The Weekend Warriors by James Burke

Title: The Weekend Warriors

Author: James W Burke Jr.

Release Date: 23 November 2013

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Summary: 

A thriller that dramatizes what might have happened if old hostility between NATO and Warsaw Pact nations had spiraled into violence.

What if the Cold War suddenly ran red hot? That’s the tantalizing premise of Burke’s debut novel, which unfurls the grim historical possibilities. Michael Patrick Fitzmaurice is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and a former full-time soldier following in the footsteps of his father, who saw combat in Vietnam. As Russia and its Warsaw Pact allies question the resolve and strength of NATO and see an opportunity in its perceived weakness, Fitzmaurice presciently sees the handwriting on the wall early on. Soviet military forces continue to gather near the German border as scattered engagements between troops crescendo into something grander. Fitzmaurice, much to the consternation of his anxious wife, Elizabeth, is called to active duty and sent to Europe for what seems like an inevitable war. The issue of the obligations of reservists, or “weekend warriors,” is a recurrent theme in this book; for example, Elizabeth ruefully wonders why so much responsibility is being placed on her husband, who is now in harm’s way: “Why does a reservist have to be the one to show other soldiers how to blow up tanks with firebombs?” The author, a former reservist, does an admirable job of depicting the honor and courage of such part-time soldiers, whose commitment is often as steadfast as their full-time counterparts’. Also, his portrayals of combat violence are stunning and chilling by turns. That said, the deluge of insider military initialisms will likely confuse, frustrate, and eventually overwhelm nonmilitary readers, though they do serve as a testament to the depth of Burke’s knowledge of martial life. He includes a glossary of terms at the end of the book—an implicit admission of their problematic frequency. The action is still electric, though, and the book’s vision of how quickly geopolitical instability might have devolved into global conflict is uneasily stirring. Overall, this is a work of both literary and historical appeal and an endearing paean to the soldier’s virtue.

A well-researched, affecting account of a world lost in war.

 ~ About the Author ~

Jim Burke served over 25 years in the Army, National Guard, and Army reserve. He is a graduate of the United States Military academy and the Army Command and general Staff College. An amateur military historian, he is a Civil War Re-enactor with Company K, Third United States Regular Infantry, and First Massachusetts Cavalry Field Hospital. Burke currently resides in Kennebunkport, ME with his family.

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Book Blitz: Ordainment Betrayal by Dennis Quiles

Title: Ordainment Betrayal

Author: Dennis Quiles

Release Date: 23 February 2017

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Summary: 

Jack Steele is an ex-naval intelligence officer turned private investigator who has just proposed to his girlfriend, Martha, over dinner when he sees a bloodied and frightened boy running toward him outside the restaurant. After Martha steps in to protect the boy from the two men in hot pursuit, a gun battle ensues, leaving Jack’s beloved fiancé, dead on the sidewalk. While jack grapples with the ramifications of her tragic death, he is unwittingly pulled into the dark world of human trafficking at the hands of an Albanian mob doing business near Lake Michigan.

Desperate for answers, Jack partners with a Chicago police detective to learn about the organized crime culture and develop a plan to stop the trafficking operation and free their victims before they are sold on the black market. As Jack puts his own life on the line, he must battle the powerful Catholic Church and stop the cunning exploits of a deranged pedophile priest who believes he is doing God’s work by turning children into little angels. But will Jack manage to accomplish his heroic mission before it is too late for more innocent victims?

Ordainment Betrayal shares the thrilling tale of a former intelligence agent’s dangerous quest to stop an Albanian human trafficking operation in collusion with the Roman Catholic Church.

~ Teaser ~

Engjëll entered the old church in downtown Chicago with his partner, Bekim. Outside, their driver waited in a black van parked a discreet distance away. Engjëll knew that when they received their orders from the Priest and went back outside, the inside of the van would be filled with smoke from the fat driver’s harsh cigars. Engjëll hated those cigars, but he had bigger fish to fry for now. He couldn’t give much thought to the distasteful vices of the ape behind the wheel of the van, at least not at the moment—and not in the house of God.

Engjëll and his partner walked along the long corridor knowing that the coming hours promised to hold much in the way of violence. The cruelty of humanity was just fine with him; he dealt out his fair share of it on a regular basis. He was oblivious to the beauty of the church, and he knew Bekim was too.

He continued past the altar next to the confession booth and through a set of doors that welcomed him inside an interior hallway. The gloomy hallway was decorated by the painting of previous church priests who’d died in the service of the Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

After passing a thick, solid door, Engjëll and his cohort entered a chamber where the decorations hadn’t changed in at least a hundred years. The room’s ceiling was decorated with paintings that would have made Michelangelo’s frescoes look like child’s play. The paintings trims were covered with 18-karat gold. The royal blue, orange, black, and gold color combinations accentuated the images and gave an eerie, old-world style look often seen in the medieval European Catholic basilicas.

Engjëll stopped in front of a very old wood desk, with trimmings covered in faded gold. Behind the desk sat the distinctive figure of Father Bartholomew de Amantini, a man whose clothing distinguished him as a man of God. The Priest waved his right hand, beckoning Engjëll to sit. He obliged, as did Bekim.

After a minute or so, the man behind the desk handed them a manila envelope. “The Lord has spoken to me one more time, and it is time. You are the servants of the Lord. You know what to do. Fulfill your mission, my sons.”

Engjëll said, “Your eminence, we are glad to be at your service— as always. In due time, all will be done as you wish.”

“I am glad,” Father Bartholomew said.

Engjëll saw a smile cross the Priest’s face and something evil flash through the holy man’s eyes. “We must go,” he said.

Engjëll and his partner left the church. A few minutes later, they got into the van parked a block away. Upon entering and sitting up front, Engjëll told the driver to take off. As the van pulled out of the parking spot, Engjëll pulled the manila envelope out of his jacket pocket and placed it on his lap. He eyed the red wax seal.

“You see this, Bekim?” Engjëll asked, holding the envelope up for him to see over his shoulder. “Father Bartholomew really loves his rituals.” Engjëll laughed. “A wax seal? Really?”

After breaking the seal, Engjëll opened the manila envelope and pulled out a five-by-seven, high-quality photograph of a boy. He was laughing and proudly displaying a soccer trophy. Engjëll passed the photo to his partner and pulled out a second page containing the boy’s name and address. “Looks like a sweet take,” he said. “The kid’s toast and don’t even know it.”

The driver laughed, keeping his eyes on the road.

Engjëll settled back for the long ride to Levittown, Pennsylvania. “We got to make the miles if we want to keep on schedule. Don’t bust the speed limit, but don’t go too slow either,” he said to the driver.

“Yeah, we got to keep to our schedule,” the driver said. “We don’t want to piss off Father Bartholomew.”

Engjëll involuntarily shivered. He feared the Priest. Something about him gave Engjëll the creeps. “No, we don’t ever want to piss off Father Bartholomew. Not ever!”

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~ About the Author ~

Dennis Quiles earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in business administration. A US military veteran and a veteran of the protection business, he is the director of a global security services for one of the world’s largest multinational corporations. Quiles and his wife have three children and currently live in Illinois.

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Book Blitz: The Silence of God by Gene Russell

Title: The Silence of God

Author: Gene Russell

Release Date: 17 February 2017

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Summary: 

This faith manifesto succeeds at focusing on the idea of how divinity works, and it wonders at the human soul.

In his personal manifesto, The Silence of God, pastor Gene Russell makes a passionate case for a personal and loving God despite a seemingly indifferent universe.

The Silence of God reads like a punchy self-help book. It repeats rhetorical questions concerning God’s silence in the face of suffering, with seventeen chapters attempting to answer the questions from a Christian viewpoint. Stories of human pain, reiterations of historical evils, and numerous quotes from writers and philosophers all build toward a personal testimony of God’s presence in the author’s life. Peppy phrases like “Sock it to me!” become important refrains that reinforce the book’s central concept of divine intervention.

This protracted testimony is well written in terms of grammar and syntax, but topically, it wanders. Some personal stories ramble, cataloging painful episodes experienced by the author’s acquaintances, though these brief summations don’t have the depth or detail to be powerful. Narrative points of view randomly switch with little warning or context. These stream-of-consciousness techniques impede the work.

The book’s creeping orthodoxy limits its audience appeal and undermines its message of a personal, loving God. Homosexuality and gay culture are lumped in with long enumerations of sins, and at least one passage quietly and unnecessarily delegitimizes Islamic faith, as well as other non-Christian religions. These supremacist tendencies erode messages of love, divinity, and redemption.

When the book clearly articulates its message, it reads beautifully, and there are gems to be found. “God’s silence does not mean indifference,” Russell writes. “His silence is the silence of higher thoughts.” Such passages exemplify the keen intellect and spirit at work in much of the book. Russell follows these higher thoughts to the personal recognition of his own fallibility and his need to grasp for something greater than himself, beyond what can be seen and known empirically.

The book includes enough material from major writers like C. S. Lewis and Viktor Frankl to be intellectually stimulating to non-Christians. It also incorporates opposition ideas from agnostic and atheistic thinkers as a counterbalance, as well as historical arguments for the existence of God. Particularly interesting is Saint Anselm’s ontological argument for a deity, which the book neatly summarizes and explains.

With similar proofs of God threaded together, a teleological metaphysic emerges. Humanity’s desire and need for a higher being springs from the very design of the universe, the book argues. The book succeeds when it focuses less on doctrinal issues and more on how the idea of divinity works wonders in the human soul.

The Silence of God offers an eloquent testimony of Christian faith, and nonbelievers may find some of the book’s broader insights interesting and relevant.

 ~ About the Author ~

I am qualified to write this book because living its content has been my story. The emphasis on the silence of God, “sock it to me” and “three marks on steel,” are me. Those experiences alone would qualify me. However, having degrees from Baylor University (BA), Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Luther Rice Seminary (ThD) adds additional reasons. Having written and published other books-example, Let the Children Come In, used in seminary classes for years and numerous published articles. Working with people since youth has been the calling. Serving as pastor of numerous Baptist churches of all sizes in San Antonio, Dallas, Angleton, Houston and Nacogdoches have given me unusual exposure to their experiences, needs, and desires. Close to 6500 counseling sessions have resulted through the years with people from throughout the world. These sessions lasted twenty to forty minutes to an hour to two-four years in some cases. Being a part of the business world, Chairman of Planning and Economic in SW Houston, Rotary (thirty-one years perfect attendance), Lions Club, United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Boy Scouts district, regional and national, denominational and board of trustees/regents of several higher educational institutions have made me more knowledgeable. Being born in South Texas, living here most of life has given me a desire to travel. Thus, traveling throughout the world resulted in many mission, evangelistic and pleasure trips. These have greatly added to a greater understanding of the world and its people. Being disciplined to study and reading four hours daily have been a tremendous asset. The joy of being a father, husband, grandfather, and great grandfather have been quite meaningful.

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