BlackFive

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

Many military books have been written by and about SEALs.  The Power of A Seal by Anne Elizabeth is a suspense-romance novel that highlights the SEAL community. It blends a mysterious plot, some romance, and a realistic look at those serving.

Readers gain an insight into the personality of a SEAL.  They are truly the selfless warriors that do not require any accolades: humble, bold, strong, brave, with an inner calm during the missions. 

The Power of A Seal explores the mental anguish many who serve go through when their bodies, either emotionally or physically, tell them it is time to look for another line of work.  The hero, Leaper Lefton, after undergoing a traumatic experience, is reassigned to the BUD training program as a SEAL instructor to teach, lead, assess, evaluate, and test the trainees, making sure they have the emotional and physical skills. While on a training mission in Coronado Leaper spots a woman in danger in the middle of the ocean.  After rescuing her, he finds out that Kerry Hamilton is a marine veterinarian assigned to the Marine Mammal Program that works with the Navy.  She is responsible for the health and well-being of the dolphins and sea lions.  After discovering a disease among the dolphins, she enlists Leaper’s help to medicate the wild dolphins and test a cure. The love story takes off from here, but readers are also treated to details about the SEAL training and the Marine Mammal Program.

Elise Cooper:  Why did you want to write a series centered on the SEAL community?

Anne Elizabeth:  My husband Carl served in Vietnam in 1963 and 1964, part of the Underwater Demolition Team, as a swimmer scout, better known as a Navy Frogman. He then became part of SEAL Team 1 in 1965 and was deployed back to Vietnam in 1966 and 1969. He told me I could honor the community and country by writing about these dedicated men.  I wanted to inform people about the challenges and to show their personal courage. There are basic facts that are true to all military life: struggles with marriage, family, relationships, money, health, and returning home.

EC:  Is your heroine as strong-willed as her male counterpart?

AE:  Anyone having a relationship with a SEAL needs to be their own person with their own self-expression. The woman has to be as alpha and strong as the man. Kerry is very comfortable with her dolphins.  It is not that she is not sociable, but really involved with her career.

EC:  How would you describe the hero?

AE:  Leaper is very old-fashioned, protective, a workaholic, and very private.

EC: You also do the walk by helping your community?

AE:  My husband and I strive to honor those serving 365 days a year.  The public should be aware of the sacrifices made and understand that the SEALs are selfless warriors.  Carl is still part of the Legacy Program that remembers those who served.  We always send holiday packages to some families that have faced hardships to remember the sacrifices they make as well. We want to show them they are not alone and Americans are thinking of them.

EC:  You address the disease of dolphins?

AE: They are really sick.  Remember the book is a novel, but in reality, there is no solution.  The Amazon is the only place they have not found the sick dolphins.  These pink dolphins might be the clue to help the species. 

EC:  You highlight the Marine Mammal Program?

AE:  It is pretty amazing.  It upsets me that people think they are harming the mammals.  I think these people do not understand the program.  My husband and another family member have worked for the organization. I know the people who work for this program do not think of it as a job, but as a calling. Because it is part of the Navy we have found that they can help and teach us.  For example, people with kidney stones eat the same diet, gelatin, as the dolphins. Both are hydrated by putting an IV right into their stomach.  They were taught to identify mines and enemy swimmers.  They also teach us how to communicate. 

EC:  How do you handle the relationship aspect?

AE:  Anyone who has a relationship with a military member knows that when they meet a person it usually blows their mind. It is the concept I write about where they know there is something unique and special during that first moment. Basically, it is about knowing it right away, which is what happened when I met my husband; even though, we took our time. I can’t imagine my life without him.

EC:  How would you describe the relationship between Leaper and Kerry?

AE: They want to move forward with a purpose.  I think there has to be that spark that creates chemistry.  Of course, a sense of humor helps, which is why the banter between them was special.  I wanted them to be “swim buddies for life.”

EC:  They were a little older, it seemed Kerry was in her thirties and Leaper in his forties?

AE:  I do not want to reveal their ages but people can do the math considering he has been a SEAL for decades and she is a vet.  This is just reality today.  It used to be people married right out of college, in their twenties.  But I do not see that at all anymore.  I don’t remember the last time I went to a twenty something marriage.

EC:  This book is not as action-packed as the previous ones, and emphasizes the SEAL philosophy?

AE:  I did concentrate on the training.  My husband Carl taught me something emphasized in the BUDs program.  There is a lot to be afraid of in the world. It is not about running from danger, but facing it, and holding your ground.  There is a difference between being fearful versus facing your fear.  This is one of the big lessons of the book, stand up to your fear.

EC:  Music plays a big role in the story and you even have a playlist at the end?

AE:  My husband and I absolutely love music.  A good friend of mine, Mimi Cruz, owns a comic book store, Night-Flight.com. Carl and Mimi had a big influence on my music choices.  I love the Pixies and had as one of my character’s theme song: having their feet on the air and their head on the ground.  As I was writing scenes I found I was drawn to certain music.  For example, when Kerry is sitting in her car I could imagine American Authors singing “Best Day of My Life.” I also thought of the Journey song, “Don’t Stop Believin,” where the characters would feel the realness of the moment.

EC:  Besides good entertainment what do you want readers to get out of your books?

AE:  To get their mind working.  Every book I have written has some kind of educational element whether about technology, the SEAL community, the space race, Veteran issues, or the Mammal Program.  I never lecture, but hope to spark the readers’ imagination and engage them.

THANK YOU!!

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

Death At Nuremberg by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV is more than a thriller.  These authors have a knack for telling a riveting story that is intertwined with historical facts.  It is a reminder of past history and the plot supports how history in many ways is repeating itself.  Some of the facts are so incredibly gripping they can make for a thriller in and of themselves. 

This plot covers the time period when the Nuremberg war trials began with covert intelligence agent Captain James Cronley Jr. having to handle many fronts: the Russians, Nazis, and a bureaucracy. He has been reassigned from the Chief, DCI-Europe to protecting the Nuremberg US Chief Prosecutor Robert Jackson and the American Judge Francis Biddle from a possible Soviet NKGB kidnapping.  In addition to that he is still hunting down and dismantling Odessa, an organization dedicated to helping Nazi war criminals escape to South America.  In trying to play nice he decides to work with the CIC, a counter agency to the DCI and enlists the help of Colonel Morty Cohen who also has another agenda.  He asks for Cronley’s help in getting to the bottom of a religious cult organized by SS Commander Heinrich Himmler. Griffin’s signature writing style is very evident as he blends humor, espionage, danger, and great characters in his latest novel.

Below is an interview with W.E.B. Griffin and his son William JR.

Elise Cooper:  This series delves into the beginnings of the Cold War?

William E. Butterworth IV (JR):  The Cold War is back.  President Trump speaks of not surrendering our sovereignty to foreign bureaucrats and that there should be a new era of competition to protect our national interest.  Now just as then we have rivals that are tough and tenacious, and we have to make sure we do not trust the Russians or Chinese.  Dad put in the last few books how no one wanted to believe that at the end of WWII the Russians were not our “allies” after they were our “allies.”  Behind the scenes they were working only for the Russians.  We hoped to show through our plots that Russia was and still is a “revisionist power” seeking to change the global status quo, rejecting cooperation in favor of competition. 

EC:  Can you explain what is meant by the 1000-year old reign?

JR:  The Nazis used the discontent of the German people who felt emasculated by the Treaty Of Versailles after losing WWI.  They promised a 1000-year old Third Reich.  They claimed the First Reich began with Charlemagne in 800 AD, ending in 1806 AD.  The Second Reich started in the early 1870s and ended with the conclusion of WWI.  The Third Reich was supposed to bring back Germanic power and pride. They removed political opponents, so called criminals, deviants, gypsies, Jews, Slavs, and the handicapped, those deemed to be sub-human.

EC:  Himmler started a religious cult, the Black Knights of the SS?

W.E.B. Griffin: Himmler was obsessed with the Nordic/German past and thought himself as divine.  He had the Wewelsburg Castle designated as his fortress that would display Nazi greatness and the ideological center of the SS. The German people were completely taken in by Hitler who gave them their pride back and convinced them they were superior to everyone else. It also became a collection place for what the Nazis stole from the occupied lands including famous paintings.  I hope readers understand through the story that it was a holy place that justified mass murder.  It was very real and very dangerous.  They wanted to own the world.

EC:  Throughout the book you show the true identity of the SS?

Griffin:  I mention Operation Phoenix where the Germans were willing to ransom Jews out of Concentration Camps. FDR allowed it to continue to save some from the ovens.  The SS were a bunch of gangsters as well as murderers, crooked to the core. President Truman was a genius for having the Nuremberg Trials because the Nazis were seen as criminals as well as killers.

EC:  A powerful quote in the books seems like it could have come from the German-born iconic actress Marlene Dietrich?

Griffin:  Marlene was a good person who supported our side against her own people. The quote, “Now when I think about my German blood, I’m a little ashamed about it.  That people ‘of my blood’ could do what the Nazis did.”  My mother’s maiden name is Gladys Schnable so I have some German blood.  This is how I feel.  When I was in Germany, in the US Army, shortly after the War, you couldn’t find anyone who was a Nazi even though about 90% of the population supported them. I went to the film vault to look at what happened in the Concentration Camps.  My boss, General White, came in and told me I should never forget.

EC:  Here in America is a statute of the poster boy for German nationalism.  Maybe that is a statue that should be destroyed?

Griffin: The statue is in New York City and is of Hermann der Cheruskerfurst.  It was put up around the turn of the century, and is called the Hermann Heights Monument.  Many Germans are named after him including Hermann Goring.  I am against taking statues down because they need to stay up for historical value to remind us what did happen. 

EC:  This series describes the turf wars between agencies of the DIA and CIC?

Griffin:  There were turf wars all the time.  Everyone wanted to protect their territory.  I put in the quote, “You spend as much time in turf warfare as you do in fighting the Red Menace.”  The beginning of the book explains how Truman disbanded the OSS.  Everyone fought over wanting to take that agency over and filling in the intelligence vacuum with their own agency. The CIC, the counter-intelligence Corp of the Army, the Navy, State Department, FBI, all wanted to take control and in the process tried to make a fool of Truman.  Basically, he thought, ‘screw this,’ and started the DCI, appointing Admiral Sidney Souers as its head. It morphed into the CIA.

EC:  What about Colonel Wallace, the nemesis of Captain Cronley?

Griffin:  Most of the upper military are interested in their careers.  My character Wallace represented these types. I wanted to show how ethics play an important role.  Are those involved more concerned about themselves, their agency, or their country?  The regular Army guys are patriots.  I would also include all the Generals in Trump’s staff as patriots. I think Wallace knew how to work around the bureaucracy, where his actions served him and not the country.  The bureaucracy is the cancer on society.

EC:  It appears there was fake news even then?

Griffin:  The AP reporter was Janice Johansen. She is based on the real-life war correspondent that covered the Cold War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, named Maggie Higgins. Instead of reporting that the American was kidnapped by the Russians and exchanged for a Russian we had, she said the exchange took place after both were arrested for being intoxicated. Other times she did not report the information until she received approval. 

JR:  During the Cold War, at the conclusion of WWII disinformation was put out.  It is wrong information that was sold as true.  It is basically subversive and is done on purpose.  Misinformation is where mistakes are made.  Janice agrees to write disinformation because she understands the security ramifications and knows that Cronley will feed her bigger stories before any other reporter.

EC:  Is German General Reinhard Gehlen a good guy or a bad guy?

Griffin:  He was a good guy.  During the War, he was a Lt-General, but was anti-Hitler from the beginning and was involved in multiple plots to kill Hitler.  After the War, he helped us with espionage against the Russians and became the German head of intelligence.  He even had agents in the Kremlin that tipped us that there were spies in the US Atomic Energy Program.

EC:  Can you give a heads up about your next book?

Griffin:  It continues the plotline about Himmler’s religion.  It will also continue to show how the Cold War began, and how it is important to get to know the enemy and try to con them.

THANK YOU!!

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

Countdown by Carey Baldwin is a story ripped from the headlines.  Juggling two professions, psychologist and pediatrician, has helped her with formulating different storylines.  This novel is a departure from her last one, and is much more of a fun read.  

The plot begins with what appears to be someone drowning on the beach of Tahiti.  Forensic psychiatrist Caitlyn Cassidy and FBI Agent Atticus Spenser are enjoying some R and R while preparing for their upcoming wedding. Unfortunately their best-laid plans go awry when they attempt to rescue the couple. They then become embroiled in a case that involves a con, dirty secrets and murder. After agreeing to help local law enforcement that seems to be overwhelmed, Cassidy and Spenser find that each clue of the investigation is nothing, as it seems. The story takes off with many twists and turns.

Although not a Christmas story, it is a light-hearted read with the emphasis on family.  During the holiday times more often than not people gather around to spend quality time with their loved ones.  This novel showcases both sides.  The supporting character Rose, has a large sense of duty towards family with a highly advanced sense of right and wrong. She is willing to make sacrifices to do right by her family.

Baldwin noted, “Rose’s driving force is an overdeveloped sense of conscience. All the motivations for the supporting characters is protecting someone in their family, including the police brothers.  The twins were searching for the ideal family when in reality they had a dysfunctional one.  Caity and Spenser had their moms and each other to contend with.”

This story is fun and adventurous with a happy ending for Caity and Spenser.  Readers will enjoy reading a book filled with action that is not always gloomy.

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

Touch Of Red and Cover Of Night by Laura Griffin have a plot with intricate suspense, and well-developed characters.  The intensity on the pages is prevalent in the story and with the character’s relationship.  Touch Of Red is part of the Tracer series and Cover Of Night is part of the SEAL series, but each can by read as a stand-alone.

Griffin noted, “The “Tracer Series” has the Delphi Crime Lab at the center, while the SEAL series has the Alpha Crew as the focal point.  You will see some overlap of characters, but each book has its own plot and a different couple.  Those highlighted in the past will come back for a cameo appearance where readers can see what they are doing now.”

Cover Of Night starts off with a bang when journalist Karly Bonham witnesses a terrorist attack in Thailand.  Sent on an assignment to interview the US Ambassador to Thailand she is packing up to leave and realizes Islamic Jihadists are taking the Ambassador and his daughter as hostages.  After receiving an SOS message from Karly, four members of the elite SEAL Alpha Crew team arrive to attempt a rescue. Karly inadvertently finds herself at the team’s insertion point, and insists on helping them by providing vital intelligence.  The action will come in waves, having the reader feel like it has a tsunami effect.

The author first became “interested after reading some autobiographical books written by SEALs.  I decided to have a SEAL character in the book, Beyond Limits, from my “Tracer Series.” I enjoyed writing about their missions, training, and teammates.  I was lucky enough to view the training area in Coronado, touring the base and speaking with some retired SEALs.  This allowed me to have a feel for the area of San Diego. This series is less about forensics and more of an action and adventure story. I hope this series showcases all the great things they do, since I have a ton of respect for them.”

Touch Of Red also has non-stop action.  It begins with the investigation of a violent, gruesome murder.  Delphi Center crime scene forensics expert Brooke Porter is gathering evidence to help detective Sean Byrne find the culprit.  Through her expertise she is able to determine that there was indeed an eyewitness, a child. Not only are Byrne and Porter brave, tough, and intelligent, they are heroic in their attempt to solve the crime. While working together they form a chemistry that becomes sizzling with Brooke the one who is independent and stubborn, while Sean is nurturing and sensitive.

Besides the murder mystery, Griffin also tackles a very relevant subject, harassment.  She wants readers to understand, “The person harassed does not necessarily have to be a ‘victim type,’ someone weak, helpless, and incapable.  Many see the warning signs, but do not listen to them.  It can happen to someone smart, opinionated, strong, and competent.  This is exactly what happened with Brooke.  At first, the signs are subtle such as someone trying to control their mate’s life with family and friends.”

Living in Texas, she saw first hand the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.  “My parents were impacted by the hurricane when they lost their house in the flood. Someone in a boat who they did not even know rescued my parents.  A lot of my close friends had to relocate.  The neighborhood where I grew up was flooded with water.  It has been a hard time for the city of Houston so when the Astros won the World Series it gave all of us a boost and was pretty awesome.  Some of the proceeds from Cover Of Night went to benefit Hurricane Harvey.”

Griffin is known for her fast-paced plots that are spellbinding and full of twists and turns.  She beautifully blends dry humor, a gripping mystery, and a sizzling romance, with plenty of action.

I’ve seen Concrete Bob cry. 

That’s not the normal opening for a SYSK, is it?

Robert “Concrete Bob” Miller did not have the sobs of a wimp – instead it was gigantic howling, mad physical crying, leaving him breathless.  Crying the way a strong man shows grief. Then, Bob would stop and say, “We got work to do.”

Everyone that knows Bob also knew that he laughed in the very same way...

I don’t recall if I first met Concrete Bob in the basement bar at Fran O’Brien’s or at the gate at Walter Reed.  It was about twelve years ago, and my first recollection of him was standing on the corner on a Friday night, outside the gate at Walter Reed, counter protesting Code Pink - a group of hardcore socialist women deliberately trying to demoralize our newly arriving wounded troops with signs that said "you got maimed for a lie" and displaying coffins, among other nasty things. Once per week, on Friday night, our most severely wounded troops came to Walter Reed from Germany.  Once on the ground, a bus brought them to the base at about 9pm.  And Code Pink would be there to send a horrible message.

I remember getting off of the Georgia Ave bus and Bob handing me the flag when the Army bus of wounded troops arrived at about 2130.  The flag was huge and I stepped out into the street to block the hags from Code Pink protesting our wounded warriors just arriving.  I know that Major Pain was there, too. Maybe John and Mary Bell, among others. 

After the bus with our wounded troops entered the fort, we all went to Malone House (Fisher House) to see if anyone needed anything. 

In Malone House, Bob wanted to check on a few of the long term guests there.  He hadn’t seen some of them in a few months. The wounded soldiers and their families greeted Bob like a hero.  Because Bob was a hero.  A big damn hero.

Concrete Bob was a Marine veteran - street smart and cunning.  As my friend Jonn Lilyea wrote the other day:

“When Code Pink’s protest permit expired, Bob was at the DC office and got permission for the counter-protest to occupy both sides of the main gate. The Code Pink protest got moved down the block away from the sight of the wounded troops as they arrived on the Friday night bus.”

Bob ensured that those horrible people would not damage our troops any more than they already had been. 

Big. Damn. Hero.

“Your BBQ sauce is a healing elixir of joy and goodness.” – review of Concrete Bob’s BBQ Sauce

If you knew Bob, you never were hungry around him.  Bob fed everyone.  

There are stories upon stories upon stories of Concrete Bob and his amazing-kick-ass-best-sauce-you-ever-had BBQ. When Malone House was under construction and a new patio was added in 2010, Bob fed the construction workers, along with the families there.  Just because.

Once when I was in DC and Bob couldn’t meet me due to a work conflict, he sent BBQ sauce in mason jars to my hotel room.  Just because.

Recently, one of our friends shared a story about Bob running a veteran support event in a park, and then feeding homeless people there, saying, “No one goes hungry around me!”

No one ever did.

Big. Damn. Hero.

Bob teamed up with the boys from BlackFive on many ambitious endeavors.  I became acquainted with United Conservatives, folks from the Free Republic (FReepers), Vets for Freedom, Protest Warrior, The Gathering of Eagles, etc.  Early on, I began to understand that Concrete Bob was not just a follower but a nexus connecting many of his friends.  While Bob would never admit that he was a leader, he led by example.  He showed great humility at times.  And, others, it was the Concrete Bob Show.  You all know what I mean.

Bob championed, I mean CHAMPIONED, veteran causes.  His work on behalf of veterans raised tons of money, awareness and gave vets and their families hope.  Of all people, Concrete Bob brought a sense of normalcy to people whose lives had changed dramatically.  Bob would hear of someone in need and immediately reach out to his network to find a way to help.  He saved lives.  Because that’s what Concrete Bob does.

Big. Damn. Hero.

Bob wasn’t a blogger when we first met.  He became one soon after meeting Smash and Jimbo and I.

One of his first posts was about his critics posting comments:

To the asshats who wrote the dumb posts, you should Thank God you live in a country that allows you to be as stupid as you want to be, and no one can bitch slap you for it.

That, my friends, was the essence of Concrete Bob – humor, pride in his country, ire at those who oppose us, and a point to be made in one single sentence.  He would never be deterred from saying what he thought needed to be said.

Big. Damn. Hero.

What I haven’t said before is that Bob was one of my biggest supporters, one of the first, and a huge fan of BlackFive.  He sent encouraging emails to me week after week after week…He handed out our cards, our shirts, everything.  Bob was all in.  Hell, BlackFive would have been so much less without Concrete Bob in our corner.

He sent me this a few years ago.  I hadn’t heard from him in a while.

Thanks for taking an interest, Matt. Great to hear from you as well.
You keep amazing me with your posts. Don’t stop.

But I did stop. I burned out.

Bob saw it coming at me and wouldn’t quit. While I wish I had his unbreakable spirit, I am so very grateful to have been propelled by it over the years.  I am in his debt.

Bob would be happy and completely embarrassed to be in the Someone You Should Know category (as he sent us many candidates for the posts).  We all know that he belongs with that group.

Bob died on Tuesday, November 28^th, 2017 after a long fight with cancer.  He leaves behind a wife, children, and grandchildren along with an outstanding legacy that I only began to touch upon.

A memorial service will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 16, 2017, at Hunton Baptist Church, 11660 Greenwood Rd., Glen Allen, Va. 23060.

There’s an old saying that you die twice.  Once when your heart stops beating.  The second time when no one remembers you.  No one who met him can ever forget Concrete Bob Miller.

Bob is now free.  A great man with a generous heart, he had faith in many of us, despite our own doubts, and that energy carried us through many storms.  He gave us many, many laughs, great food, and his enduring loyalty and friendship…even when we didn’t deserve it. 

Semper Fidelis, indeed.

Bob loved and was loved imperfectly, honestly, fiercely, and he gave away love, respect, and kick ass BBQ, all with a great sense of humor. After all, that is what life is all about - Bob gave away everything that he received.

Bob believed in us. He never stopped. I pray that he knows the effect that he had on each of us.

Bob would frequently close his correspondence with, “you can count on me” and “I love you all.”

We love you, too, Bob.

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

The Demon Crown by James Rollins, a Sigma Force novel, blends action, adventure, science and history. Per usual, he takes a unique idea based on some truth and builds a narrative around it. Readers, in typical Rollins style, learn something, while being entertained at the same time.

In this latest novel, the characters see creatures flying through the air wondering if it is a bird, a plane, and then realize they are gigantic wasps. It begins in 1903 when Alexander Graham Bell flies to Italy to retrieve the bones of James Smithson, the founder of the Smithsonian Institute. Within the grave is something that unleashes the “hordes of Hell.” The enemy organization, the Guild, releases a massive infestation of giant killer wasps, hoping to bring the world to its knees. On a beach in Hawaii, these indestructible wasps that reproduce at staggering rates attack Sigma operatives, Grayson Pierce and Seichan, who are there enjoying some R and R.   Now he and the rest of Sigma Force must race to eradicate these massive insects to save not only the world, but also his true love.

Rollins commented, “I grew up watching the B movie version of some biological horror. I wanted to capture this, put it into a story, and add a scientific spin. I try to find an event where I can connect history with science. This story came about after I read an article about homeland security concerns with invasive species. We already have these type of species accidentally introduced in the US whether it’s the Pythons in the Everglades or the various plants in other places. The national security concern is that some type of hostile power can weaponize the invasive species by making it toxic and difficult to get rid of. Once an insect is released in the environment they become hard to control like the Killer Bees or Fire Ants. I had this in my idea box for a number of years.”

In this novel, more than in the other books, the author emphasizes the relationship between Seichen and Gray. As Seichen is put through the ringer in this story, having to endure wasp stings, a major blast, and lethal powder thrown at her, Commander Grayson Pierce will be forced to make an impossible choice. He is fighting to eradicate the invasive insects, and fighting against time to help Seichen. He must protect not only the world, but Seichen and his unborn child.

Part of the realism comes from the similarities with those in the military. Both feel a responsibility to their families and to making the world safe. Rollins is “Supporting a new enterprise called Veterans Publications. US 4 Warriors and I want them to immortalize their stories and experiences regarding what they did on the battlefield and after it.”

Another personal aspect of the story is Gray’s guilt over killing his father with an overdose of morphine. Rollins noted, “My mom and dad died of it. Watching them suffer and seeing they had no quality of life was very hard. Commander Gray Pierce also saw his dad suffering with no quality of life so I had him end the suffering. But it is never an easy decision and he is still plagued and haunted by his choice. He just knew that his dad would not want to live this way and felt enough is enough.”

The Demon Crown blends technology, science, and history, the signature of Rollins. This might be the most disturbing and creepy book he has ever written.   Readers will find these bugs can be deadly to one’s health and their mental state as they read the story.

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

With the holiday season here, readers can find novels that blend a good mystery within the Christmas atmosphere. A word of warning, these are not “sugar and spice and everything nice” holiday books. Yet, they are very realistic, believable, and leave readers with a good feeling at the end, a feeling of faith and redemption.

The Christmas Room by Catherine Anderson is one of these special stories. Two holiday generational romances touch on grief, healing and redemption. Readers will go through a range of emotions with the characters from joy, to laughter, and sadness. Anderson leaves the reader wishing the story would never end, hoping she will consider making a series involving these great characters.

She believes that one of the overwhelming aspects of the holidays is hope. “We should not forget about those people who came to the holidays with strife, stress, or financial troubles. Many people have lost loved ones and on Christmas there are empty places. They do feel sad. Because I did experience grief firsthand I wanted to write about it. I wanted to show how the death of the featured character’s husband impacted not only her but also her son and grandson. The message I really wanted to send is that if you put one foot in front of the other there is light on the other side of the darkness, and there can be a happy ending.”  

The Ghost of Christmas Past by Rhys Bowen has a sinister atmosphere of sorrow that is also a part of this story. With Christmas approaching the characters must overcome their own set of heartaches that revolve around losing a child. The main character, Molly, feels the despair of having recently miscarried because of her physical hardships. Deciding to spend the holiday with her mother-in-law and a family living in the countryside, she discovers that the hostess Winnie’s moodiness is based on the disappearance of her daughter ten years ago on Christmas Eve. Molly decides to investigate and find answers to this Cold Case. The spirit of Christmas will ring through.

Bowen experienced first hand losing a loved one during the holidays. “I flew over to Australia to be with my mother who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I   actually missed Christmas Day because of the date line. A part of me will always associate Christmas with that call that says you need to come right now. Yet, I do love the celebration of Christmas. Just think, during the time period of the plot, there were no TVs, no videogames, and no cell phones. I was able to create an ideal Christmas that we all long for. We all have this idea of the snow, a sleigh ride, the big roaring fire, playing games, and singing Carols around the tree. We do not have the simplicity of Christmas anymore. I fantasized and wrote the Christmas I would really like with all the warmth.”

Last Christmas In Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb is a reminder that not everyone has complete joy during the Christmas holiday and that some families have chairs left empty. It is a heartwarming and heartbreaking story of victory and loss during World War I. The love and romantic scenes are a great balance against the horrors of the Great War. What makes this book stand out is that the story of World War I is told predominantly in letters and telegrams. In the beginning the letters are full of excitement, a sense of adventure, pride and thoughts that the war won't last long, yet, as it becomes evident that it will not be over by Christmas, the correspondence becomes more serious and speaks of the atrocities and hardships.

The authors told of the springboard for the story, wanting it to be a shout out to military families, “These friends who lead a comfortable life planned to meet up in Paris during the holiday. There was the continued sense of believing that it will be over by the next Christmas. But we wanted readers to understand that it was disrupted by this horrific war. Today there is a disconnect between those fighting and the civilian population. We wanted to contrast those on the home front versus those actually fighting, and how the Christmas holiday affected them.”

Pride And Prejudice And Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz modernizes Jane Austen’s classic Pride And Prejudice. She turns the characters on their heads, switching the roles of the male and female leads. The heroine, Darcy, flies back to Pemberley, Ohio to see to her mother and spend the holiday season with her family. She might remind readers of Scrooge from A Christmas Carol because she is rich and self absorbed, disdainful of others not like her. But it is Luke who covertly shows her how to be humble, and that there is more to life than her profession, leaving her to wonder if she could have a chance at love. This is definitely a modern day fairy tale.

Melissa believes that part of the joy during Christmas is spending time with family and close friends. “Darcy gives everything up for her career and has an empty life. It is necessary to find a balance between career and those in your family. I wanted to show that during Christmas most everyone takes a little time off to spend time with friends and family.”

These books are a reminder that during the holidays there are some who suffer, some who celebrate, and some who can reflect on their loss but joyously participate in the holiday cheer. The novels will evoke old-fashioned Christmas traditions with plots that will warm the heart, and allow readers a smile at the story ends.

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

Mindhunter, a bestselling book and now a Netflix original series, take people behind the scenes of some of the most gruesome and challenging cases. FBI profilers gather up crime scene evidence to help predict the type of personality who commits serial murders. Through interviews with some of the most ghastly killers such as Charles Manson, Edmund Kemper, and the Son of Sam, to mention a few, Douglas determines their motives, attempting to figure out why they did what they did and why in such a particular manner.

Elise Cooper: The Netflix show has Dr. Wendy Carr as a consultant, was she based on anyone?

John Douglas: She did not exist, but was based upon Dr. Anne Burgess, who is more of an academic type. She came down to meet with another agent that was investigating rape. After she heard about what we were doing she wanted to learn more about how we looked at a crime scene and the way a victim was attacked. Unlike in the show, she was never a member of the Behavioral Science Unit. She had a completely different profession than the character in the show. She was actually a forensic nurse who did co-author some books with me.

EC: Did you actually have trouble with the FBI accepting the unit as shown in the show where you were displaced to the basement?

JD: Yes, it is correct. We had pull back on what we could possibly learn from interviewing serial killers. Even when we started to teach profiling we got resistance and there was an attitude of ‘what is this BS?’

EC: What about the ways the killers were portrayed in the show?

JD: It is amazing how the casting had them look so much like the killers. Maybe the time line was different but the conversations were accurate. For example, Richard Speck who killed eight student nurses did throw a live bird into the fan, but it happened before we got to the prison. I did open the interview with him using street language, which had him open up because he thought I was as crazy as he was.

EC: The show mentions Lawrence Bittaker. Can you tell us about him?

JD: He met Roy Norris while serving time together and discovered their mutual interest in dominating and hunting young women. After being paroled in 1979 they kidnapped, raped, and tortured five girls. They bought a van, nicknamed it, ‘Murder Mac,’ insulated its interior, and then went on the hunt, videotaping what they did. Bittaker’s nickname became ‘Pliers Bittaker.’ After they were caught I interviewed Bittaker with a female agent, Mary Ellen O’Toole. Interestingly, he would never look at her when she asked a question.

EC: You mention in the book that Charles Manson was also paroled?

JD: In his young adult life he committed a series of robberies, forgeries, pimpings, and assaults. He was paroled in 1967 after serving for some of these offenses. I do not think of him as a routine serial killer. I was interested in finding out how someone could become this satanic messiah. He found lost souls and was able to institute a highly structured delusional system that left him in complete control of their minds and bodies by using sleep deprivation, sex, food, and drugs. People forget he was not even at the Sharon Tate murders because he was afraid it would violate his parole. He spoke of ‘Helter Skelter’ from the Beatles White Album, having a vision of the coming apocalypse and race war that would leave him in control.

EC: He just died, but do you think he ever should have been paroled?

JD: No. The biggest threat would have been from the misguided losers who would gravitate to him and proclaim him their G-d and leader. When I think of Manson and his flock of wandering inadequate followers I immediately visualize the violent crimes they perpetrated against innocent people. The crime scenes were horrific and it’s difficult to imagine what was going through the victims’ minds, as they each knew they were going to die a violent death. Imagine Sharon Tate, eight months pregnant and begging for her life and that of her unborn child. So why do any of them deserve parole when they initially received the death penalty but unfortunately a Supreme Court ruling changed their death sentence to life imprisonment. Therefore, life imprisonment means just that. No parole. No matter how much they conformed to prison rules and were considered model inmates and “found religion”.  Manson and his followers will all again meet one day in hell.

EC: Can you please explain the book quote, ‘I can speak for myself, I would much rather have on my conscience keeping a killer in jail who might or might not kill again if sprung, than the death of an innocent man, woman, or child as a result of the release of that killer?’

JD: Many thought that the rapist or killer would burn out and they would just stop. They ignored that these were actually crimes of power and manipulation. I remember a guy in California who chopped the arms off of a young girl and went to prison. After a number of years he was thought to have been rehabilitated and was released. He then goes to Florida where he brutally kills a woman. Eventually, I started to go before Parole Boards telling them ‘all you have done is incarcerated a body, but what you haven’t taken away from them is what is going on in their minds.’ They remember and fantasize about the crime. I tell them they have no business making decisions regarding probation or parole if they have not looked deeply at the crime scene photographs, the victim, circumstances of the case, police reports, and the autopsy.

EC: Edward Kemper, known as the Coed Killer, also received a type of parole. Please discuss his case.

JD: He killed his grandparents and was committed to the Atascadero State Hospital for the criminally insane. Let out in 1969 this six foot nine, 300-pound man started preying on coeds in 1972. He killed them, carried the bodies back to his mother’s house, had sex with them, and buried them face-up in the yard. Eventually he called the police and confessed to the murders. He was convicted on eight counts of first-degree murder. I was struck by his intelligence, a 145 IQ, how huge he was, and the amount of hostility he had built up in him. He was not cocky, remorseful, and was cool and soft-spoken. BTW: The hospital scene is not true and I never felt intimidated by him.

EC: What do you want the viewers and readers to understand?

JD: I hope the public realizes we cannot catch all the perpetrators. As profilers we provide clues. We cannot apply the same method to every case. Certain cases are easier to solve than others. For example a rape case with a surviving victim can provide us with verbal, physical, and sexual evidence. I also do not think law enforcement should rely on polygraphs. Dennis Rader, the BTK Strangler; Gary Ridgeway, the Green River Killer; and Robert Hanssen, someone in the FBI’s leadership who spied for the Russians, all passed the polygraph. After that they were not considered persons of interest for some time.

THANK YOU!!

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar

The Ghost of Christmas Past by Rhys Bowen is not all fuzzy and happy. There is a sinister atmosphere of sorrow that is also a part of this story. As Christmas is approaching the characters must overcome their own set of heartaches that revolve around losing a child. But thankfully, the spirit of Christmas rings through and the ending is one that will put a smile on reader’s faces.

Because of a disaster in the previous book, Time Of Fog And Fire, the main character, Molly Murphy, sacrifices her body to save her husband. This book begins in December 1906 where Molly feels the despair of having recently miscarried because of her physical hardships. Now, instead of spending Christmas in their home her husband, Daniel, accepts an invitation to spend the Christmas holiday at a mansion on the Hudson with his mother. Not long after they arrive, Molly discovers that the hostess Winnie’s moodiness is based on the disappearance of her daughter ten years ago on Christmas Eve. Molly is able to sympathize with Winnie and is spurred on to investigate the mystery behind the daughter disappearing. A quote summarizes the feelings, “Too lose a beloved daughter. It is an ache in the heart that never goes away.” As Molly and Daniel investigate this Cold Case they realize that the mansion occupants are not completely forthcoming.

Bowen noted, “Holidays are stressful for people who lose a loved one. I can sympathize with that because my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I flew over to be with her in Australia on Christmas Eve and actually missed Christmas Day because of the date line. A part of me will always associate Christmas with that call that says you need to come right now. I can understand what Winnie goes through every Christmas as she has this grief while others celebrate.”

But this story is also a celebration of Christmas. Readers will yearn for the Christmas of the past when they were surrounded by a big tree, candles, extravagant food, and the family sitting around the fireplace talking and playing games together.

Comparing Christmas celebrated in 1906 with today, Bowen reminds people, “Just think there were no TVs, no videogames, and no cell phones. I was able to create an ideal Christmas that we all long for. We all have this idea of the snow, a sleigh ride, the big roaring fire, playing games, and singing Carols around the tree. We do not have the simplicity of Christmas anymore. I fantasized the Christmas I would really like with all the warmth.”

The other issue explored is how women were treated in the early 20^th Century. On the surface Molly’s husband Daniel appears to be a male chauvinist. He takes charge of the family and at times makes decisions without consulting Molly. People forget that this was a different time, different culture, and different values. There seems to be a tendency to put 21^st Century values into different eras instead of trying to understand the times.

Historical fiction writers, according to Bowen, need to “show people as they were in the time, but not repugnant to the modern reader. I put in this quote, ‘He could move so much more quickly with his trousers tucked into his boots than I could with all those layers of petticoats and skirts.’ A woman was expected not to work after marriage. Women could not vote and in New York State a woman could not own property. Since I am by nature a feminist I try to have all of my stories show what it was like during a particular time. I do get letters saying ‘I hate Daniel. He is such a chauvinist.’   But for this time period he is actually a good guy because he is very tolerant.”

This is a mystery with many threads. It is realistic because it shows that on the holidays there are some who suffer, some who celebrate, and some who can reflect on their loss but joyously participate in the holiday cheer. This novel will evoke old-fashioned Christmas traditions with a resolution of the mystery that will warm the heart.