DARKENING DANGER: Read Excerpt

Miami, Florida


Michael Levine


My eyes open in the void of darkness surrounding me. My naked skin beaded with moisture chills to the bone. The perfect darkness elicits no sound except my own heartbeat and heavy breathing, no smells, and except my own fear, no one is here with me. From the darkness comes a light that separates and splits into innumerable floating squares. I am watching as they begin to move and oscillate around me, faster and faster... Reaching out to catch one, my hand is passing through its center and I see each transparent slip of light is actually a formula or equation. All of the answers sought by scientists and mathematicians are within my reach, but I can't even grasp one of them! What does this mean and why is it so damn familiar?

So many numbers are passing by me I can’t even focus on one group. Out of the oblivion comes a backdrop to the equation, photographic flashes of famine and devastation have me struggling not to close my eyes. The gray and white images of the sunken eyed people are frightening. Compounding my fears are the visions of the gruesome dry deserted terrain scattered with animal skeletons. Out of a squint, I look to see man’s greatest fear…Oh God, is it the past or the future? I can’t be sure. It reminds me of photos shot by Rothstein or Lange of the economic disaster during WWII and the great western droughts. Somehow a part of me knows this is the foreboding future mankind will face in the wake of the sun’s hiatus.

Sickened, giving into the pain, I double over. Opening my eyes, I recognize the more familiar blackened surroundings of my bedroom in Miami. I stumble out of bed in an awkward race to open the blackout drapes covering the French doors. In a state of madness, I pull them back and breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of the fiery ball rising above the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. I swing open the doors, walk out onto the veranda, and soak in the heat of the rays.

BOOK REVIEW: SIX YEARS by Harlan Coben with Author [Video]

Two years ago I believed living off the grid was next to impossible. About a year ago I learned that was not true. I watched in the background as authorities searched for a relative of mine that was living outside of the watchful eye of modern society. It was riveting to say the least. Remarkably, the authorities never located my relative. He eventually came forward.

SIX YEARS is a fascinating mosaic of interesting components by a well-versed veteran author, Harlan Coben. Read by five people, each account would likely be dramatically different. After my personal experience, I was most intrigued by the plausible circumstances that allowed people to disappear from society. 

Harlan Coben

Jacob (Jake) Fisher provides a first person narrative of his experience. My goodness, he is delightful. Wonderfully flawed, Jake is a sensitive woman's man and a giant man's man. He is often refreshingly a naive academic, but always determined to find the love of his life and absolutely nothing will stop him. 

SIX YEARS is a love story and a thriller all wrapped up in one fabulous scenario. 

SIX YEARS is available on Amazon

PRESS RELEASE: KILLER, COME HITHER by Louis Begley

“Killer, Come Hither beckons.” —Vanity Fair


“A stealthy, page-turning thriller … all admirers of crisp prose and taut plotlines will gladly follow Jack on his deadly quest to circumvent the law.” —Booklist

From Louis Begley, the master observer of upper-crust New York life, comes KILLER, COME HITHER: A Novel (Nan A. Talese; April 7, 2015; $25.95), a sly international thriller ranging from the suites of an elite Manhattan law firm to the rough and tumble western plains of Brazil.

When former Marine Corps Infantry officer Jack Dana is badly wounded while serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan, he begins working on a novel about his wartime experiences from his bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. As a former star student at Yale with a promising future as an academic, Jack is unsurprisingly an overnight success, his debut novel launching a bestselling literary career.

While vacationing in Mato Grosso in Brazil several years later, Jack receives the news that his uncle Harry Dana, a leading New York City attorney with whom he lives, has hanged himself in his Sag Harbor weekend house. When Jack learns that Harry’s wrung the neck of his beloved house cat and left no suicide note, he immediately suspects foul play. And when Harry’s long time secretary tragically dies underneath a subway train, Jack recruits the help of his uncle’s favorite young partner to pursue the trail of his mounting suspicions.

As Jack investigates the circumstances surrounding Harry’s death, he confronts a sordid intrigue mounted against his uncle’s law firm by a former client and Texan billionaire, Abner Brown. The stakes are huge – Harry’s death now seems anything but a suicide. And in order to avenge him, Jack might have to circumvent the law and take matters into his own hands.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Louis Begley’s previous novels are Memories of a Marriage, Schmidt Steps Back, Matters of Honor, Shipwreck, Schmidt Delivered, Mistler’s Exit, About Schmidt, As Max Saw It, The Man Who Was Late, and Wartime Lies, which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Irish Times/Aer Lingus International Fiction Prize. His work has been translated into fourteen languages. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

For more information visit: Louis Begley's site or Nan A. Talese

Killer, Come Hither: A Novel * Louis Begley * Nan A. Talese/Doubleday 

Publication date: 4/7/2015 * Price: $25.95 * ISBN: 978-0-385-53914-2

Louis Begley is available for interviews in the follow cities: 

New York, NY: 4/9 ∙ Easthampton, NY: 4/11 ∙ New York, NY: 4/15

REVIEW: KILLER, COME HITHER

A READER'S THOUGHTS: DARKENING DANGER

THE SCIENCE WILL SURPRISE YOU!



"Authors have written of the darkness since chisel was first taken to stone, and all have carried a single theme; Darkening Danger. Poe said it best; "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, and dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."


With Darkening Danger, Sammy Sutton takes it one step further and gives us a darkness that brings dreams no mortal ever wanted before. The world has undergone a drastic change; the sun is gone, the moon is gone, the stars are gone, and soon all electrical power fails; what do people do when there's nothing to light the way?


Her main character Michael Levine leaves me wondering if he is a light in the darkness or perhaps a part of the darkness. In subsequent books I hope to find the answer. I can't wait!
Chaos has just begun and we are only in the first day of what might prove to be the end of the world as we know it.


In Darkening Danger we find tension created by total darkness, murder, sleep deprivation, dreams that capture you and won't let go, and sexual encounters that leave you asking the question; if one must court darkness as the cost of knowledge; what price are we willing to pay?"

Review by Kathy Feigel


Get DARKENING DANGER on Amazon, Today!

Hidden Mountain: The Legacy

The Legacy

All forms of tampering with human beings, getting at them, shaping them against their will to your own pattern, all thought control and conditioning is, therefore, a denial of that in men which makes them men and their values ultimate.

Isaiah Berlin

 Cover Design by William Kenney
Prologue

THRILLER: DARKENING DANGER

Paralyzing darkness envelops earth- Geophysicist Michael Levine complicates his plight when he rescues a woman with a classified secret and a murderer on her heels.

Scientist agree; Jupiter acts as a warrior protecting Earth from cosmic disaster, but what if suddenly Jupiter failed to absorb the enemies in the Heavens?

Imagine life without light, natural or man-made. Imagine a world in total darkness for three days. What happens to humanity when the lights go out?
Get your copy of DARKENING DANGER, Today!

THE LEGACY; HIDDEN MOUNTAIN

The Legacy
(The original unpublished excerpt)

All forms of tampering with human beings, getting at them, shaping them against their will to your own pattern, all thought control and conditioning is, therefore, a denial of that in men which makes them men and their values ultimate.

Isaiah Berlin

 Cover Design by William Kenney
Prologue
     Donizetti slammed the phone hard against the fine wood surface. The heat from inside began to penetrate through his pores. He could no longer dispute the fact; King Solomon’s Scrolls had surfaced.

During his agents out of control attack against Antonio Dominguez; the anthropologist had not denied accusations of having found the prize. An artifact with the power to destroy all that OPERA had achieved.

His palm wiped the moisture from his forehead, and in a brisk motion, he swiveled the chair in front of the computer screen. He scrolled back through his files, until he found The Maestro’s email from several months before. 

To: "Donizetti" <Donizetti@OPERA.com>                                                                                09:39 11 May 2010

From: "Maestro" <Maestro@OPERA.com>

Subject: Top Secret        

Donizetti;

Do not discount this Legend. Intelligence has spotted a world renowned anthropologist poking around at the suspected site.

The time will come:

              Destiny had dictated the King's power must fade throughout the land of Israel. It was time, and as the Divine Vision had prompted him, he began to organize the final mission. The tribes would spread throughout the World and populate, but only if Israel fell. Many claimed the King had gone mad. Contrarily, Israel's strength prepared the countrymen for The Fall.

              Fate intended for the people of Israel to inhabit all corners of the Earth. King Solomon and his father, King David, placed and trained the Tribes for their future. Rumors claimed King Solomon abandoned the God of Moses, but in reality, Solomon instead painfully chose to honor his God, and all His wishes.

              The King sent the special envoy to temporarily inhabit a specific location, on the other side of the world.

              The large Galley ship led four smaller vessels in a bittersweet departure in the Spring of 939 BCE, as it glided through the Strait of Gibraltar, between the Pillars of Hercules. They left their homeland behind, knowing they would never return. The small fleet navigated the Atlantic Ocean for several months as they embarked upon a special expedition to the New Promised Land. The lead ship required 290 rowers, and carried 400 passengers and crew. Accompanied by four smaller vessels, each filled with extra supplies, they provided a means to aid in the travel through the shallow tributaries of the New Land.

              The journey wasn't without misfortune. Dysentery infected everyone aboard one of the smaller ships, and left all its passengers in a floating tomb, without a single survivor from the depths of her boughs. Near the island of present-day Cuba, a powerful storm lasting for days capsized one of the remaining smaller ships. The crew only rescued a few survivors from the treacherous waters.

              Three of the five original ships arrived at the mouth of the Rio Grande, deep inside the Gulf of Mexico, nearly 2,500 years before Christopher Columbus claimed to find the New World. King Solomon's Captain, Nathanael, knew their travels up the river would be difficult.

              The direction of the on-coming current forced the ships to push against the river's fierce current. Merely a few days into their ascension of the Rio Grande, Nathanael decided the crew and passengers should stop for rest. They constructed a temporary campsite to provide a much-needed respite on dry land, for the crew and passengers grew exhausted from the sea. No one had stepped foot off the ship in months, and almost a third of their party had been lost to the ocean's demands.

DARKENING DANGER

THE SCIENCE WILL SURPRISE YOU!



Authors have written of the darkness since chisel was first taken to stone, and all have carried a single theme; Darkening Danger. Poe said it best; "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, and dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."


With Darkening Danger, Sammy Sutton takes it one step

further and gives us a darkness that brings dreams no mortal ever wanted before. The world has undergone a drastic change; the sun is gone, the moon is gone, the stars are gone, and soon all electrical power fails; what do people do when there's nothing to light the way?


Her main character Michael Levine leaves me wondering if he is a light in the darkness or perhaps a part of the darkness. In subsequent books I hope to find the answer. I can't wait!
Chaos has just begun and we are only in the first day of what might prove to be the end of the world as we know it.


In Darkening Danger we find tension created by total darkness, murder, sleep deprivation, dreams that capture you and won't let go, and sexual encounters that leave you asking the question; if one must court darkness as the cost of knowledge; what price are we willing to pay?


Review by Kathy Feigel


Get DARKENING DANGER on Amazon, Today!

Sammy's Thoughts; TRACKER by James Rollins

A riveting short story that stands alone, yet clearly teases the reader with the introduction of a couple of fascinating characters. In search of a hidden Jewish graveyard to find Aliza's missing father, Tucker and his military dog Kane are amazing. 

The bond between a man and his dog couldn't be told more eloquently than James Rollins tells it in TRACKER. This is enhanced even further as the author gives the reader a compelling view through the dog's eyes. Excellent Story; Excellent Characters; Excellent Effect!

Get Your Copy of TRACKER on Amazon!

About Author John Betcher & His Award Winning Novels

John Betcher Award Winning Author of The Becker Series 

Thriller: DARKENING DANGER

Scientist agree; Jupiter acts as a warrior protecting Earth from cosmic disaster, but what if suddenly Jupiter failed to absorb the enemies in the Heavens? 

Imagine life without light, natural or man-made. Imagine a world in total darkness for three days. What happens to humanity when the lights go out? 

That is what Dr. Michael Levine now faces. What will happen as he and others face the darkness and its aftermath? Using everything he knows, Michael must endeavor to survive and help others overcome the dire consequences science has predicted and no one has believed…until now.When fear and unknown danger attack from the blackness…Michael must find a way to fight back and find the one place they can all be safe. ‘Darkening Danger’ is the short story prequel to the full length novel

Sammy Sutton

Get DARKENING DANGER on Amazon, Today!

About: Thriller DARKENING DANGER

Scientist agree; Jupiter acts as a warrior protecting Earth from cosmic disaster, but what if suddenly Jupiter failed to absorb the enemies in the Heavens?

Imagine life without light, natural or man-made. Imagine a world in total darkness for three days. What happens to humanity when the lights go out?

That is what Dr. Michael Levine now faces. What will happen as he and others face the darkness and its aftermath? Using everything he knows, Michael must endeavor to survive and help others overcome the dire consequences science has predicted and no one has believed…until now.When fear and unknown danger attack from the blackness…Michael must find a way to fight back and find the one place they can all be safe. ‘Darkening Danger’ is the short story prequel to the full length novel ‘Concealed’, coming soon for readers everywhere.

Get DARKENING DANGER on Amazon, Today!

Thriller Excerpt: DARKENING DANGER

Corpus Christi, Texas

Johanna Mueller

Moving forward, my footsteps echo hollowly on the marble floor; as hollow as my emotions have become. That is except for fear, fear is now my constant companion; and yes, approaching the counter in this repository is scaring the hell out of me. The idea of having to appear carefree and jovial even for a few moments has me frightened to my very core. Despite actually being here for more than a month, this is my first excursion alone in this city.

The older stereotypical librarian is far from a frightening specter, yet my breath catches in my throat as she asks what she can do for me. For a moment, I freeze before mustering a grin and handing her a piece of paper with the titles of the two dissertations; my need for the information those dissertations may contain has forced me into a situation I dread.

DARKENING DANGER Trailer

A big thanks to talented Marta Moran Bishop for her fabulous work.

DARKENING DANGER

Paralyzing darkness envelops earth- Geophysicist Michael Levine complicates his plight when he rescues a woman with a classified secret and a murderer on her heels.

Scientist agree; Jupiter acts as a warrior protecting Earth from cosmic disaster, but what if suddenly Jupiter failed to absorb the enemies in the Heavens?

Imagine life without light, natural or man-made. Imagine a world in total darkness for three days. What happens to humanity when the lights go out?

That is what Dr. Michael Levine now faces. What will happen as he and others face the darkness and its aftermath? Using everything he knows, Michael must endeavor to survive and help others overcome the dire consequences science has predicted and no one has believed…until now.When fear and unknown danger attack from the blackness…Michael must find a way to fight back and find the one place they can all be safe. ‘Darkening Danger’ is the short story prequel to the full length novel ‘Concealed’, coming soon for readers everywhere.

Get DARKENING DANGER on Amazon, Today!

TRACKER by James Rollins

A riveting short story that stands alone, yet clearly teases the reader with the introduction of a couple of fascinating characters. In search of a hidden Jewish graveyard to find Aliza's missing father, Tucker and his military dog Kane are amazing. 

The bond between a man and his dog couldn't be told more eloquently than James Rollins tells it in TRACKER. This is enhanced even further as the author gives the reader a compelling view through the dog's eyes. Excellent Story; Excellent Characters; Excellent Effect!

Get Your Copy of TRACKER on Amazon!

THE RIVER by Michael Neale

If you have never stood on a mountain top, watched the mist rise and open to a view of a raging waterfall that drops down into a gorge of smooth, flat river water, then Michael Neale can show it to you. His book, The River, is a marvelous journey through one man's life from boyhood to manhood. The use of the river as symbolism is felt from beginning to end, and much like a river flows, never the same from moment to moment or mile to mile, so is the life of Gabriel Clarke.

In Gabriel Clarke, his mother and the friends they meet along the way, Michael Neale has created realistic characters that allow the reader to become immersed in their story. The rich vein of honesty that runs through the book will give the reader opportunities to chuckle over their own past and the memories The River kindles.

Those readers seeking a book filled with hope will find that hope flows captured in the smooth tale Michael Neale voices. Life is filled with moments that are not always smooth as glass, much like the river, life can become a raging torrent that bruises. Yet, no matter the bruises, in our lives we find those who can heal us body and soul. Gabriel finds those people and the richness they offer makes him a man to be proud to know.

The River never seemed to have a point where I could lay it down and come back to it. No, this is a have to finish it tonight kind of book. From the strength of the opening, the words flow around the reader, pooling within the heart, soul and mind.

Michael Neale

Story tellers have been a part of human history since man first gathered around a fire. Michael Neale shows us that fabulous tradition is still alive and well. Like other modern story tellers such as; Cormack McCarthy, Sandra Cisneros or Gabriel Marquez, the author has bound up the traditional story telling art form with a modern twist.

THE RIVER on Amazon!

PRESS RELEASE: KILLING WALL STREET by Sanjay Sanghoee

Killing Wall Street: A look at America’s growing financial unrest Banker, author takes deadly aim at corporate greed in new thriller.

NEW YORK CITY – From the corporate greed that fueled the collapse of the economy to the rise of movements like Occupy Wall Street, the last several years have seen the average American consistently at odds with Corporate America, and growing anger beneath the surface with a rigged financial system and exploding income inequality.

Investment banker-turned-author Sanjay Sanghoee rips into Wall Street and takes America to the boiling point in his new corporate thriller, Killing Wall Street (Argo-Navis, a division of Perseus Books, June 2013).

Killing Wall Street, a novel about the frightening power of an ordinary citizen’s rage, follows Catherine, a working class single mother living on the edge of a breakdown. After the financial crisis ruins what little is left of her life, she decides that she has had enough, and takes a shocking revenge against the system that has victimized her. As Catherine targets and kills bankers, lawyers, and CEOs with escalating fury, an FBI Agent races against the clock to catch the ultimate anonymous killer. When he discovers that the victims were all hiding a financial conspiracy, he thinks he is close, but the biggest shock of all is yet to come.

Sanghoee describes Killing Wall Street as a strong statement about modern America with a slyly populist and feminist flavor. The novel was inspired by Sanghoee’s time at leading investment banks and hedge funds in the 1990s and 2000s, during which he got an inside look at how the 1 percent of America works, lives, and connives. As corporate scandals rocked the nation, Sanghoee realized that corporations and wealthy individuals were gaming the system and leading the country on a path of destruction.

“My goal is to make a statement about the state of America today and to address the needs and concerns of all Americans, not just the 1 percent,” Sanghoee says. “Corporate corruption is destroying our country and people need to speak about it,so I thought I’d do that in this novel.”

In an interview, Sanghoee can discuss:
- Sanjay Sanghoee on bringing social issues to light through fiction writing
- The new feminist manifesto: Women taking on male-dominated corporate America and greed
- Why our system of Darwinian capitalism doesn’t work and what could be done to fix it
-Solving big-picture problems: Income inequality, crumbling infrastructure, tax abuse, healthcare and the debt trap
- Rethinking America: How to balance the individual profit-motive with the common good
Sanjay Sanghoee is “the banker who came in from the cold.” After publishing a hard-hitting novel, Merger, a corporate thriller from Forge (St. Martin’s Press), he began writing about business and politics. The novel was praised by critics, including at Chicago Tribune and BARRON’s, and set Sanghoee on the path to becoming a commentator and a vocal opponent of corporate excess.

Sanjay Sanghoee

Today, he blogs regularly for the Huffington Post and other publications on many hot-button topics, including the dysfunction in Washington, Wall Street reform, tax policy, corporate crime and gun control. Sanghoee has offered unique takes on each issue and is not afraid of taking a stand on what he believes is right. For more information, please visit www.killingwallstreet.com

Get Your Copy of KILLING WALL STREET at Amazon, Today!

PRESS RELEASE: VENGEANCE IS NOW by Scott D. Roberts

SCOTT D. ROBERTS DEBUTS HIS FIRST EROTIC-THRILLER AND JOINS THE RANK OF NEW MALE EROTIC NOVELISTS

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – With the New York Times bestseller 50 Shades of Grey becoming such an immense success, interest in erotica has grown. In the past, most male erotica writers (aka as “romantica”) would write under female pseudonyms not only to attract what

is a predominantly female marketplace, but also to protect their identities — erotica didn’t always have mainstream appeal. But with the success of Shades and other big sellers like Jennifer Cruisie’s Tell Me Lies, authors like Scott D. Roberts have not only stepped out of the shadows under their true genders but have also kept their pen names.

Roberts released his first novel Vengeance is Now, which is defined by the author as an “erotic-thriller.” The book takes readers into the life of Tate Holloway, a disgraced former police detective and secret gigolo, who goes on the run after his arch nemesis and serial killer “The Eye” successfully frames him for murder.

“First, erotica has broadened and is no longer a well-defined genre,” said Roberts. “Many other genres including my book Vengeance is Now is primarily a thriller and mystery about a serial killer where the protagonist Tate Holloway happens to be a private investigator and a male prostitute. With the economy being what it has been, it’s not unusual for people to‘moonlight’; but in this case, the second ‘job’ involves sex and adds the erotic elements to the book.”

Since many male erotic writers often disguise their genders under female pseudonyms, Roberts felt that with the rise in interest and mainstream acceptance of erotica as an accepted literary genre, why hide behind a woman’s name or even hide at all.

“It’s slowly becoming more acceptable and credible to write erotic action,” said Roberts.“With the worldwide success of novels like Shades, resistance by the reviewer community is crumbling. I am trying to build a career as a serious artist and adding the erotic element means a greater chance for market success. I don’t see anything wrong with it. Most people have sex and enjoy reading about it. I think a legitimate story with erotic elements offers the perfect mix to satisfy readers who like their action to be sexy, too.”

Roberts comes from the Hollywood film community where he wrote, produced, and co-directed the award-winning documentary, “Gas Hole,” narrated by Peter Gallagher. He has written several screenplays and has had projects optioned or bought by Paramount, Columbia, MGM, EUE/Screen Gems, and New Line.

“Making a film is such a collaborative, creative process with many people’s hands in the cookie jar,” said Roberts. “Writing the book allowed me to escape into Tate’s world and enjoy the process of sharing the words on the paper with an audience. When you hand in a screenplay for a film or TV show, you have no clue how the final product will stray from your vision. 3L allowed me the freedom to do what I do, but also assist in the final product in a very ‘artist-friendly’ environment. This has truly been one of the great creative

relationships I’ve ever encountered.”

Vengeance is Now launches nationally on Amazon and into bookstores in May. Pre-sales and early release copies are available on the book website at www.vengeanceisnow.com or the 3L Publishing website at www.3LPublishing.com. The eBook version will be available on Kindle, Nook and iBook.

Scott D. Roberts

Get VENGEANCE IS NOW, today on Amazon!

 www.3LPublishing.com.

DARKENING DANGER

Paralyzing darkness envelops earth- Geophysicist Michael Levine complicates his plight when he rescues a woman with a classified secret and a murderer on her heels.

Scientist agree; Jupiter acts as a warrior protecting Earth from cosmic disaster, but what if suddenly Jupiter failed to absorb the enemies in the Heavens?

Imagine life without light, natural or man-made. Imagine a world in total darkness for three days. What happens to humanity when the lights go out?

That is what Dr. Michael Levine now faces. What will happen as he and others face the darkness and its aftermath? Using everything he knows, Michael must endeavor to survive and help others overcome the dire consequences science has predicted and no one has believed…until now.When fear and unknown danger attack from the blackness…Michael must find a way to fight back and find the one place they can all be safe. ‘Darkening Danger’ is the short story prequel to the full length novel ‘Concealed’, coming soon for readers everywhere.

Get Darkening Danger on your Kindle, Today!