Behcet Kaya Moves to Mystery and Suspense with Murder on the Naval Base!

The heavy double doors of the Murat Officers' Club flew open.
Fringe winds from Hurricane Lori rushed in carrying dust and debris. It blew through the high-ceilinged, chandeliered lobby and back into the wide open doors of the elegant and intimate dining room. White linen tablecloths fluttered and napkins flew in the air, sending plates and silverware crashing to the floor.
A solitary khaki-clad figure wearing tan combat boots, dark sunglasses, and a cap slung low over the face entered the lobby with a Beretta clutched in one hand. The shooter stood for only a moment, then trudged forward and entered the dining room.
The figure took a few steps forward into the room, found the intended targets and stepped backward without turning. With legs spread, the shooter raised the weapon with both hands and without hesitation pointed at a table occupied by a beautiful brunette and her male companion.
Two rapid shots were fired; the first shot directed at the woman, and the other shot to her companion.
In an instant, it was over.

~~~

Influenced by 1974 Movie Conduct Unbecoming

With Stacy Keach, one of my favorite actors (Mike Hammer)

Murder on the Naval Base

Behcet Kaya

Kaya's move to the murder mystery genre for this novel was a welcome addition for me, since everybody knows a great murder mystery is one of my favorite reads! And Murder on the Naval Base certainly presents a well-plotted, tough mystery that I didn't even begin to get a handle on until late in the game! You can safely think this is one mystery you won't be able to easily solve so I do encourage mystery fans to check it out!

Right away, we are confronted with a public murder of two individuals dining at the Base Officer's Club. Had they gone there, thinking it was time to begin moving toward a permanent liaison, because once they were there it was very possible everyone would know they were having an affair.

He walked and walked and
walked. Sometimes he talked
silently to himself, repeating
the same thoughts.
How long has the persistent
brother been eluding me?
How long has he had an
arrangement with my wife?
Am I not the humiliated one?
Trusting them both?
~~~

Unfortunately for Lieutenant Anderson Garrett Belguzar, the husband of the murdered woman, everybody who saw what happened, identified the shooter as Belguzar...

The amazing thing is that the author immediately takes readers into the life of Belguzar, allowing us, as well, to think of him as the one who killed them! A Twist or just allowing us to question...whodunit??

For the past hour, Lieutenant Anderson Garrett Belguzar had hidden himself away with his body curled and his head resting on his knees. He slowly emerged from the closet and crawled into bed. He closed his eyes, but his body refused to relax.

Sliding back out from under the sheets, he dressed in a pair of khaki pants and shirt, put on the cap, slighting tilting it to the side, and pulled on his tan combat boots. Looking back at the bed, he smoothed the covers carefully and walked out of the apartment. Not wanting to disturb his neighbors, he quietly shut the back gate and passed under the dark shade of several large trees.

Anderson's soul was turbulent. Sick at heart and restless, the two-bedroom apartment he shared with his wife had become too small, too cramped, too closed in. He could no longer endure his restraint. Feeling as if he had entered into a delirium state, his actions were capricious, and his mind was impervious to all that would soon happen.

~~~

"You're so naive. Sometimes I feel you're
like the son of our butler. Do I need to teach
you everything? Listen, I'll call my mother
and let her know I have a friend coming to
visit us for the month. And, don't worry,
I'll take care of the school business. Really,
my mother wil be pleased. You'll be pleased
with my mother and the whole family except
maybe my two sisters. They can be a little
conceited at times, but for that you can
forgive them.
"What about your father?"
"The Admiral? Pshh, don't worry...

I loved the Lieutenant's character and felt quite comfortable using Keach as the main character, even though Belguzar comes off as somewhat of a tortured soul and not like the hero as Keach was in Mike Hammer...Still it was good to bring Keach in to picture as I got to better know Anderson...

Anderson's background is a sad one and it left him somewhat shy. Still he had always wanted to attend the Naval Academy and had worked to secure recommendations to attend. Only to immediately start to get hazed by some of the upperclassmen who were sadistic enough to stick to the old methods.... Charles McPhearson had been watching and stepped in and threatened the main offender. It was only later that Anderson learned that Charles' father was an Admiral, becoming friends even though their pasts were quite different. Indeed it was Charles suggestion that Anderson visit their home during breaks and it became somewhat of a tradition. Anderson even began to pursue one of the daughters of the family. Charles was dating Elizabeth which was a family recommended partnership with neither quite sure that a marriage would ever occur... At least that was Anderson's thought when Elizabeth tried to seduce him one day...

Anderson had fallen for Bevin immediately but though they married, he was never quite sure that she was happy in the marriage--pleased with him as a lover... He knew that his continued career goals may not be what Bevin wanted, but he really had no choice but to try to move forward and gain recognition for promotion.

The news of Charles' death hit Anderson and, of course, his family hard. By that time, he and Elizabeth were married... She even seemed to have known about the affair with the woman he had been with when he was murdered... But, the shock that his wife, Bevin, was that woman with Charles sent Anderson on a downward spiral, not knowing what to do...

He was totally surprised when a well-respected lawyer visited him, explaining he was his lawyer, that an anonymous donor was paying his legal fees. Even more surprising was that the lawyer was not a military lawyer--Anderson could only be grateful and accept his assistance...

Readers are then led into the actual court activities--an exciting addition to the novel as witnesses are called and Anderson's defense lawyer tries to break down their testimonies!  For me, this was a highlight as I watched even the lawyer begin to worry about not being able to clear Anderson...

Suspense is tight and high as we move toward the end where most readers will be not only surprised by the killer's identity but a much more climatic ending that was totally unexpected! Loved it!

For an excellent merge of military and legal fiction, this novel presents an intriguing story that also includes sex, betrayal, and extremely tense drama that pulls readers in immediately and holds them in teeth-clinching suspense throughout! High recommended...


GABixlerReviews

Author Behcet Kaya was born in northeastern Turkey. Growing up in a small village with long held traditions, his rebellious and creative nature emerged at an early age. Leaving home at fourteen, he travelled first to Istanbul and then on to London. His dream was to complete his high school education and then a college degree in engineering. While at Hatfield Polytechnic, Kaya made his first visit to the U.S. as an exchange student with the BUNC. He made the move to the U.S. in 1976 and became a U.S. citizen in 1985. While living in Atlanta, Georgia, he followed his creative yearnings, attending the Alliance Theater School and studying at the SAG Conservatory of Georgia. Kaya and his wife moved to Los Angeles, where he continued his studies at the Roby Theater Company and the Shakespeare, A Noise Within Theater Workshop.
Along with acting, writing became a natural outlet for his creative yearnings. He has published two novels, "Voice of Conscience" and "Murder on the Naval Base" as well as several short stories. His sequel to "Voice of Conscience" titled "Road to Siran - Erin's Story" is now available.

See also Feathered Quill Interesting Author Interview 

Tease Enters Lives of Today's Bullies... Check out YA Novel by Amanda Maciel

Like everything else, this whole process is not at all like it is on TV. I mean, I'm wearing jean shorts right now. There's no dramatic courtroom scene or anything--like, with the afternoon sunlight streaming through big windows while I cry and confess everything on the witness stand or whatever. Apparently you're not even supposed to want to go to court at all, though it's gotta beat this, even if it's not pretty or cinematic. We're all sitting in a windowless room with a peeling fake-wood table (which I guess doesn't matter, except I've been staring at it for three hours), and the lights are too bright and the AC is on so high I don't even feel cold anymore, just numb.
I guess I've been numb for a while now.
But I didn't kill anybody.
I sneak another glance at the intern. He's black, with short hair and the smoothest skin ever. It's very dark. and it looks nice against his shirt, which is a bright lilac color. It reminds me of one of the nail polishes I used to always pick for pedicures, back when going to the salon was no big deal. Before everything was in the newspaper every other day and people at the grocery store started calling me names. Even when I'm just picking up stupid chips and salsa for my little brothers. They've yelled at me in the aisles, said the meanest things.
I never really understood "irony" when Mrs. Thale tried to teach us about it in English, but I sure get it now. Now that I get bullied for being a bully. I haven't tried explaining it to the people at the grocery store, though. Mom says that they're morons and I should ignore them, and for once I agree with her.
"Tell us what happened that day."

~~~
Some pictures used are from the actual case...in memory of all those affected...May they find peace and understanding...

Tease

By Amanda Maciel

It is hard for someone of my age to read a book like this. It goes against everything I was ever taught or learned about interpersonal relationships. That's why I find it equally hard to say that this YA novel is an outstanding example of what today's children are daily experiencing--your children, perhaps. Peer pressure is a theme that runs clearly through the novel... Social identity is created by friends, and even those who are not friends, as opposed to parents, church and other traditional arenas in which children were taught. Language these days use words we don't even "think" about, little on say...

I can't look Teresa in the eye, though I
know she's still giving me that stare,
but anywhere I look all I can see is
Emma's hair. All that red hair, hanging
from the garage ceiling. I wasn't
there, of course, and I've tried so hard
not to even think about it for a second.
And now I feel like I'm standing in that
garage...
What the F___, Emma? What is
wrong with you?
~~~

Technically, the school has this big anti-bullying
policy. None of us have ever seen it in action,
but they like to talk about it at assemblies and
stuff, and Principal Schoen's words at our post-
Facebook-page meeting ring in my ears again.
If anyone figures out that all those roses are
from me and Brielle, they'll definitely assume
we're the ones who wrote on her locker, too.
~~~

No, that's not an attempt to make that stereotypical for all children and teens...but, for this book, it is. It was inspired by true stories, and one in particular. In January 2010, a young student at South Hadley High School tragically took her own life. In a precedent-setting lawsuit against six other students at South Hadley High, those students were accused of bullying and harassing the girl who killed herself. Of course, I and anybody who reads the book will begin to form personal opinions of what happened and the role of those involved individuals, but I'll not include them--they are really irrelevant... This book is a fictional story based upon that tragedy... Please note that it does not include any violence that actually occurred...

It's just a prank. Obviously we're trying to call Emma
out for being a boyfriend-stealing skank, but they're
just flowers. The locker thing, though, feels like it's
kicking everything up a notch, defacing school property
I mean, the sign in her yard was public, but this is
right there, right where everyone can see it.  Suddenly
I'm scared again--terrified, really--of getting into
serious trouble...
~~~

Emma had just transferred and was beautiful, friendly, especially with the boys, and soon was dating. In fact, she thought nothing about texting to boys and initiating contact. Gossip, of course, began because it was assumed, or in reality, meant that she was willing to take boyfriends away and not to "tease" them like their girlfriends apparently were doing... The number of boys she was involved with at one time or another increased. Both boys and girls started calling her a slut, a skank...

Some, though, said she was nice and that she had a background that should be considered and everybody should try to be nicer to her.

Much of what occurred, it seemed to me, was nonverbal at first, so that interpretation of facial expressions were by the bully, especially, in deciding to act. Now most of us know that nonverbal communication is normally the more true, so readers will find that nothing comes across as black and white. Was she actually trying to steal everybody's boyfriends, or were the girls dating the boys automatically jealous and scared of the competition? 

And without her {Brielle her best friend does not return to school}
 I can't deal. Because my instinct is to just disappear. Thanks to
Emma Putnam, I'll never be invisible again, no matter how hard
I try. With Brielle, I could've turned into a yearbook girl, a
popular girl, a confident girl. Emma turned me into a mean girl.
~~~

One girl, alone, was, in the end, getting the brunt of the aftershocks... She was not rich, she was still in school--which meant that she was the only one that was really facing her peers after Emma was dead. And, of course, all of the students who had participated in/or actually initiated some of the bullying, who were not charged, found it acceptable to immediately start bullying the bully...even though they had been just as involved, except peripherally...

Sara and Brielle [one of the rich girls in school] had become friends, although readers will pick up that Brielle was clearly the dominating partner in the relationship, Sara, though, knew that she needed to be grateful because she never would have been involved with as much as she was if not for Brielle. Her father had divorced her mother and now had a new family far away. Sara was surrogate mother for most of her time for her two brothers. But it is clear that she really loved them and didn't mind, most of the time... But when Brielle started a number of things that happened, Sara didn't know how to talk to her--that is, say "no..." So, instead of saying "no" to her boyfriend, Dylan, she said "yes" to Brielle's insistence that she...should... And she held the party, and provided the booze to get both of them so out of it that it didn't seem that either of them cared much about it at all... sad to say... But now, Sara and Brielle were sharing the experience...

The book moves from the time Emma enters the school, through her death and the legal case, including psychiatry meetings, and back to school the next year.  Young adults, I believe, will hang on to each event that happens--this is their daily lives. Walking through the halls with friends, sometimes being knocked around accidentally--but sometimes on purpose. Who was at fault? Students, parents, and school officials all had a small or large part. I think it's important for those in junior and senior high school to read and digest exactly what was happening. Somebody says "shut up" or calls people names... They think nothing of it--because everybody is doing it. But that's how bullying starts and then gets worse and worse. Until it is too late for some...

Please consider this book for your children and read it yourself as parents or others who routinely have contact with our young. It's important to confront issues early. Nobody should ever be hurt through bullying! I believe you'll know if this is a must-read for you...


GABixlerReviews

Amanda Maciel has worked in book publishing since graduating from Mount Holyoke College and is currently an executive editor of children's books. She spends her free time writing, running, and helping raise her young son with her husband and their cat in Brooklyn, New York. TEASE is her first novel.

Robert Bailey Takes Readers to Alabama for Memorable Legal Thriller! With a small spotlight on "Bear" Bryant...

"Well, you're still a scrawny sack a shit. Ain't that woman of
yours feeding you?"

Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1969
The Man said to be at the Waysider at 5.30 in the morning. Tom arrived at 5.20, knowing that it was a bad idea to be late for a meeting set up by the Man. He hoped he would arrive first, maybe drink some water and gather his thoughts, but the Man was already there. Sitting at a table in the corner of the cafe, Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant read the Birmingham News and drank coffee.
Tom waded through the other tables and approached the Man, who hadn't moved since the jingle of the front door announced Tom's arrival. Reaching the table, Tom cleared his throat. "Hey, Coach."
The Man looked up from his paper, but didn't speak or smile. After two or three seconds, his mouth curved into a grin and he extended his hand...

Matlock is Standin for
The Professor!

Tom smiled, relieved that the Man had broken the ice. As they shook hands, a waitress came over to take their orders. The Man ordered two eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits and more coffee. Tom said he'd have the same, knowing his stomach couldn't handle that much food, but too nervous to ask for a menu.
As the waitress shuffled off, the Man took a sip of coffee and leaned towards Tom. "So, how are things in Birmingham?"
"Great, Coach" Tom said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm with a small insurance defense firm. Getting in the courtroom a little."
"So I hear. Three jury trials and three wins in four years, right?"
Tom nodded, flattered but not surprised. The Man had so many judicial contacts, he could have made one phone call to learn Tom's trial record. "Yes, sir. I've been lucky. George McDuff is a great partner, and he..."
"Lucky my ass..."

~~~

The Professor:

 A Legal Thriller                                 By Robert Bailey

 Sometimes winning means everything...

Dean Lambert crossed his arms. "We
need you to sign it, Tom. And...there are
some other things."
"What 'other things'?"
"We've been getting complaints about
McMurtrie's Evidence. A lot of the
students think it's too hard to read...
Tom didn't say anything, just continued
to glare at his boss.
"And you can't be kicking kids out of
your class any more, Tom. I know all
about what happened...With this Drake
thing on YouTube and still on everyone's
minds, you just can't be doing stuff like
that..."
~~~

It was quite clear that Thomas Jackson McMurtrie was in awe of Paul "Bear" Bryant, who had coached him and then sought him out to come teach in the College of Law at the University of Alabama. Tom had not even considered teaching and was already working. But it didn't take much coaxing by...The Man... for Tom to agree... That had been 1969 and it was now 2009...

Now it was Tom who had earned a nickname. He was known by all as "The Professor..." Now I have to say that I was curious enough to find the real professor of evidence at U of A but I decided I had more pictures of Matlock to display! Even though he may not have ever taught law, even as a character, LOL...  Nobody knows better than I how you feel when, after 40 years, a new administrator(s) comes in and works against you, even if my tenure was only 37... Tom McMurtrie was well respected, but the new Dean was looking to replace older full professors with younger individuals he had selected himself... And when somebody wants to get rid of you, it isn't hard to make a case based upon... perception...

"You... you have a lot of nerve, "he managed.
"Coming here after what you did to me."
"As I recollect it, you hit me in the face," Tom
said. "I think I got the worse end of it..."
Rick took a deep breath, and glanced at his desk,
Leaning up against it were his four thin file
jackets. Three workers' comp cases and a car
wreck. Four measly files and you're turning down
a multi-million-dollar death case in your hometown
with Ms. Rose and Sheriff Ballard as witnesses?
Are you out of your mind?...
Rick felt panic from his head to his shoes as he
realized what he had done. My million-dollar case
just walked out the door.
Rick ran. Through the reception area. Out the door.
And down the stairs. Don't be gone. Please... don't
be gone. He barreled outside and almost fell on
the sidewalk. Looking in all directions, he didn't
see anyone.
"Having second thought?" a gravelly voice asked
from behind him...
~~~

The semester had just started and one of his new students, Dawn Murphy, had asked to be his student assistant, explaining why she needed the money. He hired her, not knowing that a couple of friendly touches would be caught on camera and used by the Dean...

This had followed the sensation of being on YouTube when he had grabbed at the arm of one of his students. There was nothing he could do about either, once they went public, but he knew he had done nothing wrong, even if the Dean wouldn't accept his word...

While that was going on, he was contacted by a former girlfriend from college and asked to look at a case. One he thought that could be handled by, in fact, the man with whom he'd had the confrontation on video. Rick Drake was now establishing his own office, was talented and, in Tom's opinion, more importantly, came from Henshaw where the accident had occurred. Always a good thing to have a hometown insider...

Ruth Ann's entire remaining family, her son, daughter-in-law and grandchild, had been killed when a large hauling truck had run into them, killing them plus the driver. She knew that she would never be able to move on in life unless she knew how and why they had been killed.

You can probably guess that there is a lot of background about the trucking company and what they'd been doing. The main issue for the owner was that he had just been given a potential contract for the sale of the company--but only if there were no lawsuits filed against them at the time of closing the sale...

Jack Willistone was prepared to do anything to make sure that sale went through...

What began to happen was, unfortunately, making it extremely hard to put together a defense case. They needed records from the company? It just happened that a fire destroyed that building just recently... Like, right after the accident...

Rick knew he needed help...and he got it when a young woman came in and volunteered to work for him... It was working perfectly but they still needed help...and so The Professor became involved at the last minute, having not tried a case for many, many years...
But just like Matlock or Perry Mason or one of the other great TV lawyers, just watching The Professor come back into his element was fascinating and so much fun to see in action.

Who wins the case is not the exciting part about this, even though I was on edge, loving the court activities a couple of times... What fascinated me was the characters--what was happening as people began to be killed, intimated, bribed... Readers begin to think they see how it's going to end and then somebody else that was earlier out of the picture shows up again... 

"I'll he here tomorrow too."
"Well, I doubt anyone else will, Tom said.
"You're wrong, buck. Like I said, what you're doing here, coming back after all you been through, has got folks stirred up. That article was positive. Reverent even. You're the Professor, goddamnit, and I think the news and the general public have started to realize it." The Judge walked away, but then turned back and squinted into the setting sun. "And so have your friends." He paused. "You know, sometimes a man can be so consistently good that people take him for granted. I remember another man kinda like that. Coached football and more a houndstooth hat." The Cock nodded. "People will come tomorrow, Tom. Rest assured...people will come."
~~~

Got to say I loved this one! Drama in the courtyard... A bad taste of remembrance for the college campus bureaucratic politics... (which helps in a way since others have it happen to them too, sad but true). But it was the honesty tested and won or lost as people were asked to help another person understand what had happened to her family... Actually, I thought a couple of other widows had a case as well...But, I guess, that's another case...LOL Got to check this one out!

GABixlerReviews

About this author

Robert Bailey was born in Huntsville, Alabama, the son of a builder and a schoolteacher. From the time he could walk, he’s loved stories, especially those about Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

Robert obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History from Davidson College in North Carolina. Law School at the University of Alabama followed, where Robert made Law Review, competed on the school’s trial team and managed to watch every home football game.

For the past thirteen years, he’s been a civil defense trial lawyer in his hometown of Huntsville. He’s married to the incomparable Dixie Bailey and they have two boys and a little girl.

When Robert’s not writing, practicing law or being a parent, he enjoys playing golf, watching Alabama football and coaching his sons’ little league baseball teams.

The Professor is his first novel.