SEND from Iran and Russia to the acting North Korean president, correct?”
“Yes,” Shayne muttered.
“Okay, then. For the third time, execute,” Gorham said in an even tone.
Shayne eyed him a second and then said, “You’re the boss.” His fingers rattled across the keyboard sounding like a thousand beetles on concrete and he hit ENTER. He panned the ManaSat camera over the Sangnam-Ri underground missile base, the location of many ICBM test flights. Two silos opened. They were maybe one-half mile apart. The openings looked like black dots on the satellite feed...
“THAAD defenses?”
“Should be mitigated.
ManaWorm showing activated and effective against American THAAD.” Shayne had developed the remote access Trojan, ManaWorm, so that they could plant the virus on unsuspecting defense contractor weapons and equipment a year or two earlier, when Gorham had hatched his plan. “Shadow missile effective?”
“So far. Looks like one launch. If we’re lucky, the Americans will think it’s just another ICBM tested and not even try to deploy THAAD.”
...“And,” Gorham said with dramatic flair, “we have the third nuclear weapon ever dropped in wartime and it is once again on Japanese soil. How ironic.”
~~~
The book description and additional publicity on Dark Winter left me with feelings of trepidation... Knowing the experience and expertise of A. J. Tata, I knew that this book was going to be as realistic as it could be, essentially responding to the question, "What If?"
Considering the state of the world today, with the division within the United States, one man could conduct a world-wide hostile takeover...and Gorham had been preparing for it for years... The first attack had been the assassination of the ruler of North Korea...
Of course, the hostility had been sparked quickly when the United States had withdrawn from the Iran Deal. It was also placing pressure on North Korea to completely eliminate their nuclear arsenal...and, with up-and-down pressure on Russia, who was already using cyberwar to work against the United States, the time to act was now! Gorham and his staff had been working deep in the Dark Web to contact countries with whom he was negotiating... Responding to each of their known hatred and desires, the three countries with whom the U.S. had played with, had formed together into RINK... The target was to totally destroy America...
Each of the countries would be targeting nearby areas and moving into offensive position to overcome and destroy... Russia was also aiming for the total destruction of the United States, with their large arsenal of nuclear armaments.
It was to be a war of cyber action in the beginning. Through various contracts with the government across the world, weapons had been "changed" slightly from specifications, so that when put into action they would not make contact with proposed targets! It had begun with the bomb strike on Japan by the North Koreans and then ground military action by all three countries all at once. The ComWar had control of all types of equipment that was computer controlled and had weighted the three countries, Russia, Iran, and North Korea so that their military equipment were all efficiently working!
World War III was in its early stages...
If only Jake Mahegan was Real! But, of course, he is, in many ways. Tata writes based upon having seen the bravery, the expertise, and the patriotism of many American soldiers and he has forged their skills in our hero Jake...
But, something has changed in Jake's life...Cassie, a member of his team, who has the credentials, experience and expertise to have earned the Captain rank and who works at the side of Jake, had found her way into Jake's heart and, after never being in love before, has fallen deeply. It is somewhat of a burden, because he can no longer see her as a teammate...rather Jake needs to protect her...
Cassie is perfect for Jake! She's not willing to have Jake move her out of her team position, does not want to be protected, rather to allow her to act as normal in doing what she needs to do. But, the link between the two adds an extra dimension to the thriller that represents the love each soldier has for their loved ones and for their country. They love both, but will do anything to protect and serve those loved ones.
The lack of attention to cyber security for the last few years, as elections and social networks have been hacked with false information or used to hack election machines, while little has been done to lead and prepare for the use of computer manipulation, has been, illustratively, shown just how vulnerable the United States has become related to security...security of the infrastructure, not just on bigger and better ground and air equipment. Having worked with computer systems throughout my professional career, I am constantly alert to just how bad things can get if computer systems are affected in even small ways. The technological aspects of this book are beyond my expertise to actually do, but certainly the book is brilliantly done to show exactly how bad it can get! And a bit of coordinated criminal intent cannot easily be thwarted.
Tata presents us with an awesome, and, yes, terrifying, option of what can occur when criminal intent is allowed to take control. This is well beyond twists and turns...it is upfront action-packed, minute-by-minute intense waiting and moving. Picking up detail after detail to determine what may occur next. The characters are unbelievably able to get under our skin. I envisioned the villain as a evil genius whose ego has surmounted his ability to apply any level of common sense... While Jake Mahegan, our hero, seems to magically know who to trust, and not trust, and still make things happen to slow down and/or stop what is happening. It's a deadly time frame, and readers feel the tension, the sweat, the fear, as characters make things happen "just in time." Edgy, nail-biting, and hope and prayers are part of the move toward the climatic ending...
When I read this latest book of General Tata, and knowing he is already involved to some extent in government issues, I can't help but hope that he will enter the political realm and use his expertise to actually stop that potential WWIII that he has written about in Dark Winter. We have to deal with the violent terrorism that is rampant, as another mass shooting took place this very morning... Readers, if you don't understand about computer usage in relation to military safety and security, you must read this book! Learn what you need to know about cyber acts that can take us into a war like no other.
Sure it's exciting and those who like military thrillers are bound to enjoy the book. I loved it for putting the newspaper headlines directly into a book like no other could to describe the turmoil and world-wide concerns we already know exists today... Has RINK already been formed???
GABixlerReviews
BRIGADIER GENERAL (U.S. ARMY, RETIRED)
ANTHONY J. TATA
General Anthony J. Tata has more than three decades of public service as a military officer and in leadership roles at the county and state level. His last combat tour was as the Deputy Commanding General of the 10th Mountain Division and the Joint Task Force in Afghanistan, commanding nearly 25,000 troops. He is also an acclaimed novelist with nine fiction novels, including national bestsellers Foreign and Domestic, Three Minutes to Midnight, and Besieged. Kensington Books will release Direct Fire December 2017.
General Tata is president of defense, transportation and energy services company, KaylaTek, LLC. He also frequently speaks on matters of foreign policy to companies such as Google, Hewlett Packard, General Electric, MetLife, Bank of America, Glaxo Smith Kline and other major corporations. Previously, General Tata served as the North Carolina Secretary of Transportation, leading the state’s 12,000 NCDOT employees and serving as a member of the Governor’s cabinet. Immediately prior to that, he served as the Superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, leading the state’s largest school district of 18,000 employees and 150,000 students to record academic heights.
General Tata served two tours of duty in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. He also served as a brigade commander in the 101st Airborne Division and as the Deputy Commanding General of the 10th Mountain Division. Among his military decorations, he has been awarded the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star, served as a Master Parachutist and graduated from the U.S. Army’s Ranger School. He is listed as a distinguished member of the 502nd, 504th and 505th Parachute Infantry Regiments.
Tony received a Bachelor of Science at the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Arts in International Relations at the Catholic University of America, a Master of Military Art and Science in Strategic Planning at the U.S. Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies, and was a National Security Senior Fellow at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.
Tony is the National Security Expert for One America News Network and reliably comments on foreign policy matters on dozens of programs and networks, including Fox News (Hannity, Bill O’Reilly Show, Megyn Kelly, Fox and Friends Weekday and Weekend, Geraldo Rivera Show, Fox Weekend News, America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer, and others), CNN New Day and with Brooke Baldwin, CBS News with Harry Smith, The Glenn Beck Show on The Blaze, and The Daily Buzz.
General Tata has two children, Brooke and Zachary....and more
An early spring sun, all light and no warmth, was slipping behind the gargoyled, columned mass of the Yaroslav station as a black Zil pulled smoothly up to the main entrance. The policeman posted there stiffened as he noticed the large, official-looking car. The driver and his companion in the front seat, both small-eyed, high-cheekboned Slavs, got out and talked briefly with the policeman. Then they returned, pulled several pieces of baggage from the car’s trunk and swiftly strode inside the station. Immediately, a second car, a Chaika, pulled up. Five tall, dark-suited, somber men emerged and fanned out. Two positioned themselves on either side of the entrance, conspicuously alert, while the others walked through the station entrance and disappeared into the converging crowd of people. Inside the Zil, Alex Cousins glanced at his watch. It was four fifteen. The train was scheduled to leave at five, precisely five, Zeldovich had said confidently. “They will take care of the details,” Zeldovich assured him. “Thank you,” Alex responded. He had no illusions about Zeldovich. It had been an uneventful trip from the dacha near Barvikha to the Yaroslav station. Viktor Moiseyevich Dimitrov, the sixty-nine-year-old General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, had been expansive at lunch. His appetite had returned along with his color, and he had stuffed himself with huge portions of black bread and globs of sour cream heaped on top of deep bowls of borscht. The chemotherapy was working, Alex had observed, his doctor’s pride swelling as he reviewed the charted progress and the past six weeks of endless diagnosis, observation and treatment. At best, the disease was tricky, and as cunning as a jungle beast. Acute myeloblastic leukemia was a microscopic war between the proliferating white blood cells and the rapidly weakening red blood cells in Dimitrov’s body. And the reds had been losing. Now, Dimitrov was no longer in the depressed manic state Alex had initially encountered. At lunch a waiter had brought a fat bass, broiled brown and dripping with butter. Dimitrov had watched its arrival, broadly smiling with boyish glee. Alex had been allowing him to fish again in the Moscow River, which meandered a few yards from the rear of the dacha. Fishing was Dimitrov’s one passion, aside from exercising his power, and being able to fish again had restored the General Secretary’s buoyancy, reassuring him that he had been snatched, however temporarily, from the grave. Alex had only picked at the fish. Despite his anxiety, he was somewhat excited by the prospect of his upcoming Siberian journey. Although, under different circumstances, he now would have been searching back in time, with all the emotion that nostalgia engenders, to prepare his mind for the mystique of the adventure. “It is a legacy of the soul,” his grandfather, that old Siberian fox, would have said. But to begin such a journey under duress seemed, somehow, incongruous. He looked down at the fish, runny with butter, the skin crisp and shiny, wondering if he could force his appetite. “Delicious, Kuznetzov. Eat!” Dimitrov commanded, jabbing his knife forward, a trickle of butter escaping along the side of his mouth. Despite himself, despite what he suspected, Alex felt satisfaction in Dimitrov’s enjoyment. It was the damndest personal sensation, this dichotomy within himself, this raging war between between his odd affection for the man and the knowledge of his impending act. Could it be possible he was mistaken? That all the comings and goings, the odd bits of information, the strange admissions, and little confessions of Dimitrov himself, were only a distorted view through some faulty prism? I am a doctor. I am apolitical. You had no right to draw me into this, he wanted to shout across the table, trapped now like a fly that has fatally touched the flypaper with the tip of one wing. “Why the long Siberian exit?” he had asked. “A flight would be much faster.” “Nonsense,” Dimitrov had said blandly, as if he were merely persuading Alex to have another glass of brandy. “How could you deprive yourself? How many chances like this do you get in life? Whoever heard of a Russian with no curiosity about his past? Don’t be foolish. I insist.” “But my wife—” Alex had answered mildly, not able to bring himself to even the first plateau of genuine protest. His wife was certainly no reason to return. He might have been more accurate to say, “My life.” “Take a look at where you began,” Dimitrov persisted, knowing that there was truth there, a match to dry tinder, for Alex had often longed to see the place from where his grandfather had escaped. But his escape had been only physical. In the old man’s mind and heart, he had never really left Siberia. “I’ll come back,” Alex mumbled. “I’ll do it another time.” “Nonsense,” Dimitrov said. “It is my gift. Consider what you have given me.” Another old fox, Alex thought. Why don’t you tell me the truth? I know too much. Perhaps you’ll never let me out. “One more week. What will it matter?” Alex had been gone six weeks. “The Politburo meets in seven weeks,” the American Secretary of State had emphasized again and again. “You must keep Dimitrov alive until that meeting,” he might have said if he had not been so well schooled in diplomacy. Alex had, of course, understood the message and had done his duty. How naïve and ineffective the President and the Secretary now looked in retrospect. Dimitrov had outmaneuvered them both. Still worse, he, Alex, could be characterized as a co-conspirator. And this trip was his fat reward for success. Let me put you in a rolling prison across the wastes of Siberia while I prepare a holocaust. Did they think he had brains the size of a pea? Suddenly the idea of seeing his wife again—dear, bland, irritating, unaffectionate Janice—seemed almost attractive. How they must have chuckled over their good fortune in discovering Alex, a Russian-speaking doctor who was an expert on leukemia. And he had been right under their noses at the National Institutes of Health. At first he had been very unreceptive. Couldn’t they have found someone else for this job? He was above politics, disgusted with their silly little power games. The preservation of human life, the alleviation of suffering, was the bedrock of his motivation. He had actually willed himself to be apolitical, dismissing everything that was not within the confines of his expertise. In mankind’s stupidity, man inflicted so much misery on himself, and could not seem to organize society for his own benefit. But that was the politicians’ problem. One could not bleed over uncontrollable factors. At least in his field he could focus on a recognizable enemy. All else was trivia, he had convinced himself. Now, in Moscow, the events of the last six weeks had effectively demolished that self-delusion. As Dimitrov’s strength returned, so did his cunning. He had struck exactly the right chord for a Russian—antecedents, roots. Russians and their damned ancestor fixation. To this day, every child born was given two names—his own and his father’s. “Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Kuznetzov” was the name, which appeared on Alex’s original birth certificate. He had changed it to Alexander Cousins, in spite of his father’s passionate opposition. But he could not change the heritage that had been programmed into his fantasies from birth. Siberia—a myth weathered and matured by repetitive storms of memory. His grandfather had been caught in the Czar’s penal machinery as a boy and sent to Siberia as punishment. He had helped build the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and his labor shortened his sentence. He ended up in Irkutsk, which was dubbed the “Paris of Siberia.” After several years there, his grandfather took his wife and young son, and escaped to America. It was with these stories of youth, hardship, despair, danger and escape that Alex’s ancient gnarled grandfather had mesmerized him, ever since he was old enough to understand. As he grew older he could pick Siberia out on a map, roughly along the fifty-fifth degree of latitude. He learned that it was an area of five million square miles that could encompass all of the United States, including Alaska, all of Western Europe, and still have hundreds of thousands of square miles left over. The route the family had taken was through farms and cattle ranches, through trackless virgin forests, around the earth’s deepest lake, to heights where the sky is fair for all but sixteen days of the year, down to places where swarms of insects tortured men and animals, and through pockets scourged by unspeakable disease and Manchurian tigers. During those interminable first days with Dimitrov, Alex had, of course, dwelt on these stories with relish, especially after seeing Dimitrov’s enchanted reaction. It was all part of the treatment. Who could have expected it to be flung back at him like a weapon?
~~~
When Author Warren Adler put out a notice that he was celebrating Russian Literature Week by placing one of his books on sale, I immediately knew I wanted to read the book. For two reasons, besides the fact that I am a fan of this author... First, many years ago, I had a strange dream. Without going into details...I was with a prisoner in the Siberian jails. He was dying and I was there comforting him until he had died... Since then my interest of Siberia has continued... Since my only knowledge had been about the prisons in Siberia, I was thrilled to meet citizens of the area who were just as loyal to their homelands as most people are about where they live... One of the main characters, Anna Petrovna Valentinova, Professor of History, resident of Irkutsk, was such a woman and she became a favorite as I watched and learned about her life... Second, if I had a bucket list, the top item would be to travel by train across the United States... Or, at least, I would have until I read the book! LOL, because it wasn't quite like I imagined it would be... For one, if you are traveling alone, you may be housed with either a man or woman. In fact our main character Dr. Cousins and the female from Siberia were the two that were given the same compartment on the train... Set in the 1960-70s, this may no longer be true and I at least wanted to learn a little about the Trans-Siberian Express and very much enjoyed the video I found. One thing I noted was that the train route has been expanded into China since then... But it might not have been if a certain event planned in the '60s had actually occurred--at least according to Author Warren Adler! Dr. Alex Cousins, an American doctor was an expert in the treatment of leukemia. His real name had been Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Kuznetzov before they had come to America. He had legally changed his name, even though his family had opposed it. But that change did not keep the Federal Government from finding Dr. Cousins, with the intent that he should help keep alive a Russian Diplomat, Viktor Moiseyevich Dimitrov, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Or at least keep him alive until a special meeting could occur... Dr. Cousins was successful in at least getting Dimitrov to the point of remission. But he warned that he didn't know how long he would have, since he should still be considered terminal... To thank him for what he'd done for him medically, Dimitrov aggressively gave him a trip on the Trans-Siberian Express, and, supposedly, to give him a gift of seeing the home of his grandfather. Although Dr. Cousins tried to resist taking the trip, he finally gave in, but noticed that there seemed to be a number of people who were intent on keeping track of him... And there just happened to be an entire train car of soldiers that had been added for this trip... Alex Cousins was soon watching all those around him, wondering whether the people that seemed to be following him was there to ensure he was safe--or to ensure he didn't finish the trip... For it had been impossible for the doctor not to have picked up much information as he'd provided medical support. But soon, as we might have expected, Alex falls deeply for his room companion and readers are invited to enjoy their blossoming relationship... At the same time, one of the more interesting aspects of the novel is meeting many of those other travelers on the train... and how their lives come together for both good and bad exchanges... In fact, with the excellent book description of this book, I'll not go into detail of the plot, but rather the characters... One of the most intriguing characters was a service worker on the train...she felt it was her duty to know all of those assigned to her area and to meet their needs...and if, by chance, she might meet a traveler--a gentleman, well-mannered and good appearance, she might make special efforts to ensure the quality of her service was of the highest. But aside from her few personal encounters, she was proud of her position, her home away from home and was a hard worker, trying to go beyond her duties whenever she could... That naturally got her involved deeply in some of the turmoil... Like when the young couple who were traveling to a part of Russia established to house Jews, and the wife became ill, she thought nothing of contacting Dr. Cousins to treat the woman. Even then, though, Adler's skill in merging lives and bringing about an accomplished, complete story as he then pulls in another lone traveler who is out for revenge, and a "spoiled little brat" who causes him pain and, later, trouble... Readers will surely want to discipline the young bully, for his parents, who were government workers presented an example of poor parenting, to say the least... I am constantly pleasantly surprised at the diverse range of topics that Adler covers in his books. I was drawn to this particular book because of my own interests and found it a quite satisfactory tale of adventure and intrigue. Do check it out as one of Adler's earlier books, this time during the Cold War Era... GABixlerReviews
but you can never say again that you did not know.”
― William Wilberforce
Porto Heli
From his little sailboat in the port he could see the horseshoe-shaped harbor of Porto Heli, a summer resort area packed with revelers and partiers, and more easily accessible to him than the party island of Mykonos. It was about a 30-minute cruise. His island was dark, quiet – like Robert was. The sidewalks rolled up at 10 p.m. Night life was practically non-existent.
As he sat on the deck and looked out across the sea, he was drawn to the twinkling lights of Porto Heli like a fly to a porch light. The lapping of the water against the little boats as they bobbed up and down, the sound that used to soothe him to sleep so many nights in the cabin of the bow of his boat, the Lana, now grated on his nerves like fingernails dragging against a chalkboard.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He started the motor of the Lana, cast off the mooring lines, and, just like that fly, headed straight for the light. It was a short ride that divided the two worlds; the one of the people by day and the other of the people by night. The day people worked, played, laughed and ate, and then they slept, resting to start the cycle all over again. The night people, on the other hand, lived only for thrills, and their object was to have as much fun and pleasure as they could before the sun rose. As he neared the harbor, he could hear the sounds of partying in the bars and began to ache with impatience – like a dog salivating for a bone. He threw the fenders over the side, cut the motor and pulled alongside a concrete pier and a man came out, tossed him the mooring ropes and he quickly looped them over the cleats. He locked up the boat, hopped off and handed the man a fifty euro bill. “I’ll probably be a few hours.” The man slipped the bill into his pocket and smiled a checkerboard smile of half a mouthful of stained teeth. Robert had made his own price because it was late and the money would probably not be accounted for. “No problem.” “Make sure nothing happens to my boat and there’ll be another fifty in it for you.” The man smiled again and nodded. Robert followed the sounds of the action like the pack of rats followed the Pied Piper of Hamelin. His will was no longer his own; he had given it up to the beast, and it was the beast who would be calling the shots tonight. It didn’t take long to find the best party. He followed the pulsating beat of electronic music to Nikki Beach Resort. As he came nearer, he could see what was a seaside patio for sun bathers by day had turned into a dance floor at night, illuminated by sparkling fountains of fire, casting flickering shadows against the dancers, most of them female. As Robert approached, he saw the bouncer, a big man with no neck, rustling a man out of the club. The guy he was handling was well dressed, but he was obviously drunk, so the bouncer had the right to evict him. But he didn’t stop after he had “bounced” the man. He went a step further – a step too far. He pushed him out onto the sidewalk, and the man fell. The man struggled to get up, and, when he did, the bouncer kicked him down. This wasn’t Robert’s battle, so he decided to play it cool. Unfortunately, however, the bouncer wasn’t content to end the drama with one kick. Robert observed, quietly, while the bouncer continued to rough up the drunken man, pushing him around and slapping him down. Some people, of certain strength, take pleasure in pushing around others with none. The bouncer was probably a bully when he was a kid. Now, he was a grown-up bully, and one with authority. “Hey, man, you kicked him out. Why don’t you just let him go?” The bouncer looked up at Robert as if he had thrown down a gauntlet. He had tasted blood and here was another fight. “You want a piece of this?” “No, man. I’m just saying this guy’s had enough.” The big-necked man grabbed Robert by the collar and came nose to nose with him. Robert could feel his hot, bad breath against his face. “You will take your hands off me and do it now.” “Or what, big man? You gonna beat me up?” The beef-neck began to laugh, tightening his grip. Like a snake, Robert struck, pushing him back, then slamming him in the nose with a loud crack. “Nobody touches me.” The man’s hand instinctively went to his nose, and then he looked at his bloody palms with anger. He sized Robert up, hurt now only in his pride. By that time, another bouncer had joined him. They looked like two lion statues, the kind rich people put to mark the entrance of their driveways. The beast had been awakened in Robert, who stared them down with cold, shark-like eyes. “Now let’s try this again. I don’t want any trouble. I’d like to have a drink, maybe meet some girls and try to get laid tonight. Or I can beat the living shit out of both of you. I’ll get an equal amount of a different kind of satisfaction out of either activity. It’s your move.”
~~~
Traffick Stop: Paladine Political Thriller Series
By Kenneth Eade
I have great empathy for Robert Garcia, the main character of the Paladine Series... He, like others, who have been affected by PTSD have discovered that their mental stability have been permanently damaged and that, at times, the beast appears...
Garcia called that part of him that could no longer be satisfied in retirement, fishing, the beast... Eade begins the book with what happens when this occurs...
Sacrifice, charity, and concern for others has always been a characteristic of the human spirit. But there is a wild, hungry, thirsty, selfish creature that lurks deep within the libido of each of us. That id some of us ignore, others deny, and still others put a mask on it or lock it away so even they cannot release it. But when the balance is tipped to its side, it can break any bonds that have tied it down, and we are powerless to stop it. The result can be exhilarating, intoxicating, mind-blowing, or it can be deadly.
Garcia had been restless for quite a while so that, one night, when the music reached him from a resort bar within close range, Robert took the bait and went looking...mainly for some company, noise, and hopefully meeting a willing woman... But...when he saw the club's bouncer's taking his fun from beating up a drunk being kicked out of the club, Garcia spoke up for the man receiving unnecessary violence... That's one of the things that has brought me to love this character... Yes, he's been mentally and emotionally damaged, but when the thirst comes he must quench, he always still has his moral code that aims it toward a deserving bad guy, of course!
Am I really seeing what this vid represents...?
By the way, he does go into the club and meets Joelle, who returns to the boat to spend the night with him... That's when Robert first met a woman who was under control as a sex slave and was guarded at all times except when she was "hired" out for a short time period... Robert learns that night that she was soon to be sent to Syria to continue in another place, with the same restrictions... that they had control of her passport and that they threatened her with the lives of her family if she didn't follow their rules. Robert tried to tell himself that it was not his business, that he couldn't do anything to save her, even though he pictured in his mind a plan to do just that...
And so when his old employer tracked him down through a friend who knew where he was, and Robert learned the story of why he was being asked to take another job... An American citizen was now in the hands of ISIS, serving as a sex slave... “Then he told me an interesting story. One of Williamson’s employees was a software engineer by the name of Rahbi Moghadam. Rahbi had a daughter – Rasha. When she was 19, she took a trip to Turkey to celebrate her graduation from junior college and her old man paid for it. “What he didn’t know was that Rasha had been convinced by an ISIS recruiter to come to Syria to give humanitarian aid to civil war victims.” Robert nodded. “My guess is that she disappeared?” “That’s right, malaka. Her father spent a lot of time and money tracking her down, and the trail ended in Syria. Rasha had been forced into a jihadi marriage to six ISIS fighters. Her only purpose in life for an entire year was to be raped repeatedly by those jihadist assholes.”
~~~
Garcia realized he was ready... But first he checked out the new leader of that group and only then was he willing to meet to discuss what was needed... This is another part of this series that Eade does exceptionally well... The planning, execution, and extraction plans for Garcia are brilliant in their creation... unless, of course, the author has decided to create a situation where Robert must use ingenuity and, this time, luck, to get him out of danger! Which brings up another character that I also love. Those reading the series will remember the Russian warrior who Garcia met and vacationed with in the last book! In this book he shows up to save Garcia! Yes, we get to enjoy Garcia and Lyosha as they meet once again in Syria. When Garcia tells Lyosha why he is there...to deal with human traffickers, and hopefully free the women, which includes Russian women, before they were sold in auction... Lyosha immediately volunteers his Russian Warriors...
Eade points out two issues that I was thankful to see (1) that the organization for whom he was working also financially supported trying to ensure help for the secondary victims of terrorism, the peace-loving and innocent Muslims living in the States who were blamed for the acts of extremists... and (2) that today's warriors, no matter what country they are from, will work together to rid our lives of extremists and criminals everywhere... if only for a short time when political ploys do not stop them!
Wow, I loved this book! Let's us hope that the discussions and appeals to congress that are now happening in America, actually "take care of business" like Paladine does! Thank you, Kenneth Eade, for providing us with hope that Paladine's work will be accomplished as effectively as if Paladine were leading the fight!
This is not just another thriller...it is more...Eade's political thrillers are taking us directly into the underbelly of the world and, even in fiction, showing us what is happening, and, in my mind, scaring you enough to become involved in whatever way you can...starting with ensuring you and your children take necessary measures to protect your family members. This is reality fiction, which happens to be an excellent, look at a major money-making activity that is increasing at unimaginable rates. Read this book to enjoy the hero, Paladine...but also to become even more aware of what human trafficking is doing to this world! Kudos to Kenneth Eade for tackling this major problem! I consider this a must-read, for anybody who cares about the victims... primarily women and children... who need help! GABixlerReviews
Described by critics as "one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene," author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an award-winning, best-selling Top 100 thriller author, has been described by his peers as "one of the up-and-coming legal thriller writers of this generation." He is the 2015 winner of Best Legal Thriller from Beverly Hills Book Awards and the 2016 winner of a bronze medal in the category of Fiction, Mystery and Murder from the Reader's Favorite International Book Awards. His latest novel, "Paladine" is currently a quarter-finalist in Publisher's Weekly's BookLife Prize for Fiction. Eade has authored three fiction series: The "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series", the "Involuntary Spy Espionage Series" and the "Paladine Anti-Terrorism Series." He has written sixteen novels which have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
"I've been writing all my life, but began publishing my work out of a passion for the environment. My wife, Valentina, is a professional photographer, who worked for two years on an environmental exhibition called, "Bee Cause I Care" which was exhibited by the Prince Albert II Foundation and is now touring cities in France to bring awareness to the importance of pollinators and the dangers facing them. I penned a few articles on the subject for the Los Angeles Daily Journal and turned my research into my first book, "Bless the Bees." That passion continued with the publication of my novel, "An Involuntary Spy," which is an action thriller that also points to the dangers of genetically engineered food. Then I began publishing the "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series," which, in part, is based on actual experiences during my long career in law.
It is only a word to describe who is left alive in the ruins.”
― Lyndon B. Johnson
Aleppo, once an idyllic jewel between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean, was the oldest inhabited city in Syria and one of the oldest in civilization. Robert Garcia had been in many battle zones before, but this was nothing like he had ever seen. Aleppo had been decimated. Jagged slabs of concrete hanging on the exposed bones of twisted, rusting steel, the ashes of wooden shops now reduced to cinders, broken corrugated shutters of what used to be jewelry stores, and the ruins of bombed-out, formerly splendid historical mosques, their once glittering chandeliers now hanging from the dusty rubble. It reminded him of those surreal black and white photographs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atom bomb had been dropped. Once a thriving metropolis, now a graveyard inhabited only by terrorists and their mostly unwilling civilian subjects – slaves, held captive by the boundaries of their destinies. Robert set up his shot from the seventh floor of an abandoned, blown-out building, once part of the modern city, which could hardly be distinguished from its ancient ruins, now themselves almost completely obliterated by all the bombing. A bead of sweat from the intense heat dripped into his eye and he wiped his brow dry. He gripped his Dragunov SVD sniper rifle and simulated the shot he was about to take, beginning his breathing protocol as he observed the place where he would send General Abu Muslim al-Basara, once the pride of Sadaam Hussein’s Royal Guard, now an ISIS terrorist, to Jahannam. He watched as al-Basara’s colonel spread the battle plan out on the desk. This was to be their moment of glory, the day they would drive out the last of the infidels and strangle the life out of what was once the largest city near the Turkish border. The day which would pave the way for their growth to metastasize into and infect the land that had been conquered by the Romans and retaken by the Muslims – only to be forsaken again and was now sitting in the clutches of the Jewish empire of the United States. Robert concentrated on the target zone through his sight and ran his tongue across his dry lips. In front of the building, men in flak jackets holding automatic weapons were milling around, but that wasn’t going to make any difference. From 500 meters it would be a turkey shoot and he would disappear before they knew where the shots had come from. In the dead wind, the bullet would cut through the air like a hot knife through a stick of butter, finding its purchase accurately with no need for compensation in trajectory. He looked through the small window and watched the colonel studying the plans. Robert’s optics were so precise, he could count the hairs on the Colonel’s beard. He was target number two. Breathe and wait, breathe and wait. When the prime target finally came into focus, Robert unclenched every muscle, relaxing everything except for his eye and his trigger finger. He placed the cross hairs right on the forehead of the target and squeezed, every so softly, as if he were tickling the most intimate part of a woman. He immediately fired another round to the chest as he watched the first bullet make contact, popping the general’s head back, his lifeless body dropping to the ground, and then took out the surprised colonel with a shot to the head and one to the chest. Robert abandoned his equipment, vacated what was left of the room and scurried down the seven flights of destroyed stairs, sometimes leaping over patches of nothingness as he descended. He could hear the commotion and turmoil from across the street – orders being screamed out, the roar of trucks coming closer. He slipped out the exit, and briskly walked the half block to the designated pickup area, but the pickup vehicle wasn’t there. Shit!
~~~
Paladine Russian Holiday Paladine Political Thriller Series
By Kenneth Eade
Robert Garcia had left the United States after doing what he'd been taught to do in our armed forces...Kill Terrorists, wherever they were. He had gained hero status and the name Paladine had spread across the world. Of course, he was wanted for murder...officially...
Now, in other parts of the world, he was doing the same thing... except now he was sanctioned...by the CIA... He had always worked alone and had always made it out easily. Now he was bogged down with orders, rules, and, supposedly, help. Well, it was clear that this was not working! He had just assassinated two targets, and immediately went to the place for extraction, only to find nowhere there!
Robert moved his eyes about himself like a bird, sizing up his situation. It couldn’t be worse. He knew this was the Islamic State and mercy wasn’t in their mindset. The penalty for being caught was death. Nobody was going to save him. If he broke to run he would be shot in the process. This was it; it was just a matter of time. But Robert also knew time meant opportunity...
He was captured, beaten for answers and finally led away to be murdered, first, setting up the tripod to record it!
Robert was handcuffed, but he wasn’t given a prison cell or a last request. There would be no trial. This was going to proceed quickly. They rustled him out of the car, threw him down on his knees and set up a video camera on a tripod. Four of the armed men donned black masks and surrounded him, pointing their weapons at his head. Another stood in front of the camera. Then, the little man stepped forward. “I should let you go free so you can thank your president for me for all this wonderful military equipment.” He waved his arm around the yard, showing off the hardware. “M16s, Humvees, machine guns, M62 grenades, anti-tank missiles, howitzers, armored vehicles and personnel carriers. We couldn’t fight this war without his help.”
It was Russian soldiers, who were based there to fight the terrorists, that saved Garcia... As they talked, the one who spoke English, Lyosha, I believe, saw a man, much like him, who needed help... Before long, Garcia was on his way to Russia...for a Holiday! With much drinking, an invitation to dinner at Lyosha's home and a much needed break for both of them, Garcia realized that, for the first time since he'd been in the service years ago, he had found an acquaintance who was quickly becoming a friend... It was Lyosha, though, that reminded him that, at this time, they were fighting on the same side. At another time, one or the other might be trying to kill this new friend... Readers get to see a much more personal side to Garcia in this novel. He even met a young Russian woman who interested him and they began to see each other when possible...at least until his location was confirmed and he was soon sent on his next mission... Supposedly, Robert had only a certain number of missions before the CIA would allow him to leave their services, but the last one...did not sound right to Garcia. He didn't want to do it... and he argued with his handler... I think I was most intrigued by the relationships that had developed between the Russian and American. They were both quite willing to resolve issues that help fight against terrorists. But when they questioned their orders, all they had to help them know what to do was to follow the code that had been drilled into them years ago... But would that always be the choice that was made??? Garcia is guided by an inner moral code. He was taught to kill for America and then expected to go home and go on with his life... All Garcia saw here was that terrorists continued to kill, there at home. He needed to respond... But in this novel, he does have doubts--not all commands to kill were for justifiable reasons... For me, this strengthened Paladine's hero status... and I hope Eade continues this series for many more books... This book found our character in exciting situations, as well as reflective and fun activities. I found I liked this character and feel quite comfortable with his name... Paladine! I'm so glad he's on the side of...right...
You know, I've always enjoyed Eade's legal thrillers, but this series...well, it's...just...fantastic! Kudos, Kenneth Eade! GABixlerReviews
Described by critics as "one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene," author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an award-winning, best-selling Top 100 thriller author, has been described by his peers as "one of the up-and-coming legal thriller writers of this generation." He is the 2015 winner of Best Legal Thriller from Beverly Hills Book Awards and the 2016 winner of a bronze medal in the category of Fiction, Mystery and Murder from the Reader's Favorite International Book Awards. His latest novel, "Paladine" is currently a quarter-finalist in Publisher's Weekly's BookLife Prize for Fiction. Eade has authored three fiction series: The "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series", the "Involuntary Spy Espionage Series" and the "Paladine Anti-Terrorism Series." He has written fifteen novels which have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
"I've been writing all my life, but began publishing my work out of a passion for the environment. My wife, Valentina, is a professional photographer, who worked for two years on an environmental exhibition called, "Bee Cause I Care" which was exhibited by the Prince Albert II Foundation and is now touring cities in France to bring awareness to the importance of pollinators and the dangers facing them. I penned a few articles on the subject for the Los Angeles Daily Journal and turned my research into my first book, "Bless the Bees." That passion continued with the publication of my novel, "An Involuntary Spy," which is an action thriller that also points to the dangers of genetically engineered food. Then I began publishing the "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series," which, in part, is based on actual experiences during my long career in law.
"Now I divide most of my time between France, where I have resided for the better part of 10 years, and Russia. I try to put as much realism in my novels as possible, and they all revolve around important social issues. I treasure all of my readers and love to hear from them, whether it's good or bad. Sometimes I make changes based on their suggestions and one reader has inspired a character that has appeared in my latest two novels. Everyone who signs up on my mailing list at www.kennetheade.com gets a free ebook and I give away a Kindle Fire every month to a lucky winner on the list. I love this new adventure and hope you enjoy taking it with me."
