Deadly Dozen presents Diane Capri's "Don't Know Jack"

Book Review
Don't Know JackDiane Capri

When I first started reading this, I'll confess; I didn't know Jack. I had thought the story was based around the characters of the Fox television series, 24, starring Keifer Sutherland as the protagonist Jack Baur. It is rather based on the characters of Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, about an ex-Army MP special operative who, after leaving the army makes his way around the country solving crimes.

Interesting thing about this story … Jack Reacher never actually appears in the story! We follow the investigation of FBI field agents Kim Otto and Carlos Gaspar. This is their first time working together, each having been brought into the case from different field offices. Though Otto is the younger of the two, she is designated as primary investigator on the case. Otto, though younger, has aspirations to move up in the agency. Possibly even to be head of the FBI. Gaspar has dealt with some physical issues – most likely the result of injuries from yet-to-be-discussed past assignments. Though he is willing to work hard and has some close calls in the story, he often mentions the fact that all he wants to do is take care of his large family and make it to his retirement.

Otto and Gaspar find their way to a small town in Georgia, ostensibly to gather information about Jack Reacher. With the sort of timing that is unlikely to be accidental, they arrive at the small town police station just in time for the call to come in; a police officer has been murdered in his home. His wife takes full responsibility … but the details just don't add up.

Did Sylvia murder her husband, shooting him twice in the head and five times in the body as he lay on their bed? How is it she has very high end clothing, luggage and personal belongings on a small town police officer's salary? How did she disappear from police custody? What did any of this have to do with counterfeit currency that was so well produced it could be passed as the real thing? And what did any of this have to do with Jack Reacher? And where was Jack anyway?

Agents Otto and Gaspar find themselves trying to figure out several things. Why can no one tell them where Jack Reacher is? Who is their mysterious boss, who only contacts them through “burner” phones? Does he possibly have anything to do with all of this?

Guess you'll need to read it and find out! I found it an enjoyable read and would recommend it to any readers who enjoy a good old fashioned cop mystery.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I was gifted this book, along with 11 others as part of a box set of e-books by Joshua Graham, one of the authors in the series. I have reviewed his submission in this set prior to receiving this gift. – So it has not affected my views of his story, “Terminus.”)

The box set is out now and can be found following the links below:
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/deadly12
Barnes & Noble: http://smarturl.it/deadly12-bn
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/deadly12-itunes
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1f7It0V

I, Saul

"A young seminary professor, Augustine Knox, is drawn into a deadly race to save priceless parchments from antiquities thieves and discovers a two-thousand-year old connection with another who faced death for the sake of the truth.  I, Saul consists of two riveting adventures in one, transporting you between the stories of Augustine Knox and Paul of Tarsus.

Filled with political intrigue, romance, and rich historical detail, I, Saul is a thrilling tale of loyal friendships tested by life-or-death quests, set two millennia apart, told by a master storyteller."  (From the back dustcover of I, Saul, written by Christian author Jerry B. Jenkins with James S. MacDonald.)

I've always been a huge fan of Jerry Jenkins, so I might not be the best to write an impartial review.  However, personally I feel a review that offers what I LIKE about a project can prove just as valuable as a review that only breaks down the problems of a book as well.

As always, Mr. Jenkins puts a good amount of effort into character development in his books.  Making your characters believable is one of the biggest challenges of making your story believable. 

He does have one habit that drives me crazy (but really in a good way).  You will be reading along in one of the two sub-stories, its building to a climax ... something is about to happen ... and POOF!  You switch to the other story! 

Dr. Augustine "Augie" Knox is following in his father's footsteps.  His father is a senior professor at a prestigious (albeit small) theological seminary in Texas.  Augie has long lived in his father's shadow.  While the Senior Dr. Knox can recite chapter and verse of the Word of God, and can expound on apologetics, exegesis and theology, he does not seem to have the one thing important in sharing the message of the Gospel.  He does not have love.  Clearly, he has a passion for knowledge.  But he is loved.  Augie's mother Marie is the stark antithesis of his father Edsel.  She has the knowledge of Jesus love, but she also shows that love as a lamp shines the light of the flame within.  While Augie has some challenges, he is learning to show both sides of his heritage, with his father's intellect and his mother's compassion and passion.

Augie is contacted by a friend.  Roger is in trouble and reaches out to his friend.  He needs Augie to come to Rome, but he also needs Augie to destroy his cell phone which he tells him is now compromised.  What has Roger gotten himself into?

In first century Rome, the Apostle Paul is awaiting execution by the Roman authorities.  He has asked his friend Luke to assist him, to keep him alive until his execution.  He also needs Luke to bring his manuscripts to him.  Paul is writing of his early life, of his upbringing.  As a youth, young Saul wanted more than anything to walk with God as the Patriarchs did.  To his young mind, this meant that he needed to learn everything that they knew, to walk with the Law of Moses precisely, to become the greatest of all Pharisees.  We learn of the lessons Saul gained, sometimes painfully in seeking such a goal.

Near the end of the story, a detail of an unsolved puzzle is spoken of ... and is not resolved.  I wrote to Mr. Jenkins on his Facebook page and asked him if the puzzle would be resolved in his next book, I, Paul, which is due out in 2014?  His reply:  You're kidding, right?

Waycross Botticelli

Waycross Camp
and Conference
Center
Morgantown IN

I grew up spending part of my summers at a wonderful summer camp in southern Indiana, Waycross Camp and Conference Center. 

One of the special sessions was a chance for entire families to come and spend a week (in later years, a weekend) in a place I would put up against any resort for a place to relax without a care.

Among my fondest memories was playing a game called Botticelli.  There are other versions of the game, such as the one here, but the one we played at Waycross was slightly different.  I'd like to share the rules so that you and your family and friends can give it a try.

One of the best things about the game?  No equipment needed!  Just you and a group of as many friends as you have at hand.  I would however say that the game plays best with at least 6-8 people, but you can play with 20+ of the opportunity presents itself!  Just make sure you're some place comfortable, because the game can run as long as people are interested in playing.

The Rules:

• Game play starts with one person being designated as "it".  For the sake of the rules, we'll say that I am it.
• As the it person, I think of the name of a reasonably famous person.  This person can be living or dead, can be real or fictional.
• I tell you the first letter of the famous person's last name.  I'm thinking of Helen Keller, so I tell you that the first letter of the last name is K.  
• Your job is to earn the chance to ask me a yes/no question about my famous person.
• You earn this chance by stumping me with a trivia question that the answer starts with the letter I've given you. (in this case K...)
• One tricky bit:  If your trivia question has more than one correct answer that starts with the same letter, even if the answer I give you is not the one you were thinking of, the answer is acceptable.  (If you were to ask, "What is a marsupial found in Australia?" and I answered "koala", even though you  were expecting "kangaroo", my answer is still correct.)  
• If I answer your question correctly,  it is the next person's turn to try to stump me.
• If instead you do stump me, you can now ask me a question about my person, but this question can only be answered yes or no.  You might ask, "Is this person a woman?" I would answer yes.  If you asked, "Is this person a man or woman?" I would be unable to answer because this was not a yes/no question.  Play then shifts to the next person.
• The game proceeds this way, revealing details of my person.
• Finally, when you think you know and your next turn comes around, you can say "Is it __________________?"  If you guessed correctly, it is now your turn to be it, and you get to choose the next famous person.  If you guess incorrectly, I am still it and play continues.

There is no technical end to the game, nor is there a final winner.  Its simply a chance to gather, have some fun and relax.  Food should be shared.  Other conversation is encouraged.   Enjoy!

Terminus

Review
Book Title: TerminusBook Author: Joshua Graham

From the back cover:

How far can an angel fall to find his destiny?

Having witnessed one too many senseless deaths, Nikolai, a disillusioned Reaper 3^rd Class, resigns his commission with the Angel Forces after a tedious century of gathering souls.

Immediately, another division recruits him with the promise of a more rewarding career, and issues his initial assignments: To bring down a few very dangerous threats to the human race. In the process, Nikolai falls in love with one of his targets – Hope Matheson, a woman who will lead thousands astray.

Caught between conflicting agendas, Nikolai chooses to “fall” from his celestial state and become mortal in order to circumvent angel law and be with her. But for angels and humans alike, things are not always as they appear. Still a target, the threat against Hope's life intensifies.

Now, in order to save her, Nikolai must rally the last remnants of his failing supernatural abilities to prevent her assassination, as well as the destruction of an entire city by a nuclear terrorist strike.

But his time and power are running out.

Terminus is a perspective-altering saga that delves into ageless themes of redemption, destiny and the eternal power of love.

(Any quotations from the book or cover are used for review purposes only, no intent of making money from this work should be considered)

Off the cuff, while the book had a slow start and some bits were a little confusing. However, once I got the characters sorted out and what some terms meant, I found it an enjoyable read.

The book starts with angel named Nikolai (who prefers to be called simply Nick) doing his daily duty; escorting a recently deceased girl to the Terminus, which is a way station of sorts where the departed go. Some to be taken up to Heaven, others maybe to be taken to Hades.

We find out that this job had been a demotion. Nick had previously been a Guardian, one of the highest forms of angels. But, he had followed his heart rather than his orders and had fallen in love with a human woman. Such relationships are forbidden, so Nikolai the Guardian Angel is demoted to Nick, Reaper (3^rd class). For over 100 years – which mind you is a twinkling in the eye of ANY angel – Nick has been shuttling back and forth between the Terminus and various points around the globe.

He is approached by a member of another division … does Nick want the chance to get out of his rat race job and have adventures and excitement? He's given a chance. All he has to do is make sure something happens that otherwise might be stopped. A woman, distraught over the loss of a child is pondering ending her life. Nick is told that if this woman lives, thousands of lives will be forever changed. But things aren't always what they seem.

There's also the story of the pastor of a very large ministry, Pastor Jonathan Hartwell. Pastor Hartwell is followed by millions. Thousands flock to his services. One evening, a young woman came to his office seeking counseling. It was late, so Pastor Hartwell had sent his secretary home. Maria Guzman was running from her family. Temptation rears its head when Pastor Hartwell offers to put Maria up in a hotel so that she can be away from some of bad people in her life. He'd walked her to her room, he unwisely went inside her room. When Maria kissed him, he turned and left. But security cameras see everything, even when things aren't always what they seem.

Carlito Guzman is head of a crime syndicate. His father, whom he knew as Papi, has left control of the family business to him even though he doesn't think his son is hard enough to make the decisions needed. With Papi dead, Carlito finds out that some of his lieutenants are not what they seem.

Each of these skeins of the story culminate in a final confrontation. Things that are not as they seem are brought into the light of Truth in a way that I thought was rather explosive!

If you have a chance to read Terminus, I have every confidence you shall enjoy it as I did.

Rosetta Stone: We meet Samson

There had been several occasions when protesters had tried to break into the facility at Nyxll Road. Usually, their intent was to trigger alarm systems and bring the authorities and the media. The media would record them being seized by the constables as their protest signs waved in front of the cameras. When reporters contacted the Council for a statement, though they never lied, whichever councilor spoke as representative would downplay the importance of what was inside the building. The windows were darkened and it was reputed that all sorts of counter-measures were in place to thwart eavesdropping or other snooping technologies.

For the most part, the worst that had ever happened was one time when a couple of very bold youths brought canisters of aeropaint and reproduced their slogans on a large expanse of wall near the front of the building. It was the Creator's provenance however that a security operator within the building had deduced what was about to happen and disabled the automated mechanism that would have hit the young men with a stun charge that would have knocked them unconscious for several hours. It would not be good for the reputation of the Great Commission project to have that happen … particularly in the presence of media cameras. The protesters had a right to their opinions, allowing them to act would bolster their reputations within their community … and aeropaint was easily washed off.

This particular morning however, protesters were specifically trying to avoid setting off the alarm systems. There were no protest signs and no one had memorized a bit of rhetoric to shout to the media. Bypassing the electrified fencing was the easiest bit. During regular hours, protesters had simply walked in through the gates. But today was the Sabbath. The gates were secured and even the guard booth was locked with no one inside. They chose an hour when the majority of the citizens of Cypress would be at worship services throughout the city. While some of the protesters were non-theistic in their beliefs, the majority were followers of the Prophets. One of these was the young man who previously had been allowed by the disabled security protocols to paint the walls, Pullok was his name.

Pullok's father was a minority member of the Council. His father had brought him up disdaining the teachings of Jesus, believing that the prophesied Messiah would come as a conquering king, not as a lowly servant. Lifting a pair of ceramic metal clippers, Pullok waited as one of his associates attached monofilament leads to a section of the fencing. Once Pullok had cut the fencing, the leads would allow the electrical current to bypass the now damaged section without setting off the security protocols. Or at least, that was what they'd assumed. It was also what Samson, the AI of the security system, had been designed to let them believe. When there were no human security personnel present, Samson's systems were designed to keep a constant vigilance on anything that moved within several meters of even the furthest point in the fencing. By the time the protesters had breeched the fence, each of the four men had been identified (two of them had youth records with the authorities, including Pullok who seemed prone to whatever mischief suited his mood) and Samson had made note of any threatening devices they might have with them.

Thus far, Samson had identified the ceramic clippers, two canisters of aeropaint and a small object carried within a duffel bag. Samson released a cloud of sniffer sensors – nanobots which could identify molecules of any chemical threat, explosives, excellerants or biohazards. The protesters would assume them to be gnats, maybe swat at one or two, and then the breeze would carry the sniffers past them having completed their task. Receiving the results of the sniffers, Samson determined that the object in the duffel as possibly an electronic lockpick, the sort that thieves used in breaking into businesses or homes in wealthy neighborhoods. While Samson could think, he did not have the sort of developed AI that would include a concept like humor. He could understand the concept, but understanding why a joke was funny and thinking it was funny are two different matters. Though it was standard programming to record all incursions onto the property, Samson knew that the security personnel would find humor in what was about to happen.

It was a pity that Pullok and his friends could not see what was behind the door that they were attempting to breech. From their standpoint, with three of them looking out for security people or robots or dogs or whatever, Pullok pulled out the device he was carrying in his duffel. About the size of two fists, it had a keypad, several function keys and a display. The door was flush with the wall, having no door frame as you might find in residential construction. Where a doorknob or some sort of locking mechanism might have been, the door was blank. It essentially looked like a blank rectangle set within a wall.

Touching the power switch on the device, Pullok pressed the device against the surface of the door. Since the door was metallic, the magnets on the back of the device held it securely. Pushing a few of the function keys, Pullok started the process of finding what sort of possible keying system was in use on this door. After a few moments, the display indicated that a three tiered security code needed to be entered. As there was no keypad built into the door or surrounding wall, Pullok deduced that the person wishing to gain entry would be carrying a portable device to input their code. Pullok inquired if the device could produce the required response of such a device? It answered in the affirmative. Pullok pressed a few more keys and the device quietly set about finding the needed security code. After a few moments, it lit a green light on its display and instructed, Security code accepted. Push in on door surface to open.

There was a small 'click' as Pullok's hand pressed against the door. The door recessed about three centimeters back into the wall and then slid to one side. Pullok only just had the presence of mind to grab the lockpick before it was smacked against the door frame now revealed. There was a small problem however. Where they should have been looking into an open doorway, as quickly as the one door slid into the wall, a second door slid into place, moved flush to the outer wall and locked securely into place. Unsure if somehow this was the same door or that the device had not worked, Pullok again put the device on the door and started the process over again. A second time, the door was opened, and a second time it was immediately replaced by a third door. The third door however was helpfully painted with a hand written message:

Samson can do this all day!

Can you?

Working title: Rosetta Stone

An excerpt from a story I'm working on.  I would appreciate your thoughts ... but be kind.

Introduction:

Those who followed the Prophets could never quite understand that Jesus was the fulfillment of the very prophecies they gave! Born the only son of the Creator, he was the door that opened out from a life of nothingness and damnation and onto a life of Grace, forgiveness and joy. Such is as it had been since the earliest days and was so now. Two schools of belief existed on Erets: The teachings of the Prophets (unfulfilled) and the teachings of Jesus (fulfilled prophecies). True, there were those who followed other paths, even those who claimed to follow no path at all ...but even small children understood that in order to follow no path at all, you were in essence following a path. Even if it was a path to avoid all the other paths. But such were the claims of the people who'd gathered on the steps of the Great Temple. The news had gone out that the Great Commission was coming to its final phase, that having reached all of Erets, the next step was to reach out to the stars.

And so we begin:

It had been long believed that on the many little lights visible in the night sky that God had created worlds where other races lived. People such as the citizens of this world, maybe even people who knew of the God of Heaven and Erets. But such was a leap of Faith that many did not wish to take. “Leave the heavens to God, we have enough issues to deal with here.”

The crowds milling on the Temple steps were a diverse group. Physicians, lawyers, common laborers, skilled tradesmen … even students and housewives were there. Far up in the Temple tower, Pahr stood, looking down at the scene below. This had been a long day for him. The Temple gates were locked tightly, fearing a rush of protesters wanting to force their way into the Temple Gardens shouting for an audience with the Council. Some on the Council still followed the Prophets, though more and more were siding with those following Jesus. The Jesuine councilors, Pahr included, presently held the majority of the seats on the Council. As such it fell to them to choose the path that the Council would follow during their tenure.

Many years prior, the government of Erets had been established. Following the traditions of the Prophets, the council had been established with council members being considered Judges. Much of this history was running through Pahr's mind as he watched the crowds below. His revelry did not last long however as his personal comm crackled to life with the voice of his wife Clariss, “Pahr, should the guards disburse this crowd or do you even see what is going on?” Inwardly Pahr sighed. In so many ways, Clariss was the perfect mate for him, but on rare occasions like this she almost seemed to think less of his ability to even recognize what was going on.

“Not to worry Clariss. The guards have assured me that the gates are more than up to the task of a crowd twice as big as this. We are safe here.”

“But what if they were to force the gate? What if they brought explosives or cutting tools?”

Looking down through his window, Pahr acknowledged that that would indeed be a problem. He however also knew that there was sensory equipment installed in every possible hiding place throughout the Temple complex that would reveal the presence of any substance or tool that could potentially be used against either the Temple or its inhabitants. The system, nicknamed “Samson” had been installed over the years, with additions and revisions made as technology brought new options to the fore. 

 

“Not to worry dearest. Samson is watching. We shall be fine.” A small chuckle could be heard through the his ear piece as Clariss responded, “I sure wish you'd put as much trust in me as you do in that machine.” Clariss' aversion to just about anything mechanical, let alone computerized was a trait Pahr had always considered endearing. He had to admit however that occasionally it was somewhat frustrating. But he reasoned, he was sure he wasn't always a barrel of fun to deal with either.

Paying for Propaganda

(Another commentary from Janet Parshall of the Moody Broadcasting Network.)

December 14-21, 2011
Paying for Propaganda
       America is enamored with reality TV but one show is particular just might be anything but reality.

       TLC or The Learning Channel has quite the line-up of reality shows. 19 kids and counting, Kate plus 8, Sister Wives, Long Island Medium, and The Little Couple just to name a few – and there are more!

       But recently the network has added a new program entitled, All American Muslim . The web site for the show says,

        "All-American Muslim takes a look at life in Dearborn, Michigan--home to the largest mosque in the United States--through the lens of five Muslim American families. Each episode offers an intimate look at the customs and celebrations, misconceptions and conflicts these families face outside and within their own community.”

       But some are calling the show, “propaganda.” According to the Florida Family Association, All American Muslim is “propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.” Apparently, they are not the only ones who have concerns about what may, in fact, be a program designed to put a new face on Islam in a post-9/11 world.

       The Florida Family Association contacted Lowe’s - the national hardware store chain - and requested that their advertising be pulled from the program. Lowe’s agreed and a cultural firestorm ensued.

       Lowe’s then posted a comment on their Facebook page, apologizing for the possibility of offending some by withdrawing their advertisements. The Facebook statement also stated:

        “Lowe’s has received a significant amount of communication on this program, from every perspective possible. Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lighting rod for many of those views. As a result we did pull our advertising on this program. We believe it is best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance.
       “We strongly support and respect the right of our customers, the community at large, and our employees to have different views. If we have made anyone question that commitment, we apologize.” (emphasis added)

       One California State Senator called the action “bigoted, shameful and un-American” and is demanding an apology from the CEO of the company. But is the Florida Family Association articulating a very real concern?

       All practitioners of Islam are not jihadists but all jihadists are followers of Islam. While the TLC show will follow the lives of 5 Muslim families in Michigan, I doubt the program will discuss the imprisonment of Asia Bibi in Pakistan or Pastor Yousef in Iran. It won’t talk about the lack of protection for religious minorities in Islamic dominated countries. Nor, will it vet the totalitarianism that is Sharia Law.

        Will TLC discuss the case of the Christian street evangelists who were arrested and jailed in Dearborn, Michigan for attending an Arab festival and sharing the gospel? No, that just might be a little too much reality.
        That’s my opinion. I’m Janet Parshall.
                      

© 2011 The Moody Bible Institute of ChicagoUsed as quoting with references.
http://www.moodyradio.org/janetparshallcommentary/