Series Review of Beck Casey Thrillers: Fallout, Final Epidemic and more-by author Earl Merkel

Wonder what makes a series successful?

Me too, so I read as many series as possible. Here's a great political spy series - Beck Casey Thrillers!



Fans of the TV show 24  you'll love Beck Casey! 

Check out my review and visit Amazon if you think you'll enjoy the thrills too.

Fallout (A Beck Casey Thriller)

Kindle Edition

by Earl Merkel (Author)

Always on the move. . .

Another great Beck Casey story that pivots in various directions, until multiple strings meet and intertwine for an explosive conclusion. Followers of the series would expect nothing less. The story melds many political threads, foes and allies. The reader will get a close look at the threats and motivations of the characters as the plot pushes forward. Never a dull moment, from assassinations, buildings blown up, to computer viral threats. Even though a genre spy story, there are some unique characters in this book, using friends to fill in the ranks needed to pull off this complex story; like mine, a bomb tech, shows up in chapter 63! The plot uses all forces, from CIA, FBI, Mossad, MI6 and more . . . Definitely an insane political ride with surprises at every step. A great political thriller for the serious reader.

My Review of:

Fire of the Prophet

Swept Away! Suspenseful Story

Fire of the Prophet: A Beck Casey Thriller Kindle Edition

Pow! The opening chapter is a shocker, and you are immediately swept into a scenario that keeps the reader wanting to know more. Vivid scenes, like in an action film, take you into the story that is relevant to current topics of today.

Earl Merkel brings the reader close to the action, of what could be real life situations, and your worst nightmare come true! He uses his words to paint realism into the story, a candid and raw picture, entirely human.

The characters are developed with great insights into the daily life and business of journalism, politics and the military. Tense, suspenseful, nerving, and nail biting action, fill the pages. The author uses powerful words, and visual symmetry, while keeping the story timeline organized and easy to follow along, with multiple viewpoints and plots that are all part of the bigger picture. The flow from place to place, person to person, is done well.

Merkel brings unique flavor when he writes about the military side of the equation. A clear picture of the trauma and urgency, the men and women in active duty must endure every day, brought a new appreciation for our brave soldiers. Touching scenes of families reaching out to each other are emotional and heartfelt.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes action, spy plots and a good look at the humanity (or lack of by terrorists) behind the scenes. I thank you Earl Merkel for writing this wonderful tale. This book will surely be a story you will remember.

Also look at the rest of the series:

Final Epidemic  
(A Beck Casey Thriller) 
(Volume 1)  by Earl Merkel 

 This is how the world ends...

An invisible killer has returned. The last time it raged, upward of forty million died—in a matter of months. Now it's back, released to prey on an unsuspecting, unprotected world.

Also check out this detective book:

Dirty Fire: A Thriller Kindle Edition

by Earl Merkel (Author)

  

Police detective John Davey once had everything—until bribery charges destroyed his career, his marriage, and his life.

Now he's been given a second chance. Davey is pressured into joining an investigation into the baffling murder of a wealthy Chicago couple savagely murdered before their North Shore mansion was set ablaze. To the city, it's a scandal. To Davey, it's overkill.

In the charred ruins, Davey finds clues to something more sinister than deadly premediated arson: a criminal maze threading back through history, and a connection to billions of dollars in artwork that disappeared during the Holocaust. As more victims emerge, Davey begins to suspect the motives of those he is forced to trust, with betrayal layered on betrayal, until he has no one left to believe in but himself.

 

Check out the newest on Earl Merkel's bookshelf:

The Law Of Unintended Consequences: A Faulk Carpenter Thriller 

(The Faulk Carpenter Thriller Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Earl Merkel (Author)

 

I have this on my reader and will get to reviewing it soon. It's so exciting to read a first book in a new series.

Below is the blurp - 

Pick up a copy if it interests you and we can discuss the story as we read it!

 

A college student, missing for three decades. The scion of a Miami crime family, infuriated and sworn to bloody vengeance. A deep‐sea research vessel, blown to atoms by a dynamite bomb, placed by faceless persons who prefer the sea to keep its secrets forever.

And a visiting stranger, the unwilling nexus of this ever‐widening web of intrigue and violence, who arrives on the evening tides to seek out the resolution to long unanswered questions—that is, if he survives long enough to unravel it.

These are the elements that combine into a suspenseful narrative in The Law Of Unintended Consequences, and serve to proclaim an exciting new entry in the annals of today’s pantheon of reluctant heroes.

The Law Of Unintended Consequences is set in the scorching sun and sparkling shorelines of Northwest Florida’s Emerald Coast, where a tourist-playground façade scarcely conceals the ominous undercurrents of crime and violence both past and present.

For Faulk Carpenter, the quest for closure in Spanish Bay becomes its own odyssey: an often dark voyage that forces him to face his own demons, all the while he becomes prey to the law of unintended consequences throughout the obstacles, entanglements and dangers he encounters—both from others, and from himself.  

        

 

Keep reading - Keep writing!

 

 

Push the Box Open - Add Flavor To Your Writing

I just returned from a great vacation - 

rejuvenated and ready to work again...

We visited with great people and explored new places; so surely the past week will influence better writing and character development. 

We traveled to California for a week and enjoyed some remarkable sunshine and fun places.

Here is the point - we don't have to fly to far away lands to add flavor into our writing, we only need to watch and listen to our surroundings, but how great will our writing be when we do push the box open a bit.

Going to any place new will rejuvenate your mind and open up your creativity again. Break the routine.


Take a look and see some of the great places that truly inspired me.

More to come...
Keep reading - Keep writing!

An Author's Treasure - Kind Words And Feedback About Their Art

 Making ART is one of the most challenging things to do in life.

 

So many of us make things - but what makes it ART?

It connects part of you to others when you share the art.  For example if you like to sew clothes and you make a dress for your daughter to wear to a party - I would consider that ART.  It was created and shared - and it was original.  If you write a poem or limerick about something dear to you, and you share it on Facebook - isn't that art too?  I think so.

Art is something that comes from the heart.

Art doesn't have to be a commodity that is sold.  It can be a drawing, a poem, song or dance, stage play or a story shared.  It can be anything you create that frees part of your soul.  What truly makes ART shine is the sharing of it.


There is nothing better than writing a story, sharing it, and hearing feedback, especially if someone has been moved by your work.  Sometimes words read in a book can alter your view of things, and open up your mind to new ideas and possibilities.  This was one of the things that happened when I read The Answer To Your Question by Paulette Alden.  You can read my review here.  Other stories are merely to entertain and take us to other worlds to live vicariously for a moment like The Taste Of Fear by Jeremy Bates.  You can read my review on that story here. 

A book takes us to places in the imagination and allows us see things in a different light.


To all authors out there - keep heart even when you don't get that feedback right off.  Eventually your voice will be heard when your words reach that special reader who needed your ART to touch their heart.


For all readers - please don't hesitate to give feedback to those who bare their souls on the pages.  Your support and kind words are treasure.  Anyone who creates ART and is brave enough to share it with others is truly my hero.  I look at the work of other authors and think 'how wonderful their mind works' and how lucky I am they shared their ART.  Make yourself happy today and read a book.  Make an author happy and write a review.

 

Keep reading - Keep writing!

Reinventing Yourself - Growing Better (Be a mentor - Share your experience)

You never thought about it before - it always looked so far away, then - S-M-A-CK-  you're there. One day you wake up, look in the mirror and realize, 'Hey I'm 50 - something!'



Some people are so comfortable in their routine they think there is nothing more to learn after they hit the 50's...  but for those who still want to figure out 'what they want to be when they grow up', and those who like change, and want to reinvent themselves, take heart.


Today, age is nothing more than a number.  Who cares if you're 50-something?  What matters most is growing - not old - but evolving into a better person.  We will never reach perfection, but that doesn't mean we can't keep reaching and learning new ideas.


Many baby boomers use their older years to do the things they always wanted to do in their bucket list.  That can be good - but I challenge anyone - no matter how young or old - to do something that will help someone else.  Bucket lists fill a personal need but doesn't reach out to others.

Next week Jan 17th - 19th join the 2nd Annual "Pay It Forward" event and do a random act of kindness.  See you there...   This is one challenge that will help you become a mentor instead of the 'main character', and share your talents for the benefit of another.  This can be an empowering moment for all.

In the meantime, don't worry about your age - Just be honest with yourself.  If you are not happy with your current situation don't be afraid to change - it is never too late to learn something new.  Make yourself useful, for yourself and others too.  Share your experiences and knowledge.


I started writing, not knowing exactly what I was searching for - a new career (at my age, really?) - a change - a channel to be creative.  During my journey I learned new things, added tools to my knowledge base, met new people with fresh ideas (and old ideas too) but mostly I challenged myself every day.


You can't help but grow when you are faced with a challenge.


So don't get depressed if you are like me, getting older - Remember you are still alive and kicking and it's a great big world out there.  Today we have so much information at our fingers, there is no excuse to find something new and invigorating, adding to your quality of life.


Don't be afraid to reinvent yourself - Grow into a better you.



Keep reading - Keep writing!