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Plot/Counterplot
He writes gunfights and ticking time bombs. But when he’s kidnapped and forced to plan a real-world crime, every plot twist will be explosive…
Dylan Taggart channels his demons through the keyboard. Knocked around by a father who believed weakness was failure, the bestselling suspense author grabs a measure of peace in his gorgeous girlfriend’s arms. But he sees fiction come horrifyingly to life when masked fanatics break in demanding he put his brilliant mind to work and help them steal a secret military super-weapon.
Dylan tries to refuse, but his resolve shatters when they leave his lover for dead and punish him mercilessly. Torn between terror and grief, he starts writing the heist scheme as ordered…while feverishly building a cunningly disguised sabotage.
Can this tortured artist use his own ingenious plotting skills to prevent the death of millions?
Plot/Counterplot is a fast-paced standalone thriller. If you like resourceful characters, intense drama, and endless surprises, then you’ll adore William Bernhardt’s clever caper.
Dylan Taggart channels his demons through the keyboard. Knocked around by a father who believed weakness was failure, the bestselling suspense author grabs a measure of peace in his gorgeous girlfriend’s arms. But he sees fiction come horrifyingly to life when masked fanatics break in demanding he put his brilliant mind to work and help them steal a secret military super-weapon.
Dylan tries to refuse, but his resolve shatters when they leave his lover for dead and punish him mercilessly. Torn between terror and grief, he starts writing the heist scheme as ordered…while feverishly building a cunningly disguised sabotage.
Can this tortured artist use his own ingenious plotting skills to prevent the death of millions?
Plot/Counterplot is a fast-paced standalone thriller. If you like resourceful characters, intense drama, and endless surprises, then you’ll adore William Bernhardt’s clever caper.
520 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2022
100 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
William Bernhardt
96 books507 followersWilliam Bernhardt is the author of over sixty books, including the bestselling Daniel Pike and Ben Kincaid legal thrillers, the historical novels Challengers of the Dust and Nemesis, three books of poetry, and the ten Red Sneaker books on fiction writing.
In addition, Bernhardt founded the Red Sneaker Writers Center to mentor aspiring writers. The Center hosts an annual writers conference (WriterCon), small-group seminars, a monthly newsletter, and a bi-weekly podcast. More than three dozen of Bernhardt’s students have subsequently published with major houses. He is also the owner of Balkan Press, which publishes poetry and fiction as well as the literary journal Conclave.
Bernhardt has received the Southern Writers Guild’s Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (University of Pennsylvania) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (Oklahoma State), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." He has been nominated for the Oklahoma Book Award eighteen times in three different categories, and has won the award twice. Library Journal called him “the master of the courtroom drama.” The Vancouver Sun called him “the American equivalent of P.G. Wodehouse and John Mortimer.”
In addition to his novels and poetry, he has written plays, a musical (book and score), humor, children stories, biography, and puzzles. He has edited two anthologies (Legal Briefs and Natural Suspect) as fundraisers for The Nature Conservancy and the Children’s Legal Defense Fund. OSU named him “Oklahoma’s Renaissance Man.”
In his spare time, he has enjoyed surfing, digging for dinosaurs, trekking through the Himalayas, paragliding, scuba diving, caving, zip-lining over the canopy of the Costa Rican rain forest, and jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet. In 2013, he became a Jeopardy! champion winning over $20,000.
When Bernhardt delivered the keynote address at the San Francisco Writers Conference, chairman Michael Larsen noted that in addition to penning novels, Bernhardt can “write a sonnet, play a sonata, plant a garden, try a lawsuit, teach a class, cook a gourmet meal, beat you at Scrabble, and work the New York Times crossword in under five minutes.”
In addition, Bernhardt founded the Red Sneaker Writers Center to mentor aspiring writers. The Center hosts an annual writers conference (WriterCon), small-group seminars, a monthly newsletter, and a bi-weekly podcast. More than three dozen of Bernhardt’s students have subsequently published with major houses. He is also the owner of Balkan Press, which publishes poetry and fiction as well as the literary journal Conclave.
Bernhardt has received the Southern Writers Guild’s Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (University of Pennsylvania) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (Oklahoma State), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." He has been nominated for the Oklahoma Book Award eighteen times in three different categories, and has won the award twice. Library Journal called him “the master of the courtroom drama.” The Vancouver Sun called him “the American equivalent of P.G. Wodehouse and John Mortimer.”
In addition to his novels and poetry, he has written plays, a musical (book and score), humor, children stories, biography, and puzzles. He has edited two anthologies (Legal Briefs and Natural Suspect) as fundraisers for The Nature Conservancy and the Children’s Legal Defense Fund. OSU named him “Oklahoma’s Renaissance Man.”
In his spare time, he has enjoyed surfing, digging for dinosaurs, trekking through the Himalayas, paragliding, scuba diving, caving, zip-lining over the canopy of the Costa Rican rain forest, and jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet. In 2013, he became a Jeopardy! champion winning over $20,000.
When Bernhardt delivered the keynote address at the San Francisco Writers Conference, chairman Michael Larsen noted that in addition to penning novels, Bernhardt can “write a sonnet, play a sonata, plant a garden, try a lawsuit, teach a class, cook a gourmet meal, beat you at Scrabble, and work the New York Times crossword in under five minutes.”
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 3, 2023
William Bernhardt returns with a stunning piece of fiction that strays from his usual legal thrillers. Using a bestselling authors as his protagonist, Bernhardt spins a tale about how those with wonderful ideas for crime thrillers can sometimes be the best weapon when they fall into the wrong hands. In a story that mixes fiction with the deadliest realities, Bernhardt provides readers with a novel unlike any I have read in a long while. Graphic depictions told in a highly realistic fashion, William Bernhardt proves why he is at the top of his game and eager to share his skills with readers!
The most creative stories of espionage and criminal masterminds come from the keyboards of top-notch authors, something Dylan Taggart knows all too well. The bestselling author has wonderful ideas fuelled by a childhood filled with anything but bliss. Taggart’s calmness is jolted one night when he and his girlfriend are taken hostage so that he can create the ultimate plan to steal a military weapon like no other. Fiction does truly turn into fact at this point.
While Taggart refuses to be a part of the charade, his mind is soon turned when he is tortured to the brink of death. Taggart’s ideas flow easily as he creates the ultimate story the captors use to help find a way to get into the military compound and get their hands on the deadliest weapon imaginable.
As the story progresses, Taggart is forced to make a decision that could have deadly fallout, all while trying to determine who is behind this event and what their ultimate goal could be. Many of those he meets along the way could be close to the top of the pyramid, but the elusive Supervisor remains in the shadows. Will Taggart be able to coax them out through his writing. More importantly, might there be a chance to take a stand before the ultimate act takes place, killing countless innocent civilians in this game of international cat and mouse? William Bernhardt does well to build up the action and has the reader desperate to find out how it all comes together.
There’s s something about William Bernhardt and his writing that leaves me wanting more each time I read one of his novels. He has such a strong ability to build a story up for the reader to enjoy, while keeping things poignant with today’s happenings. A detailed narrative that flows with ease proves essential to developing a strong novel, something that Bernhardt can do with significant ease. He uses great characters and a stunning collection of backstories to provide the reader a great roadmap as things get more intense. Plot lines emerge that take the reader in one direction, only to turn things around with another element couched in secrecy. I found myself captivated by much of what was going on throughout the piece and can only hope that there will be more stories of this calibre, be they one-offs or part of a larger series.
Kudos, Mr. Bernhardt, for proving once again just how talented you are and wha you bring to the genre.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
The most creative stories of espionage and criminal masterminds come from the keyboards of top-notch authors, something Dylan Taggart knows all too well. The bestselling author has wonderful ideas fuelled by a childhood filled with anything but bliss. Taggart’s calmness is jolted one night when he and his girlfriend are taken hostage so that he can create the ultimate plan to steal a military weapon like no other. Fiction does truly turn into fact at this point.
While Taggart refuses to be a part of the charade, his mind is soon turned when he is tortured to the brink of death. Taggart’s ideas flow easily as he creates the ultimate story the captors use to help find a way to get into the military compound and get their hands on the deadliest weapon imaginable.
As the story progresses, Taggart is forced to make a decision that could have deadly fallout, all while trying to determine who is behind this event and what their ultimate goal could be. Many of those he meets along the way could be close to the top of the pyramid, but the elusive Supervisor remains in the shadows. Will Taggart be able to coax them out through his writing. More importantly, might there be a chance to take a stand before the ultimate act takes place, killing countless innocent civilians in this game of international cat and mouse? William Bernhardt does well to build up the action and has the reader desperate to find out how it all comes together.
There’s s something about William Bernhardt and his writing that leaves me wanting more each time I read one of his novels. He has such a strong ability to build a story up for the reader to enjoy, while keeping things poignant with today’s happenings. A detailed narrative that flows with ease proves essential to developing a strong novel, something that Bernhardt can do with significant ease. He uses great characters and a stunning collection of backstories to provide the reader a great roadmap as things get more intense. Plot lines emerge that take the reader in one direction, only to turn things around with another element couched in secrecy. I found myself captivated by much of what was going on throughout the piece and can only hope that there will be more stories of this calibre, be they one-offs or part of a larger series.
Kudos, Mr. Bernhardt, for proving once again just how talented you are and wha you bring to the genre.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
March 18, 2023
Amazing Premise. Continuous Action. Another twist, just when you think you've figured it all out.
No one has mastered the thriller, as William Bernhardt has. Even in paradise, miles away from a courtroom, he shows his readers he's full of surprises. Why do some really capable, but really bad players extract Dylan Taggart from his pleasant if somewhat aloof life and threaten everything he holds dear? Because he can do something better than anyone else. He can plot thrillers. They need him to design a scheme to do the impossible, and the stakes couldn't possibly be higher. There is more action than you can imagine, but it's the peril that starts high and ramps up throughout. Peril not only to him, but to everyone he loves, and even peril to the current world order. No action is simple or without cost. Bernhardt crafts this novel as meticulously as Dylan crafts his plan. But, despite the complexity of any plan, there are always surprises, some you anticipate, some you can't. The same is true for this story. I was discovering new levels to the plot all the way to the twist at the end. Artfully done. But I expect no less from William Bernhardt.
July 26, 2022
For Dylan Taggart, evil exists at an arms length -- where his characters, plots, and thrilling novels are read by millions across the globe. Life is good. Living in Hawaii with his gorgeous girlfriend, to many, Dylan has achieved the American dream.
But that sense of safety is shattered after a group of terrorists kidnap Dylan and demand he put his considerable intellect toward creating a foolproof plan for the antagonists that threatens everything he holds dear.
This novel will keep you on the edge of your seat and up all night as you follow Dylan through the twists and turns of the plot as he desperately tries to strike a balance between giving the terrorists what they want and keeping the ones he loves safe. Pick this novel up today, you won't regret it!
But that sense of safety is shattered after a group of terrorists kidnap Dylan and demand he put his considerable intellect toward creating a foolproof plan for the antagonists that threatens everything he holds dear.
This novel will keep you on the edge of your seat and up all night as you follow Dylan through the twists and turns of the plot as he desperately tries to strike a balance between giving the terrorists what they want and keeping the ones he loves safe. Pick this novel up today, you won't regret it!
December 2, 2023
It's hard to think of this as nothing more than a big long finger to the reader. An intelligent person would have quit reading this joke of a book before page five. I kept at it, 500 pages of silliness.
September 11, 2022
Ridiculous Premise
The premise of this book is completely absurd, but once you decide to suspend disbelief; it takes you on an amazing, wild ride.
The premise of this book is completely absurd, but once you decide to suspend disbelief; it takes you on an amazing, wild ride.
June 1, 2023
Not his best work
Just could not get into this one. Scientific jumbo jumbo. Unrealistic complex plot line. Humans surviving injuries that would kill an elephant. Nope try again.
Just could not get into this one. Scientific jumbo jumbo. Unrealistic complex plot line. Humans surviving injuries that would kill an elephant. Nope try again.
June 25, 2023
A very good mystery/thriller story. Some science fiction, some adventure and a slightly different plot. Well-written, easy to read and a captivating story.
October 6, 2023
This was pure cringe
October 25, 2023
Supremely twisty and exciting!
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August 26, 2022Author discount 99
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews