by Howard
Weiner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Fiction, Thriller, Crime
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Fraternal twins are raised by an
ambivalent aunt who provides an unusual childhood experience. One twin leaves
home to join the armed forces and is ultimately assigned to a Special Forces
unit conducting clandestine operations in North Korea. The death of one his
unit members produces an introduction to an organized crime family specializing
in murder for hire. The funeral for the family's son and an interest in their
daughter brings new blood and methods to the family business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Later, she found she
couldn’t explain what it was about the passenger who boarded in the midst of
the newbies. He was taller than most, but that wasn’t it. His facial features
were smooth, rounded with none of the angular bone structures most men had. He
wore one of those rugby shirts with the parallel horizontal lines much like the
old TV test patterns. His skin was light, very light. Perhaps that was it. Who
lived in Las Vegas with milky white skin?
His long sandy hair was tied
in the back—a man bun.
The horror that was the
boarding process mercifully came to an end. The late hour guaranteed a quick
trip to their runway and takeoff. Planes waiting to depart were not stacked up.
A long, but quick taxi ride to the take-off area was the only thing between the
plane and flight. Quickly, they were airborne, and shortly thereafter, they
reached cruising altitude. Drink and snack service began.
The senior flight attendant
encouraged economy passengers scattered throughout the plane to move forward.
Seating was plentiful, and they wanted to bring this part of the flight service
program to an end.
She completed the business
class service and turned her attention to staging the extra beverages and ice
needed to begin service in the economy section, when one of the other
attendants started to complain.
“Didn’t she hear us ask
everyone in economy to please move forward?”
“I’m sorry,” she started,
“who are you talking about?”
“The tall woman sitting in
front of the rear bulkhead.”
“Describe her,” she
prompted.
“Tall, milky complexion,
soft features, pony-tail, wearing a rugby dress.” She paused, “Can you imagine?
Skin like that in the hot desert sun. She must hide under a ton of sun screen
and big hats. Poor thing.”
“Did you say a woman?” she
asked.
“Yes, a woman.”
The only person who fit that
description was a man she saw during boarding.
Wow, she thought. It’s been
a long day. Did I mistake a woman for a man?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Howard Weiner is a recent addition to
the literary genre of fiction. Writing mysteries, thrillers, crimes—with a
touch of romance—an approach described by one reader as “one bubble off.”
Many
authors sharing the genre have characters whose fortune is determined by
others. They literally have dodged the bullet that otherwise would have killed
them. Weiner’s characters make their own fortune—good or bad—and they live with
the results.
Weiner’s own experiences are blessed
with no small number of noteworthy characters and events. He brings these
slightly off-kilter individuals to life, complete with their own stories and
dramas. Like the child prodigy in his first novel, "It Is Las Vegas After
All", who comes to the starting edge of adulthood and then loses the
approval of his doting parents, the sponsorship of one of America’s great
institutions of higher education, and gains the enmity of his girlfriend’s
father—an international arms dealer—to become a home-grown terrorist operating
on U.S. Soil.
A survivor of rich, nuanced
bureaucracies in the public and private sector, Weiner writes about characters
whose career choices and decisions are morally questionable. A student of
personal behavior in complex circumstances, Weiner brings these often
cringe-worthy characters to life. Some are amoral, others immoral in a narrow
slice of their lives, yet they otherwise look and act like people we all know
from work or even childhood. Like one of the female leads in his novel,
"Serendipity Opportunity", an out-of-the-box thinker who flunks most
of life’s basic relationship tests, yet she is someone you never want pursuing
you in the cause of justice. There’s a former foreign security official who
uses his protected status as a witness for federal prosecutors to provide cover
for his own mayhem and murder in Weiner’s third novel, "Bad Money".
Many of Weiner’s stories are born out
of real life events: The mix-up in luggage claim at the airport in, "Bad
Money", the chronic high school slacker in "Serendipity
Opportunity" whose one stroke of good fortune creates his opportunity to
perpetrate a complex series of frauds, or the brilliant student in "It Is
Las Vegas After All" who uses his prodigious talents toward an evil end.
As a former federal official, Weiner
can neither confirm nor deny having the highest security clearances in
classified security programs. Yet, his knowledge of the dark web, criminal organizations,
and security organizations takes stories from the popular press to the next
level.
Amazon Author Central Web Site:
The book will be $0.99 during the
tour.
Author Web Site:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Howard Weiner will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
to a randomldrawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Be sure to visit the other blogs on the tour:
Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas
Lord of Temptation by Erica Ridley
