What do you think?
Rate this book
The Calm Act #3
Martial Lawless
Special launch price for a limited time!
Martial Law vs. Religion Run Amok
"What God demands of us -" Those were the chilling final words of Major Dane Beaufort, before a mob beat him to death in the streets of Pittsburgh. Beaufort was the martial law Resco - resource coordinator - assigned to lead the city through the climate change crisis. The punishment for interfering with a Resco is death. The consequences for murdering one have yet to be devised.
Tech whisperer Dee Baker and her partner Emmett MacLaren led Project Reunion to save New York City. The world watches to see what the hero couple will tackle next, while the opposition sells headlines with every bump in their rocky relationship.
Dee longs to escape New York to a greener life. But Resco Emmett is available when news hits of Beaufort's murder. The political stakes are higher than the fate of Pittsburgh. The martial law governors care enough to send their very best - Emmett and Dee.
Dee is constitutionally unfit to play second fiddle. But she accompanies Emmett into his native Bible Belt to assist. Plagued by tornados and isolated from the rest of the world, Pittsburgh has gone rogue, and it's up to them what to do about it. But the forces afoot are darker than they imagined. And Dee's about to fall into their trap.
Martial Lawless is book 3 of the Calm Act Series, which began with End Game.
Martial Law vs. Religion Run Amok
"What God demands of us -" Those were the chilling final words of Major Dane Beaufort, before a mob beat him to death in the streets of Pittsburgh. Beaufort was the martial law Resco - resource coordinator - assigned to lead the city through the climate change crisis. The punishment for interfering with a Resco is death. The consequences for murdering one have yet to be devised.
Tech whisperer Dee Baker and her partner Emmett MacLaren led Project Reunion to save New York City. The world watches to see what the hero couple will tackle next, while the opposition sells headlines with every bump in their rocky relationship.
Dee longs to escape New York to a greener life. But Resco Emmett is available when news hits of Beaufort's murder. The political stakes are higher than the fate of Pittsburgh. The martial law governors care enough to send their very best - Emmett and Dee.
Dee is constitutionally unfit to play second fiddle. But she accompanies Emmett into his native Bible Belt to assist. Plagued by tornados and isolated from the rest of the world, Pittsburgh has gone rogue, and it's up to them what to do about it. But the forces afoot are darker than they imagined. And Dee's about to fall into their trap.
Martial Lawless is book 3 of the Calm Act Series, which began with End Game.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2016
99 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Ginger Booth
67 books121 followersPlease visit my website at books.gingerbooth.com, and join my Reader Group for free prequels.
After 14 years on walkabout to New York, Colorado, Texas and Tokyo, I swam home to spawn in shoreline Connecticut. A recovering computer programmer, I’ve worked in the seismic industry, semiconductor electronics, academic research in biology and environmental science, and online teaching simulators.
I live alone, and enjoy swimming, walking, and crafts. I grow vegetables indoors, until my crops spill outside and down the driveway. I read voraciously, curious about everything, especially how things work.
After 14 years on walkabout to New York, Colorado, Texas and Tokyo, I swam home to spawn in shoreline Connecticut. A recovering computer programmer, I’ve worked in the seismic industry, semiconductor electronics, academic research in biology and environmental science, and online teaching simulators.
I live alone, and enjoy swimming, walking, and crafts. I grow vegetables indoors, until my crops spill outside and down the driveway. I read voraciously, curious about everything, especially how things work.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 15, 2017
It's difficult to get at what our author wants to achieve.
It's easy to say, 'Oh it's just all about how people manage their future, as groups in various areas of the old US', but that's simply not enough.
For one thing, in spite of the fact (as specifically mentioned in the text) that the USA is by far the most religious in the western world, the primary protagonists are strongly against any religious interference of government in Ms Booth's imagined scenario. This also is in spite of many of the main characters being strongly religious.
Somehow, unrealistically, they overcome their strong religious beliefs and build their governmental structures by ensuring that NO religious 'authorities' control food distribution and do not proselytise anywhere except within church premises! Also, teaching children about the scriptures is discouraged!
Furthermore they do their best to actually ban the citizen-ownership of firearms ('the 2nd amendment no longer exists!') AND the form of government is NOT a democracy!
Obviously this is all according to the personal beliefs of Ginger Booth, thus equally obviously she can write whatever she darned well likes. Furthermore one simply has to admit that she has put a great deal of thought into her 'narrative' of the enhancement and regeneration of the old US landmass into much smaller self-contained states.
One final important change to the surviving inhabitants is the fact that the government the new states most closest resemble, is probably China! A government that is relatively benign, completely under the control of the military and pretty well Utopian in nature. Except that, even more than China, the authorities appear to control the distribution of wealth to a large extent.
I guess that it begs the question, how many of us truly believe that democracy is the best and only rational form of government? And secondly, now that Trump is here to 'queer the pitch' (an olde English term), how long will it be that the USA remains a conterminous union?
It's easy to say, 'Oh it's just all about how people manage their future, as groups in various areas of the old US', but that's simply not enough.
For one thing, in spite of the fact (as specifically mentioned in the text) that the USA is by far the most religious in the western world, the primary protagonists are strongly against any religious interference of government in Ms Booth's imagined scenario. This also is in spite of many of the main characters being strongly religious.
Somehow, unrealistically, they overcome their strong religious beliefs and build their governmental structures by ensuring that NO religious 'authorities' control food distribution and do not proselytise anywhere except within church premises! Also, teaching children about the scriptures is discouraged!
Furthermore they do their best to actually ban the citizen-ownership of firearms ('the 2nd amendment no longer exists!') AND the form of government is NOT a democracy!
Obviously this is all according to the personal beliefs of Ginger Booth, thus equally obviously she can write whatever she darned well likes. Furthermore one simply has to admit that she has put a great deal of thought into her 'narrative' of the enhancement and regeneration of the old US landmass into much smaller self-contained states.
One final important change to the surviving inhabitants is the fact that the government the new states most closest resemble, is probably China! A government that is relatively benign, completely under the control of the military and pretty well Utopian in nature. Except that, even more than China, the authorities appear to control the distribution of wealth to a large extent.
I guess that it begs the question, how many of us truly believe that democracy is the best and only rational form of government? And secondly, now that Trump is here to 'queer the pitch' (an olde English term), how long will it be that the USA remains a conterminous union?
August 19, 2024
Reading this book felt more like taking medicine than enjoying a nice meal. Reading it felt like a chore. Mostly it is a murder investigation, and then Dee and her rival reporter get kidnapped by religious fanatics and it is pretty awful. The religious themes completely take over the book. The new constitution of Pittsburgh, which is barely a step above martial law, specifically outlaws organized religion for people's protection. Given how many religious main characters there are, I highly doubt that would happen. But who's to say whether this is how it would play out in real life? With the number of religious fanatics in America right now I think it's more likely they would mandate a state religion.
The ending seemed more like the end of a chapter than the end of a book. It didn't tie anything up. They may have found out who was behind the murder but everyone is still in danger. Dee doesn't know where she and Emmett are going to live, although neither of them are too worried about it since they are very rich and famous. They've successfully kicked the can down the road regarding marriage (honestly it would have made way more sense for them to break up). Now that I see that there's a 4th book the abrupt ending makes more sense, but then why did my ebook only include books 1-3? I think I am not going to continue with this series.
The ending seemed more like the end of a chapter than the end of a book. It didn't tie anything up. They may have found out who was behind the murder but everyone is still in danger. Dee doesn't know where she and Emmett are going to live, although neither of them are too worried about it since they are very rich and famous. They've successfully kicked the can down the road regarding marriage (honestly it would have made way more sense for them to break up). Now that I see that there's a 4th book the abrupt ending makes more sense, but then why did my ebook only include books 1-3? I think I am not going to continue with this series.
August 7, 2017
Eerily Wonderful
So far this series is modern, different, and relevant. The characters so beautifully developed. I'm lost on the tech, but that doesn't matter because the story is more than enough. I highly recommend this riveting tale that is not so far fetched as to what our future may hold.
So far this series is modern, different, and relevant. The characters so beautifully developed. I'm lost on the tech, but that doesn't matter because the story is more than enough. I highly recommend this riveting tale that is not so far fetched as to what our future may hold.
March 11, 2024
Just wow! So much was packed into this book that my eyes are red from reading. This truly put Dee and Emmett thru hell and back. More insight to what the overall Calm Act consisted of and what it required of the men and women in charge to sacrifice to serve.
December 24, 2016
All right! That’s the way to complete a 3 book series!
Ginger Booth is back with book #3 of the Calm Act Series and she has put together a dramatic portrayal of life in a desperate future.
Dee Baker and her partner, Colonel Emmett McLaren, are again in the thick of the action and facing the dangers up close and personal. Fresh off their rescue and liberation of New York, they are called upon to investigate the murder of a Resco (Government Resource Coordinator) in Pittsburgh, PA.
Pittsburgh is a lawless land, rife with civil strife, and is well beyond the reach of either state or “national” control. A number of armed militias, each based on a particular religious orthodoxy, are terrorizing the city and fighting with each other. Bloodshed is a daily occurrence.
But this is not the only threat to public safety--dramatic climate change has moved “tornado alley” to the east and Pittsburgh is a frequent victim of historically violent storms.
Dee and Emmett are tasked with investigating the murder of Emmett’s old friend while determining the true situation and recommending a path forward to what passes for a “national” authority. It is an unenviable task, but the star-crossed couple are up to the challenge. Or so they thought before it becomes clear that there is a darker and more serious challenge to them and to order.
Ms. Booth has recaptured the intensity that made her first book, End Game, great. Nature is out of control, federal and state authority have dissolved, and mankind is desperate as it tries to survive. Our heroine, Dee Baker, and her resolute partner (and ostensible boss) are committed to the greater good, but they are not immune to the desperation of the new world.
I recommend that you read all three of the Calm Act Series and in order. You'll be both informed and entertained.
Ginger Booth is back with book #3 of the Calm Act Series and she has put together a dramatic portrayal of life in a desperate future.
Dee Baker and her partner, Colonel Emmett McLaren, are again in the thick of the action and facing the dangers up close and personal. Fresh off their rescue and liberation of New York, they are called upon to investigate the murder of a Resco (Government Resource Coordinator) in Pittsburgh, PA.
Pittsburgh is a lawless land, rife with civil strife, and is well beyond the reach of either state or “national” control. A number of armed militias, each based on a particular religious orthodoxy, are terrorizing the city and fighting with each other. Bloodshed is a daily occurrence.
But this is not the only threat to public safety--dramatic climate change has moved “tornado alley” to the east and Pittsburgh is a frequent victim of historically violent storms.
Dee and Emmett are tasked with investigating the murder of Emmett’s old friend while determining the true situation and recommending a path forward to what passes for a “national” authority. It is an unenviable task, but the star-crossed couple are up to the challenge. Or so they thought before it becomes clear that there is a darker and more serious challenge to them and to order.
Ms. Booth has recaptured the intensity that made her first book, End Game, great. Nature is out of control, federal and state authority have dissolved, and mankind is desperate as it tries to survive. Our heroine, Dee Baker, and her resolute partner (and ostensible boss) are committed to the greater good, but they are not immune to the desperation of the new world.
I recommend that you read all three of the Calm Act Series and in order. You'll be both informed and entertained.
May 3, 2020
When rereading I skip the last half of this book because I don't need to reread the horrific things done to the women.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews