Unwanted, Latest Paladine Political Thriller by Kenneth G. Eade is out!

“Home is a notion that only nations of the homeless fully appreciate

 and only the uprooted comprehend.” 

― Wallace Stegner

No one really belongs; at least not in this world.  If there were a heaven, maybe there, but, even if there were, in it would be the souls who would bear witness to the undeniable cruelty of life, the poverty of the unwanted. Whether or not you belonged was defined by others; the same others who would make such judgments about how you would live and how you would die. ​Robert Garcia didn’t belong anywhere, except maybe when he was in the military, and he knew it.  He’d tried to make it in the world of man, but dropping out seemed the better option.  He was a loner, but not lonely, a drifter who defined his own purpose of existence, which now consisted of floating.
This type of life really suited Robert.  Born John Richards, to a black military father and white Lebanese mother, Robert and his family moved around from army base to army base and he never really found a place to fit in or anyone to fit in with until he joined the army himself.  By the time he did, having moved so many times as a child, he had already become an accomplished fighter, who had beat his way through every conflict growing up until his schools wised up, and placed him on their wrestling and football teams, in order to create a socially acceptable “steam valve” for his aggression.  Drifting around in his little boat in the sea with only the horizon in the background.  That was Robert’s world now, a contrast from the horrors of the life he had left behind.  Robert himself had been one of those horrors, but now he was just a fisherman, living off the sea, a threat to nobody...
The Aegean was calm today, the surface smooth as glass, leaving no trace of the ugly storm that had pitched the small sailboat and almost capsized her the night before.  Such was the hidden power of nature, capable of producing extreme beauty and cruelty at the same time.  A few remnants of the storm still remained – garbage – evidence of human waste probably from a ferry or cruise boat – visibly bobbing on the surface from time to time.  Other than that, it was a perfect day – the proverbial calm after the storm. 
​The net dipped with the weight of the fish and Joelle strained to contain it.  Robert set the rod down, and together they hoisted the enormous sea bass onto the deck, where it flopped around, inciting more yelping.  
Joelle’s smile faded as she peered over the railing. ​“What’s that?” ​“What?”
 ​“Over there!  Floating.” ​Robert strained his eyes.  He picked up his field glasses and focused on the object bobbing on the surface. ​“Looks like a body...”

~~~

Unwanted:

Paladine Political Thriller Series

By Kenneth G. Eade

I loved the latest Paladine Novel...it is a softer, more gentle tale in which we first find Paladine on his boat, with Joelle, who he had rescued during his last mission. Readers may wonder what kind of personal relationship he might have, but, for me, it was good that he at least had somebody to talk and share with during his isolation. The isolation that he had been forced into by those who want him dead... and by those who want him to use his amazing expertise to continue working, fighting terrorism...

This time, however, Robert gets pulled in while fishing on his boat...they sighted a body, went to check and found him dead. Later they could see that an entire wreckage was there and found only one young woman who was still alive. They pulled her onto their boat, helped with her wounds and discovered that she had been part of a boat full of refugees, having paid large sums of money to escape Syria. Often the boats never made it beyond the initial castoff...

Alina had been with her husband and baby and had paid everything they had to escape. Asked who they had paid, Alina identified the Daesh...

ISIS, known by those who were their victims as Daesh, had overrun their village near Dabiq, and actually charged them for passage to Turkey.  Pay or die.  Once they made it to the coastal town of Izmir, Syrian smugglers loyal to ISIS once again charged them thousands of dollars to board a rubber boat to Greece.  The last thing she remembered was a swell that capsized the boat.  She had held on to her baby and didn’t remember losing consciousness.  Suddenly, she realized what had to have happened. ​“I let go!” ​“What?” ​“I let go of her.  It’s my fault!  Put me back in the sea, I want to die!”

Alina was devastated when she realized that she had apparently fallen asleep while holding her child, and she'd slipped away into the sea. What a tragedy... Robert was able to help her with provisions and a little money and dropped her off where she would be safe, though still grieving...

It was not to be that Robert and Joelle would have quiet time together because soon Robert was notified that a former co-worker had been taken captive. But at least readers get to see that they had taken a night to enjoy dinner on shore for a short time... Then Robert got word that a ransom had been placed on the head of Ayisha... Ayisha worked for the same organization for which Robert had worked... And that man knew only Robert could save Ayisha if she was to be saved...

I’ve been kidnapped.  The kidnappers will be in touch through this channel with the ransom instructions.  If you don’t pay within the next 72 hours, they will kill me.

Ayisha had lost her sister to terrorists and had been working ever since as an assassin. She was good, but she really didn't have the heart, or perhaps better said, she did have a heart that couldn't just kill all the time. Still, after Robert had found a way to save her, she refused to not continue to work with those refugees who were losing all of their money to ISIS or some Syrians, often to then lose their lives... Robert was not happy, especially when she had originally agreed that he would lead any actions that took place... But he didn't desert her... And that's just why readers and those who personally learned of Robert had first called him Paladine... At least one time in this particular book, he could have killed, but he didn't when there was no need... This man who was trained to kill for his own country, the United States, and then was put back on the streets with no other training to begin a new life...still had a code of honor that his victims would only be terrorists if he could at all help it...

This time, though, the CIA had heard he was still alive (he had earlier been presumed dead) and sent another assassin out after Garcia. In fact, the man they sent had once been trained by Garcia and knew everything about his usual method of operation... Both knew this would probably be a fight to the death...

Readers do get to meet up with our favorite Russian soldiers, who saved Ayisha while she was separated from Robert...and there is a quick meeting of the eyes between Ayisha and her medic that put an interesting twist to the life of the assassin... Can love from another come to mean more to Ayisha than the revenge for her sister that had once driven her. I'm hoping that Ayisha continues into the next book... She's an excellent gutsy female that certainly adds tension and a different perspective to this already exciting, awesome series... Of course, yes, it's highly recommended as are all the preceding novels!


GABixlerReviews

Described by critics as "one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene," author Kenneth Eade, best known for his legal and political thrillers, practiced law for 30 years before publishing his first novel, "An Involuntary Spy." Eade, an award-winning, best-selling Top 100 thriller author, has been described by his peers as "one of the up-and-coming legal thriller writers of this generation." He is the 2015 winner of Best Legal Thriller from Beverly Hills Book Awards and the 2016 winner of a bronze medal in the category of Fiction, Mystery and Murder from the Reader's Favorite International Book Awards. His latest novel, "Paladine" is currently a quarter-finalist in Publisher's Weekly's BookLife Prize for Fiction. Eade has authored three fiction series: The "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series", the "Involuntary Spy Espionage Series" and the "Paladine Anti-Terrorism Series." He has written sixteen novels which have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. 

"I've been writing all my life, but began publishing my work out of a passion for the environment. My wife, Valentina, is a professional photographer, who worked for two years on an environmental exhibition called, "Bee Cause I Care" which was exhibited by the Prince Albert II Foundation and is now touring cities in France to bring awareness to the importance of pollinators and the dangers facing them. I penned a few articles on the subject for the Los Angeles Daily Journal and turned my research into my first book, "Bless the Bees." That passion continued with the publication of my novel, "An Involuntary Spy," which is an action thriller that also points to the dangers of genetically engineered food. Then I began publishing the "Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series," which, in part, is based on actual experiences during my long career in law.

"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 three 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

Torn From Today's Headlines, Author, Jonah Pierce, Takes Readers Inside Syria To Meet Anissa...

Dedication –––––––– 

To the people of Syria. The world let you down.

“This follows the disturbing pattern that we have seen from the State Department of ignoring the particular targeting of Christians by ISIS, while giving preferential treatment for asylum to other groups with expedited processing — like Somalis, Iraqis, and Syrians, some of whom could very well be members of jihadist movements.”

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/07/after-4-months-iraqi-christians-who-fled-isis-still-detained-by-immigration-officials

~~~

A shootout ensued and part of me felt too resigned to fate to move – almost as if a preordained defeat had left me stuck to the sofa, waiting to die from a bullet or a knife-wielding Islamist. But then the impassioned words spoken by my father not even an hour ago bellowed through my mind: “... you can do far more for us from America than you can from here, where you’re just another defenseless Christian.” I had to survive this nightmare, I told myself. I somehow had to make a difference, from a position of power and strength – not like this. I realized that I had to flee, however I could, in whatever minutes of fighting remained. I dropped to the floor, getting on my hands and knees to stay below the gunfire, as I scrambled further into our house, until I reached the corner, where I turned left towards the stairs. With the sound of fighting and shots still raging on the other side of the wall now protecting me, I stood and sprinted up the stairs as fast as I could to my room, until I reached my bags.

~~~

Anissa of Syria:

 A Christian Refugee’s Saga From

  the Syrian War To the American Dream

By Jonah Pierce

Used to provide illustrative example...not a part of this book...

No matter what you might have read in the newspapers or seen on television, I have found that authors who have researched a topic and created a story to present all issues is the most effective manner for me to gain insight into the realities faced by men, women, and children around the world. We all have already formed strong feelings about what ISIS is doing... but when one single individual, and/or her family become real to us, the impact reaches each reader in a uniquely personal manner as we become concerned with those met in fiction. However, the refugee situation is now...in the present...this brings an overpowering influence that forces, yes, forces, a reaction!

Anissa's father was a doctor; and mother, a pharmacist until the danger demanded that they consider relocating. What they chose was to send their children to relatives... Anissa, alone, was going to be sent to America. But right before she was scheduled to fly out, trouble had arisen and it was arranged to have their neighbor drive Anissa to the airport...

So it was that this young girl, at age 16, had barely escaped, her family having been killed and she was forced to either live with what had happened, or accept a different reality. She did the latter--each night she would go through the ritual of talking to herself, begging her parents not to get in the car, where they were killed... She was lying to herself, every night, trying to prevent the devastating nightmares she'd been having of the reality that had actually happened...

Sometimes emotional survival means deceiving everyone – including yourself. And ever since that infernal night, on January 18, 2012, I’ve been trying to lie to myself by pretending that certain things didn’t happen – because sometimes it’s the only way for me to stay sane. So I don’t know if I’ll ever tell you those details. With God’s mercy, maybe I’ll finally believe the falsehoods that I recite to myself every night in bed, in the hope that I can, at last, sleep with some solace. And if that happens, then even you, My Dearest, will never know those details, because the lies of my imagination will be all that I can remember.
~~~

The book is written as a diary, so that Anissa captures her thoughts, as was 

suggested by her therapist--her relatives had realized that she needed to have counseling after leaving Syria. [So the "My Dearest," is her choice of salutation as she begins each diary entry.]

I must admit that, after arriving in America to live with her relatives, I expected to learn more about that family. Instead the author chose to immediately place her into our American setting. Anissa had been her father's choice to send to America because of her intelligence and drive in her educational requirements, as well as her interest in helping Christians remaining in Syria.

Thus Anissa was almost immediately moving onto campus and beginning her college education--thrown quite inexperienced into the routine of college life. For most of the time, she would spend all of her time studying.

Anissa had met Michael on line and immediately developed a crush on this vibrant man who was actively working to help the refugees in Syria, while dreaming of a future where Christians could be safe in the Mid-East...

I had mixed feelings on what began to happen; however--with a forewarning for those who don't like books leaving you right smack in the middle of a dramatic setting--but, when I was left hanging, I was happy to be able to immediately learn that the sequel was already published... So expect my review on that book soon!

On a personal note, I have to share that my mind hearkened back to a book I reviewed last month, No Other choice by Paula Rose Michelson, when it was those of the Christian faith who were persecuting Jews in Spain. This was an historical novel, but the circumstances were the same. How can the world continue when group after group attacks others on the basis of religion? How can force, violence be the basis of demanding conversion to another religion? To me, it is only through the demonstration of that faith in action, not in violence, that could ever possibly be effective...but I digress... Except to say that it is my belief that history has continuously proven that the demand for conversion into another's religion has never proven effective.

That does not downgrade, however, the impact of this book as I watched a naive Syrian refugee fall immediately into contemporary college campus situations...my protective motherly instincts wanted to be her adviser in dealing with what she was facing... We know the reality of the refugees is very much today's news... Considering the after-lives of those who move to other countries, especially America, was, to me, a heartbreaking eye-opener...

Perhaps a must-read for many of you who are concerned about what is happening in Syria...and ISIS...?

Please note that this book and its sequel is also available under a different title and different name...the books I am reading center on the actual relocations of family, while the other, by Zack Love, emphasizes the relationships with Anissa's two admirers...Choose the one you prefer...G or Romance ratings...

GABixlerReviews

Free thinkers don't

  charge for advice...

Jonah Pierce graduated from Harvard College, where he studied mostly literature, psychology, philosophy, and film. After college, his first job brought him to New York City, where he was working during the attacks of September 11 – an event that profoundly marked him and deepened his interest in global affairs and the Middle East. Almost fifteen years later, Jonah was moved by headlines about the tragedy in Syria and the threat of ISIS, and wondered how these developments might feel from the perspective of a Syrian refugee. He began to envision a young Syrian woman fleeing fear, violence, and tragic loss, and finding a new life in the United States. Thus was the character of Anissa Toma born, and The Love of Antioch series recounts her saga.

Asylum City Spotlights Today's Headlines With People From Eritrea Seeking Asylum...

Gabriel stood there motionless for a few moments,
gripping the phone tightly in his hand. He'd heard
about calls like this. The Bedouins in Sinai set a
price for the passage to Israel, and then in the
middle of the desert they demanded more. If you
didn't pay you were tortured. People called their
family, their friends, anyone who could raise the
money. Meanwhile, they were held hostage...
~~~

Gabriel was standing at the bus stop, his drawing pad clutched to his chest. He'd asked Amir to let him off early. Time was running out. If he couldn't come up with twenty-five thousand shekels in a week, his little sister would die. Those people had no conscience. He knew that. 

"They beat me, Gabriel... help
me," Liddie begged.
"Where are you? Tell me where
you are," he shouted
frantically. More coughing.
"Liddie?"
"Gabriel?" The voice was male.
"Give me back my sister.
What are you doing to her?"
He was crying now, too.
"Listen up, you son-of-a-bitch.
If you want to see your sister
again, it'll cost you twenty-five
thousand shekels. You got one
week. Be in Levinsky by the
slides...You don't have the
money and we kill your sister,
understand?"
~~~

He had to find a way. He'd promised his mother before they left that he'd take care of Liddie. Now, every time he sat down to write her a letter, he felt too ashamed, too guilty, to tell her that his sister wasn't with him.

Where would he get the money? He lived with fifteen other Eritreans in an apartment near the old Tel Aviv bus station, five to a room. He and John shared a mattress. It had taken a long time before he could afford the luxury of a mattress and a roof over his head. Gabriel had heard about a man who went to the Israeli police when he got a call like this. His son was murdered. 

He had to talk to Michal and Itai. He had to tell them. They were good people, and smart, too. Maybe they could tell him what to do...He called Michal at home, but the line was busy. She was probably still there. She didn't arrive at the office before two o'clock on Sundays. He couldn't wait. He had to talk to her right now. She wouldn't get mad, she'd understand. She said he could get in touch with her at any hour of the day or night.

Gabriel got on the bus and found an empty seat. He didn't look the other passengers in the face. They didn't look at him, either. He'd already learned that Africans were invisible to Israelis. They could stand right next to you and not notice you. Just don't look them in the eye or make any trouble. They they noticed you and got scared. And only bad things ever happened when they were scared.

~~~

 

Asylum City

By Liad Shoham

Shoham, Israel's leading crime writer, provides a murder mystery within Tel Aviv, while using the very real setting of those presently there seeking asylum. There are clearly people who feel strongly one way or the other about those who have come to their country. It could be set in many other countries as well. Fortunately, there are always those who will look for the truth and, in this case, it is a young female police officer. 

Officer Anat Nachmias has been assigned to lead the murder investigation of a woman, Michal Poleg, an activist who volunteered at the Office of Migrant Aid. She is dedicated but brave as she fights for those who've come to the Office. And she's also foolish sometimes for making accusations openly and freely. When she is killed, there are a number who could have wanted her dead. But a young African man with whom she'd been working and helping was the one formally accused. He was seen leaving the young woman's apartment the day she was killed!

Political Map

It was easy to find photos to support this novel--those who have sought asylum in Tel Aviv have been there for years. The story surrounds those who have come from Eritrea, known to be a dangerous place... It is not easy to read a novel based upon reality, but Shoham has brought the magnitude of the reality down to a single family. Readers become intimately involved and better able to understand the fear and danger faced by those who find it necessary to escape their home land to save their lives.

Gabriel's mother had encouraged him to leave and take his younger sister to find a better place. But even that was dangerous, and on the way, Gabriel's sister was taken to be forced into becoming a sex slave. Of course Gabriel didn't know that...until he was notified that she would be freed if he paid 25 thousand shekels for her return. Gabriel had to get that money! That was all he could think of, but there was no way that he could personally provide that sum. He could not contact their mother--she wouldn't have it. And she didn't even know that Liddie was not still with Gabriel!

Gabriel had vowed to be strong, not to break down. Itai
had warned him that Liddie hadn't recovered from the
brutal treatment she'd been subjected to, but he hadn't
imagined it would be so hard to keep his vow. He barely
recognized his sister. Her face was bruised and she was
hunched over and walked with a limp. She seemed to have
aged ten years since he'd last seen her. The most upsetting
part was her constant coughing. She reminded him of
those people in the refugee camp in Sudan, the ones
everybody kept their distance from, the ones they knew
would be dead soon...
~~~

He ran to each of the people who had helped him, but none were home, so he decided to try to talk to Michal, even though he didn't think she could help financially. When he got there, Michal was already dead, but Gabriel tried to help, to make sure she was actually dead... By the time he was running out of the room, he was covered in blood. Finally, he got in touch with another friend and they decided he should not return to his apartment but should go live/hide in the Park. There was one problem, though, he had been tortured by the Bedouins and had a long scar on his face... It did not take long for the police to find him.

Anat was sitting at her desk trying to
decide on her next move. She was
debating with herself how to continue
the investigation without disobeying
David's direct order, when...
!!!

Fortunately, the head of the investigation was not only a good cop, but an empathetic one. She had already determined that the time of death was different from when Gabriel had been seen at the apartment. So she continued the investigation looking beyond the young man who was already being named the killer, including by her partner.

And then Gabriel confessed...

There are always issues in dealing with those who must seek asylum. Shoham has taken readers directly into Tel Aviv, allowing us to consider both sides, the reality of it without prejudice. Against that backdrop, he has placed wonderful characters who are trying to do important jobs, especially the police and those who've volunteered to help those seeking asylum. It's an important story! But the novel is actually a strangely unique crime mystery that has such a surprise ending that I hadn't even considered the option! You know what that means! Asylum City is a fantastic murder mystery that, once solved, serves to really share what the truth is for those seeking help in a strange new country...

Highly recommended! For further info, check out this interview...

http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-invisible-refugee-finds-a-home-in-liad-shohams-thrillers/

GABixlerReviews

Liad Shoham is Israel's leading crime writer and a practicing attorney with degrees from Jerusalem's Hebrew University and the London School of Economics. All his crime novels have been critically acclaimed bestsellers. He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and two children. www.Facebook.com/liad1971

Review: This Flowing Toward Me - A Must Read For Those Interested in U.S. Immigration!

This Flowing Toward Me
By Marilyn Lacey
Ave Maria Press.
ISBN: 9781594711978
207 Pages


This is a timely book about one of the most controversial issues of today that I’ve read! In my opinion, This Flowing Toward Me: A Story of God Arriving In Strangers by Marilyn Lacey is a must read for politicians, teachers, civic leaders, and anybody who is concerned about immigration activities in the United States.

Though written as a memoir, this book is really about the many, many interactions the author has had with and about refugees. “Marilyn Lacey invites those of us living behind locked doors in a world shuttered by homeland security...and...discover that where we most felt threatened, a wealth of blessings awaits us.” (back cover) This book is written as an inclusive text on all religions, for in reading of Marilyn’s experiences, we will see that it is not about religion, but about all of the millions of people who, if given the proper welcome, would become a friend.

Sister Lacey’s story begins when her convent welcomed Nhia Bee, his wife and five children from Thailand, all of who knew no English. During that visit, Marilyn realized how much the family had come to mean to her. And then she had a dream in which one of the children told her “we’re here to teach you a new way of loving.” And that was the beginning.

As an active professional woman, Sister Lacey quickly became involved and leader of many activities regarding refugee entrance into America. Many of her stories are about the people, but there is also much she shares about her personal journey. I empathize especially with her chapter about spiders—the insects we women all love to hate, even if they are God’s creatures! Imagine being confronted with a spider as big as your fist!

It is the latter part of the book where the Sister begins to speak to us, pointing out all of the Biblical stories where Jesus chose to befriend the stranger, the alien, the weary and downtrodden. With sufficient clarity she challenges—can we do less?

There is so much confusion, frustration and fear regarding immigrants to America. Let Sister Marilyn Lacey use her book, This Flowing Toward Me to help you answer the question, “What would Jesus Do?”

G. A. Bixler