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The Expired
'The Expired' is a psychological thriller masterpiece showing how vulnerable people can be brainwashed to become sleepers (Manchurian Candidates) and used by corrupt politicians to further their own ends. ‘The Expired’ shadows true accounts of government sleeper programmes set up during the Korean War and the East West Cold War.
Commander Gregory Potting is a former head of MI6 Intelligence and the governments most trusted Senior Adviser for Internal Affairs.
His position is put to the test in 1973 when a bizarre psychological plot unfolds that is inextricably linked to a London terrorist attack, a cocaine drug scam, a homosexual called Francis Hodder who suffers from schizophrenia and changes from time to time to Roxanne - a transvestite prostitute who robs and murders his clients.
Francis Hodder is a transsexual who preys on gay men. As a child he is abused by his father who is head of government security. Francis becomes an embarrassment to MI6 because of his gender leaning. He is brainwashed to become a Sleeper assassin triggered by code words to kill personnel who threaten government security. Francis becomes a manipulated pawn, who by mistake during a sexual encounter with a Black September terrorist, uncovers plans for a deadly attack on a densely crowded popular sports event to kill thousands of people to further the cause of EL Fatah and Black September.
Commander Gregory Potting is a former head of MI6 Intelligence and the governments most trusted Senior Adviser for Internal Affairs.
His position is put to the test in 1973 when a bizarre psychological plot unfolds that is inextricably linked to a London terrorist attack, a cocaine drug scam, a homosexual called Francis Hodder who suffers from schizophrenia and changes from time to time to Roxanne - a transvestite prostitute who robs and murders his clients.
Francis Hodder is a transsexual who preys on gay men. As a child he is abused by his father who is head of government security. Francis becomes an embarrassment to MI6 because of his gender leaning. He is brainwashed to become a Sleeper assassin triggered by code words to kill personnel who threaten government security. Francis becomes a manipulated pawn, who by mistake during a sexual encounter with a Black September terrorist, uncovers plans for a deadly attack on a densely crowded popular sports event to kill thousands of people to further the cause of EL Fatah and Black September.
- GenresFiction
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 17, 2018
Having read some of the author B.P. Smythe's previous books, I knew exactly what I would be getting, reading this "The Expired" his latest offering. No holes barred, explicit, intriguing and at times both funny and gory this is a psychological thrilling masterpiece showing how vulnerable people can be brainwashed to become sleepers (Manchurian Candidates) and used by corrupt politicians to further their own ends. ‘The Expired’ shadows true accounts of government sleeper programmes set up during the Korean War and the East West Cold War.
Although not my normal type of book (I tend to stay well clear of political stories) this was a very well written tale that is entertaining and highly enjoyable. Tongue in cheek, the author has an exceedingly vivid imagination quite unlike any other I have read before with unusual and at times extremely unique plots. His characters are always well thought out, the likes you'll never have met before In a novel and if you like your books to be just that little bit different, B.P. Smythe is your author!
4 stars
Although not my normal type of book (I tend to stay well clear of political stories) this was a very well written tale that is entertaining and highly enjoyable. Tongue in cheek, the author has an exceedingly vivid imagination quite unlike any other I have read before with unusual and at times extremely unique plots. His characters are always well thought out, the likes you'll never have met before In a novel and if you like your books to be just that little bit different, B.P. Smythe is your author!
4 stars
February 20, 2019
Sir Geoffrey…no conscience, no morals, self preservation, not someone I would want in my circle of friends. But I do love a good bad guy. LOL
Is there an honest person in government? Is there anyone that doesn’t have their own devious agenda, willing to go to any lengths to get what they want? I do love conspiracies, so I was looking forward to diving into this one.
Sleeper agents. Man-made assassins. Covert programs. Secret agendas. Betrayals.
Francis…
Think Manchurian Candidate.
Drugs. Terrorism. Flat out murder.
B P Smythe has created some despicable characters, but to counter the bad, we need to have the good. There is tons of action and characters that have their individual stories, and they come together the story becomes clear.
Though it didn’t rate high on my thriller list, The Expired by B P Smythe was an interesting and enjoyable read that fed my conspiracy reading need.
See more at fundinmental
Is there an honest person in government? Is there anyone that doesn’t have their own devious agenda, willing to go to any lengths to get what they want? I do love conspiracies, so I was looking forward to diving into this one.
Sleeper agents. Man-made assassins. Covert programs. Secret agendas. Betrayals.
Francis…
Think Manchurian Candidate.
Drugs. Terrorism. Flat out murder.
B P Smythe has created some despicable characters, but to counter the bad, we need to have the good. There is tons of action and characters that have their individual stories, and they come together the story becomes clear.
Though it didn’t rate high on my thriller list, The Expired by B P Smythe was an interesting and enjoyable read that fed my conspiracy reading need.
See more at fundinmental
March 28, 2019
The Expired by B.P. Smythe is a psychological thriller. This is the first book of BP that I have read and look forward to reading more of his work. It took me a while to get into this book but I really enjoyed it at the end. Lots of twists and turns that really make you think. I am new to Political Thrillers and the first book that I have read from another country so a few times I had to look up meaning of phrases. If you like Political Psychological Thrillers I would definitely recommend you reading this book.
February 2, 2019
I received this book directly from the author in exchange for an honest review.
It is important to note that having read all the author's previous works I had read parts of this story in those books and short stories. Particularly "From a Poison Pen Volume 2". It had been two years since I finish that book but I am sure some of the text was lifted verbatim from that.
The joins between the different stories are tenacious at times and really did feel retconned together. There were also many grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. It felt either badly proofread at times or just not edited.
I have liked previous works by the author but this one is one that he should have probably left on the shelf for a bit longer. The stories worked better as short stories.
I will apologise to the author for the length of time it took me to read this. This was due to my own mental health and although I have been reading I haven't been reading full novels. I am hoping to improve upon this in the next few weeks.
It is important to note that having read all the author's previous works I had read parts of this story in those books and short stories. Particularly "From a Poison Pen Volume 2". It had been two years since I finish that book but I am sure some of the text was lifted verbatim from that.
The joins between the different stories are tenacious at times and really did feel retconned together. There were also many grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. It felt either badly proofread at times or just not edited.
I have liked previous works by the author but this one is one that he should have probably left on the shelf for a bit longer. The stories worked better as short stories.
I will apologise to the author for the length of time it took me to read this. This was due to my own mental health and although I have been reading I haven't been reading full novels. I am hoping to improve upon this in the next few weeks.
December 17, 2018
4.5 stars
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from the author.
I found this very enjoyable to read & felt the story flowed well & I liked how all the characters linked together. It really easy to get absorbed by this book & I didn't want to put down once I started reading.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from the author.
I found this very enjoyable to read & felt the story flowed well & I liked how all the characters linked together. It really easy to get absorbed by this book & I didn't want to put down once I started reading.
January 25, 2019
4.5 stars I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and so glad I did. A big change of pace for me since I've been reading a lot of historical fiction lately. Entertaining, a bit gory, chock full of action and tons of memorable villains and unlike other suspense books I've read. Definitely a unique book and I recommend it!
April 6, 2019
If you are one of those people who is offended by coming face to face the down and dirty reality of human nature then, by all means, avoid this book. It contains parental abuse, deviant behavior, sexual, racial, and theological-political hatred, power-mongering at high levels, and many different forms of immorality and human depravity. It also touches on the political reality and immorality of psychological manipulation of government assassins as used during the Cold War.
Sir Geoffrey Pottington walks a fine line between a Home Secretary that hates him, a homosexual son with a black lover that threatens to embarrass him and destroy his political career and his embezzlement of funds from Mi5’s budget to cover debts from his bad stock investments. In short, Pottington is fighting for his political life.
Having no scruples, Pottington calls upon a secretly compartmentalized research function within Mi5; a facility producing brain-washed assassins or “Manchurian Candidates” for use as sleeper agents inside foreign governments…perhaps the dirtiest of Mi5’s many dirty secrets. His goal? Elimination of his political threats including his son, his son’s lover and his boss…among others.
In the tradition of Barry Smythe’s earlier horror-suspense short stories, The Expired is filled with characters the readers will love to hate. No one in this book is loveable, although some readers may find rational reasons for some of the character’s deviant behavior. None of the characters are what they profess to be; some because of hypocrisy, some because of psychological conditioning, and some because of curiosity, personal gain or other reasons. They represent, after all, humanity at its worst portrayed by a master of the macabre.
The Expired will be appreciated by readers who love non-stop action, macabre plots and intrigue, and who like sitting on the edge of their chairs praying for a happy ending they know will never come. 5-Stars.
This book was provided free by the author in hopes of receiving an honest review. The above review represents my honest opinion of the book.
Sir Geoffrey Pottington walks a fine line between a Home Secretary that hates him, a homosexual son with a black lover that threatens to embarrass him and destroy his political career and his embezzlement of funds from Mi5’s budget to cover debts from his bad stock investments. In short, Pottington is fighting for his political life.
Having no scruples, Pottington calls upon a secretly compartmentalized research function within Mi5; a facility producing brain-washed assassins or “Manchurian Candidates” for use as sleeper agents inside foreign governments…perhaps the dirtiest of Mi5’s many dirty secrets. His goal? Elimination of his political threats including his son, his son’s lover and his boss…among others.
In the tradition of Barry Smythe’s earlier horror-suspense short stories, The Expired is filled with characters the readers will love to hate. No one in this book is loveable, although some readers may find rational reasons for some of the character’s deviant behavior. None of the characters are what they profess to be; some because of hypocrisy, some because of psychological conditioning, and some because of curiosity, personal gain or other reasons. They represent, after all, humanity at its worst portrayed by a master of the macabre.
The Expired will be appreciated by readers who love non-stop action, macabre plots and intrigue, and who like sitting on the edge of their chairs praying for a happy ending they know will never come. 5-Stars.
This book was provided free by the author in hopes of receiving an honest review. The above review represents my honest opinion of the book.
January 2, 2019
I know this book may get a lot of criticism. The story contains raw adult language and adult situations You see even though this book contains assassins, bad business, corrupt businessmen, it is basically the story of a father Sir Geoffrey, and his son Frances.
Sir Geoffrey hates his son for 2 reasons, one is that he is gay, the other is because he is in an relationship with a black man. Sir Geoffrey is not a nice guy himself. He has no concerns for his sons feelings, he is only worried what scandal might do to him.
Frances Hodder is a transsexual who preys on men. He is also Roxanne, a product of abuse. Somewhere along the line, Frances split.
This story will make you think. Father and son both do horrible things, but I don't think Frances knows what he does as Roxanne. Is Frances truly evil? Or, is he just the result of abuse and bad parenting? Once there was a Roxanne, but she is long dead.
The other side of this story is about powerful people planting men and women as sleeper cells to commit horrible acts. Which is based on programs governments used during WW 2, and probably even before that. Some say you can't make someone go against their nature or morals, well clucking like a chicken isn't natural.
Frances hates and loves men, Daddy really messed up his mind.
Martin Lavender is also a character with what seems a bad side and a really bad side.
If you are looking for endearing sweet characters, you won't find them here. What you will find is an action packed, heart pounding, gut wrenching adventure.
.
I loved this book because it exposed the truth of bigotry and racism. It brought to light how bad parents can ruin the life of their offspring, and break a mind beyond compare.
I was given this book by the author B P Smythe in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, and are not meant to harm anyone in any way.
Thank you Sir for this great edition to my library.
Sir Geoffrey hates his son for 2 reasons, one is that he is gay, the other is because he is in an relationship with a black man. Sir Geoffrey is not a nice guy himself. He has no concerns for his sons feelings, he is only worried what scandal might do to him.
Frances Hodder is a transsexual who preys on men. He is also Roxanne, a product of abuse. Somewhere along the line, Frances split.
This story will make you think. Father and son both do horrible things, but I don't think Frances knows what he does as Roxanne. Is Frances truly evil? Or, is he just the result of abuse and bad parenting? Once there was a Roxanne, but she is long dead.
The other side of this story is about powerful people planting men and women as sleeper cells to commit horrible acts. Which is based on programs governments used during WW 2, and probably even before that. Some say you can't make someone go against their nature or morals, well clucking like a chicken isn't natural.
Frances hates and loves men, Daddy really messed up his mind.
Martin Lavender is also a character with what seems a bad side and a really bad side.
If you are looking for endearing sweet characters, you won't find them here. What you will find is an action packed, heart pounding, gut wrenching adventure.
.
I loved this book because it exposed the truth of bigotry and racism. It brought to light how bad parents can ruin the life of their offspring, and break a mind beyond compare.
I was given this book by the author B P Smythe in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, and are not meant to harm anyone in any way.
Thank you Sir for this great edition to my library.
March 28, 2019
The Expired by B.P. Smythe is a psychological thriller. This is the first book of BP that I have read and look forward to reading more of his work. It took me a while to get into this book but I really enjoyed it at the end. Lots of twists and turns that really make you think. I am new to Political Thrillers and the first book that I have read from another country so a few times I had to look up meaning of phrases. If you like Political Psychological Thrillers I would definitely recommend you reading this book.
December 19, 2018
A tense, fast moving story that (as the jacket mentions) is very reminiscent of "The Manchurian Candidate". The characters are interesting and the story kept me turning pages in anticipation of what was next. This was my first book by Mr Smythe and it won't be my last.
February 16, 2019
After reading the blurb about the book I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.. There’s so much going on… I couldn’t quite see how it would work..Well Mr. Smythe sure showed me, I was sucked in from the first page.
The story mainly focuses on Francis Hodder, a transsexual who abused as a child has grown up to have a long list of issues.. first and foremost he’s got a split personality going on. We have Francis but also Roxanne..
A powerful player in the government sees a way to make use of Francis and he’s brainwashed to kill on command.
What happens next is a rather expertly woven series of events where we learn of other individuals that have been brainwashed.. it’s seems this powerful player is setting up a chessboard of pieces so to speak, ready to do whatever they are told to.
As the game goes on players are eliminated while others emerge and a terrorist plot becomes clear..
I’ve not read anything from the author before but from this I felt he must have one hell of an imagination to put this together. We have Francis and his double life but also a terrorist plot which felt like it could have been a separate tale.
It works enough for me to enjoy the tale but the plot line explored towards the end of the book with Francis’s past and present colliding was the best bit and the terrorist plot was overshadowed by Francis.
The author manages to wrap the tale up nicely..It didn’t feel like any loose ends were there and to be honest I quite enjoyed the book even though it’s quite an unusual read for me.
Overall the pace of the tale is good and the chapter length is easy to swallow, add in a strangely unique plot and you’ve earned a 3* on this one.
My thanks go to the author for the chance to read and review the book in exchange for an honest review.
The story mainly focuses on Francis Hodder, a transsexual who abused as a child has grown up to have a long list of issues.. first and foremost he’s got a split personality going on. We have Francis but also Roxanne..
A powerful player in the government sees a way to make use of Francis and he’s brainwashed to kill on command.
What happens next is a rather expertly woven series of events where we learn of other individuals that have been brainwashed.. it’s seems this powerful player is setting up a chessboard of pieces so to speak, ready to do whatever they are told to.
As the game goes on players are eliminated while others emerge and a terrorist plot becomes clear..
I’ve not read anything from the author before but from this I felt he must have one hell of an imagination to put this together. We have Francis and his double life but also a terrorist plot which felt like it could have been a separate tale.
It works enough for me to enjoy the tale but the plot line explored towards the end of the book with Francis’s past and present colliding was the best bit and the terrorist plot was overshadowed by Francis.
The author manages to wrap the tale up nicely..It didn’t feel like any loose ends were there and to be honest I quite enjoyed the book even though it’s quite an unusual read for me.
Overall the pace of the tale is good and the chapter length is easy to swallow, add in a strangely unique plot and you’ve earned a 3* on this one.
My thanks go to the author for the chance to read and review the book in exchange for an honest review.
June 8, 2020
This book appears an attempted conflation of some of the author’s short stories previously published by him as “From a Poison Pen” which I have reviewed before. Unfortunately, however, these appeared to collide jarringly in the book rather than neatly segue. I had previously commented that I found the brainwashing technique in “Sleepers” and which re-appeared in this book, which the author kindly sent me to review, to be rather beyond the bounds of credibility and I also found the rather stereotypical depiction of Muslim terrorists to be a tad worrisome in “Roxanne” and this depiction made another outing in this book. In addition, there were rather too many coincidences in this novel for me to suspend my disbelief and enter the world between the covers. Along with these comments, sadly I must repeat my previous observation about the need for the author to employ the services of a good proofreader prior to further self-publication as errors such as “the south-downs” and “The Old Baily” early on in the book and followed by many other typographical, grammatical and spelling errors continue to be an unnecessary irritant to the reader.
January 27, 2019
I received this free book from the author for an honest review,
Wow, the more I read from this author the more I LOVE him! His writing is terrific and haunting, truthful and mysterious, lyrical and descriptive. I am not typically a political thriller fan, but this book had me bought and sold. This book will haunt you in as much as the idea/premise of the book, the thrill part of it, is very scary to think about indeed (at least it scared me). Much like the last book I read from this author, I could not put this book down!! It is a true page turner and will have you flipping pages until the very end. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone! Especially if you do like a bit of a scary thriller with some anti-government ideals thrown in. An awesome read, I can't wait to see what this author will write about next!!
Wow, the more I read from this author the more I LOVE him! His writing is terrific and haunting, truthful and mysterious, lyrical and descriptive. I am not typically a political thriller fan, but this book had me bought and sold. This book will haunt you in as much as the idea/premise of the book, the thrill part of it, is very scary to think about indeed (at least it scared me). Much like the last book I read from this author, I could not put this book down!! It is a true page turner and will have you flipping pages until the very end. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone! Especially if you do like a bit of a scary thriller with some anti-government ideals thrown in. An awesome read, I can't wait to see what this author will write about next!!
January 18, 2019
With dozens of books on my shelves to read and enjoy ~ I stopped reading this one at Page 17 when I hit the Third printing error. It very well could be a good story. But, I found myself flipping into Proof Reader mode after 1) Tale instead of tail. 2) A ' where a . belonged. And, 3) A capitalization AND spelling flub (Los angles) all before I was done with Page 17! Already agitated ~~ I put the book down and went on to my next read.
With so many books available nowadays I have the luxury of leaving a book that I am not happy with...Even when it is free...
B.P. Smythe ~~ Please Proof!
With so many books available nowadays I have the luxury of leaving a book that I am not happy with...Even when it is free...
B.P. Smythe ~~ Please Proof!
April 11, 2019
The whole novel reads a bit like an overactive Boys' Own comic book, with enough fast action, sex and bad language - both in swear words and also unedited errors - to keep everyone interested, even if they're not usually keen on reading. I was unimpressed by the lack of detail given about people and places - when key characters were killed off, I didn't feel anything because they had not been sufficiently described and built up in my mind, which I thought was a shame.
Full review on my blog : https://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspo...
Full review on my blog : https://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspo...
December 20, 2018
I won this book in a giveaway in exchange for a review. The translation of the book made the reading itself sometimes lack in flow but not so much that you didn’t get the story (I’m in the US). However the story itself was good. I won’t summarize as you can get that from the book description but it was a fast moving interesting story and worth a read.
January 6, 2019
This book was an amazing read. I have learned to really like this underrated author. If you want to see what a disturbing book should be written like and want to be challenged on your way of thinking, this is a book for you. I have been reading since Christmas Eve. I usually read books a lot faster. I took my time and enjoyed this one. I highly recommend it..
January 26, 2019
I loved the storyline and all its twists. One star because words were misspelt, punctuation missing, and grammar appalling. Nearly gave up at page 45. Glad I persevered but author needs to proofread work before publishing.
May 31, 2019
This is the first book by Mr. Smythe that I've read. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading other books by this author. There were enough twists in the story to keep it moving along and keep you guessing.
Thank you Goodreads for your sponsorship of the giveaway in which I won this book
Thank you Goodreads for your sponsorship of the giveaway in which I won this book
February 2, 2019
Outrageously outlandish story. Poor punctuation, spelling and use of grammar spoils it terribly.
January 1, 2019
As always good twists and turns with some very interesting characters. How many murders can one BPS novel contain ?........lol.....loads! Love the fast concise descriptions, that allows the story to move on at a good pace.
Personally, my favourite character was Francis and hope that one day Francis will appear in another book. Not a fan of novels that include terrorist, but their activities held an “interesting” slant.
A few proof reading slips. Liked the clear, quality paper that it was printed on.
Thank you for my free copy to review. Look forward to reading next BPS release.
Personally, my favourite character was Francis and hope that one day Francis will appear in another book. Not a fan of novels that include terrorist, but their activities held an “interesting” slant.
A few proof reading slips. Liked the clear, quality paper that it was printed on.
Thank you for my free copy to review. Look forward to reading next BPS release.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2019
I'm quite new to political thrillers myself but this wasn't half bad. Quite an interesting premise for a story and found it quite enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews