YvonneAs author Michael Shusko’s upcoming guest post, to be published on July 5th 2017, relates directly to both books currently published in the series, I have decided to feature the opening lines from both, as a suitable introduction to this most polished and interesting article.
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‘VECTOR‘ – Tradecraft Phase Zero
How could I have been so stupid? Jawad Khattib thought as he stumbled through the empty parking lot toward the emergency room entrance. It was not the first mistake he had made recently, he realized as he wiped the sweat off his brow. Just a few short days ago his face was plump and full of color. Yet the reflection in the bathroom mirror before he left his apartment was unrecognizable. That chilling image jolted him into fleeing his small Beacon Hill apartment in the middle of the cool Boston night. That, and the blood that had just appeared in his vomit like a death knell. As bad as he felt, he had known it would be faster to walk the few blocks rather than wait for an ambulance. Perhaps the fresh air would make him feel better.
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‘SHIFTING SANDS‘ – Tradecraft Phase One
Eastern Iranian Desert
As the heavy military truck drove down the isolated desert road beneath the setting sun, Asghar spoke to his brother from the passenger’s seat. The nervousness in his voice had nothing to do with their mission. “When we get back to Mashhad, will I have time for a shower?”
Vahid couldn’t help but smile. “Put your worries aside, younger brother. You look fine, though we can make time for a shower if you feel it necessary. Aryana will be staying with us for a week, I am sure she will be pleased to see you at whatever time you come by our home.”
Playing matchmaker, Vahid’s wife, Shirin, had invited her nineteen-year-old cousin to visit from Tehran. At Shirin’s request, Vahid had shown a picture of the beautiful Aryana to Asghar, and Asghar had been asking about her nonstop during the long drive to and from the far eastern Iranian province of Khorasan.
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Clicking on the book’s cover image will link you directly with it’s Amazon listing.
Find out more about both books and author when you visit ‘Mailbox Monday‘
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That snippet from Vector sounds very good! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hi Lauren,
I must agree that ‘Vector’ does sound like the better of the two books, from my own personal perspective.
If you haven’t already, you really should check out the premise of the book and then you’ll see just how bad it potentially is that, “It was not the first mistake he had made recently”.
Thanks for stopping by this week, I appreciate your comment 🙂
Hi Yvonne!
Another new-to-me author. That vomt line is grossly good! lol
Please, check out mine and why I’m so excited about it, here: http://bit.ly/2tVwfDJ
Luv, Sassy x
It might be quicker for Jawad to walk the few blocks to the hospital and enjoy the fresh air, but after that ‘vomit’ line, I wouldn’t want to be someone he bumped into on the way, even if it is the middle of the night!
Have a good weekend and enjoy some of the slightly cooler air now that the heatwave has finally cleared 🙂
Great opening lines, and I especially enjoyed the descriptions in the first one, which made me feel for the character.
Thanks for sharing, and here’s mine: “THE SUNSHINE SISTERS”
Hi Lorraine,
If I had read those opening lines from ‘Vector’ in isolation, I too might have shared your concerns and sympathy for Jawad.
However, with the luxury of having checked out the premise in great detail, it sounds as though Jawad hasn’t given much thought to the victims of his work (at least not a kind or positive thought) and is only concerned with his own plight, now that something appears to have gone horribly wrong for him!
Thanks for taking the time to leave your comments, I always enjoy reading them 🙂
Though I still think this is a series that my husband would enjoy more than I, the opening lines of that first book do grab my attention! Best to wait until the entire series has been published, but who knows… I might decide to read them, too!
Looking forward to the guest post.
Hi Kelly,
The third book out of six, is due out towards the end of this year, so you shouldn’t have too long to wait, if you are serious about reading the series en masse!
I must admit that I wouldn’t be able to read that many books from the same genre, one after the other, I need to ring the changes every so often.
Actually, as ex-service himself, my husband might well be persuaded to check out this series, despite his usual partiality to non-fiction reading.
I could see this series being adapted for the big screen though, which would definitely be right up hubbie’s street and I would probably enjoy it more that way as well!
The guest post is excellent for anyone who has a keen interest in the series, although I’m not so sure it has too much ‘general appeal’ for the casual reader.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, your comments are always so interesting and challenging 🙂
I’ve never heard of this author before. It is obvious that it has a lot of appeal. My Friday Quotes
Hi Anne,
It seems to me that author, Michael Shusko, has planned this series with military precision, as befits his background, so I think that it is either going to have instant appeal, or none at all, depending on the individual reader.
The good thing about being involved from the beginning of the series, is that I can read the books in sequence and stop whenever the going gets too tough, or the stories begin to lose their lustre.
The base premise for book three in the series sounds just as good as ‘Vector’ and ‘Shifting Sands’ and Michael’s guest post is very interesting!
Thanks for the visit today, enjoy your weekend and ‘Happy Reading’ 🙂
Love the opening lines of Vector! Have a great weekend 🙂
Here’s my Friday Post Inspiration PIe
Hi Jo-Ann,
It sounds as though this entire series isn’t going to pull any punches, with storylines which are bang up to date and relevant to the times in which we unfortunately live.
‘Vector’ instantly grabbed my attention, although once you read on a little further into the opening chapter of ‘Shifting Sands’, there is also an intriguing story unfolding.
This is a good example of why I often find myself sharing a few more lines than I technically should for BBOF posts, but wanting to set the tone of the story when an author takes slightly longer to wind up the tension.
Thanks for visiting this week and I hope that your weekend is good, whatever you are going to be doing 🙂
These sound interesting and the teaser of Vector especially is scary. Happy reading!
Hi Naida,
Reading the great author guest post which Michael has prepared for July 5th 2017, I can already tell that this series has great potential, so long as you don’t mind the content and story lines being bang up to date and pulling no punches.
I thought that Jawad was very selfish in hoping that the fresh air would be good for him and that walking through the streets looking and feeling as he did wouldn’t be bad for anyone he happened to come into contact with, despite the lateness of the hour.
Scary stuff indeed !
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I always value your visits 🙂