Catherine Rose Putsche's Blog, page 2

The Theseus Paradox is a stunning début novel. Don’t forget to grab your copy this weekend.

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"The Theseus Paradox is a stunning début novel, intelligent and fluently written with an exciting plot. I simply couldn’t put it down in fear I would miss something crucial."  https://walkerputsche.wordpress.com/ 

The Camellia Resistance: By A.R. Williams

The Camellia Resistance is set in a dystopian future where the USA has become an eroding wasteland after a major pandemic broke out (Herpes) and killed off a large proportion of the population. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Security are the new government and now rule the smaller population, with the exception of Texas, that remains independent. Willow Carlyle, works for the Ministry and is fast becoming a rising star, as she has spent the majority of her adulthood tracking the spread of sexually transmitted viruses and their impact on the population, until a night of passion with a handsome stranger changes the outcome of her future. Willow is diagnosed with Herpes and is instantly dismissed from the Ministry and struggles to make sense of her undoing until an unexpected encounter with a member from a resistance group, The Camellias (who live outside the Ministry and its strict approved health regulations) expose Willow to an alternative way of life she had no idea existed.  Along the way Willow discovers her real identity and a secret that will shake the Ministry to its very foundation.
Williams introduces the reader to some memorable characters, all of which are conflicted with their own issues to a certain degree.  The narrative is well written and captures the characters hope, fear and anticipation all at the same time, while provoking the reader to finish the first instalment and start the next one immediately. I look forward to the second instalment.   My Ranking: 4.5 Stars

RedEye: Fulda Cold: A Rick Fontain Novel By Bill Fortin

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011S5Z27G?keywords=RedEye%3A%20Fulda%20Cold%3A%20A%20Rick%20Fontain%20Novel%20By%20Bill%20Fortin&qid=1453818095&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1


“RedEye: Fulda Cold is a suspenseful, hard-hitting and astonishing piece of military history that is set in 1969 West Germany and explores the reality of what happened on the border between the conflicting forces of East and West that I knew very little about until now.” https://walkerputsche.wordpress.com/
Rick Fontain tells us about his exciting adventures through a first person narrative that allows the reader to travel with Rick from his initial induction into the army, following him on his journey where he and his team are stationed near the Fulda Gap to prevent an invasion or attack from Russia. 
As a reader, I felt that I could connect easily with Rick on his incredible journey as he takes you by the hand and doesn’t let it go until the last page.  Fortin does a remarkable job of describing the people and the landscape of the late 1960s, while throwing more light onto the tactics that the American military deployed to contain Russia in the Cold War.  I certainly hope that this isn’t the last we have heard from Rick Fontain, and do hope that there is a sequel in the near future, as I cannot wait to read more of this young hero’s adventures and more of his infectious good humour.

Finally, I would also like to add that Fortin has put together a remarkably well written story with a vast amount of meticulous research and footnotes that detail the timeframe of when and where things take place.  I found this to be tremendously helpful as it strengthened my understanding and added to my reading pleasure.

My Ranking: 5 Stars
   
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BANKRUPTING THE THIRD WORLD: How the Global Elite Drown Poor Nations in a sea of Debt By James & Lance Morcan

BANKRUPTING THE THIRD WORLD: How the Global Elite Drown Poor Nations in a Sea of Debt“Father-and-son Lance & James Morcan draw the reader’s attention to some of the lousy and downright dirty economic tactics used against poverty-stricken nations!” https://walkerputsche.wordpress.com/

The authors expose corruptions within the international financial aid organisations and their arrogance and general superciliousness towards their third world ´clients´ and research the impact it is having of being the recipient of substantial financial aid from the west. This book also questions whether or not, the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, USAID and many other large international aid organisations help or counteract the world’s poorest people.

With numerous research and invaluable references, the authors present what is wrong with the aid industry and equip readers with an underground knowledge to question why these barbaric aid policies of Western Governments, private companies and central banks are in place.

My Ranking: 5 Stars

BANKRUPTING THE THIRD WORLD: How the Global Elite Drown Poor Nations in a sea of Debt: By James & Lance Morcan

“Father-and-son Lance & James Morcan draw the reader’s attention to some of the lousy and downright dirty economic tactics used against poverty-stricken nations!” https://walkerputsche.wordpress.com/

The authors expose corruptions within the international financial aid organisations and their arrogance and general superciliousness towards their third world ´clients´ and research the impact it is having of being the recipient of substantial financial aid from the west. This book also questions whether or not, the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, USAID and many other large international aid organisations help or counteract the world’s poorest people.

With numerous research and invaluable references, the authors present what is wrong with the aid industry and equip readers with an underground knowledge to question why these barbaric aid policies of Western Governments, private companies and central banks are in place.



My Ranking: 5 Stars

Almost Invincible: By Suzanne Burdon

 http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Invincible-Biographical-Shelley-Frankenstein-ebook/dp/B00KFRQQQU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

“Provocative and profound, with brilliant characterisation, Suzanne Burdon’s dazzling novel, ´Almost Invincible´ skilfully blends fact and fiction into a realistic portrayal of some of the mysteries and day-to-day events surrounding Mary Shelly’s life!”  Catherine Rose Putsche
Almost Invincible is a fictional telling of Mary Shelly’s life based on true events.  The story opens on a stormy and turbulent night in the summer of 1816 at Lord Bryon’s villa in Lake Geneva.  Lord Byron challenges all his guests, Shelley, Claire Clairmont, Mary and Dr. Polidori to write ghost stories and this is where Mary produces a terrifying story that will later become, Frankenstein, eventually assuring Mary a permanent place in literary history.  The story then goes on to document Mary’s ignominious love affair with Percy Bysshe Shelley, who is married with children at the time of their elopement and follows the couple around England, Switzerland, France and Italy, where they experience a number of traumas such as being ostracised due to their controversial life choices, financial worries and the death of their children, and Mary’s manipulative step-sister, who drives Mary to despair on many occasions. 
Burdon has crafted a beautiful story full of adventure, strength and survival of a real-life heroine who despite suffering with misfortune in her life is one of the most influential female geniuses of her time.  My Ranking: 5 Stars 
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PALE HIGHWAY: By Nicholas Conley

“Pale Highway is an ambitious, heartbreaking and out of this world Sci-Fi story of one man’s struggle to save humanity, while working against the clock to save his own mental degradation!” Catherine Rose Putsche Book Blog

Gabriel Schist, a rugged genius, who in his younger years developed the vaccine for AIDS is now spending his remaining years in a nursing home with few memories that Alzheimer’s have stole from him. However, when one of the residents comes down with a gruesome virus that nobody seems to want to find a cure for, only cover it up, Gabriel, tries to convince the heads of the nursing home that he is the only man who can find a vaccine/antidote to destroy the virus, unaware and unprepared that the virus may not be what it seems to be and that the threat to destroy humanity may soon become a reality if Gabriel cannot find a solution in time before his own mental and physical deterioration take place.

It is not often that my own words escape me as I try to recount the beauty, the true understanding of such a devoted man who struggles to hold off his own real-life manifestations to save everyone around him. Conley, has created a memorable, life-like and loveable protagonist who will stay with me for a long time and I have no doubt that this story will have an impact and raise awareness to each and every reader out there who has lost, or is losing someone in their lives’ to this despicable disease, as I and so many others have.
Pale HighwayPale Highway
My Ranking: 5 Stars

PALE HIGHWAY: By Nicholas Conley

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016ALW8PW?keywords=PALE%20HIGHWAY%20By%20Nicholas%20Conley&qid=1451468113&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1

“Pale Highway is an ambitious, heartbreaking and out of this world Sci-Fi story of one man’s struggle to save humanity, while working against the clock to save his own mental degradation!” Catherine Rose Putsche Book Blog  Gabriel Schist, a rugged genius, who in his younger years developed the vaccine for AIDS is now spending his remaining years in a nursing home with few memories that Alzheimer’s have stole from him.  However, when one of the residents comes down with a gruesome virus that nobody seems to want to find a cure for, only cover it up, Gabriel, tries to convince the heads of the nursing home that he is the only man who can find a vaccine/antidote to destroy the virus, unaware and unprepared that the virus may not be what it seems to be and that the threat to destroy humanity may soon become a reality if Gabriel cannot find a solution in time before his own mental and physical deterioration take place.     It is not often that my own words escape me as I try to recount the beauty, the true understanding of such a devoted man who struggles to hold off his own real-life manifestations to save everyone around him.  Conley, has created a memorable, life-like and loveable protagonist who will stay with me for a long time and I have no doubt that this story will have an impact and raise awareness to each and every reader out there who has lost, or is losing someone in their lives’ to this despicable disease, as I and so many others have.    My Ranking: 5 Stars

Corruption of Power: By George Eccles

Synopsis:
Independent troubleshooter, Alex Leksin, is recruited by Prime Minister Saidov when the plan to reduce Russia’s reliance on an ever more hostile Europe is put at risk. Hell bent on expansion, President Karpev’s strategy is first to shift the markets for his country’s vast energy resources to the East and Saidov has been charged with overseeing a planned pipeline for Russia’s oil through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to access these markets. Failure could mean catastrophe, spreading the conflict raging in the Middle East to Russia’s own borders.
Fearful that the pipeline deal might be tilting off course, Leksin has only twelve days to report back before Karpev is due to sign the pipeline contract with the Turkmen President in Ashgabat.
His investigation begins in Moscow at the conglomerate responsible for planning and funding the pipeline. Once the province of larger-than-life oligarch, Lev Usenko, the group is now run by his daughter, Vika, the woman Leksin was once to marry. Trickier still is the prospect of dealing with her embittered brother, Max.
Against a background of political corruption, state-sponsored terrorism and increased Taliban insurgency, Leksin moves on to Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most sinister countries, right at the heart of Central Asia. Initially his enquiries reveal nothing to cause alarm. Other factors, though, suggest otherwise: wherever Leksin goes, someone tries to kill him; people in a position to help him are assassinated; and information turns out to be misinformation.
And when at last he discovers the truth, he finds himself unsure of whom he can trust as the stakes get frighteningly higher.
Author Bio:
George Eccles, writing as G W Eccles, graduated from the London School of Economics with a law degree and subsequently became a partner in one of the major international financial advisory firms.
In 1994, George left London to move to Russia and Central Asia during the tumultuous period that followed the breakup of the Soviet Union. His work involved extensive travel throughout Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – often to places with restricted access to foreigners. During his time there, he advised a number of real-life oligarchs how best to take advantage of the opportunities that became available as regulation crumbled and government became increasingly corrupt. Against this background, while his novels are fiction, many of the anecdotes and scenes are inspired by actual events.
His first thriller: The Oligarch, was awarded a Silver Medal both at the Global E-book Awards 2013 and at the Independent Publishers Book Awards 2013, as well as being selected as IPPY Book of the Day.
George is married and now lives with his wife in a hilltop village not far from Cannes in the South of France.
LINKS TO AUTHOR:
Website: http://www.gweccles.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gweccles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/george.eccles.52
WHERE TO BUY:
Corruption of Power on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corruption-Power-G-W-Eccles-ebook/dp/B018XXLKAE

Interview with George Eccles:

1. What inspired you to write Corruption of Power?
Corruption of Power is the second in what I see as the Leksin thriller series, the first being The Oligarch. They are both based in Russia and what many people regard as Russia’s soft underbelly, the Caucasus and the Central Asian republics. I lived and worked in these regions for over ten years and, until fairly recently, still had business interests that required regular visits.
I think my inspiration to write thrillers set there stemmed out of my own personal experiences and observations. Life there, particularly business life, was very different. I was in Russia during the effective birth of the oligarchs when a weakened Yeltsin government sold the nation’s ‘crown jewels’ to a handful of individuals for a song. At this time, if you headed companies in certain industries (such as natural resources or banking), you ran a severe risk of a shortened life span. The man who lived in the flat the other side of the forecourt of my apartment block used to sit on his balcony and clean his guns on Sunday mornings. The IMF loaned over four billion dollars to Russia, which simply got ‘lost’ a couple of weeks later. In Central Asia, being based in Almaty in Kazakhstan, it took me three days every time I wanted to fly to Ashgabat to visit my office there, even though a direct flight (if there had been one) would have taken 2-3 hours. Judicial decisions were based not on evidence, but on the weight of the bribes. Large conglomerates ran major commercial activities ‘off book’.
To be honest, it was a gold mine for a budding writer.

2. Do you have a specific writing style?
I unashamedly write thrillers, so my style is to try and keep the action moving as fast as possible while, from time to time, giving the reader a chance to pause for breath. I keep the chapters short as a means of keeping the action flowing.
My hero is Alex Leksin, an independent troubleshooter, and whenever he appears in the book, the story is told from his point of view. If he’s not around and the scene includes one of the half-dozen main characters, then it’s told from their point of view.

3. How did you come up with the title?
Corruption of Power is a political thriller involving two governments: one Russian, the other Turkmen. Both are essentially corrupt, though in different ways; and both are looking to extend their power base, though again in different ways. In an earlier draft, I had the Lord Acton quote on the first page – “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” – and a different title, but in the end I decided to reflect the quotation in the title but drop the actual quotation.

4. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Not really, it’s a thriller and designed above all to entertain. Given the unfamiliar locations in which it’s based, I hope it will also give the reader an insight into these countries and life there.

5. How much of the book is realistic?
Corruption of Power is fiction, although the key premises that Russia is looking both to expand into some of its former states (e.g. Crimea and Eastern Ukraine) and to reduce its reliance on Western markets for its natural resources (e.g. the recently announcement pipeline to China) are real. Similarly the threat that ISIS poses is real – not just to Russian aircraft bringing holidaymakers back home, but also in the soft underbelly like Chechnya and Dagestan where there is a strong Muslim population, many of whom see Russia as the oppressor.
A number of the anecdotes in the book are real, and generally the locations used are all ones I knew well from my own time in the region.

6. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
A lot of the frustrations that Leksin encounters are based on my own in the region (e.g. the discomfort of travelling, staying at the Nissa Hotel, being followed for the day by the KNB in Ashgabat).
The character of Leksin, and the role he plays, is certainly influenced by someone I came across when I lived in Moscow. He had a very similar job, being called in to sort out major business issues in an unconventional way – and in those days, there were plenty of major business issues. Large companies were haemorrhaging cash by the millions as management bled them dry and transferred corporate money into their own Swiss bank accounts.

7. What books have most influenced your life most?
All John Le Carre books (see below)

8. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
John Le Carre. There are plenty of excellent thriller writers, but so far as I’m concerned, Le Carre is in a class of his own. If Leksin (as he develops) can be half as good as Smiley, then I’ll really feel I’ve achieved something.

9. What book are you reading now?
I’m just about to start Dictator by Robert Harris.

10. Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
New to me rather than new, perhaps, is Nick Louth, who had a breakthrough moment last year with ‘Bite’ which I thought was excellent.

11. What are your current projects?
I am in the middle of the third in the Leksin thriller series. It’s inspired by actual events: a group of individuals lost vast sums in an abortive Moscow investment, and then each of them met mysterious deaths. That is true. What’s fiction is that Leksin is brought in to investigate.

12. Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Can I answer this by naming a group? The literary bloggers. I have been overcome by how willing people who run book blogs have been to respond to my requests to help promote Corruption of Power. All of them have been kind, helpful and encouraging, and I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude.

13. Do you see writing as a career?
Yes, I very much hope so. I’m under no illusions about how hard it is to make a career in writing, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Corruption of Power will be sufficiently successful to kick-start it.

14. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
To be honest, I don’t think so. I wrote and rewrote it so many times over quite a long period, and I am pleased with the result – at least, I think I am, though it’s the readers who will ultimately tell me whether I’m right to be pleased!

15. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I’ve always had an urge in the back of my mind to write, but until I stopped being based in Central Asia, I never had time. I should perhaps mention that, some thirty years ago, I wrote a series of books on corporate and employment law published by Tolley’s and Longman, so I was in some ways used to the discipline of writing and the process of going from manuscript to publication.

16. Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I think I’ve answered this in Question #11.

17. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
The rewriting and editing process is definitely the most challenging. I’m quite methodical in my initial approach to a project and work from a quite detailed plan, so writing the first draft is generally not problematic. However, I’ve found that it takes me much longer to get from first draft to final draft than it does to get from a blank sheet of paper to first draft. It’s after the first draft is ready that the real work begins.

18. Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
As I mentioned, long before I started writing, I travelled a great deal in the regions in which my thrillers are set. A few months ago I returned to Moscow to update myself on how it had changed, to find out where people now ate, and so on, so that this could be reflected in the book I’m now writing.

19. Who designed the covers?
Peach Publishing. Inevitably we went through several drafts before we hit upon one with which everyone was happy.

20. What was the hardest part of writing Corruption of Power?
Changing the story to reflect changes in the geopolitical situation. When I started writing it, Russia hadn’t invaded Crimea, the Russian-encouraged separatists hadn’t started a civil war in the Ukraine, the West hadn’t imposed sanctions, the oil price hadn’t plummeted, the rouble hadn’t halved in value, no one had heard of ISIS and there was no civil war in Syria. All these developments had to be accommodated in the plot.

21. What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
First, finding the time. I don’t write fulltime, I write in spurts. I try to keep up my other interests as much as possible.
Second, research. While most of the locations are places I know well, and while my previous work gave me an insight into the political and administrative background of the countries involved, things inevitably change – and without being on the spot, it requires considerable desktop research to keep up-to-date. Simple details matter – if a reader catches you out on one point, it casts doubt in his mind on the accuracy of the rest. Things change in little ways – when I was in Moscow a few months ago, I found the policemen were polite and Uber was thriving!

My Review:
“Corruption of Power is an action packed political thriller that is beautifully written and artfully plotted, with events mirroring actual real-life conflicts.” Catherine Rose Putsche Book Blog
This is the second instalment in the Leksin series and follows main protagonist, Alex Leksin, who is an independent trouble-shooter, recently recruited by Prime Minister Saidov and President Karpev, to investigate a planned pipeline deal that involves shifting Russia’s vast energy resources to the East. Leksins mission is to check the pipeline deal is above-board. Saidov wants Leksin to give the project a clean bill of health. However, Leksin only has twelve days to report his findings before Karpev is due to sign the pipeline contract with the Turkmen President in Ashgabat. Leksin begins his investigation in Moscow only to discover that the heterogeneous group that are responsible for planning and funding the pipeline contract are his ex-partner and her spiteful brother, Max. Leksins further investigations lead him to Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most sinister countries and from this moment onwards Leksin must be on his guard as he finds killers on his trail who will stop at nothing to eliminate him by assassinating the only people who can help him and that the intelligence he is given turns out to be false and misleading. Leksins mission for the truth leads him from one terrifying situation to the next where the risks of surviving get considerably higher.

This novel explores two governments, one Russia, the other Turkmen, both of which are corrupt and looking to expand their powerbases in different ways. Corruption of Power boasts an elaborate and complex plot, where the twist and turns are particularly surprising and plausible. The strength of the novel lies within the unfamiliar locations where it is based and gives the reader a real insight into the growth and culture there.

Eccles has fashioned a suspenseful and engaging story against the backdrop of political corruption, state-sponsored terrorism and increased Taliban insurgency that I am in no doubt reflect the times in which we live in today. Congratulations Mr Eccles, for bringing us a fundamentally flawed hero who in the face of danger combats adversity through bravery. I look forward to reading more of Leksins adventures.

My Ranking: 5 Stars

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VOID By Anthony Avina

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010VUR5QK?keywords=VOID%20By%20Anthony%20Avina&qid=1449670673&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1#customerReviews

Void is an emotional packed tale about a group of six friends who all come from messed up situations and try to deal with their own underlying issues that tend to hold them back.  Each unique character has a number of personal struggles they try to overcome that are connected to the world, from domestic abusive, controlling relationships, struggles with sexual identity, loss of a loved one and many more real-life tragedies and dilemmas that are very difficult to defeat.   Sometimes my own words escape me as I try to recount the beauty, the powerful message of hope and the true understanding of friendship, family and love that this unique story unfolds.  Rarely have I read a book as profound and as moving as this one that has reduced me to tears and fuelled a number of emotional responses for these wonderfully developed real-life characters’
VOID is a keeper that I will keep re-visiting time and time again.
Disclosure: I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Ranking: 5 Stars 
My Review Sites:
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6867405.Catherine_Rose_Putsche
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