About the BookSenior Airline Captain Frank Braden is being stalked in his home town of Austin, Texas, by unknown assailants who must arrange his death to look like a suicide or an accident before a specific deadline. The assassins almost succeed several times, in the air and on the ground. In fact, Braden’s surgeon wife, Nicole, saves his life twice from ground assailants. Both of them don’t know why people are trying to kill him.
Later, he receives a message warning him not to attend a forthcoming Senate hearing in Washington. If he agrees he will receive a million dollars and his wife’s life. When Braden turns to the FBI and local police for help, they doubt his stories since they have been led to believe he is schizophrenic and suicidal, exactly what his assailants want the authorities to think.
Dangerous Past is a story of a man who must choose between doing what ought to be done or keeping his family alive by allowing a murderous and powerful Washington VIP to escape his past.
My Review
MISS SAIGON, THE BOURNE IDENTITY or A FEW GOOD MEN? In my mind, I kept shuffling through freeze frames of these different different stories when perusing the pages of this book. Not that that's a bad thing. DANGEROUS PAST has a little something for everyone. Flashbacks to the Vietnam War. A man and woman running for their lives. A military cover-up of mammoth proportions. It's all in there and then some. If there's one thing I can say about this novel - it may have a multiple personality disorder - but it's certainly not boring.
It moves, or better yet, it flies. The pace is non-stop from beginning to end. The only time it hits a little bit of a speed bump is when it delves into the inner workings of a prostitution/drug smuggling ring in Southeast Asia. This extemporaneous foray into the backstory provides the crux of the whodunit, but it could have been alluded to in a few paragraphs instead of multiple chapters, but really that's my only complaint. Otherwise, the drama is action packed.
Plane bombings. Car crashes. People hurled off waterfalls. People thrown into flood-swollen rivers. Lethal packages sent in the mail. Congressional hearings with surprise foreign guests. Assassins gunning people down in front of the Lincoln Memorial. FBI agents falling like flies. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Usually, I'm not a fan of so many subplots, but for some reason for this particular book it works. It's an entertaining mixture of superfluous details and head scratcher moments that somehow add up to a cohesive whole. It's all about taking the best parts of each genre and mashing them together for maximum enjoyment. There's a tragic love story between a hooker and a G.I. There's a husband and wife trying desperately to stay alive while being hunted by a powerful adversary. There's a conglomeration of high ranking military men trying to cover up their illegal activity by spilling even more blood. Conspiracy theories abound.
If you're in the mood for something completely different, try this. It's off the wall, yet captivating. A.F. Ebbers throws everything in but the kitchen sink, but his writing style makes you want to tag along on a wild and crazy ride. He's good at laying a trap to get you to keep reading. It's all about hooking the reader and he definitely knows how to do that. Man, I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
***
Dangerous Past can be purchased at:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, Nook
Prices/Formats: $0.99 ebook, $10.00 hardcover
Pages: 240
ISBN: 9780978948238
Publisher: SilverHawk Books
Release: May 1, 2007
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About the AuthorA. F. Ebbers, a journalism graduate of Ohio University was a reporter/writer for major newspapers, ad agencies, and in public relations for Cessna Aircraft Company. He also graduated from Army Flight School and flew for the Ohio and Kansas Army National Guards. Later he was called to active duty and served two flying tours in Vietnam. After retirement from the military, he flew for corporations and for regional airlines. A dual rated ATP pilot, he has written for numerous national magazines, Sunday supplements and trade and travel magazines and has written screenplays and short stories. Today he lives with his wife in the Austin, Texas area and, when not writing, enjoys tennis, flying and piano. Dangerous Past is his debut novel.
Links to connect with A.F.:
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