A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 64
March 23, 2022
Excerpt – The Watcher – A Jack the Ripper Short Story – A. L. Butcher #Horror #HistoricalFiction
The Watcher – A Jack the Ripper Tale
(c) A. L. Butcher
https://www.books2read.com/TheWatcherJTR
1888, Whitechapel, London.
There she was, that whore. Once more. There she was.
Beneath the flickering gas lamp at the corner of Dorset Street, Whitechapel, she strode, grinning a seductive smile at a passing sailor, just ashore and looking for company. He, as bad as the bitch whose breasts he felt and whose ear he nipped with yellowing teeth, the unseen Watcher thought. With eyes burning hatred and a menace previously unseen and misunderstood. It was, he thought, a righteous hatred, and they blaze all the brighter for it. The beast within told him so. For he was the beast and he was its creature, at once the same.
She could have been twenty or forty; the Watcher neither knew nor cared. She’d not see another year, another week, another night. The dim streets grew ever wickeder to those of her sort spreading around their sin, their poison. Defiling this town, this land, defiling HER. The Watcher shook his head; no more whores and this place would rise like the jewel it was. Not jaded and dull but glorious and fit for a queen. The beast within whispered in his head. “Cleanse this town, make it fit again.” And so he did. A knife in the darkness, once more.
Geneva liquor and poverty aged a person far better than mere passing of the years. In the greatest Empire on Earth, they blighted the land. Gin palaces, opium dens, and hash houses aplenty gave heaven and hell to those with money, and those without. Life was cheap, and oblivion cheaper. The Watcher knew these unfortunates dropped their drawers for a taste of it, panting and moaning beneath the bridges and in the alleys, with their grunting men, and their penny a tumble.
The sailor moved on. He’d had his pleasure with another of her kind and spent his last pennies in the tavern, and she was here to work. Nothing was free in her line of employment. Except for death.
So there she was, alone. Death walked these streets – and tonight it watched the red-haired whore, who sang and smiled and patted her new bonnet. There she was. The whore. Alone.
The minutes passed, creeping towards death; ebbing away from heaven and him ever closer to immortality. The whore did not know it. Of course, she’d heard the tales, everyone had. Screamed by newsboys on every corner “another ‘orrible murder” but rent still needed to be paid. And so she plied her trade. Afraid. Denying it would be her turn this night. A whore, alone.
Another night, another customer. Fear curled in her belly; these streets were streets of blood, four of her sisters slain in just a few weeks. But hunger was the greater force. Desperation made Mary-Jane brave – so she walked the streets, as she had often done. It wouldn’t be her, she thought. As they had. It couldn’t be her. Besides the police watched the alleys and the thoroughfares. The streets were largely empty, save the desperate and the foolhardy, and those too much in drink or lust to know or care.
The Watcher stood, beyond the pool of light from the gas lamp. This night was his. She would be his. This woman wasn’t as much a drab as some of her sisters-in-sin. Lust rose, entwined with his loathing. Two joined as one, desire and disgust, powerful and compelling. He’d never understood why they went together, but then he was a simple man, not one of the mind-doctors who had been so influential of late. The beast within did not care. Lust and hatred, pain and desire…bound so close he could experience little else when the darkness overtook him. Now, however, he watched.
The hunt was almost as enthralling as the kill; the knowledge of their fear, their desperation, and yet still they strutted themselves, offering a screw in the alleys and passages of the East End, and more if the customer had money and the taste for it. Filthy strumpets, he’d said to any who’d listen. Never did he consider the terrible choices they made. Never did he consider their choice was no real choice. What cared he for desperation and poverty? Respectable women did not sell their bodies. They kept sex for the marriage bed. SHE did – his icon, the woman he loved above all others.
The whores’ sins, the watcher thought, was what damned them. And they would pay, in this world and the next. He’d save London. He’d save it for HER. Blood would cleanse the streets.
March 19, 2022
Swift Six Author Interview – Jon Cronshaw
Name: Jon Cronshaw
Please introduce yourself (250 words or so):
I’ve been a full-time author since 2017. I’ve zig-zagged between high fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and gamelit. I’m trying hard to stay focused on writing fantasy stories, but that doesn’t stop the Muse teasing me with ideas for space opera tales.
Tell us about your book(s) – title, genre etc (short)
My main fantasy series is called The Ravenglass Chronciles, this is a 21-novella series where each book is inspired by the tarot. My latest novel, Dawn of Assassins is set a few hundred years after The Ravenglass Chronicles and tells the story of a pair of thieves who are recruited by a master assassin. But they’re thieves, not killers.
When did you start your writing adventure? What was the inspiration for it?
I’ve worked as a professional writer for most of my adult life, mostly in journalism. I’ve written stories, comedy scripts, and lyrics since I can remember, so I’ve always had that drive to tell stories. When I saw I could bypass corporate publishers and produce books on my own terms, that’s when I decided to follow this as a career path.
What writing plans do you have for the future?
To keep writing stories in my Ravenglass Universe. As I establish the universe, I want to branch out into other media and work with other writers. There’s potential for video games, movies, and comics. It’s very exciting. It’s also meant that when I get an idea for a story, I ask myself whether it will fit in the Ravenglass Universe. If it doesn’t, I thank the Muse and move on.
What do you like to read?
Books! And lots of them! I read in most genres. My favourite stories tend to be fantasy. Give me banter and swashbuckling and you’re onto a winner.
What piece of advice do you wish you’d had when you’d started your writing adventure?
Just because someone’s got a system that works for them, it doesn’t mean it’ll work for you.
There is no magic bullet.
Author bio and book synopsis
Jon Cronshaw is a full-time fantasy and speculative fiction author based in Morecambe, England.
Born in Wolverhampton, he has a PhD in the history of art and has written for local and national newspapers across the UK.
He’s an avid reader, podcaster, and history geek.
Dawn of Assassins:
Two friends. A master assassin. One deadly choice.
Fedor and Lev are thieves…not killers.
They lead a desperate life in the tunnels of Nordturm, conning and stealing to buy their next meal.
But when an assassin recruits them against their will, they are forced into a life they do not want and cannot escape.
If they leave, they will die. But if they stay, they must kill.
Can they survive the master’s relentless evaluation?
Is loyalty stronger than the will to live?
Will their friendship last the ordeal?
From the best-selling author of The Ravenglass Chronicles, comes a new thrilling adventure featuring a new cast of unforgettable characters.
You’ll love this high fantasy series, because these unlikely heroes have a story you won’t be able to put down.
Links/Social media
https://facebook.com/joncronshawauthor
https://youtube.com/c/joncronshawauthor
https://instagram.com/joncronshawauthor
https://tiktok.com/@joncronshawauthorYou can also find Jon Cronshaw’s Author Diary wherever you listen to podcasts.
March 17, 2022
Book Spotlight – Dawn of Assassins #Fantasy – Jon Cronshaw
Title: Dawn of Assassins
Author: Jon Cronshaw
Genre: high fantasy
Main character description (short).
Fedor is a young thief trying to make a better life for him and his friends, but when an assassin forces him to become his apprentice, he does all he can not to be a killer.
Synopsis:
Two friends. A master assassin. One deadly choice.
Fedor and Lev are thieves…not killers.
They lead a desperate life in the tunnels of Nordturm, conning and stealing to buy their next meal.
But when an assassin recruits them against their will, they are forced into a life they do not want and cannot escape.
If they leave, they will die. But if they stay, they must kill.
Can they survive the master’s relentless evaluation?
Is loyalty stronger than the will to live?
Will their friendship last the ordeal?
From the best-selling author of The Ravenglass Chronicles, comes a new thrilling adventure featuring a new cast of unforgettable characters.
You’ll love this high fantasy series, because these unlikely heroes have a story you won’t be able to put down.
Brief Excerpt 250 words:
The assassin’s blade shimmered bright blue on black as the teardrops took hold. He glanced back at the washed-out echoes behind him, the thin reflection of the real world—scentless and silent and rendered in greys.
His target’s mind glowed a purplish-yellow through the ghost of a door—a tiny spark soon to be extinguished.
He drove his dagger into the door and dragged downwards, tearing a rift between realms large enough for him to pass through.
Ducking into the portal, the assassin stood for a moment, allowing himself to acclimatise to the sensual overload—the smells of damp socks and wood smoke, the stream of noise from the city beyond, and the colours…so many colours.
The target lay on the bed, his mouth half open, his sleeping breaths punctuated by the occasional snort.
The assassin wiped the lingering teardrops from his blade with his jacket’s hem. As successful contracts mounted, the tears became harder to summon, as though each completed job took something from him.
He reached inside his jacket and uncorked a vial of his own blood. He allowed a drop to fall onto the blade, replaced the stopper, and returned the vial to his pocket.
For a moment, nothing happened.
He turned his head, averting his gaze as the blade glowed brilliant white and turned to fire in his hand.
Links etc.
https://facebook.com/joncronshawauthor
https://youtube.com/c/joncronshawauthor
https://instagram.com/joncronshawauthor
https://tiktok.com/@joncronshawauthor
You can also find Jon Cronshaw’s Author Diary wherever you listen to podcasts.
Swift Six Character Interview – Lev
Character Name:
I ain’t telling you my name. Don’t look at me like that. Fine, it’s Lev and I already know who you are. And where you live.
Which book/world do you live in?
You with the magistrates, or something? I’ve had enough of you masked pricks to last a lifetime. I don’t have to tell you about nothing. As far as I can tell, it’s none of your business, mate.
Tell us about yourself:
What do you want to know? I’m best thief in Nordturm. But I’m not all bad. I’ve taken a few green kids under my wing, shown them the ropes. Take Fedor here. When I first took him in, he didn’t know a dip from a con job, and now look at him. He’s almost passable. What? It’s true.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Mate, trust me. I don’t have any weaknesses. As for strengths…that’d be telling, wouldn’t it? I aways say you never let a mark know what you’re good at. Not that you’re a mark, or anything. You seem alright. You just can’t be too careful with some of the arseholes you get around here.
Alright, alright, I’ll give you one. I can do locks. Put a lock in front of me and I’ll crack it in seconds. Even the new ones.
Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
Seriously? I don’t have time to go through all that crap. All I know is you keep an eye on the docks, you avoid the watch, and you keep your head down when Patrov’s lot are knocking about.
Now, if you’re looking for some fun, you might want to go down to the Rusty Sail. Right at the back of the commercial district, past the docks. Backroom’s always a bit dodgy with the plez-heads, but they do a good ale, and you hardly get any crap from the bouncers.
And, then, between you and me, you might want to pay a visit to The Clam. Tara’s my favourite, but they’ve got something for everyone, if you get my meaning. It’s not as pricy as Regret-me-not, but you won’t end up with the pox like you do at some of the grubbier places.
The only thing I’d say is to watch out for bloody wyverns. I hate those scaly bastards.
What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?
No one wants another hero. Heroes never did nothing for no one. I’m about loyalty, me. I look out for my crew and they look out for me. We made an oath in blood and that’s worth more than any hero thinking he’s all that.
What do you think of your ‘creator’?
I didn’t have you down for a priest. Trust me, you want to get as far away from those bastards as you can.
Give us your favourite piece of advice:
If someone calls a thirty-three, you do one. No arguments.
Speaking of doing one, it’s been a pleasure, mate.
Links to book
Dawn of Assassins by Jon Cronshaw
https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Assassins-Book-assassin-fantasy-ebook/dp/B09PNJQCRF
Get the free prequel novel at https://joncronshaw.com
March 12, 2022
Book Spotlight – Satchel Pong and the Great Migration #Steampunk #Fantasy – Adam G Fleming
Title: Satchel Pong and the Great Migration
Author: Adam G. Fleming
Genre: Steampunk fantasy
Main character description (short).
Satchel Pong is a Meteorologist who realizes his world has been heating up slowly over the past decade. Under increasing pressure, the reluctant leader contacts the Dirigibles for advice and decides he must lead his people on a migration to safety.
Synopsis:
Throp Islanders Satchel Pong, Antoinette Xho, and Emil Ennis lead their people away from their home, hoping to take their agricultural expertise to work together with the Lor’l Folk to survive a burning planet, but first they must find them on a distant continent.
Brief Excerpt 250 words:
…Satchel Pong saw a boy of about fifteen approaching. The lad was in good condition, and when he arrived Pong noted that he was not even a bit out of breath. The boy fell in step and walked alongside Pong, who picked up his pace.
“You’re Magistrate Pong, aren’t you? Said the boy. Pong thought he caught a hint of admiration in the kid’s voice.
Pong drew himself up. To be sure, sometimes it was annoying to be recognized in public, but other times, it felt quite good. “I am.”
“Bully! Well I think you’re swell, at least, maybe I do. I reckon it’s grand to sit up in the Municipal Complex and shuffle papers for a terrific wage, but teacher says you aren’t doing your job. There’s been years now since you’ve issued a report. Mother says I was just a wee lad. Why?”
“Who is your teacher?” Pong asked.
“Mrs.—er, that’s neither here nor there,” said the boy.
“Oh, you’re a clever lad, aren’t you. What’s your name, then?”
“My name is Emil. Everyone calls me ‘Double E.’ Why haven’t you issued a report?”
“Look, son, the weather, it’s complicated. Hard to predict. I’m not a, a, whatchamacallit. A necromancer, a thaumaturge. There’s no magic to it. It’s pure science, but you can’t know, it’s inexact, without the proper data it—”
“You’re making excuses, aren’t you? I’ve seen people make excuses in class. You know what we say. Mumble, mumble, excuses a tubful, barrel and crate, your homework is late!”
Why should readers buy this book (50 words max)?
Buy this book because books 2 through 5 in the Satchel Pong Chronicles are also fantastic. The saga moves from migration across the world to the attempt at interstellar relocation. Quirky characters and odd world building and plenty of humor.
Links etc.
IG @adam_g_fleming
Amazon Author page https://www.amazon.com/Adam-G.-Fleming/e/B00MJ4FDVQ
Website www.adamgfleming.com
FB: http://www.facebook.com/adamgflemingauthor
El último bosque – Edición de audiolibro
Cuando los humanos vienen a talar el último bosque, se llevan una desagradable sorpresa.
Un corto y oscuro cuento de fantasía sobre la ira de la naturaleza.
#Fantasía #CuentoCorto #distópico
Edición de audiolibro
https://www.amazon.com/x/dp/B09V8DWK2K
https://books2read.com/ElUltimoBosque
March 11, 2022
Swift Six Author Interview – Bruno Martins Soares
Name: Bruno Martins Soares
Please introduce yourself (250 words or so):
I don’t really know how old I was when I started writing stories. I wrote them for school, I’m certain, but the first time I wrote without any academic goal I was 12, I remember that much. I just loved reading and stories and the books I laid hands on didn’t last that much and I had so many stories in my head I just started playing with them until it was impossible not to write them down.
I kept writing different stuff. When I was 22, a friend of mine incited me to enter one of the largest and most prestigious Young Writers’ contests in Portugal. I did and won an Honourable Mention. I tried again two years later and won it. I went to Torino and then Rome and Sarajevo, representing my country as a Young Writer. One of the best times of my life. Then, one day, I decided to write a Scifi novel I had been chewing on for some time: The Saga of Alex 9. I showed it to a publisher who’d just included a short story of mine in an anthology, and he loved it. I was a published novelist one year later, and soon was featured in a series alongside names like George R.R. Martin or Bernard Cornwell, hailed as an author to recon with in Portuguese Scifi. How about that? I wrote more novels and worked in movies, TV and plays. I’ve done a lot of things in my career, but overall, I’ve been writing professionally for 20 years.
Tell us about your book(s) – title, genre etc (short)
INSIGHT is a horror story that will come out in April 22. It’s about Matt Taylor, an American psychologist. Strange things begin to happen to him: his 9-year-old son seems to develop supernatural powers, apparitions of his dead wife become frequent, and he is being followed by a suspicious man. When his son is kidnapped, he dives into a spiral of unexplained events. He’ll have to do the unimaginable to save his family. It’s very intense and thought provoking, I think. I love how the characters came out and Matt’s character in particular is incredibly strong and admirable – and yet, still very human and relatable.
When did you start your writing adventure? What was the inspiration for it?
I love stories since I can remember. And I was a storyteller from the start. But I grew up watching my father reading books. Every day before or after lunch or dinner he would sit in his chair and read a novel. A crime novel, as it happens. Or a spy novel. He hated SciFi («Those are things that don’t happen and will never happen.» – i.e. «old ladies solve murders all the time.»), and Fantasy was obviously (obviously!) for kids. Still, some of the first novels he gave me to read were from Edgar Rice Burroughs or Jules Verne. And that was besides all the comic books I read – the pride of my collection was a 50cm-long special edition of ‘Flash Gordon’. At 16 I read Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ for the first time, and loved it. Its intimist style still stays with me after all this time. As well as authors as Boris Vian, or Virginia Woolf
But then, movies. I love movies. Much of my writing skills, my plotting skills, my ‘lay-down-the-scene’ skills, came from movies. I’d stay here a long time talking about it, so I’d better shut up. Seriously, when I was a kid, I would narrate every single scene from a movie I enjoyed to some poor family member I was able to trap. I was nasty! So don’t get me started!
What writing plans do you have for the future?
I have another couple of books still to publish this year. Probably a box-set for THE DARK SEA WAR CHRONICLES with a couple of surprises in it as well. Then, later in the year, I’m planning to start publishing the English version of my first SciFi trilogy: THE ALEX 9 SAGA. Meanwhile, I’m writing the sequel to THE DARK SEA WAR CHRONICLES, called THE OUTER SEA WAR CHRONICLES. If the DSWC was a kind of WW2’s Battle of the Atlantic in Space, OSWC is a kind of WW2’s Battle of the Pacific in Space. It’s the continuation of Byl Iddo’s saga.
What do you like to read?
Love Hemingway, Woolf and G.R.R.Martin. But also Bernard Cornwell or Alexander Kent/Douglas Reeman. Love to read historical fiction, but also some realistic one and scifi/fantasy.
What piece of advice do you wish you’d had when you’d started your writing adventure?
It’s easy to get infatuated with incredible stories in our heads just to find out that when we start putting them in the blank page there is something missing. Writing is a bit more difficult than it seems. Many aspiring writers get the sense that they are not any good after the first few tries. But that’s a trap. Writing is a craft with a set of skills you need to learn. You can learn them by yourself, reading books and watching movies, or you can have lessons or mentors, or use other learning resources. Still, it takes time. There’s no substitute to writing and writing and writing. You won’t be good enough unless you practice.
Another trap is being discouraged by rejection. Becoming a writer means you’re entering the rejection business. If you’re doing enough writing you’ll probably be rejected 95% of the time. That’s the nature of the thing. Don’t get discouraged. Accept it. It is normal for someone in this kind of business, just like in acting or modelling, or sales, to be rejected most of the time. Get used to it.
Author bio and book synopsis
Bruno Martins Soares writes fiction since he was 12 years old, and his first book, ‘O Massacre’ (The Massacre), a collection of short stories, came out in Portugal in 1998.
It was followed by several contributions to newspapers, magazines, and other collective books.
In 1996, he won the National Young Creators Award for Writing, representing Portugal at the 1997 Torino Young Creators of Europe and the Mediterranean Fair, where his short-story ‘Mindsweeper’ was translated and published in Italian.
His first novel ‘A Saga de Alex 9’ (The Alex 9 Saga) was published in Portugal in 2012, by publisher Saída de Emergência, within a series that features authors like George R.R.Martin or Bernard Cornwell. The Portuguese version of ‘The Dark Sea War Chronicles’ (A Batalha da Escuridão) was published by Editorial Divergência.
He worked in Project Development for Television and was a journalist and a communications, HR and management consultant before settling as a writer. He was also an international correspondent in Portugal for Jane’s Defense Weekly and a researcher for The Washington Post. He wrote several plays and short and full-length pictures’ screenplays, and he wrote and produced English-spoken Castaway Entertainment’s full-length feature film ‘Regret’, distributed in the USA and Canada in 2015. He lives and works in Lisbon.
INSIGHT
Strange things begin to happen to Matt, a recent widower: his 9-year-old son seems to develop supernatural powers, apparitions of his dead wife become frequent, and he is being followed by a suspicious man. When his son is kidnapped, he dives into a spiral of unexplained events. He’ll have to do the unimaginable to save his family.
In this new novel, award-winning author Bruno Martins Soares dives into the psychological thriller/horror genre to give us a riveting tale of suspense, surprising twists and impossible choices.
Links/Social media
https://brunomartinssoares.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5759799.Bruno_Martins_Soares
https://www.facebook.com/BMartinsSoares
https://www.instagram.com/b.martinssoares
March 10, 2022
Specchio in Frantumi – Shattered Mirror #Italian
https://books2read.com/ShatteredMItalian
Un libro di poesie sulla guerra, la natura e i capricci della vita.
#politica, #guerra, #perdita, #natura, #vita, #poesia
AL Butcher, di origine britannica, è un avido lettore e creatore di mondi, un poeta e un sognatore, un amante della scienza, della storia naturale, della storia e delle scimmie. La sua prosa è stata descritta come “oscura e grintosa” e la sua poesia come “evocativa”. Scrive con una sensibilità sicura e, delle volte, erotica di cose che avrebbero potuto essere, non sono mai state, ma potrebbero essere. Autore della serie fantasy lirica Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles e Tales of Erana. Ha pubblicato anche diversi racconti nei generi fantasy, fantasy romance con occasionali incursioni nell’horror in stile gotico, inclusa la serie Legacy of the Mask. Con un background in politica, studi classici, storia antica e mitologia, le sue affinità portano un sapore eclettico e unico nel suo lavoro, mescolando realtà e sogno in proporzioni alchemiche che danno vita ai suoi personaggi e mondi. Cura anche pacchetti di libri a tema narrativa speculativa su BundleRabbit, per la maggior parte la serie Here Be Alex. Orgoglioso, inoltre, di scrivere per Perseid Press, dove il suo lavoro è presente in Heroika: Dragon Eaters, Heroika Skirmishers – dove si trasformato anche in editor, cover designer e sceneggiatore; e Lovers in Hell, parte dell’acclamata serie Heroes in Hell. http://www.theperseidpress.com/ Premi: Outside the Walls, scritto insieme a Diana L. Wicker, ha ricevuto un Chill with a Book Reader’s Award nel 2017. Premi NN Light Book Heaven: The Kitchen Imps e Other Dark Tales hanno vinto il premio come miglior fantasy nel 2018 per Echoes of a Song – uno dei suoi racconti di fantasmi – ha vinto il premio come miglior fantasy nel 2019
March 6, 2022
Beyond the Shattered Mirror – A Dark Poetry Collection – New Release
Beyond the Shattered Mirror
https://books2read.com/BeyondShatteredMirror
A short collection of dark poetry about the horrors of war, political folly, nature, the vagaries of life and twisted introspection.
March 1, 2022
Blue Fire – Blog Tour and Giveaway #Thriller #Suspense
Blue Fire
A Victoria Emerson Thriller Book 2
by John Gilstrap
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
John Gilstrap, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Jonathan Grave novels, continues his acclaimed Victoria Emerson thriller series with Blue Fire. In the wake of a global conflict that has devastated America, one woman must lead—and protect—a community of survivors determined to rebuild all they have lost . . .
They call it Hell Day—a world war that lasted less than twenty-four hours. Nations unleashed weapons that destroyed more than a century’s worth of technology. Electrical grids cannot generate power. Communications and computers cannot run. And the remnants of the U. S. government cannot be depended upon. Those who survived must live as their ancestors did, off a land ruled by the whims of nature.
One-time congressional representative Victoria Emerson has become the new leader of the small town of Ortho, West Virginia. She has been struggling to provide food and shelter for the town’s inhabitants, while coping with desperate refugees. An autumn morning’s calm is shattered when her teenage son sounds the alarm with the cry “Blue Fire”—the code phrase for imminent danger.
A band of National Guardsmen intends to take Ortho and its resources for themselves. They have enough soldiers and firepower to eliminate anyone who dares to stop them. But Victoria swore an oath to defend and protect her people, and she isn’t about to surrender. It’s time to tap into the traditional American values of courage, ingenuity, and determination – and fight fire with fire.
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kensington * Kobo * BooksAMillion * BookShop
Crimson Phoenix
A Victoria Emerson Thriller Book 1
Brad Taylor meets The Stand in a riveting novel of suspense kicking off a brand new series perfect for fans of the page-turning novels of A.G. Riddle, Mark Greaney, and Matthew Mather.
“One of the most singular and compelling heroines to come along in years.”
—Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author
“Snaps with action from the very first page.”
—Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Stone Cross and of Tom Clancy’s Code of Honor
From John Gilstrap, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Jonathan Grave novels, comes Crimson Phoenix—first in the new Victoria Emerson Thriller series. With America brought to the brink of destruction, one woman becomes the last hope of a nation and its people . . .
Victoria Emerson is a congressional member of the U. S. House of Representatives for the state of West Virginia. Her aspirations have always been to help her community and to avoid the ambitious power plays of her peers in Washington D. C. Then Major Joseph McCrea appears on her doorstep and uses the code phrase Crimson Phoenix, meaning this is not a drill. The United States is on the verge of nuclear war. Victoria must accompany McCrea to a secure bunker. She cannot bring her family.
A single mother, Victoria refuses to abandon her three teenage sons. Denied entry to the bunker, they nonetheless survive the nuclear onslaught that devastates the country. The land is nearly uninhabitable. Electronics have been rendered useless. Food is scarce. Millions of scared and ailing people await aid from a government that is unable to regroup, much less organize a rescue from the chaos.
Victoria devotes herself to reestablishing order—only to encounter the harsh realities required of a leader dealing with desperate people . . .
“Just the thing for readers who feel oppressed by the pandemic lockdown.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A gripping page-turner.”
—Taylor Stevens, New York Times bestselling author
“An explosive story that keeps your mind churning and pulse racing . . . Don’t miss this powerful new series from a master thriller writer.”
—Jamie Freveletti, international bestselling and award-winning author
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kensington * Kobo * BooksAMillion * BookShop
John Gilstrap is the New York Times bestselling author of award-winning action novels including the Jonathan Grave Thrillers and the Victoria Emerson Thrillers. A master of action-driven suspense, his books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He is the recipient of an International Thriller Writers’ Award for Against All Enemies, the ALA Alex Award for Nathan’s Run, and a two-time ITW Award finalist. A nationally recognized weaponry and explosives safety expert as well as a National Shooting Sports Foundation member, John Gilstrap frequently speaks at conferences, events, clubs, youth programs, and military bases. He is a former firefighter and EMT with a master’s degree in safety from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. John lives in Fairfax, Virginia.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
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