Showing posts with label cia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cia. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Bill Yarborough Presents Memories of MK-Ultra: A Journey of Discovery From Darkness to Deliverance




Memories of MK-Ultra is a novel based upon the author's actual experiences. Because of the topic, I have included 3 videos, more available, from YouTube, together with the book description from the book seller. Millions already knew about the atrocities placed upon the Jewish Population under the regime of Hitler. Even when the War was over, there was an ongoing program under governmental action stated to "study" what had occurred and what could be done to prevent such actions in the future. The study was under the auspices of the Central Intelligence Agency. World domination has been a goal of many and various countries since the beginning of time. These attempts have been initiated by men called Strongmen. Defined as a leader who rules by the exercise of threats, force, or violence. There have been attempts to overthrow countries who have achieved freedom for its people, especially. These attempts, as of now, include Ukraine, Israel, et. al.



Inspired by the Author's Actual Experiences

The mystery of what they endured as children took a lifetime to unravel.

Tommy, Beth, and Curtis Matthews are young children forced to take part in life-altering experiments in the late 1950s. They are placed in MK-ULTRA, a covert CIA mind-control program that is designed to create super soldiers or spies. The experience dramatically impacts their lives, but they don’t remember any of it—at least not right away. As Beth, Tommy, and Curtis Matthews come of age through the turbulent 60s and into the 80s, invisible strings pull them toward their preordained destinies.

Dr. Rudolph Holtzmann, the Nazi-trained psychiatrist in charge of their CIA program, harbors a secret agenda to turn Tommy into a future world leader, but Holtzmann's work is compromised by dangerous forces surrounding him and by one of his experimental subjects, a Mexican boy with shamanic gifts.

When the MK-ULTRA program is aborted, the siblings are left deeply damaged without access to the memories that can free them. It takes Curtis's psychotic breakdown and Beth's startling vision to open up the pathways to their buried past. These developments lead to the detective work of Lynn Snyder, a diligent therapist—but will it be enough to unravel the hidden tapestry of deception?

The first book of a trilogy, Memories of MK-ULTRA opens a window into the multiple dimensions of the human mind and soul and forces us to question our limitations in understanding reality itself.
~~~

Since we engage in trauma-based mind control, 
this practice fits in with our program.”

The chair sat in the center of an otherwise empty room. Behind Holtzmann stood his aide, Bauer, holding a butcher knife, poised to inflict whatever torment his master commanded. The next phase of 24’s programming would begin. Holtzmann went back and forth on whether to start it. From a family bloodlines standpoint, 24 was one of the best four-year-olds to come through the doors of the Gateway School—as the Brüderschaft made unequivocally clear. Unfortunately, the boy’s programming met with one setback after another, and any sane scientist would write him off as an unjustifiable risk. Yet Holtzmann remained hopeful. 24’s behavior was almost normal. He scared easily, especially if he glimpsed Kunz, and he developed a slight stutter. But he displayed resilience too. No matter what happened, he came back the next day replenished, as if a miracle wand whisked his traumas away. Holtzmann had decided it’d be worth it to continue the programming, having finished one key phase already. After several rounds of electroshock, he’d hypnotized 24 with the suggestion his destiny was to become president, associating it with rock ‘n’ roll music. But there must be a threat as well—the warning of a dire fate if 24 didn’t succeed. Nothing fueled ambition better. Holtzmann would associate the threat with things 24 would see in everyday life, like clocks, stoves, knifes, bathtubs, birds, fires, and so on. Holtzmann smiled. “Tommy, what do you want to become when you grow up?” 24’s eyes grew dull, his voice robot-like. “President.” “Excellent. Do you know what will happen to you if you don’t become president?” 24 shook his head. “I’ll tell you. In the future, there is a presidential election, but you’re not in it. You’ve never run for president and never will. You failed to carry out your life’s mission. You failed to defeat Communism and free Eastern Europe. As a result, someone will slice your neck open with a butcher knife.” He paused, watching 24’s eyes dilate into blue orbs, and said, “I see a knife above you now.” Bauer gripped a fistful of the boy’s yellow hair and yanked his head back, exposing his throat to the blade, which loomed like a guillotine ready to fall. 24’s eyes grew enormous, almost popping out of their sockets, as he gaped at the butcher knife glittering in the overhead light. Somewhere outside, a dog barked. The knife inched down. 24 struggled, kicking his legs and pinwheeling his arms, while his jaws worked, as if trying to scream. “There is no escape for you, Tommy. You should have done what we told you. You should have become president, freed Eastern Europe, and destroyed Communism. You should have—” 24 shrieked. Holtzmann winced. “Okay, okay. You don’t have to die, but you must make a promise.” The boy continued shrieking. “Stop and listen.” The command didn’t register. “Take the knife away,” Holtzmann demanded. Bauer moved the knife behind his back. 24 fell silent, his eyes glassy. “That’s better,” Holtzmann said. He gazed into the boy’s eyes and felt a sudden warmth for this youth who’d one day free East Germany and Eastern Europe from Communism. A sort of fatherly love crept into him . . . until he noticed something was wrong. 24 stared back with mute indifference. He’d fallen into a catatonic state. “Verdammt.” If Kunz hadn’t committed murder in front of 24, this would’ve never happened.

When you bomb the houses of bad people, you’ve done something good—in fact, you’ve done something so good you’ll make God happy.
 You want to make God happy, don’t you?”



January 1960—Magdalene County, Maryland Life was good—almost magical. At least, it felt like it to Tommy as he stood beside Dad in their backyard on a cold and clear winter day. “You put the trash in this way,” Dad said while he stuffed smelly garbage into a large, mesh-wire can. “Don’t let any of it drop to the ground.” Yesterday had been Tommy’s sixth birthday, and Dad said, “You’re old enough to help burn the trash.” Tommy was thrilled. He’d done a lot of things with Dad since they returned from Germany five months ago. “I’m delighted you’re all back,” Dad kept saying. “I felt so lonely and miserable without you.” Mom acted better too and teased with Dad in ways Tommy had never noticed before. Thankfully, Beth had recovered from the strange sickness that overcame her during their hike to the castle. The German doctor who treated Beth never came up with a diagnosis, other than to repeatedly mumble, “Sonderbar.” “We need to make room for more trash,” Dad said while shoving more garbage into the trashcan. He emptied another load of rubbish from a paper sack. Next, he would light a fire, let the trash burn for a while, then throw the ashes down a gully a few yards away. Tommy had watched Dad burn trash countless times—one of the many neat things they did in the country. The Matthews had moved into their new home in Magdalene County last year. A small, white clapboard house, it stood amid a cluster of trees on Rural Route 49, which stretched over one of the many hills lining the Magdalene River. The house didn’t overlook the river though. It was too far down the road to have a view. The big houses where the rich people lived on Jackson Road held the magnificent views. But a brief walk down from their house led to the sandy beaches by the saltwater river, which emptied into the Chesapeake Bay. Jackson Road ran alongside the river, and, if you turned left, you’d soon arrive at Magdalene Junior College, where Dad worked as the librarian. A forest ran up to the Matthews’ backyard, and their dogs loved to roam through it. They’d arrived there with only one dog, Constantine, but it didn’t take long to pick up two other strays, which they named after much talk Pentonia and Fluffy.


Tommy discovered the fun of country living after returning from Germany, which for reasons that now puzzled him he didn’t remember doing when they first moved here. He and Curtis now played make-believe games in the forest, swam in the Magdalene River, and raced their bikes up and down Route 49. They enjoyed other delights too. Beth told endless ghost stories, showing off her drawings of the scariest scenes, often bragging she could see ghosts. But neither Tommy nor Curtis believed her. “Stay clear,” Dad said, “so I can light the fire.” “Can I do it?” Tommy asked. “No, it’s too windy.” “Please, I’ll be careful.” “Oh, all right. Here’s the matchbox.” Tommy took the matches. In his mind’s eye, he transformed the garbage-stuffed trashcan into a grand city. He lit the first match, imagining it was a firebomb, and dropped it on top of a squashed cereal box, pretending it was a magnificent church. He stared, spellbound, while the flames spread. Lighting another match, he tossed it on a crumpled newspaper, fancying it was an elementary school. He smiled, feeling a warm glow in his chest. He hated kindergarten and feared first grade would be worse. Yes, this beat destroying toy cities. He and Curtis continued the bombing games they’d begun in Germany and built cities to destroy almost daily. Their pastime bothered Beth. “The excitement you have bombing cities is sick,” she said. But her comments didn’t stop them. “Frank,” Mom shouted from the back porch, “Greg Weaver’s on the phone.” “Tell him I’m coming,” Dad said then faced Tommy. “Watch the fire. Make sure the sparks don’t fly into the trees, and come and get me if they do.” “Okay, Dad, I’ll be real careful.” “Good, I’ll be back soon.” He marched off. Tommy didn’t think he’d be back soon, since Dad and his best buddy, Mr. Weaver, could talk for hours. Tommy liked his wife, Mrs. Weaver, who babysat Beth, Curtis, and him whenever Mom and Dad did grown-up stuff. He returned his gaze toward the trashcan as it burst into flames, the flickering fire matching his blazing excitement within. While the smoke blew against his face, he stood in a trance until the last flames flickered out. He didn’t plan to tell anyone about his new game. It was a secret thing. 

Crenshaw held up his classified paper. “American psychiatrists report outstanding success in using electroshock on schizophrenic patients to erase pathological thinking patterns, so they can replace them with rational thoughts. We’re using electroshock similarly. Erase the memories and beliefs we don’t want and replace them with those we do.” Crenshaw tossed the classified paper down. “But there’s no need to stop there. Assaulting the brain with psychoactive drugs, psychological trauma, isolation, and the like can also put the mind into a suggestible state. The mind may even fracture into pieces, giving us the chance to create sub-personalities.” Crenshaw grinned. “We can then plant secret missions in the sub-personalities unknown to the primary personality. Such tactics will ensure our spies, saboteurs, and assassins are unaware of the clandestine assignments we give them, so they’ll have nothing to divulge during interrogations.” Holtzmann took in a slow breath. “So how do I fit in?” Crenshaw lowered his voice. “We’ve experimented predominately with adults, but we want to expand our experiments with children beyond those in mental hospitals, juvenile halls, and with disadvantaged backgrounds. It’s vital we create super soldiers and spies for the future. Given your experience with the Hitler Youth, we think you’d be ideal to lead this effort.” “You have my interest,” Holtzmann said. “How will you structure this effort?” “We’ve created a private entity called the Gateway School. We’ll funnel funds to it through a bogus foundation and various front groups that we’ll camouflage in our records.” Crenshaw leaned forward. “We have four conditions if you accept our offer. First, since you’re currently juggling a professorship at the University of Leipzig with a private psychiatric practice in Germany, we want you to juggle your work for the CIA with a psychiatric practice here. If people ask you what you do, you can honestly say you’re a practicing psychiatrist, and any investigations would bear that out.” “And your other conditions?” “You’ll report to me. We’ll provide your test subjects and staffing, and you’ll implement the experiments we want. We will borrow many from promising MK-ULTRA subprojects involving adults. Any other questions?” “One. With America’s undisputed military might, wouldn’t the Gateway School become dispensable at the first hiccup?” Crenshaw sucked in his cheeks then exhaled. “Not a chance. In the early days of World War II, a lot of us in the military and intelligence community feared Germany and Japan would clobber us. Our military was weak. Nothing we did in the early going worked. And you could see defeat growing in our soldiers’ eyes.” Crenshaw shook his head. “It scared us shitless. If we’d lost, fascism would’ve engulfed the planet and destroyed our country. We vowed never to fall behind again. Given the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Soviet Russia, no one can win a nuclear exchange. But one side can win a psychological contest. We’re convinced that’s how the Cold War will be decided, and the Russians and Chinese are ahead. If it means using unsavory methods to catch up, so be it. Our nation’s survival depends on it.” Holtzmann accepted Crenshaw’s offer to lead the Gateway School as the Brüderschaft instructed him. But Holtzmann believed Americans had a tendency to go overboard with the latest rage, be it teenagers listening to appalling music or the CIA trying to outwit the communists. Now, eighteen months after their initial meeting, Holtzmann considered Crenshaw’s technique of unrelenting shocks to the brain via electroshock, drugs, isolation, and other methods to be cruel and useless, no more than a zombie-producing machine. Holtzmann proposed his own approach, based on an ageless knowledge he perfected during his years with the Hitler Youth, and luckily Crenshaw agreed. Holtzmann planned to use one on subject 24 as soon as Reba Baldwin arrived. But today he was obliged to stick with a milder version of Crenshaw’s technique. Helmut Bauer, Holtzmann’s heavyset aide, was fetching subject 25, the Matthews toddler, and Holtzmann would try to transform him into a fighting machine. After two days of electroshock and sleep deprivation—as opposed to weeks as Crenshaw prescribed—the boy’s brain should be susceptible to mold. Holtzmann planned to hypnotize 25 with the suggestion he was a born soldier then reinforce it with tape-recorded messages. He wanted to maintain the illusion he was dedicated to developing super soldiers and spies. After a sudden knock, his study door swung open, and Bauer stepped in with 25. Holtzmann rose from his desk and stepped toward the boy. What a waste.

Two weeks later, Mom peered through the front picture window on a snowy January morning. “It looks like a winter wonderland out there,” she said. Tommy, Beth, and Curtis stood beside her in the living room of their country house, decked out with the same green sofa, two blue chairs, and the great cuckoo clock from their old house in Arlington Park. “I wanna play in the snow,” Curtis hollered as he bounced about on the wooden floor, rattling a china bowl on the coffee table. Mom turned from the window. “Settle down, Curtis. Don’t you want to listen to another record from our new collection? We’ll go out when it’s warmer.” Mom and Dad had ordered an album set called The Wonders of Music. When it arrived yesterday, Mom played the children’s songs, patriotic tunes, and American folksongs. Tommy liked them all. “I wanna play another record.” “Yeah, me too,” Beth said. Curtis shrugged, apparently not too bothered the music won out over the snow. Mom thumbed through the album jackets, each covered with happy, singing faces. “So, which one?” She paused. “How about Beer Barrel Polka?” “What kinda music is that?” Tommy asked. “You’ll see.” She slid the glossy record out of its jacket and placed it on their blue and white portable record player. Suddenly, a bouncy melody blared out. Nobody danced at first, then suddenly they started at the exact same time. With complete abandonment, the three kids lunged into a wild dance, shaking the hardwood floor. They swirled about, leapt in the air, and wobbled heads and arms, like rag dolls shaken silly by a child. They burst into giggles while their faces turned goofy. Mom’s mouth dropped. If it’d just been Curtis, she probably wouldn’t have reacted—he had a habit of losing himself in physical exhilaration—but Tommy and Beth didn’t go nuts at the flip of a switch. Without thinking, Tommy twirled and twisted his body while shaking his head, arms, and legs—as if under a spell. He didn’t stop, couldn’t stop, until the song ended. Then he collapsed, panting, on the floor. So did Beth and Curtis. “What brought that on?” Mom asked. “I wanna hear the next one,” Tommy said. “Yeah, yeah. Another one,” Curtis shouted. The following song started, and they jumped to their feet again and frolicked while the knickknacks on the metal bookcase clanged about, as if in the midst of an earthquake. Mom leaned back and watched them lose themselves in the lively music. They carried on for three more songs before they tumbled, exhausted, to the floor. Though struggling to catch his breath, Tommy never felt so alive. It reminded him of those times when he ran through the forest without worrying about today or tomorrow, feeling a part of everything. After a while, they went out in the snow and had a fine time building a snowman family, decorating them with clothes from the front hall closet, a gray coat for the dad, a plaid scarf for the mom, and red mittens for the kids. Mom took a picture as they stood before their grand creation. Although their high spirits had faded, a pleasant feeling lingered in Tommy’s chest, and when they came inside, he didn’t want to play bombing games or burn the trash. Mom asked him once more why they’d broken into the wild dancing, but he couldn’t think of an answer. She smiled. "Maybe it’s in your German blood."




It is hard for me and, I am sure, many others, to learn for the first time that, during my lifetime, the government was involved in research activity in which children were the participants. Sure, by now, I had learned that research had been done on adult soldiers--and that was bad enough! Reading this book may give many of you information that, in many ways, you would prefer never to have known. Even as I finished the book, I didn't want to write about it until after the celebration of Christmas, in all of its many different forms, in addition to spotlighting the birth of Jesus Christ...

Simply because the use of religion has been used in many ways to induce fear, often leading to violence...

Still, now in, what will soon be 2025, it is hard to accept exactly what is being done here in America and across the world... Why do these things happen over and over and over? In my opinion, these types of things occur under the guise that it is for the good of the country (or, as one quote above stated, "for God." As information is being distributed and available more than ever before, we learn just how much we have strayed from God's guidance to Love Our Neighbor...To Speak Truth.

Indeed, as we examine all history, we soon conclude that religion has been a major, if not the only reason, to which we can attribute what is done when man turns against...man... As I read this book, I was often reminded of what has happened in America, outwardly, from about 2015. I'll be sharing my correlations as I write...

And so it was that, a Nazi-trained psychiatrist was put in charge of the research project initiated through the CIA. As we read, we learn that he, himself, has specific goals that are beyond those within the project he was heading... But we also learn that others have concurrent activities with these same research subjects, are led by others... which could affect, if not damage the results of the project initially planned... But what does that mean? 

Yarborough uses one family as the central point of this novel. That family has three children of different ages and the parents have allowed their children to attend a special school--Gateway School. One of the leaders involved explained it this way: “We’ve guaranteed the Gateway School will create fantastic futures for their kids and offered them a nice sum of money. They gulped it all down.” 

The children were assigned numbers and for many were known only by that number. A chapter begins entitled Tommy's (24) Introduction - Are You Sure What's Real? Indeed that is the singular reflection of what you will be reading... How will Tommy know what is real? In relation to today? Half of America knows for a fact that not all Americans are getting the same information. This is being done through various means, including news agencies. Is it not a fact, then, that the brain manipulation that was done through the Gateway School, was that they used drugs and music, for instance, to affect the minds of each child... and was not openly known to the recipients--some not even old enough to comprehend what was happening! A much more heinous activity... One interaction is shared of a child (24) after he had gone back to his home:
The next day, during lunch, Sheri walked up to Tommy in the cafeteria and handed him his engraved ring. He started. “Why are you giving me this?” “Nita wants to break up with you.” “How come?” Sheri avoided his gaze. “Nita says you never kissed her and figures you don’t care for her much.” He flinched, as if she called him a nasty name. “Okay,” he said then stalked off, experiencing a mixture of rejection, embarrassment, and shame that Sheri—and probably everyone else at school—knew of his failure. That night, wallowing in humiliation, he thrashed around in his bed, pretending to be in the mouth of a monstrous creature. He still engaged in the destructive imaginary games he started in Maryland. Now, while he stroked himself, he imagined the creature’s massive jaws chomping down. He kept it up longer than normal until a substance shot out of his penis. At first, it felt good. Then creepy. Did he do something wrong? Confused, he suspected it dealt with sex. He scrambled out of bed to fetch the book Mom once bought him, entitled What Every Boy and Girl Should Know. He turned on the light, found it on a shelf, and settled on the floor, skimming uncomfortably through its illustrated pages—he never dared read it before. After a few pages, he learned he masturbated, except boys usually did so when fantasizing about girls. He held the book to his chest and pondered his sexuality. He wasn’t normal. Randy and Paul constantly talked about girls and couldn’t wait to get the latest Playboy, so they could gawk at the naked women with their big breasts and shapely behinds then hand the magazine to Tommy, oozing, “Look at her boobs, man.” Although he faked delight, the pictures repulsed him, and he barely glanced at them. Did he like boys rather than girls? He didn’t believe so. The dread created by those pictures matched the dread he experienced in the boy’s locker room, where he hated undressing around other boys. He’d wrap a towel around his waist whenever he left the shower, hurrying to a corner to dress, averting his eyes to avoid glimpsing another boy’s nakedness. No, his sexual yearnings were linked only to his bizarre and persistent fantasies. Where did they come from? He recalled his strange craving began when he watched the Dobie Gillis episode about cannibals in Maryland. He tossed the book aside, wishing he’d never watched that silly TV show.

 It was only later that the project leader learned that some of the children were being used for sex. Various references were made that some of the subjects were later moved into trafficking activities. Some died...

Imagine if you will that one researcher is brainwashing a child about politics related to multiple issues. He or she plays games where a child "wins" the game if they succeed in blowing up a town or a school.  Imagine, also, that some subjects will be taught to associate their favorite songs with sexual activities... Note that I am being purposely vague because the book goes into detail, while I don't want to give too much away. Certainly it is, or should be enough, to say that multiple directions from multiple people related to very personal issues will lead to a child's attitudes and beliefs later in life. One direction in particular was something that was to be done many years in the future by one specific boy, with all of his training being geared toward that final act. 24 was being groomed to become president of the United States...

I cannot help but point out that for many, what the former president and new president has been doing for years is using language cues that have been proven to become acts by his followers (MAGA). Indeed, many of those in prison for their acts during January 6th stated clearly that they believe they were acting on direction of the president. Is that any different than what was done to the children? To a great extent, yes. it is different. Only by the fact that the children were being controlled through various methods--hypnotism, drugs--while MAGA chose MAGA, even if some didn't realize that they were being lied to. Indeed, one of the factual legal actions that proved lies were occurring by Fox TV was that they were sued and granted payment of a multi-million dollar penalty for libel.

As I read, I wondered whether this as a non-fiction book might have been less explosive, but also informative. Yet, I know from my own reading of thousands of books that writing as fiction allows readers to get involved with the characters. Because of this, I believe that this novel, although extremely difficult to read, was the best choice. I recommend it highly for a variety of reasons. But, mainly, because we must prepare ourselves for now and the future when this type of activity could very well be done again. The incoming president has already stated that he will seek retribution for what he claims was done to him without reason... In the book, 24 did not become president. To me that means that there remained to many of those children, some semblance of reasoning of facts. But how many were significantly changed by such manipulation and brain control?

I cannot help but think about my own personal opinion of Pro Life versus Pro Choice... You see, when somebody forces sex on a child, teen, or a woman of any age, it is a violation that our minds cannot accept. I know, it happened to me, and I was affected for the rest of my life. It seems to me that those who want to force a child into a situation where it is not wanted will mostly fail. Mk-Ultra took child abuse to its greatest and worst type of control--mind control... Sex was used, drugs were used. God was used for purposes that were/are unbelievable. We know what happens thereafter from the government's standpoint... Examples recently include, that children were separated from their parents, sexual abuse occurred, children all over the world are being trafficking and being forced into sex of all kinds... A child is never prepared for sex, yet it goes on... During the last year, at least one child was identified in the news who was raped and had to be taken to another state to have a safe abortion done. MAGA stated that those children should have been carried to term, no matter whether it was from incest or not. This issue alone has caused a major division within the country. Imagine what could happen if those in power choose to deal with children even more than they already have been...

We CANNOT afford to go backwards! Sexual exploitations is, in my opinion, much worse than an abortion in early stages which is possible if the law is not part of the equation, but rather a medical decision.

This book is well written. It is presented as a story--a fictional story, yes, but one that could be written about any of the women during the past years that have been sexually assaulted in one way or another and be raped by those who choose drugs for the purpose of making the woman forget, often not totally... or payment for underage sex... Some victims never get over it. Some who commit this act are never held accountable! It is a losing battle, it seems...

What I know is that the government should never be involved! Unless for legal actions for accountability... 

This book is the first in a trilogy. (BTW I didn't use the entire music playlist for the book...)_ I hope those in government and those who were outside government paying for the research will be held accountable... The use of children for any purpose is wrong. Love is the only action that should be tolerated by this world...and surely is what God expects!

GABixlerReviews



Monday, October 30, 2023

The Blazer of St. Clair by W. Jack Savage - Extraordinary Tale of Childhood Friendship Which Finishes in Military Thriller!

 



It all started in the 70s when a young boy at the St. Clair movie theatre got a job as usher... He was a movie fanatic and figured it made sense for him to try for a job as well. A fun part of how two other students got involved was, quite typical, Terry, who had the job first, had decided to wear a new Blazer and, immediately, the girls were talking to him, sticking around after the movie--you know the game, right? Terry now had a problem, he'd like to date a couple of the girls, but was working every night. So, he talked his two friends into taking turns for evening shows.

Now the manager knew he had a good thing with a nice-looking young man escorting his paying customers to their seats, so he agreed, as long as the other two boys would also wear a Blazer, he approved it. A tight friendship developed with Terry, Ron, and Brett and they would attend movies often and then go out and dissect the plots, remembering specific details to explore and just enjoying good friends with similar interests getting together. They even called themselves "The Fellowship of the Blazer of St. Clair" because initially they were all using the one available Blazer...

It was 1973, and the film, The Day of the Jackal, was showing in St. Paul, Minnesota... Perhaps it was the intrigue of that movie, or, perhaps, as is often the case, life decisions made by the three friends affected how they moved forward as the Fellowship was separated by school choices and career decisions... The thing is, though, these three boys, even as they grew older, considered their friendship a life-long commitment. They knew that no matter what happened, they would always be able to come back into that Fellowship of the Blazer... 

It was the time for the James Bond movies to erupt onto a hungry audience loving the concept that would continue for over a decade after those first movies... Is it any wonder that each of those boys would be greatly affected by those movies, featuring a cool hero and lots of girls! 

Brett, who came from a wealthy family had decided to change his name before he even entered his career, changing his name to Robert thereafter, who became a diplomat traveling overseas spending time moving from place to place as assigned and needed. Terry, also, had a need for that adventure that had captured all three, but he was to make it a career full of dangerous information dealing that kept him traveling the world. Ron, on the other hand, had been the poorest of the three and when his father had died, Ron decided to make his home with his mother for the foreseeable future... Even there, through no initiation of his own, he soon became involved in money laundering! Each man, however, would take time to come back home, finding Ron there to go out for dinner, drinks, and talk about real-life adventures as only they could...

Terry lives in a world of shadows and shadowy people. They deal in arms, services and anything that is cheaper to pay for than to risk life and limb doing by themselves. People who know these people know that they provide similar services for governments and departments within governments. To that extent it is a cooperative effort with all parties agreeing to look the other way while services are provided for others. But governments, in particular, are understandably queasy about dealing with these people directly and so they go through people like Terry, who doesn't actually provide the service but know all the people who do. Overseas, they usually use one of their agents (likely disguised as something else) to contact these shadowy go-betweens when services are necessary. Everyone knows how it works and most of the people who are in the food chain. But if one government wanted to make it appear they were dealing with one of these go-betweens and using a new one in the process, then their regular supplier might be drawn out into looking for and eliminating this unwanted squatting with their clients. 

He liked coffee shops for eating out or chain restaurants and when alone, only ate in the bar. He owned and used RVs but not trailers or in trailer home complexes. For the most part, he seemed asexual but was known to have sex with both men and women. He didn’t have a pet but some accounts had him attending both dog and cat shows. Or was it auto and boat shows? Nobody really knew for sure and that’s the way Terry planned it and managed it. One thing was sure, he wasn’t afraid planting the idea that he liked crowds, which gave his pursuers the idea that perhaps he liked venues where he could watch them. So, they began watching the watchers: stadium security with video surveillance. And it was at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego where his pursuers thought they might have guessed right. A Security Supervisor called in sick one Sunday and was replaced by someone nobody in the company had ever seen, let alone worked with. Since the company was known to promote from within and never before a reasonable apprenticeship of a year or more, his presence was conspicuous: but not for long. They found him in the very narrow walkway to the video monitors next to the broadcast booth. With nothing to suggest otherwise, it was thought he might have had a heart attack. His death was a mystery for a day or so until they found the puncture wound just behind his right ear.

~~~

If you've read Savage before, you'll know that he is a wonderful storyteller who pulls readers into the lives of each character... we watch as internal thinking and decisions are made by each of those boys as they matured and needed to choose careers that would respond to their own personal goals. What we are seeing in today's world spotlights just how dangerous and violent it can be in dealing with those individuals who trade in secrets, needed materials for their own endeavors, and, ultimately, purely for the power and money that can be made... 

Savage has used his experience in broadcasting, as an artist and educator to create a story that easily could be made into a movie--one which is both exciting and thrilling, but, in the end, perhaps, just too much of giving up their own lives? Still, we all love them, the action, the mystery, suspense, finding the truth, finding the bad guys--or seeing if there are any left in the world! I loved the book, If you can remember back to the early Bond movies and other new genre-piercing stories and enjoyed them... Pick up this novel and have a great flashback of who's doing what to whom and will the good guy win?!

As surely as James Bond, as 007, always did! By the way, I loved the first Bond--James Bond--Sean Connery, who became my all-time favorite, but I also loved the gadgets that were developed for this new modern-day military hero! You?



GABixlerReviews

*Note that Jack creates covers for all his books!


Friday, January 20, 2017

Intriguing Paladine Russian Holiday by Kenneth Eade Continues Sensational Series!

“Victory is no longer a truth. 
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...

See my Review of series debut
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."

Email: info@kennetheade.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennethGEadeBestsellingauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KennethEade1

Monday, June 27, 2016

What A Roller Coaster Ride Brought by Lauren Carr in Her Best of the Best - Candidate for Murder!













What a Ride!
You know how it is...you start out calmly, but excited...then you move into exhilaration, screaming, laughing... then another calm spot comes and you're sitting there waiting for the next jolt of adrenaline...
With an ending that takes you down that longest, scariest drop!



"So what's happening, Chief?" Glancing around the outdoor cafe, which was nearly empty due to the lull between the breakfast crowd and the lunch crowd, Bernie asked in a low voice, "Have you got someone under surveillance?"
"No," David replied. "Gnarly and I were just going back to the police station after taking care of some business at the board of elections." Watching how Bernie and Hap were petting Gnarly, who was inching closer and closer to their food, he said with a sly grin, "Gnarly's running for mayor."
Bernie and Hap's eyes grew wide. Both of their jaws dropped open.
"Really?" Bernie asked.
"It's official." David nodded his head. "He's running as an independent."
"Well, I'll be." Wagging a finger across the table at David, Bernie said, "You know, I think Gnarly would make a fine mayor--especially compared to those two knuckleheads already running. For one, Gnarly's honest--"
Lauren and Gnarly
Interview with Mayoral
Candidate Gnarly
https://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com
/2016/04/01/interview-with
-mayoral-candidate-gnarly-faraday
-and-a-giveaway/
Seeing an opening, Gnarly snatched Bernie's egg sandwich from the table and wolfed it down.
Suppressing his laughter, David agreed with a nod of his head.
"Hap and I would love to help. Who've you got running his campaign?"
"Running his campaign?" David asked.
"You have to have a campaign manager," Bernie said.
Hap was nodding his head vigorously.
"Butit's only a small-town race," David said.
"Does Snarly have a website?" Bernie asked. "Is he on Facebook and Twitter?"
"Twitter?"  
Bernie jumped up in his seat. "Gnarly's not on Twitter! How do you expect for him o win if he's not on Twitter? Tell me that he's at least on Instagram!"

~~~

Set in Beautiful Spencer, Maryland
Deep Creek Lake


Candidate for Murder
A Mac Faraday Mystery

By Lauren Carr

OMG! Carr is over the top and giving us an easy "10"  with her latest, Candidate for Murder! Of course I've always loved Gnarly, but not only do we learn what really happened when he was in the military, but we see him in full action based upon his training! Loved it!

But that was just the highlight of a book full of adventures with multiple Faraday or Thornton family members involved! Like the roller coast, we are just getting involved with one case, and heading toward a lead in the case, when Carr grabs us and moves over into another entirely different case with different players acting as primary investigators! The book is complex but Carr's weaving from one to another scene is amazingly simple even when she leaves us frustrated, wanting to know what is coming next on one case, while we move on to learn the status of still another one! The highs and lows are tantalizing as readers wonder what will be coming next...


Because, really, it all started when David nominated Gnarly for Mayor. We all know what it means when we are not happy with the candidates for a specific office--even the presidency! But this position was mayor of only a small town, but one that could lead to trouble between the year-round residents and the visitors to lovely Deep Creek, during the warmer months... who had built beautiful homes, by the rich, who felt they deserved special considerations... For instance, would you believe they wanted to restrict residents from hanging their clothes outside to dry in fresh air...so they wouldn't have to "see" them in nearby neighbor's yards! Talk about snobs...LOL,,,

But when it came right down to it, when the two candidates started after Gnarly's background, it was quite natural to have others investigate those candidates' backgrounds! And what was learned led to the first murder of one of the candidates! What you get to see is the true underbelly of politics at work! And it ain't pretty...

With 453 magnificent pages of mini-plots, this book must be read to believe! Here's what we're dealing with...

Cold Case - Who killed Gnarly's handler when he was a military officer...

Cold Case - Who killed an investigative reporter who had started to investigate a local charitable group... Which leads me to note that Police Chief David O'Callaghan has a new lover...and she, too, is an investigative journalist who, with Archie jumped on this mystery....

Then there's the murder of one of the mayor candidates...which leads to possible earlier deaths???

Have to say there's a lot of collateral deaths as all of these investigations cause reactions by those who have been criminally involved in activities...stirred up by Gnarly's run for mayor...

And there's even some second guessing on earlier investigations which results in real situations being uncovered!

Carr even gets the CIA involved in invading the home of a Phantom (do you know who that is from previous books?) with only a computerized Butler and Gnarly to save the day! Wow!

Don't just sit there thinking that this might be the book to try for Lauren Carr! I'm telling you right now it's a must-read for daring, adventure, crime-busting, high-level government criminal elimination...and so many canine characters that I stopped counting! Best of all, you'll see a family so involved with their canine friends that when danger comes along, including a mountain lion who attacks one and who doesn't win against Gnarly....everyone stops and treats it as though a family member is hurt...because all those dogs are family!


I loved it and quickly added it as a Personal Favorite for 2016.


GABixlerReviews


Blog Tour for Candidate for Murder Now Happening.


An image posted by the author.An Amazon All-Star Author, Lauren Carr writes mysteries that have made Amazon's best-selling ranks internationally. 

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries. The twelfth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series, Candidate for Murder was released on June 20, 2016.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV. 

Order! Order!
Numerous readers have asked the order of Lauren Carr's titles. All of Lauren Carr's books are stand alone. However for those readers who want to start at the beginning, here is the list of Lauren Carr's mysteries in order. The number next to the book title is the actual order in which the book was released.

Joshua Thornton Mysteries:
Fans of the Lovers in Crime Mysteries may wish to read these two books which feature Joshua Thornton years before meeting Detective Cameron Gates. Also in these mysteries, readers will meet Joshua Thornton's five children before they have flown the nest.
1) A Small Case of Murder
2) A Reunion to Die For

Mac Faraday Mysteries:
3) It's Murder, My Son
4) Old Loves Die Hard
5) Shades of Murder (introduces the Lovers in Crime: Joshua Thornton & Cameron Gates)
7) Blast from the Past
8) The Murders at Astaire Castle
9) The Lady Who Cried Murder (The Lovers in Crime make a guest appearance in this Mac Faraday Mystery)
10) Twelve to Murder
12) A Wedding and a Killing 
13) Three Days to Forever 
15) Open Season for Murder 
16) Cancelled Vows

Lovers in Crime Mysteries
6) Dead on Ice
11) Real Murder
17) Killer in the Band (May 2016)

The Thorny Rose Mysteries
14) Kill and Run 
18) A Fine Year for Murder (September 2016)