Interview with new Author Reyna Hawk

I was approached by Reyna Hawks who asked me if I would be interested in reading and reviewing her new book, "Looking Through Blind Eyes."  I agreed to add it to my stack of books to read and have been very happy with that decision.

So, much so that even though I posted a book review earlier (on this blog: see the side bar) I thought that I would do a BLOG interview with Reyna Hawks to introduce her to you so that you might better understand her and her new found desire to write books.

You will find my book review out on Amazon.Com or her on this Blog under an earlier posting date.

Here is the publishers book description:  All Janie and Daniel wanted was a better life and growing up in small town Louisiana did not give them that opportunity. So the sister and brother headed to Los Angeles, California to make the most of their lives. However, their hopes begin to diminish when Daniel's work in organized crime lead them down dangerous and deadly roads. After Daniel's mysterious disappearance and death, Janie plunges headlong into grief and love for the assistant to the "boss". The couple seems to have everything going for them except for Rico's job that takes him away for days on end sometimes. Janie's suspicions and worries over Rico's possible infidelity reveals information she never imagined would come to light. Her undying love for this man leads to secrets, lies, and murder. Soon Janie finds herself on the wrong side of the gun hanging off a cliff deep in the woods of North Carolina.

You can find the book at this link:  http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Through-Blind-Eyes-Reyna/dp/1432793608/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1339679144&sr=8-4&keywords=Through+Blind+Eyes


The following is the interview with Reyna Hawk:

1. Tell us about yourself and your new book.

First I’ll start with me. I’m a 44 yr old mother of one son and proud grandmother to one beautiful 3 yr old little girl. I’m the youngest of 5 kids. My family comes from the TN and NC area; however I was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. I love to travel and to take photographs of nature.

As for my book, this idea came to me actually back in about 1996. But due to work schedules and life in general it got put on the back burner. Also, back then the internet and methods of self-publishing were not what they are today. One thing that hasn’t changed is how hard it is to get a good agent. This more or less discouraged me and I figured these stories of mine would forever be in my head. Anyway, about a year ago I decided after doing a Google search on book publishing that self-publishing was the way for me.

Looking Through Blind Eyes is about Janie Valentine and her attempts of living a simple normal life. However, after a family tragedy and falling in love with a Mob Boss’s Assistant, her life is anything but simple and normal. This book follows her through the chaos, secrets, lies, and murders of being connected to the Mob.

I got the name due to an old saying I use to hear my mother say; turn a blind eye. Essentially that is what Janie does; she ignores all the warning signs and knowledge she has, in the hopes of a better life.

2. When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

I would have to say I knew in high school I wanted to be an author. I loved to tell and make up stories for my friends. Many times I would make them up on the spot. I remember telling my mother years later and she persuaded to pursue writing on a deeper level.

3. Do you have a favorite character you have written so far or in this particular book?

Well I am kind of partial to Janie, just because she has been running around in my head for years. However, I also like Daniel, Rico, and Malachi. There is something about each one that I am fond of. Janie is my favorite and then next comes Rico. I feel connected to them more than any of the other characters.

4. Are there any minor characters you have written that you would like to flesh out more in perhaps another novel?

I really would like to touch more on Scott. He had such a small yet major part in this book. I actually have a bit of a twist concerning him in the third book of this series (tentatively titled Shattered Visions Haunted Memories). I am thinking of possibly discussing him more due to this twist.  

Pastor Dan asks, "my favorite sub-character is Malachi, do you have future plans for him in your other books?

Thank you for your question and actually quite a few people's favorite character is Malachi;  and yes I do have future plans for him.  In books two and three he will have a significant part.  Of course, there will be more revealed about him personally and I think many will be surprised by the information that is brought forth about him.

5. Have you discovered some interesting information in research that influenced the direction of a novel?

Wow, the number of hours I did research online and watching documentaries is incredible. I did discover the level of secretiveness and violence that is attributed to those in organized crime. Many movies and books do not do it justice. It really is a scary world and way of living.

I did get an idea for another book on some of the research information. I discovered back in the 30’s to the 60’s there was quite a bit of Mob activity in the Cincinnati, Newport KY and Covington KY area; with connections to Mob men such as Lucky Luciano. Many Cincinnatians don’t realize just how heavy it was in that time.

6. What authors or types of books do you like to read when you're not writing?

I like to read books of a variety of genres. I am not one to rush to the store to buy the latest book that is being raved about. I will read books that grab my interest from the cover image and description on the back. I do like many of Stephen King’s books, along with Mary Higgins Clark, James Patterson, and Patricia Cornwell. The genres I seemed to gravitate toward are suspense, crime, drama, and romance. I do not like books that are nothing but romance though. I like for there to be twists, turns, and action to the storyline. I’m not one that gets into the Sci-Fi or Westerns either. There have been a few I read, but usually I steer clear of them.

7. What advice would you give to other aspiring authors?

Well I actually have three little tidbits of advice. The first is proofread, proofread, and then proofread some more. I went over this book numerous times and even had others proofread; and yet I still found a couple of minor mistakes in the final product. 

When there are numerous errors or if the sentences don’t flow very well then it makes for a difficult reading experience. The second would be to do research on the area, culture, and activities involved in the storyline. If an author is writing about the Rocky Mountains, it needs to be realistic. Those living or that have visited that area know it well. I research every town, people in the area, housing, etc. for each book. Research is very important; one cannot simply go off what they have seen on TV or heard by word of mouth. 

The third bit of advice is NEVER give up. Even if the first book doesn’t do so well, what is to say the next book won’t skyrocket to the top of the Best Seller’s List? I know a couple of authors that because their first book flopped, they hung their hats up. It’s sad because it is such a tough world to get into and see results. There are many great Indie authors out there if the bigger publishing houses would just give us a chance.

This thought is from Pastor Dan.  I agree with Reyna, NEVER give up.  My wife was discouraged after her first book and had to fight through the disappointment of not doing well.  Now, seven books later her sales continue to climb.  She has five self-published books and two books that were picked up by Sourcebooks and published for her.

8. Where do you do most of your writing and under what conditions do you prefer? (music, silence, being alone, etc.)

I generally do my best writing late at night while it’s quiet. I have done some writing in the busiest part of the day; however it’s not quite the same. I prefer writing when I am alone and when it is quiet. I get many of my ideas for plots or books while I am listening to music. I will begin by a thought and then daydream a whole creation of a book idea. Music has always helped me to bring about some great story lines and twists to the books.

9. Tell us something most people would not know about you.

Ok this is a hard one because I’m so open and upfront. I recently did a Top Ten Random List of Facts about myself for a blog site, so I’m trying to think of one not on that list. I’d have to say most people do not realize I have an obsession with tanning and an addiction toward Diet Pepsi. I know tanning is not good for my skin but I really enjoy it and it makes me feel good. I have tried the spray tans, but it’s just not the same. In my opinion spray tans gave me the unnatural dark and orange or dirty looking tans. I’m not as bad as I use to be, but I still go quite frequently. Beings I have a natural olive skin tone my skin tans very easy. So I don’t need to be in the tanning bed every day.

As for the Diet Pepsi, I drink a large quantity of it. Instead of coffee in the morning I drink Diet Pepsi. If I go to a store and they are out, oh look out. I will drive for miles in order to get one. My mother use to say she could always tell what part of town I was living in because the sales of Diet Pepsi went up dramatically.

10. What are you working on for your next novel?

The novel I am currently working on is the second book of the Valentine series. This one is called The Reflection of Secrets. It follows Janie into what has happened since the ending of Looking Through Blind Eyes. I got the name for the book because the life she is now living is a reflection of secrets that have and will be brought into the forefront. 

I want to thank Reyna Hawk for granting this interview for my BLOG site.  I trust that you the reader have found this informative.  Earlier in the post we gave you the link for purchasing her book on Amazon.  It would be well worth your time to read, it is an enjoyable diversion for the summer time blues.


You can also visit Reyna at her web site at http://www.reynahawk.com


ENJOY!

The Last Refuge, by Ben Coe

THIS BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON

This is the first Ben Coe book that I have read.  There are two other books out in this series, “Power Down” and “Coup D ‘Etat.”  After reading The Last Refuge I can’t wait to get my hands on the other two books.

Ben’s writing is superb.  He writes on the same level as Tom Clancy or Joel Rosenberg.  His characters are crisp, well defined, easy to understand, yet difficult to understand, does that make sense?  They are easy to understand because Ben does a great job in describing them to us, but they are difficult to understand because they have a depth of character that you will have to sit and ponder a bit to fully understand who they are.  Even then you will be left thinking there is more yet deep within them that I have to get to know.

The plot of the book is real.  It is so real that it reminds me of Joel Rosenberg’s books that almost read as though they are taken from today’s headlines.

The main plot is held up by several underlying sub-plots and do not detract, but add to the over all suspense and thrill of the hunt.  There are times when I might have wanted a bit more action, but maybe I have just become an ‘action’ junkie that wants more.

Ben shows not just a good writing skill, but he shows a keen understanding of today’s politics, national security issues and the need for clandestine agencies to protect the interest of our country and that of our allies.

His characters will kindle in your heart the desire to be loyal to your friends.  Loyal to your country and loyal to those living in your country whom you might not even know.

Having worked with a local police agency and learning about camaraderie I found the characters in Ben’s work extremely likeable and real.  They care for each other and will go to any end to protect each other, even if that means holding back a bit of information.

WELL NOW FOR THE REVIEW OF THE BOOK:

After having barely survived his last assignment, Dewey Andreas wants to just have some time off and unwind.  He wants to regroup and just enjoy life a bit.

He gets a phone call from a friend, Kohl Meir, that he can’t ignore.  He has to respond.  You see, Kohl lead a group of Israeli commando’s who rescued Dewey from his last assignment.  Not only did they rescue him, but six out of the eight men gave their lives so that Dewey could live.

Before Dewey can meet up with Kohl the unthinkable happens.  Kohl Meir is abducted by the Iranian secret police off of a street in New York City and taken back to Iran to be put on trial for war crimes.  The certain outcome will be his death.

Dewey can not just sit back and wait for that to happen.  He must intervene.  But how?  Kohl is in the most secure prison in all of Iran.  There is no possibility of a rescue attempt being successful.  Oh, and to add to the tension, the CIA and the President forbid any action being taken to try and free Kohl from Iran.

On top of all this the Iranians have finished their first Nuclear Bomb and are planning on detonating it in Israel.

How does all this tie together?  Well, Dewey can’t leave Kohl where he is, he must act.  Iran can’t be allowed to explode a nuclear weapon, but supposedly no one is suppose to know that it exists.  Oh, and American and Israel can not step in to rescue Kohl without major political fallout.

So, Dewey will go ‘offline’ to do what has to be done.  His task, rescue Kohl.  But can he also stop a nuclear disaster in the process?

That’s the basis of the story.  Along the way the American President dies of a stroke and the Vice-President has to take over and gives the CIA and NSA direct orders not to interfere in Iran.

Dewey’s friends, The Director of the CIA and the National Security Advisor to the President have to decide what they will do to help, or will they help.

Ben Coe writes a gripping story that will hold you spellbound as you watch Dewey Andreas (just a normal everyday guy who happens to work as a CIA operative) do what a friend has to do to save his friends life, be loyal to his country, be loyal to his fellow Military brothers and yet go against every rule that he has sworn to live by and uphold.

Will he succeed?  Better question, Will you agree with how he attempts to succeed?  Would this be the type of person you want working for you and your country in a time of crisis?  How would you respond to the other characters in the book and their actions?

This is real life written as a novel.  It’s not my real life, but it is the real life of people who have vowed to protect and serve our country and me even though they don’t know me.

You are going to enjoy this book (oh yes, there is some violence and foul language) and it should cause you to stop and ask yourself how you feel about our Foreign policies and how far we let our government agencies intervene in other countries activities.

Enjoy!

28 Pages, by Allen Mitchum

I was sent a copy of 28 pages by the author asking if I would read it and review it.  I was happy to agree to do that.


For a first book this was very well done.  I believe that Allen took a plot and developed it well.  He followed a good story line through the book, weaving in a couple of sub plots that added to and did not detract from what he was trying to accomplish.


His development of "driftwood" who turns out to be Fadi Kahlum is well done.  You don't want to like this character because he is an assassin, but then as the story unfolds you want to really like him, but then his old habits keep coming up.  So, you end up conflicted on whether you like him as the hero or you dislike him because of the life's vocation that he has been living.


The other main character, Heather Grahl, is a lawyer who is defending a young woman in a case of sexual abuse against the Ambassador to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia.  This is a no win situation as the Ambassador has diplomatic immunity, but can Heather draw a bead on him and shame the consulate and the U.S. government into deporting the Ambassador?


There are some political overtones (or might you say undertones) that work their way through the novel.  Mitchum is not a fan of Saudi Arabia or of terrorist or of our rules for Diplomats.  At least the writing would leave you with that assumption.


You will want to stop and think while you read, but then again you will be so caught up in the story that you will just want to plow your way through to the end to know how things turn out.


I enjoyed Mitchum's book and believe you will as well, below is my review that I posted on Amazon.com for their book reading clientele.  I hope you enjoy the review and the book.


Now for the actual book review;


Allen Mitchum's book is a great read. The story line is well conceived and well plotted out and keeps you turning pages wanting to know how things will end. It is not your typical everything turns out well at the end and all pieces are tied up nicely, which can be a breath of fresh air. There are a couple of things that are left hanging, such as was the death of a certain police official accidental or a murder, and does it matter? Is a certain romance going to blossom or not, and does it matter?

The book introduces a term, Islamophobia and leaves me wondering if the book was a political statement or just a well crafted novel that uses Saudia Arabia as the fall nation for the plot line? But because our antagonist / hero, Fadi, is Muslim and is in the long run the Good Guy, then the Islamic Phobia should be able to be put to rest. But is it?

The title 28 pages deals with the concept that there are 28 pages missing from the 911 Report that was delivered to Congress by the commission charged with looking into the events of the September 11th terrorist attacks on New York, the Pentagon and what most likely was the white house or Capital building.

Those missing pages would most likely implicate Saudi Arabia in the crime as co-conspirators with Osama Bin Laden and his merry band of terrorist. If not Saudi Arabia at least with the Saudi Royal family.

The story brings Heather Grahl, an American lawyer with Ancile Cole, a former U.S. Military officer and now Islamic expert and with Fadi, a Saudi Arabian Assassin. How do they all fit together? Well they are all working from different ends to try and wake up the American People to the fact that Saudi Arabian government is trying to wage a quiet Jihad with America but infiltrating our country and culture with disinformation and sleeper cells or at least deep plant spies who will cause major turmoil in America and lead it be become, dare we say, an Islamic state?

The book is well crafted, the characters well developed and the tension will keep you turning pages to find out the solutions to the different plots that our main characters (hero's) are trying to achieve.

I found the writing crisp and clean and enjoyed every minute of the book. Not everything turned out the way I would like. Not every theme was to my general liking, but it did entertain and give me reason to pause and think about our World's government structures and how we allow certain activities to go on with "Diplomatic Immunity" from prosecution.

If you love Tom Clancy or Vince Flynn style writing you will love this book.

Enjoy!

Looking Through Blind Eyes, by Reyna Hawk

When I was approached to read and write a review for this new author I wasn't sure what to expect. Usually I am blessed or disappointed with new writers. This time I was definitely blessed. Reyna Hawk has crisp clean writing skills. She develops characters well and develops plot lines extremely well. The book is about half the length of most novels now a days but that was not a drawback. As a matter of fact the plot was so well developed that the only disappointment in shortness was that the story was over and I wanted more. But she has another installment coming later this fall, so not to long to wait.

Now for the book review;

Daniel and Janie are brother and sister and are facing life together and alone. Their parents died in a house fire that appeared to be mysterious. The local townspeople are a bit afraid of Janie because she has the ability to see visions of the future or see into someones soul by just touching their hands. Now it is not with everyone, just with some. But enough so that people think she is a witch and maybe had something to do with her parents death.

Daniel lands a new job that is going to pay lots of money, but they have to move to California. So, they move. Daniel sets Janie up in a new home that is modest but very comfortable. He helps her to get a job (at a local bar even though she is not yet 21). The owner of the bar is connected with Daniel's new boss.

Janie meets Scott, a musical celebrity who falls for her. The problem is he is abusive. Daniel then introduces Janie to three of his friends, his boss and two associates. Janie is nervous around them because it appears they are not nice people. But one of them, Rico, thinks Janie is beautiful and wants to get to know her better. But what about Scott?

Worse than Scott is that Rico and friends are part of the Italian Mafia from New York. This makes things tense. If Rico wants to be with Janie then Scott might want to look elsewhere for love so that he may maintain his health.

During this time Daniel is murdered. He dies in a burning car. Why? It appears to be a mob hit. Janie is left now without any family and without the one person who cares for her. Janie finds a note from Daniel, it tells her that something might happen to him and if it does to stay close to Rico because he is the only one that Daniel trusts and secondarily Rico loves Janie. Really, stay close to the mob guy? Hmmmm.

Back to Scott. Scott eventually goes ballistic and kidnaps Janie. Enter Rico and Anthony and friends to save the day, OK, they save Janie but it costs Scott big time. Rico takes Janie with him back to New York and now she has to live with the mafia while maintaining their secret about what happened to Scott.

To make things short, good goes to bad and Janie becomes a liability. Anthony wants Rico to end Janie's life. Can he do it? Will he do it? What will happen when he tries to do it? Will Janie survive and bring done an Italian Mafia family?

Those art the questions and the story does a wonderful job of making you want to know what is going to happen. Part of the plot is predictable but then out of left field a surprise comes along that really helps with the plot.

The ending is good and will give you the desire to know more about what is going to come next.

I'm sure you will enjoy this new writer and her work as much as I did.

One disclaimer for my church readers. There is a bit of steamy sex in the book, not bad, not over the top too much. But it is there. If you know my drill, just skip those few paragraphs and it won't distract from the overall story. Remember this is a crime family and their morals are not necessarily the same as yours :)

Enjoy!

The Storm, by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown

Clive Cussler and Graham Brown have hit a home run with this new adventure / thriller from the cases of N.U.M.A. Three different events come in to play. The first is in 1943 when a merchant ship is fleeing a convoy of Allied ships while the Japanese try and capture it. The second is a home invasion in the desert of Yemen in 1967 when a young boy watches his mother and brothers be executed by bandits. The final is a N.U.M.A. vessel that is overcome by a plague of some type that kills the three crew men and leaves a mystery that N.U.M.A. will have to solve.

The dilemma is this, the worlds oceans are changing temperatures and thus weather patterns are changing. Countries that have desert are now getting rain and able to grow crops. Then other countries that are flush with crops, due to good weather, are now facing dry conditions that may turn them into a desert. How has this happened?

Enter Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala and Paul and Gamay Trout. They come together to try and piece together what happened to the NUMA vessel that was overrun. In the midst of this they stumble across a terrorist organization that rivals the worst of all groups / scenarios.

The thrill ride is one that reminds me of the earlier Clive Cussler novels. This book brings back the best of writing that I was use to with Cussler and was starting to miss. Something else that this book brings is a new technology to light that many of us know very little about. That technology is Micro robots and Nanotechnology. How do you build robot's that are microscopic and can change the world for the good (hmmm or for the worse). These little robots are so small that there have to be 100's of thousands of them for you to know they are present. But what they can do is amazing.

Austin, Zavala and the Trouts are going to have to come to terms with how to bring these robot's under control or disarm them so that they can no longer accept the programming codes from their evil owners and bring havoc on the oceans of the world and thus the weather patterns of the world.

If you are a Clive Cussler fan you will love this book. If you are new to Clive Cussler you will also love this book and the bonus is that you will not need to read other books to get to know the players before reading this one. Cussler and Brown do a great job of building the characters, both good guys and bad guys, and giving you enough background to help you understand who is who and their strengths and weaknesses (hmmmm, do Kurt and Joe have any weaknesses?).

The book is about the right length. That had become some of the problems lately, Cussler books had gotten a bit bloated, although I always enjoyed finishing them. But this one is just about the right length.

Oh, and did I mention that there will be some near impossible scenario's that will make you think, no way could someone pull that off! Well, you would be right, except that these men and women of N.U.M.A. are exceptional people and they can do the near impossible. If you stop and pick apart the impossible scenario's the thing that is amazing is that you will find that Cussler has done his research and all these things are possible to do, given the right circumstances and the right people to do them.

I miss Dirk Pitt, but Kurt Austin has become the next generation American Hero that we all will love to follow. Thanks Clive and Graham for a great summer read.

Deadly Straits by R.E. McDermott

McDermott states that his book is for Tom Calncy and W.E.B. Griffin fans. I would have to agree with him partially. I think that like WEB Griffin he has a very sweeping book that takes in large number of characters and multiple story lines running at once. I don't believe he is like Tom Clancy though. His book does have one main "hero' figure, but that person is not the sole focus of the book. There are so many other characters as to detract from the one main character.

The plot of the book is that Venezuela and Iran have come together to hire a former German Secret Police character to help them bring to bear multiple terrorist attacks on the shipping industry, specifically the super tanker industry. Their goal is to have several terrorist attacks in different shipping lanes so as to cripple the SuperTanker Oil delivery system. The bottom line they want the world to become more dependent on their oil and also help them to build a new Panama Canal through Nicaragua.

They want multiple attacks so that it will be more difficult to determine the real motives and to also mask who is the mastermind of the situation.

Our hero, Tom Dugan, is a boat inspector / evaluator who is an independent contractor, although the majority of his work is for Phoenix Shipping, a company run by his friend Alex Kiraoux. Alex though is presently being controlled by the German, Braun, who is manipulating the shipping company to bring about the terrorist activity.

Dugan has been offered employment by Alex on many occassions but has turned him down. Now the CIA and MI5 come to Dugan and ask him to take the job with Alex so that he can keep an eye on the shipping company and help uncover the terrorist plots that the Intelligence community belives Alex is involved with.

Dugan reluctantly takes the job. Alex reluctantly hires Dugan, why reluctantly? Because he is being blackmailed by the terrorist and he doesn't want his friend Dugan to get involved.

The story unwinds through many avenues. It involves many characters. Frankly I had to keep a two page cheat sheet to keep up with everyone.

The story lines develop well. The characters are developed fine, but not all of them to the depth I would like. Some characters who play fairly important roles have little development because there just isn't any time left in the book to do it.

This is a good first start. I wasn't completely overjoyed with the effort, but it was good enough to keep me interested and also good enough that I look forward to the next book by McDermott.

If you like W.E.B. Griffin novels you will like this work.

Enjoy!

The Methuselah Man, by Will Dresser

Will Dresser is a new author that I have just read for the first time. His book The Methuselah Man is amazing. I will disclaim that Mr. Dresser sent me a copy of the book in exchange for a review. Boy am I glad that I accepted his offer. This book is fascinating.

 The story starts out with Joe Rosenfeld and Liz Charles present at the burial of an extraordinary man. He has lead an amazing life that has brought him in contact with countless numbers of people, both simple and complex, poor and rich, weak and powerful. Yet Joe and Liz are the only two people to attend the burial, except for the grave digger. Why is that? Why does no one else come to this funeral? If this man was so amazing and so important why are there not others there?

Well, that's the point of the story. From the opening scene we are transported back in time to a couple of weeks before when Jared Kennan Cain, the Methuselah Man, shows up at the psychiatric office of Joe Rosenfeld to seek counsel and to `tell' his story. Liz Charles is Joe's secretary and confidant, so she gets to meet Cain, but not sit in on the sessions.

 On the other side of the country our hero, Wes Franklin, is having a friendly get together with an old friend, who just happens to be the Secretary of State, Crandall Forsyth. Crandall is asking Wes to help him discover some information regarding the Vice-President of the United States, George S. Austin.

It seems as though Austin and President Treem don't see eye to eye on Nuclear disarmament. There is a summit coming up and the Vice-President is put in charge of security and Forysth wants Wes to have a hand in that. Then there is another sub-plot, some Russian mobsters are trying to sell weapons grade Plutonium to some Arab businessmen. The CIA and others are trying to stop that and dismantle the threat of nuclear material getting into the hands of terrorist.

 So, how do all these stories come together? Oh, and did I forget to tell you about the Genetic Discovery Corp, and Dr. Bridger who are a CIA front for developing chemical and biological weapons? Yeah, they are going to play a big part in this story.

But the main plot of the story is The Methuselah Man. Cain has come to Rosenfeld because he is dying of cancer of wants to talk about the afterlife. The problem is this, Rosenfeld feels his client is in denial and doesn't want to come to terms with dying. But Cain wants to talk with Rosenfeld about his book on near death experiences. Why? Because Cain can't die! That's the bottom line. He can't die. He is living forever. He gets sick, but then he gets better. His body has a genetic make-up that is "the fountain of youth." He wants help from Rosenfeld to come to terms with God, heaven, the afterlife, and why he can't die, etc.

Dr. Bridger and the Genetic Discovery Corp want Cain back because they are studying him to see why he can't die. The Vice-President wants Cain back because he has a special project for him to do for him. 

Wes Franklin comes in to play because well, just because, you will have to read the book to find out. Wes, Joe, Liz and Wes's friends, Aryana and AJ all come together to try and save Cain from the clutches of Dr. Bridger and the Genetic Discovery Corp.

But Cain has some other ideas as well as to what he needs to do. All along Rosenfeld and Franklin discover the truth of the Methuselah Man, he has extraordinary powers of healing. He doesn't seem able to die, even when he is shot he heals. Oh, and how long has he been alive anyway. For Cain, all he wants is to die. He wants to be freed from immortality and to be brought back into the good graces of God. He is tired of being `punished by God' for a sin that he committed 1,000's of years before. But does God really punish people? Not according to my Theology.

But Cain thinks so and makes a very good argument for his belief. This book has more twists and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco. You will be kept on the edge of your seat while reading. You won't want to stop. I lost sleep because of this book.

Will Dresser does a wonderful job of developing his main plot, weaving in his sub-plots and bringing them all together in a fast paced thrill ride ending that will leave you wanting more. Then he will take a couple of more chapters to tie it all up nice and pretty and deliver to you the ultimate reality of how power and greed, but mostly power will corrupt even the best of men.

The character development is wonderful. I thought that each person who was important to the story was well developed and you received all the information you needed to know them well. If you kept track of the players and the plots you could come up with the solution to the story, or could you? Towards the end of the story there is one more surprise that Dresser gives you regarding President Treem. I won't tell you what it is, you will just have to read the story to find out.

After you finish the book go back and re-read the opening chapter and you will be left smiling at the way this story all came together. If you love political spy thrillers you will love this novel. If you love Romance novels you will even find that in here. If you love Military hero's there is a great sub-plot for that with real life Medal of Honor winners who are good men, brave men, dedicated men, and men who realize they were just skillful and lucky.

 If you can't tell, I loved this book. Enjoy!