Paris At The End of the World by John Baxter - War Was Never So Fashionably Correct...

We sit in calm, airy, silent rooms opening upon
sunlit and embowered laws, not a sound except
of summer and of husbandry disturbs the peace;
but seven million men...are in ceaseless battle
from the Alps to the Ocean.
--Winston Churchill

The first blow fell on Paris at 7:18 a.m. on March 21, 1918, interrupting the calm of a Spring morning.

As its concussion echoed over the roofs, residents came to their front doors and stared at the sky. Was it another accident, like that of the previous January, when an ammunition dump in Courneuve blew up, shattering windows across the city?

People living close to the Canal St- Martin knew better. A crater had appeared in the wide stone towpath where

 horses usually dragged barges into the city. They assumed a German bomber had made an audacious solo raid,  the pilot fleeing to the safety of his army's trenches that zigzagged across France from Belgium to the Swiss border.

Paris at the End of the
  World
The City of Light During
the Great War, 1914-1918

 By John Baxter

So much family and world-wide history is lost, isn't it? We all spend our time living the present and working for the future, that we rarely take time to look to and learn about the past. If John Baxter had not had an interest in history and the opportunity to obtain letters and other information about his paternal grandfather, William Archie Baxter, we would never have had the chance to read such an intimate account of what was happening during the first world war.

: Tour Eiffel, view from the Trocaderoki

Before the Germans retired the weapon, it had fired 367 shells,
killing 256 people and wounding 620--by trench standards
a small loss, but of far greater damage psychologically.
Parisians had believed intelligence, wit, and style could protect
them from the worst effects of the war. Now they saw that these
had the evanescence of a soap bubble...
~~~

Most of us when thinking about Paris would routinely think of fashion, the pleasures of life, and the arts... Going to Paris was always seen as the ultimate location for trips, especially honeymoons. Those in the arts would consider the city itself as the best location they could find in which to work.

Gazing at or traveling to see the Eiffel Tower  is a dream come true. None of us, I would imagine would consider and recognize that the Tower was a main communication point to and from the front during the war. 

I was amazed that because of the high vulnerability for aerial attacks, the French worked to construct a fake Paris, including plywood replicas of the Arc de Triomphe and the Opera and other major sights! At the same time they wanted the outside news agencies to ensure an image of a tranquil Paris going about its business! Still, people were killed...

But then going about like usual resulted in having the story of "Two Men in Silk Pajamas..."

 In fact, I should mention that the format of the book contains 39 individual stories as diverse as the one about the pajamas to the "Master of War"... One that I especially enjoyed was "Dressed to Kill" which, of course, brought the fashion issue to the fore: There were two fronts--the war front, then in Paris, the Montparnasse front... As patriotism grew, it started to transform fashion. The book contains many pictures, including ones that definitely showed a military flair! So I decided my addition would be some of the music from that time, including the first anti-war song! Cool!!

Another thing that amazed me was that, even during the war, when people of other nations

wanted the best in art and music, food and drink, fashion and culture, and even sex and sensation, they went to Paris. The period became known as la belle epoque--the beautiful age. Here's one of the pieces by Alphonse Mucha that  I was able to find online. It certainly exhibits the beauty that was created during that period..

And then another fascinating, but understandable issue, was that the works of Bach, Beethoven and Schubert were no longer permitted in recital, while designers immediately saw the opportunities with news media following the trends in all of the countries...

There were as expected changes into what "creature comforts" were normally provided to Parisians. Absinthe was outlawed--Why? Because the government felt it sapped the will of young soldiers! Alcohol for military use replaced the quality and quantity of wine and spirits. Coffee was unobtainable as were cigars...

Volunteers from Australia and then later when America became involved are as well as the English who were not all wanting to be involved and a cute little ditty conveyed that message:

Take me back to dear old Blighty!
Put me on the train for London town!
Take me over there,
Drop me anywhere,
Liverpool, Leeds, or Birmingham, well, I don't care!

By 1917, however, the main concern for the average Briton was...bread! In France food shortages was even worse because Germany had captured so much of the country... Desertion to go home to take care of crops surprised even the President when a farmer who had asked for leave, went home to take care of potatoes--war or no war! That seemed appropriate to me, don't you think?

When America finally entered the war, everybody thought that they then would be moving toward the end... but it continued for more than a year... Indeed, there is much about the war itself and Archie's life during that period that is covered. I've pulled some of the minor points just to show the diversity of the book and, of course, to include those items that interested me personally...LOL I feel confident that, readers who select this historical non-fiction book will find substantive points of interest for all! History buffs should consider this a must-read in my opinion... The book includes an Index to quickly find various items. 

But I must admit that the ending as provided for Archie totally caught me off-guard! AWOL from the Great War! I loved it!


GABixlerReviews

John Baxter was born in Sydney, Australia, but raised in a small country town called Junee. With little else to do, he went to the movies three times a week for most of his adolescence, which provided an instant education in Hollywood movies with which he was often able to embarrass film celebrities ("You SAW that thing?")
His second interest, however, was science fiction, which he began writing in his late teens. He sold stories to the same British and American magazines as J.G. Ballard and Thomas M. Disch, and in 1966 his first sf novel, THE GOD KILLERS, was published in both the US and Britain. He also edited the first-ever anthologies of Australian science fiction, and wrote the first history of the Australian cinema.
In 1969, he came to Europe, settled in London, and began writing books on the cinema, including a biography of the director Ken Russell, and studies of John Ford, Josef von Sternberg and the gangster and science fiction film genres, and working as an arts journalist for various magazines, and for BBC radio. He also served on the juries of European film festivals.
In 1974 he was invited to become visiting professor at Hollins College in Virginia, USA, where he remained for two years. While in America, he collaborated with Thomas Atkins on THE FIRE CAME BY; THE GREAT SIBERIAN EXPLOSION OF 1908,and wrote a study of director King Vidor, as well as completing two novels, THE HERMES FALL and BIDDING.
Returning to London, he published the technological thriller THE BLACK YACHT. In 1979 he moved to Ireland, and the following year returned to Australia, where he co-scripted the 1988 science fiction film THE TIME GUARDIAN, starring Carrie Fisher and Dean Stockwell. He also wrote and presented three TV series on the cinema, and produced and presented the ABC radio programme BOOKS AND WRITING.
In 1989 he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a screenwriter and film journalist. The following year, he met his present wife, Marie-Dominique Montel, and re-located in Paris.
After moving to France, John published biographies of Federico Fellini, Luis Bunuel, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas and Robert De Niro, as well as five books of autobiography, A POUND OF PAPER: CONFESSIONS OF A BOOK ADDICT, dealing with his fascination for collecting books, WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS: SEX AND LOVE IN THE CITY OF LIGHT, of which the SUNDAY TIMES of London wrote "it towers above most recent memoirs of life abroad," IMMOVEABLE FEAST: A PARIS CHRISTMAS, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WALK IN THE WORLD: A PEDESTRIAN IN PARIS, and THE PERFECT MEAL. IN SEARCH OF THE LOST TASTES OF FRANCE.
John has co-directed the annual Paris Writers Workshop and is a frequent lecturer and public speaker. His hobbies are cooking and book collecting. He has a major collection of modern first editions. When not writing, he can be found prowling the bouquinistes along the Seine or cruising the Internet in search of new acquisitions.

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Leaders - Are They Born or Trained? Check out Awakening by Ray N. Kuili for Surprising Thriller!

And these are supposedly the best of the best.
The crown jewels of their army. They've been
honored with escorting the greatest person of
their time, and whom do they see? A common
prisoner who should be fed and guarded...

“These days you are considered a weirdo if you live without a phone. Yet nobody cares if you live without a purpose. Anything wrong with that picture?”

This book is not for everyone. It takes you directly into the lives of those who are in management positions. If you don't have either the experience or interest in administrative work in an organization or corporation, don't be surprised if you find the book not claiming your interest.

But if you have ever used the word, Power, in relation to individuals who work in such companies as are found in America or across the world, this could help you greatly in seeing how, why, and when power is captured by an individual.

The book opens with an introduction of a small group of mid-level managers. It is somewhat tedious and I wished that this had been spread throughout the book, perhaps as backflashes. The reason for me was that I had a hard time keeping the players straight. With an e-book, it is very hard to "flip back" to reread these so I admit I didn't bother...but I did review the first part again before writing my review. So this is a small forewarning that you may want to tag those pages for easier access later...

Napoleon III

Five years ago, every one of them would
have bribed and killed for a chance to dine with me--even though I was their enemy. Now...now...they find a stupid fish [a whale passing by their boat] far more fascinating...
"Twenty days. Twenty days...My time used to be priceless. Now it's become so cheap. It wasn't so long ago that in twenty days I could shake up all of France...the entire nation... 
Nevertheless, you have a point. Unlike these poor morons, I'll have immortality awaiting me by my deathbed...
"This is what they think. This is what they all think. For them, a great man is merely a creation of circumstances. As if circumstances ever created a man! They don't understand that every man is his own ultimate creation. It is beyond their petty minds that a man who was born for great power will always achieve it. He will achieve it not because--but in spite--of any circumstances. This is what makes a man great."

Awakening

By Ray N. Kuili

Having the somewhat unique experience of moving from lower-level positions up through and into higher management levels, I was pleasantly surprised to see a fiction novel using managers as the characters.  So, when individuals were described within their present positions, I was able to see the potential by which each was ultimately selected...

The red Porsche turned out to be quite an ass. It passed
Robert easily on the right,  and confidently established
itself  straight in front of Robert's car, its rear
radiating arrogance and disdain...
Robert bent forward slightly, feeling the rigid rhythm
penetrating every cell of his body. Then he slowly floored
the gas pedal...Now the Porsche was merely a few yards
away. Robert almost unnoticeable turned the wheel to the
left and a moment later was riding next to the joyfully
cruising Porsche. Honking wasn't necessary--the driver
looked around on his own. For a second or two Robert
looked straight into his eyes...
Then, without returning his hands to the steering wheel
and relying on his left knee to hold it, Robert pushed
the gas pedal all the way to the floor... and the Porsche
carrying its appalled driver was left behind.
~~~

To attend a training seminar... They came in one by one, Robert, Alex...et.al., until there were a total of 11...
 Of all the numbers in the world this one cannot be changed...People spent years perfecting the system, so it's almost inappropriate to joke about it. There should be eleven of them. Not more, not less. Precisely eleven people, for precisely eleven days.

Each of the individuals worked at a different company and had never met before. Most had no desire to be there, but had been specifically sent... Some took it graciously while being irritated; some were willing to open up to talk about it... Only two were women.

But none of them had expected what happened. There was no speaker, other than those who were putting on the seminar. They explained what would be happening and then withdrew, thereafter only participating as observers! 

They don't understand that without knowing the why you can't be happy. You can't be wildly successful, whatever this means, but not happy...
And if you keep thinking, the whyole world just falls apart. Nothing makes sense anymore. Rules, traditions, expectations--they all start looking so fake, so made up...
...And eventually you understand that nobody really wants you to think for yourself. But if you still end up
developing this bad habit, you need to learn another trick--to keep your mouth shut.
~~~

By the time you're in middle management, you've had quite a bit of variety in your educational experiences, including in house seminars. But this was not like anything they'd ever encountered. and what they were required to do, and how to get it done was different than anything they'd ever experienced. 

On the whole, however, the group started out fairly equal in attitude, thinking, and willingness... 

But that was during the sessions...as we would all do, they took notes, were congenial...

Then they started to have free time, to get to know each other informally. Some would meet after dinner and play pool. One night after each had been leaving one by one, one of the men suggested to another that he could help him with his game and would tell him Shanghai Bells... 

You'll get it in a second." Alex made a few steps and stopped next to him. "Put the cue down. You need to analyze the situation first. See the blue stripe? You can pocket it easily with the nine, right?"

"Right," Ross agreed. "So?"

"What do you mean?"

"So what? That's an obvious shot. What about Shanghai Bells?"

"Shanghai Bells?"...Here it is."

The white wall before Ross's eyes had suddenly turned reddish black. Simultaneously, with this terrifying transformation, an overwhelmingly desperate desire to breathe came over him. A moment ago, his lungs had been functioning unnoticeably, silently and steadily pumping the air in and out of his body. Now they clenched convulsively in frantic need if fresh air...a whisper came into his ears. Alex's whisper. "This is Shanghai Bells... you try to run away and it will get worse..."

~~~

So when you're in an isolated center with nobody else around, and you've been told, "anything goes..." then the only thing that works is your own feelings... There was one who used her sexual attraction, another used physical intimidation, tricks, lies, threats, manipulation... what would happen among those 11... Or would some have left, not willing to play the game...of...Power...

Whew! This is fast action, with many characters you'll need to keep track of.  Will you be able to identify who would be the last one standing... A thriller like no other I've read...exciting, fresh, and full of bureaucratic game playing... I saw many of these games played routinely, but when game players are pitted against each other, some will play to win! Highly recommended for those who want to learn how to play... You know who you are...

GABixlerReviews

Ray N. Kuili is a US-based author of novels and short stories, including AWAKENING, OVERDOSE, THE LAST MASK and the new serialized novel EDEN CAN WAIT (currently published on wattpad.com in weekly installments). His books include elements of psychological thriller, suspense and science fiction.

Fascinating SciFi Gemsigns by Stephanie Saulter Starts A Series That Should Prove Outstanding...

The Syndrome arrived in the first decades of the twenty-first century, slipping unnoticed into virtually every human community on the planet. It revealed itself gradually, via a slow increase in neurological disease among the young. In the west it was generally diagnosed as a particularly pernicious and difficult form of epilepsy, presenting shortly after puberty, refusing to be outgrown and causing more and more damage until the patient was wheelchair-bound and catatonic, usually before their thirtieth birthday.

In rapidly developing countries it was variously identified ass brain damage due to high pollution levels, a neurological reaction to industrial poison, or mental illness caused by parental absence as families creaked under the strain of upward mobility. It was slowest to take hold in the most deprived regions of Africa, but even where cell webtech was only just beginning to shift populations out of abject poverty neighbors saw it strike down the children of the most successful, and ascribed the new madness to the jealous application of witchcraft. The variation in presumed causes and apparent characteristics, and errors in prognosis and estimates of prevalence, delayed its identification as a unique globally distributed disorder for almost twenty years.

The incidence of the Syndrome mapped perfectly onto the worldwide growth of what the previous century had dubbed information technology. It occurred where children had, from infancy, been exposed not only to a plethora of computing and communication devices, but to the immense load of interactions, analysis and responses they demanded...

~~~

                                                                                                                                                            

Gemsigns:

(R)Evolution Book 1

By Stephanie Saulter

A worldwide Syndrome has placed the entire world on the same level...There has not been wars for many years and race, religion, and other issues have been ultimately accepted as world-wide. Oh, sure there are some who have not accepted things. The Godgangs being one of those who has their own plans at this time. Their message is not much different that it has been in the past...

During the time of the Syndrome, Gemtechs became much more involved in genetic engineering. Natural procreation could resume and instead of stopping this program, the companies went on to the creation of "specialists" to handle specific needs...

The way was clear for specialist
gens to be created; gems hyper-
designed senses of smell and taste
for toxic waste detection; gems with the
strength, lung capacity and altitude
tolerance for mountaintop mining,
gems who could breathe underwater...
~~~

As society stabilized and slowly began to recover, genetic engineering objectives became more focused. After over half a century of crisis, natural procreation would resume. The vast scientific and technical capacity that had rescued the human race found itself in danger of becoming redundant. Those bright minds looked out on a landscape of need and saw opportunity.  They redeployed to commercial production. The original gems had been crude, brute-force laborers, but their impact on both science and society had been immense. The bioengineering conglomerates, the gemtechs, had learned more from the unconstrained experimentation of their manufacture than they ever could have from the focused fight against the Syndrome. The public were accustomed to gens being the default resource for work deemed difficult or dangerous' indeed, having grown up wit the arrangement, the Syndrome orphans found it in no way strange.

 

It was something about her littleness and delicacy
of bone structure, her excessive prettiness and the
shyness with which she carried it...
He was struck by her hair. It was shoulder length
and stylishly cut, but the dull, matte-black color
was at odds with her modish grooming and
fashionable clothes. He considered whether it
was a wig or a dye job, decided on dye. A wig
might slip, and besides, if this woman had
decided to take such a risk she have chosen a
better wig. No, she'd dyed her hair, poured on
layers of layers of light-barring pigments and
fixatives to block the telltale gem glow.  He
wondered what color it really was. A gentle
rose pink maybe, or pale lilac...
~~~

        If you haven't guessed what has happened now, I'm surprised... Of course, the gems have been around long enough to begin to see they are not very different from those that are called, "humans..."

In fact, other than their being created by gemtechs, and given special abilities or designed for specific jobs, they could see no difference... So, why were they owned???

And naturally as it would be from such an enlightened society that existed at that time... there was a confirmation of equality and a conference was established with an expert designated to put together what in essence would be voted on at the conference...

Eli had not even finished his report and was heading to talk with gems when he was approached by a representative of one of the gemtech companies. He had no desire to begin to negotiate with either side, but he was willing to listen...which he did, and accepted her presentation, parts of which are provided above.

In many ways, readers will visualize what has occurred over and over in history as people fight to be accepted for their race, religion, etc. Gems are, themselves, so widely different though--imagine being a woman who was to be a "baby-maker" who is impregnated over and over while the babies are immediately taken and passed on to somebody else.

Or imagine a gem who has been mentally enhanced and has a major skill set for being an engineer, but is now faced with the possibility of competing with "norms" who do not have the advantage of the gem's intelligence. Obviously, norms will feel they are losing jobs that should be theirs...

Yes, much will sound familiar...

But then, there are those who have been engineered to fight in wars...or some who had never had to socialize with anybody... But no matter what you may consider for the ending...it will not be what actually happens! 

The book has much to intrigue readers as they explore an entirely new and different set of humans who are actively seeking freedom and recognition. Book 2 is already out in the UK... Start with this first one! Anybody who loves scifi is going to love this! Don't miss it!


GABixlerReviews

About the Author

Stephanie Saulter is a freelance business consultant who read biology at MIT before majoring in English Literature and minoring in Anthropology. Interested in developing social media for creative collaboration, in 2010 she launched http://scriptopus.com, an interactive website for writing short fiction. Born in the Caribbean, she now lives in Devon.

Heartbreaking Family Drama Becomes Terrifying When Stalker Begins to Feed on Fear in Approaching Menace by June Shaw...

"Josie. Josie!" The voice seemed like Colin's, but
she couldn't be sure.

"Josie!" Colin screamed.
Remembering her little brother's face and the
machine vital to his survival, she automatically
attuned her ear. The hum had stopped. Josie
will her knees to unbolt. She moved to a wall and
fingered its roughness until her hands crept
across the door frame...
Sound came from her left.
The noise repeated. Colin's rasping sounded
like he was shoking.
"It's okay, Josie," he said between coughs.
"Come on. I'm right here."

She was clunking ice into his special glass when
lightning crashed. Thunder resonated, bounding
against walls.
A shriek rose in Josie's chest. It reached her throat
and froze, Something shattered.

Sound no longer registered. She stared at the window.
lightning flashes were trying to come in. They yearned
to find her. Just like they had found the other girl...
Josie's eyes narrowed. Again she smelt the horrid
crisp burnt odor. Death, when it struck the child
playing so near to her.
Between the open curtains, lightning daggers speared
the sky. Thunder exploded. The world outside and in
Josie's home blackened.
Her scream pried itself loose.

She glanced at the ceiling. What she'd thought was more lightning had been the lights coming back on.
Colin gave a wide-toothed smile and stroked her arm, attempting to coax reassurance. "You remember when I used to be scared of Fred?"
The name called Josie to full senses.
Beyond Colin, a red light flashed. Beeps added more warning.
Josie plied herself from his warmth and dashed to the machine. She reset the knows without having to think, and silenced the clamor.
"It's okay, Fred," Colin said to the dialysis machine that again sent cleansed blood back into him. "If you don't cry anymore, then maybe my sister will feed me some dinner. And maybe I won't have to die of starvation."
~~~

Approaching Menace

By June Shaw

Josie Aspen was caught in a life that nobody could plan for. When she was young, she had seen lightning kill a little girl right next to her, while they were in a group...She had never been able to get past the fear of lightning. Then, a failed relationship was just the issue that, when her mother called about her brother, Josie decided to go back home and help care for him.

She didn't realize, however, that it might become her total responsibility. Her father had left their home years ago, but sometimes would drop in unexpectedly. Her mother had been caught up in this cycle and now played the waiting game, substituting dieting, buying clothes and jewelry for herself, and slowly allowing Josie to take over total care of her brother who had kidney failure and needed constant care and dialysis pending, hopefully, someday obtaining a replacement kidney...

She knew the need for organs and knew well
enough what would happen if someone sitting
beside her didn't get one.
She's wondered about the man caller but dismissed
the message once she asked Colin later and he said
the man didn't mention her name; he just asked to
speak to his sister. Someone certainly could have
called the wrong number???
Then...
"No, he just said tell you don't worry. He'll be
coming to get you real soon."
...Josie turned cold. Who was coming to get her
and Why?
~~~

When she had been so distraught with the storm outside she actually was placed in a flashback situation from fear of the lightning while Colin's equipment failed, Josie became more committed than ever to increase chances that he get a kidney... She started a local campaign for help and support that was going very well, but increased even more her time commitment to her brother's issues.

One other small twist is that Josie has met and fallen in love with a local man. They have talked marriage, but with her family commitments, it would be a problem... and given her trust issues, once she discovered he had a gambling problem, that put her on edge even more!

The drama surrounding Josie intensifies when she loses her job, even though she is able to find another fairly quickly...

And it was about that time that she noticed that a car seemed to be following her...

And small slips of material, which looked like a scarf belonging to her mother, which had been in her car was being sent or left various places... But why send small pieces of it to her???

And that's how the reader begins, along with Josie, to get itchy about what is going on...Not enough to call the police, but still enough to be a constant aggravation to consider...

Soon, she if fully convinced that someone is following her. The thing I found about the book was just in placing the stalker on the edge of the overall life of Josie, which was fully committed, the readers will have the same lull, or involvement in her life issues that, when her life is broken by something from the stalker, it seems to be more disruptive...and slowly builds as each of the other characters are scrutinized for possibly being the one who is working to harm her...

But she wasn't the first, and even when he picked out Josie for special involvement. because of her fear of lightning, he had killed other girls and the whole town was on alert...

Then the next storm was being followed--would it head toward her area...He wanted it to because he would try to get to her at that time...She just wanted the storm to move into other areas and she not have to deal with it...

Tension is high, and readers will even become afraid because there is never a certainly on our part as to who is the stalker... Of course, the major, constant fear of Collin being caught, needing to have dialysis is on top of that endless confusion as to who would want to hurt her...

And then the storm hit and electricity was gone!

Whew! I was riveted!

But I got to say that I loved the ending..

I've got to add a special thanks to the author for using the need for donor giving/home dialysis activities as the main drama. This has been a concern in my own family and having the story provide such in-depth information has been helpful to me and, I hope, should stimulate attention to donation of body parts at time of death to help save somebody who can be saved!


GABixlerReviews

My debut novel was published some time after I became a widow with five children. My ninth grade English teacher ignited my dream of becoming a writer, but my life was busy, my dream long deferred. How exciting it is to see my lifelong dream come to pass.

My mystery series has been compared to writing by Janet Evanovitch and Agatha Christie. It's been called suspenseful and fun. It's certainly been fun for me. Deadly Ink nominated Relative Danger for their David award for Best Mystery of the Year. I'm honored and thrilled--and love to hear from readers.

I've also written a book about my amazing mom that can help anyone getting older. And I've plunged into writing for children with HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PET GHOST. I sure hope you'll explore some of my works. Thanks! June

Was it Real? Or Just a Game? Either Way Reckless Disregard MUST Be Proven...By Robert Rotstein...Loved It!

"I'm Felicity, and this is my story." Her
voice is singsong, kind of like a canary.
It's a story of love and betrayal. And blood.
My blood."
With her head still facing the viewer, she turns her
body sideways and rests her right forearm on the bar,
her green eyes narrowing to sultry slits.

By Robert Rotstein
Author of Corrupt Practices

Reckless Disregard

A Parker Stern Novel

""Did you ever get lost? So lost you can't find
your way our of the darkness? I did. One day..."
She sits up with a start, places an index finger to
her lower lip, and shakes her head vigorously,
each computer-generated dreadlock swaying
swaying in perfect rhythm to her movements.
Nobody but Poniard can make a game seem so real.

"That's sooo wrong," she says in her flury voice. "That's what they want you to think. But it's a lie. I didn't get lost at all. I was taken. Abducted by William the Conqueror and his band of thugs. You see, in this game, you not only know what the crime was, you know who committed it. But this game's not over. It's just beginning. All you have to do is find out how it all happened. Easy, huh? Hardly. An unattainable goal, because you can't rescue me. But there's an answer to what happened to me, I assure you. Let me show you something."

Felicity sits in a booth alone, sipping a glass of amber liquid. Everything in the scene is old fashioned. Felicity's hair, auburn now, is piled on top of her head. She wears a black jacket over a tight black dress. The scene starts with a classic rock song, Money for Nothing. He knows from an Internet search that the song must have happened in the eighties, a clue. One of the things that make Poniard's games so hard to beat is that you often have to get outside knowledge to advance from level to level...

~~~

The game is far from over! And if you have no or little experience playing videos, fortunately there are various characters, such as the 10-year-old boy, Brighton, that's playing as the book opens... Even more of importance, he wounds up playing a great part as the book is ending...but that's quite a bit further! If you're wondering why so much time is spent on the games, well that's the basis upon which the legal case is taking place!

The game, Abduction, has been created by a well-known, established gamer who goes by the handle Poniard,,, The villain is the character called William the Conqueror... It is an actual nickname that is known for an extremely wealth movie mogul,

He is not happy! He has filed suit against Poniard...

I've spent the last twenty-five years trying to keep
this secret. My celebrity almost ruined me, and I
don't want it back, not even a vestige of it. I'm a
lawyer...I closely guard the truth about my past
and have kept it secret through luck and hard work
mostly luck...
~~~

Hopefully you read the opening novel of this series, starring Parker Stern (Click above to read my review if not). I can guarantee there is no overlap in this one! Whew, it is so complex and amazingly drawn together that you might think you are actually playing the game and can't get past the first level!

When you do it, though, you'll definitely know it because letters start flying right outside the game scene!

Parker Stern is a great lawyer, but he burnt out! Well, you all know why I immediately became a fan, having gone through it myself on the job. Parker became crippled--fearful of entering the courtroom. He became a mediator so that he wouldn't have to try cases any more. Stern's negative response was worthless because Poniard knew how good he was...and had a piece of information that could be used to blackmail Stern...and he played that card almost immediately.

The firm where Parker was working was upset when he took on this case, especially when "characters" from the game started hanging around (i.e., fans dressed as characters) and finally was part of a major disruption and Parker was fired...so was his secretary. He offered her a job with him and then called one of his former researchers to help...

Essentially what Poniard accused William the Conqueror was for the disappearance, and probable murder of Felicity (in the game) who was once an actress, said to be involved with William. Of course, William's lawyers initially began to claim they'd never known her and were seeking that all games be collected and destroyed! The key thing is that Poniard refused to identify himself in any way, or at any time, even when required by court procedures. Somehow Parker was always able to figure out how that could be permitted but, there was no way he could get around:

Reckless Disregard n. grossly negligent without concern for danger to others. Actually reckless disregard is redundant since reckless means there is a disregard for safety. Copyright © 1981-2005 by Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen T. Hill. All Rights reserved.

You have probably figured out that in order to have any change with this case, Parker must, essentially, prove that William is guilty... And so they proceed to do that... But then one of them is murdered! And more potential witnesses are found dead!

One interestingly little twist is that Parker is face-to-face with his lover who is now the trial lawyer for William...Of course, that is fun to watch! You didn't need to ask that, now did you?

But this is even more complicated personally...See if you can guess who else is connected to that trial lawyer!

As you can see, the more investigation that occurs, the more past lies are being found of William's past...His embarrassment can't stop it though--neither can all the money he has... It's all being unraveled! 

But...what is? Because the twists and turns in this novel are many and complex...some discovered through the game, others found in deep dark archives or from those people still living after all the time has passed! And nobody is going to know what they discover!

Don't Miss This One if You're a Gamer! Or a Fan of Legal Thrillers!!!


GABixlerReviews

This is a Puddly Poniard
It's the only connection I found...maybe Poniard is done with games????

About the Author

ROBERT ROTSTEIN, an entertainment attorney with over thirty years' experience in the industry, is the author of Corrupt Practices, the first Parker Stern novel. He's represented all of the major motion picture studios and many well-known writers, producers, directors, and musicians. He lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.

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• Stern thriller

Get to Know Eddy Harkness, Series Lead, in Third Rail by Rory Flynn! Out June 10th...

Harkness walked through the bar, getting a read on. He started at the cash register. Mach seemed orgamized, the kind of guy who kept his valuables together--keys and cell phone, wallet and Ray-Bans, drugs and money. Harkness trailed his fingers along the red leather bar stools and set them spinning.

The stool closest to the register was scuffed with tiny white scratches, almost invisible in the dark bar. Harkness jumped up on it, boots scraping the leather, and pushed up a stained ceiling tile. A BPD lifer named O'Rourke pointed his flashlight up into the ceiling to reveal wires and a metal duct.

"Thanks for finding the ventilation system," Sergeant O'Rourke said. "Was getting kind of toasty in here."

Harkness held up his right hand to quiet the smart-ass, then then it move toward the duct like a dowsing rod, his fingers running along the cool aluminum until they found the smudged edge. He peeled back a piece of silver tape, then ripped the metal duct open--a little at first, then more, until the flashlight revealed dozens of foil-wrapped bricks.

O'Rourke's eyes popped open. "Holy Crap.'

~~~

Third Rail:

An Eddy Harkness Novel

By Rory Flynn

We all know Shawn is not a psychic in his investigative program, helping the police. Neither is Eddy Harkness. But both had trained to observe and since their skills are above average, most people are surprised when Eddy finds something that nobody else can... It's fun to watch such a character in action as a reader. Not so much for the criminal who has hidden drugs where he thought nobody would find them!

The power of observation  is the only thing Eddy and Shawn have in common though. Eddy is more mature, experienced and is an actual cop--at least he was...

Harkness pushes the coin transfer unit down
Main Street, stopping to send coins gushing down
into its metal belly like a slot machine paying off
for someone else.
It's enough to make even the straightest
arrow go bemt.
As he walks from meter to meter, Harkness
asks the question he turns over in his mind
every day like a riddle--will he ever get back
to Narco-Intel
Next he starts going over every place they
went that night...and where he lost is Glock!
~~~

Now he's a Meter Man...

He also was once at Boston PD, but now is back in his old home town. A commissioner had pulled him aside and established him as lead of a small group called Narco-Intel. But many in town already know him and have strong feelings one way or another... My opinion was he was screwed,,, 

Of course, pinpointing where drugs were in Mach's place didn't help those involved in criminal activities and there is a blurred line telling who was good or bad, even if you wore a uniform...

For finding the drugs, Mach fired Eddy's friend, Thalia. Moving in with Eddie was about the only thing she could do at that point--but that put her in danger too, because people were starting to get killed...

Mach had indicated he was through with drugs and had gone into "girls" and indeed he was not involved with the new group, new drug, that was now being sold--Third Rail! They got them both the night they went from place to place getting more and more out of control... Neither one was able to identify what they took or had been given...

One thing he did know, his Glock was gone! And if his bosses found out, he'd be gone! Going over everywhere they went, inch by inch had not produced anything and soon Eddy was putting pressure on Thali ra as to whether she had taken it! Soon he didn't have to figure out whether somebody had found it--men started making comments about him using his gun...or not... Then he got word that whoever had it was using it! Eddy had to act to get it back!

, 

Bent forward, face flushed red,
eyes wide, the driver lays on the
horn. He's had a heart attack.
Or he's insane. The volvo races
by Harkness, jumps the curb,
and roars across the green to
smash into the town monument.
~~~

Then deaths started to occur and the reason turned out to be the new drug! More powerful than anything around, it was also very expensive because of what it did...and the rich users from Boston were coming in now...The first guy to go ran his car into a town monument, causing a political issue that got everybody in town involved!

Eddy started to do some deals and soon was fairly certain who was making the drugs and where their work was being done...But it was only by his knowing one of the town women, who was involved with the man he though was leading the drug making, that he finally got the method...

But it wasn't a happy one... The friend's child had been taken by her lover and hidden so that the baby would not disturb a party that was planned! She was begging him to come out there--right into a "Third Rail" party where nobody would be in control and nobody knew just what this drug would do to each individual! Without saying more, let me tell you that she was quite grateful that Eddy responded to her call! Amazing climax...

One reviewer mentioned Flynn writing like Robert B. Parker's Stone series. I could be wrong, but I'm not sure I agree with this. Even in Stone's series, Parker's infamous dialogue would nearly always be right there...but I didn't see a resemblance to Parker's style of writing. Since this was the first book for Harkness, again I could be wrong, but Harkness seems to have a rougher, more aggressive personality--a Charles Bronson type as opposed to Tom Selleck who played Stone in TV movies... What do you think? Personally, I'm looking forward to reading about Eddy Harkness in the future, no matter who might play him in movies!

Highly Recommended!


GABixlerReviews

Rory Flynn lives with his family in Concord,
Massachusetts. Third Rail is his first crime novel.