Triology So Powerful Read in Two Days - Skipping Book 2, My Favorite for Next by Linda Prather!

 

“We need to talk to a child psychologist before we do the interviews. Someone who can give us some insight into the problems teenagers face today, and what would push them over the limit of what they can take.” 

I rose, grabbed the notepads and headed for the door. “Bring the paperwork. We’ll pick up Greg and see if we can find a psychologist willing to talk to us.” 

“On it, boss.” 

Heat rose from my neck into my face. “Stop it.” 

Dave slipped his arm through mine and hummed the "Wedding March" as he pulled me down the hallway. “It’s just a matter of time.” 

“Yep. When hell freezes over.” 

~ ~ ~

Linda Prather ends her last book in the Death Trilogy that is so unbelievable, it stuns you... Even in the beginning as I started reading, I knew something was different. It was tense, provocative, and so deeply complex that each word must be slowly read and absorbed, understood--sometimes I even had to stop and go back and read what exactly was happening. This book is awesome! Unforgettable!

And not in any way, able to be reviewed without providing too much of the plot. It is a Must Read, like no other, especially if you are a parent. I am in awe of Prather's skill and obvious research needed to create such a much-needed book, albeit, 
fiction. Only one other book, Seduced: The Grooming of America's Teenagers, has made such a long-lasting impression on me. The topic could only be relieved by the humorous dialogue that, having read the first two books in the series, we have come to enjoy. The characters have already been finely drawn. But in this book, the potential power of the ultimate goal of the crime is breathtaking... 

“I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”  Dave guffawed, started the car and pulled away from the station, humming a love song.  I gritted my teeth to keep from sticking my foot in my mouth with a comment that would only escalate his brutal teasing. It’s my own fault. I’m the one that said we were friends with benefits.

And, don't pay attention to Dave's teasing, there is no wedding in this last book! But...lots of Lillipop

“That all?” Dave threw his hands up in the air. “You jumped my ass like I’d eaten your last dog biscuit.”  “First of all, I did not jump your ass. Put your hands back on the wheel.” I glanced in the rearview mirror and Greg smiled. “If Greg were a lollipop, little miss cheerleader would still be licking.”  

The car swerved, and Dave headed for a driveway, whipped in and stopped. His face flushing a deep red as he gasped for air. “Dave, are you okay? What’s wrong?”  He beat his hands against the wheel and gasped. “You… got… to… warn…a… guy… before… you… say… something… like… that.” He opened his door and scooted out, tears rolling down his face as he bent over from the waist. “Lollipop.” A deep shuddering howl rumbled up from his stomach as he slapped his knees. “Licking.”  

“Shit.” I crossed my arms and huddled in the seat. “I thought the bastard was having a heart attack.”

~~~

I can only finish by adding hash tags:

#Awesome #Teenagers #computer gaming #mind control #parental responsibility #parental abuse #outstanding plot #Unforgettable #Hacking #Voice Control #child psychology

A. J. Tata Rips From the News What Could Happen Soon! Dark Winter Now Out!

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

Patricia Gitt's ASAP Takes Us in Computer Theft and Black Marketing!

She had particularly loved visiting the Temple of A-Ma.   It was set on a small rise facing the inner harbor.   The Temple’s charming tale had captured her imagination.   It told of a poor young girl who had been seeking passage on a boat only to be turned down, until a small fishing boat took her aboard.   A storm blew up while they were at sea, destroying all the other boats save the one she was on.   Returning to shore, the girl revealed herself as the sea goddess A-Ma, and the fisherman was said to repay her by building a temple in her honor.   When she had asked Binh if he believed the tale, he said the Temple was 600 years old and predated the time of the supposed story.
                      Suzanne laughed but enjoyed the colorful little temple all the more.   This private tour was the first enjoyable time she'd had since this venture had begun.   Could it have only been five weeks since that first call from Smitty?   With each site Binh took her to, she relaxed a little more.   Things would work out.   Thank God Brad was in charge.   When she returned home, straightening out her husband would be her first priority.   If he was low enough to steal from the kids, what else had he been up to?
                       The car was now driving through an older section of the city, with narrow streets and three and four-story buildings located near the center of the island.   Binh told her they were going to stop near the Citadel of Sao Paulo do Monte, that there was a little factory shop selling Armani t- shirts and Louis Vuitton handbags at a discount.   Everyone knew that Asia had become the manufacturing center of the world.   She wondered if this outlet sold legitimate designer goods, or knockoffs?                      
Suddenly the front windshield next to Binh exploded in spider’s web of cracked glass.   Stunned, Suzanne sat frozen in her seat.   Binh’s scream pierced her brain. "Get down.   Don't get up until I tell you."
                         Throwing herself to the floor she banged her head on the console as the car hit a pothole.   She could feel her blood chill as Binh jerked the car into reverse and sped backward in the direction they had just come from.   Suzanne thought her heart would stop as the sound of rapidly firing guns pursued their high speed escape...
~~~  

ASAP--
 As Soon As Possible

By Patricia E. Gitt

This novel reminded me a little of the Women's Murder Club Series, except there was no murder...LOL The reason was because there are three female friends who are extremely close and involved in each other's lives, so that when one has a problem, they all get involved...

ASAP is more business-oriented, focusing on three dynamic, successful women, who have each made it--an author, a designer and the main character in this book,  an expert and owner of a computer-design company. The primary emphasis was on the effect of her professional role on Suzanne Moss's personal life. For me, this was an issue about which I had to think, "been there" and had discussed it with other women and in professional associations, for decades. However, for women who are just entering the business world, it can be a startling picture of the reality!

“Mrs. Moss, this isn't a social call.   What I have to tell you has to be said in person.   What I can tell you is that your company has a leak.   An expensive one."
 “Leaks are always problematic, especially in the technology industry,” Suzanne said, playing for time.   “But I’m not the one you should be meeting with.   You want to see my partner, Bradley Stanton.”
 “First, I must see you.   The sooner we meet the sooner you can protect your company from a major theft.”
Suzanne liked Debbie and if she had given this stranger her private number then she should hear what he had to say.   Glancing at her schedule she sighed.   "Look, this is Thursday.   The best I can do is next Monday morning."
 "It can’t wait.   I can be at your office in five minutes."
"How about fifteen, but not in my office?   There's a coffee shop on the corner of 59th and 2nd Avenue.   It's off the beaten path so no one should recognize us.”   She’d be damned if she was going to meet a stranger in her office at this hour without even an assistant nearby.   “How will I recognize you?"
"I'll find you." Suzanne heard a soft chuckle.   "You find this humorous?"
"No Ma'am.   But you are rather famous in some circles."
The connection was cut leaving her to wonder just what circles this man traveled in.   Picking up her monthly diary, she jotted down the place and time of the early morning meeting.   For all of her expertise in computers, hand writing her appointments was one way she slowed down her fast paced life.   Everything seemed to be needed as soon as possible.   Asap was her life.
~~~ 

Let me just say that the story rings absolutely for what happens to Suzanne's life, so if that is a subject that concerns you, this may be a must-read for you.

I'm going to look instead at the very real issue that Suzanne faced professionally! She and her best friend, Brad had co-founded a company that quickly became successful. That was based not only on the product, but also on the individual talents of both Brad and Suzanne.

Suzanne handled almost all of the administrative duties. As those of us who have worked in that area, the time involved is rarely understood by those not having to perform the activities! Thus, she was working more and more overtime and her husband was getting more and more aggressive in his criticism of time away from home and the kids...

As well as the time spent by Brad...who handled the PR, marketing and other technical issues... Two different uses of time--no matter what, Suzanne would always be much more inundated, time-wise...

This company has an important goal of working to provide home-health care equipment, especially for those who are on continuous medication, such as for diabetes. Then, a brilliant young student had been discovered that could potentially upgrade/enhance this activity to a level that would be worth billions if successful.

But Suzanne was contacted by a man, who she felt she could trust, and told that her company was on a list that was "out" for those items that were to be acquired for sale on the black market! Brad had normally taken care of security issues and Suzanne realized that she had not really taken the issue as importantly as it should have been. Now, it was too late, the company had apparently already been hacked and important documentation stolen.

For the first time, Suzanne realized that she shouldn't, couldn't trust anybody!

She did have to trust Brad, though, because he was the only one that could help improve the situation. What she discovered, however, was that there was much in Brad's background that she was not aware of. And what might happen could be not only dangerous, but could cost them their company, if not their lives!

And those involved in this plan wanted her involved... She had to secretly travel to Macau without letting anybody, including her family, know where she was... Only to be caught in the middle of gunfire on the main streets there! Did they bring her here to kill? To ransom for the prototypes?

The womens' issues of being in business are important for those working, especially in male-dominated fields. I especially enjoyed the chase, the mystery of who could have betrayed their company and the reality of who did! Nothing that was unpredictable here...but still a good solid story that is worth your consideration! Check it out!


GABixlerReviews

Having built a successful career as an executive in public relations, I've met and worked with many outstanding business leaders. Fascinated by power - those who amass it and those who are exiled from it - I create fictional worlds in which smart women balance high-powered careers with their private lives.

My debut novel, "CEO", is the fast-paced tale of corporate intrigue. Can CEO, Melissa Lynn Horn, save United Chemicals Corporation from extinction? Follow one savvy woman as she faces down an enemy bent on destroying the company, while navigating the all male corporate culture. In the end, does being a woman empower the CEO, or does being CEO transform the woman?

"asap --as soon as possible--", is my latest novel. It is the tale of business founder, Suzanne Moss, who is suddenly thrust into warp speed upon learning of a potential theft of her company's innovative technology. Meanwhile her overly scheduled life as wife and mother of a preteen son and daughter continues to challenge her powers to balance a dynamic career with her private responsibilities. With emotions stretched thin, Suzanne races to regain control of her life while saving her company.