Death

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My wife and I went to the States this past week to attend the funeral of a niece.  She was not someone with whom I have had much contact, but as the daughter of my brother-in-law, who was absolutely devastated, I felt we should go.  She was about the age of my children (40’s), and she died in a tragic skiing accident.  She was an avid and very good skier, skiing with the man she hoped to marry.  She had stopped on the slope to clean her goggles, and was struck from behind by an out-of-control skier.  She was wearing a helmet, but the impact was so great that it broke her neck and she died instantly.  The out-of-control skier was not injured.

Many of us have had our parents, friends and relatives die, but I feel that the death of one’s child, particularly so un-necessarily, is the ultimate tragedy.  Our children are the ones who are carrying into the future not only our genes, but our values, beliefs and aspirations.  The death of a child not only leaves us in deep mourning, it constricts us: heart, mind and soul.  And in this case, one cannot help but wonder what if.  What if her goggles didn’t get fogged?  What if she had been three feet to the right or the left?  What if the other skiier hadn’t been so stupidly careless?  What if her man had been standing directly behind her?  (He was standing beside her.)

Death features prominently in the writing of many novelists.  A death is often used to make a point, and often the point is that death is senseless, un-justifiable, un-reasonable.  Often, in real life, that is exactly the case.  And some writers go on to make the point that if death is senseless, there cannot be a loving God, because a loving God would never allow a senseless tragedy to happen to His people.  But, in my opinion, this argument overlooks an important point: it may look and feel senseless to us.  However, in an unknowable, cosmic context it may make sense.  Why is it unknowable?  Because if it were knowable, we would also know God, and if we really knew God we would not have free will.  Why no free will?  Can you imagine that anyone who really knew God, and therefore knew his plan for us, would actually do something that God didn’t like?  In other words, I believe that God’s gift of free will carries a price: we can’t know everything.

Looking back on my writing, death and its messages have been present in all my novels.  In Fishing in Foreign Seas, Jamie’s father develops incurable cancer.  He is terrified, but, gradually, he comes to terms with his life and the blessings of his sons and wife.  In Sin and Contrition, Gary, the ego-centric politician from a poor background, is approached by his long-absent father for money for a vital heart operation.  There is an argument, the two fail to agree, and the father dies.  Gary’s mother has dementia, but Gary leaves her care entirely to his sister.  Gary later regrets his behaviour.  Efraim’s Eye portrays the mind of a pathological terrorist: so committed to revenge that killing on the way to his grand attack is incidental.  In The Iranian Scorpion, the Iranian gallows casts its shadow over Robert and his father.  And in my fifth novel, Henry slides into deep depression after his exceptional son is killed in combat.  But in each case, there is some redemption, as, I think, there usually is in life.

 

Lost City Radio

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My wife and I recently returned from a trip to Peru.  More on this later.

Knowing that we were going to Peru, one of my sons-in-law gave me a novel, Lost City Radio, to read.  It is the first novel by Daniel Alarcon, who was born in Peru and raised in Birmingham, Alabama.  The novel is set in a country which is not identified, but from some geographic and political clues is probably Peru.

It takes place during a time of violent political revolution that sounds like the Shining Path revolution which gripped Peru.  Many people are missing.  Its central character, Norma, hosts a talk show, ‘Lost City Radio’, which takes calls from listeners who describe their lost loved ones in hopes that another listener will provide information on the lost one’s whereabouts. Norma is married to Rey, who is a biologist with a keen interest in the medicinal properties of jungle plants.  He has been drawn into the revolutionary camp and is an enemy of the government.  For ten years, Rey disappears from Norma’s life, but she doesn’t dare to describe him on the air for fear that this will compromise him.  Instead, she continues a lonely life in the city and at the radio station, until an eleven-year-old boy and a strange man arrive at the radio station from the jungle.  Norma makes the connection between the boy and Rey, and this gives her the courage to talk about Rey on air.

Most of the reviews of this novel are very complementary.  They say that it depicts war and human reactions to it movingly and well.  War is senseless, yet people struggle to make sense of their lives in the wake of it.  This is all correct.  The novel has a mysterious vagueness about its setting, the passage of time, the characters, their relationships and motivations which tend to make the novel a universal rather than a specific statement.

On the one hand, I can appreciate the reason for this vagueness, but, for me, it had its drawbacks.  I found it difficult to connect with any of the shadowy characters at an emotional level – or even intellectually.  When I finished it, I thought: “Interesting book, but kind of frustrating.”

About Peru: it’s a beautiful, fascinating country.  We spent a week above 10,000 feet, which was difficult.  I wasn’t really sick, but I had very little energy or positive spirits.  Much of the landscape is beautiful: the Cola and Urubamba Valleys, Lake Titicaca.  Manchu Picchu is awesome in its beauty and its sense of mysterious community.  The Incas were incredible stone masons.  Working without iron tools, they cut huge blocks of granite with extraordinary precision.  One thing thing that was off-putting was the decorations in the (Catholic) churches.   Nearly every church had elaborately dressed figures of various saints.  I thought, “Is this a monotheistic religion?”  And in the cities, particularly Cuzco, the use of real gold (an 8 pound solid gold crown of thorns) and silver (life sized statue of the Virgin Mary made of silver) was obscene.  Wouldn’t it have been better to give that money to the poor, of which there are plenty?

But I recommend a trip to Peru, and a read of Lost City Radio.

Doubt

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My wife and I watched the film Doubt last night.  We wanted to watch it for several reasons: it stars Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, both of whom we think are excellent actors.  It also involves a dilemma in the Catholic church; we are Catholic.

The film was made in 2008 and is based on the Pulitzer prize-winning stage play, Doubt: a Parable.  In the film, Hoffman plays kindly a parish priest, and Streep plays the ultra strict and conservative principal of the school which is attached to the church.  Hoffman befriends the only black boy in the school, who is lonely, insecure and abused by his father.  Streep, a very un-trusting nun, suspects that Hoffman has formed an improper relationship with the boy, though she has no real evidence of this.  She confronts Hoffman, who denies any wrong doing; she tells Hoffman that she has spoken to a nun in his previous parish who told her that Hoffman had behaved improperly there.  Hoffman resigns from his current parish and he is immediately appointed by the Bishop to a larger, more important parish.  It turns out that Streep had not actually called his previous parish, and made up the story of improper behaviour.  She takes the position, however, that since he resigned, her allegation must be true.  At the end of the film, Streep confesses to a young nun that, “I have doubts . . . I have such doubts”.

The acting in the film by both Hoffman and Streep is excellent.  In fact, Streep is so cynical and so certain of her position that it is hard to believe that she has any of the doubts she finally expresses.  And Hoffman is so sincere in his denials that it is hard to understand his resignation except as a means to get away from Streep, but there is no hint of this.

Through much of the film, my wife and I were shaking our heads: we had doubts about the credibility of the story line.  We weren’t convinced that this could be a real situation: it seemed too forced.  I realise that it is difficult to create a situation where the audience (or the reader) has doubts about what actually happened, and what it might (or might not) mean.  But this is the essence of the film, and I think that rather than focus on the unique characters of the principal and the priest, it would have been more useful to present more ambiguous evidence of guilt or innocence that the characters can argue over.  As they argue over the evidence, their characters will be revealed, and the dilemma comes alive.  As it is, the only evidence we have is the priest’s friendliness to the boy, the fact that the boy was disciplined for drinking communion wine, and the fact that the priest placed a white shirt in his locker.

As a writer, I consider it absolutely necessary to pause and check the credibility of any twists in the plot, particularly twists which are essential to the central outcomes or messages.   For example, I am working on a novel which includes a sudden, catastrophic disaster which has terrible consequences for the main character.  To make that disaster more plausible and real, earlier in the book, I have the characters talk about minor versions of the disaster.  And, later, before the big disaster, I have the characters actually experience a real, but limited disaster.

One of my concerns in writing Efraim’s Eye was whether the reader would believe that the London Eye is actually vulnerable to attack.  Early in the novel, Efraim plans his attack in detail; there is no room for doubt.

Reviews: The Iranian Scorpion

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On this page I’ll post all reviews of The Iranian Scorpion:

Anyone familiar with the novels of William Peace will not be surprised that “The Iranian Scorpion” involves international intrigue while exploring deep personal questions and beliefs. In this case, we are once again in what we Americans lump together as the Middle East. Our protagonist, Robert Dawson, is an agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency who, having spent too much of his young life on the Texas/Mexico border, opts to use his expertise to explore and expose the trafficking of heroin from Afghanistan through Iran to the US.

Robert Dawson is a capable, likable, thoughtful person. He not only has the remarkable capacity to pick up languages and dialects easily (alas, for the rest of us who cannot even carry a tune), he seems to have an innate empathy for different cultures and creeds. There are of course the usual bad guys, those people in power who merely wish to exploit others and enrich themselves, and there is all the tension and terror of dealing with such people and their torturous methods. But Peace has never been one dimensional in his treatment of his characters, Western or Eastern. Robert’s true foil is a man named David Dawson, his father, as cold and closed a human being as Robert is warm and open. But here again, the author allows the man to develop on his own terms

Although an American living in England, Peace seems perfectly comfortable writing about both the land and the people of Afghanistan and Iran. He obviously likes these people and you will, too. And he is always interesting and often fascinating, whether he is blithely taking us through the steps in refining heroin from opium, following the trail of drug smugglers, or enriching U-235 on the way to a bomb.

Peace has “balanced” some rather perfunctory sex in the book with a few somewhat pedantic scenes revolving around discussions of faith and religion. These latter themes, however, blend so effortlessly with our hero’s thoughtful nature and the everyday life of this Muslim world that we see in practice what we might object to in preach. And there is an intriguing lack of resolution in “The Iranian Scorpion,” just as there is in life. It sets one to thinking. But you’ll have to buy and read the book first, and bookreview.com highly recommends that you do just that.

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I very much enjoyed reading “The Iranian Scorpion” by William Peace. The story line was suspenseful and fast moving, with seamless plot lines that kept me guessing. Robert, a US government DEA agent, was stationed in Afghanistan to get a handle on and find a way to stop poppy growth and thereby limit the production of opium and heroin, to the dismay of the Scorpion, a heroin kingpin. His father, David, is also a government official. Their relationship goes through a transformation in the story and you will be on the edge of your seat as both their lives are jeopardized. Will they make it out alive? Which love interest will win each of their attention? You’ll have to read it to find out and you’ll gain a new appreciation for illegal border crossings in the bargain.

Just a few shocking bits but I still loved reading this story, and it was educational as well. It provides more than a little violence, a little raciness, neither unnecessarily graphic, but mostly intrigue and heart pounding excitement. Historical, governmental, and cultural details are featured in “The Iranian Scorpion”, giving me a new understanding of the countries of Afghanistan and Iran. Characters are likeable, complex, and believable in relation to one another. The interplay of Islam and Christianity in this novel provides a colorful tapestry for a backdrop as several characters’ stories are woven together. To top it off, lamb kebabs and flatbread are on the menu. I look forward to reading other books by William Peace.

Reviewed by Mary DeKok Blowers for Readers’ Favorite

Reading classics

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First of all, let me apologise to my subscribers for being off line for several weeks.  My publisher (Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co.) hosts the site, and for some reason, they took the site off line.  After I protested twice (the second time quite vehemently) the site went back on line.  Sorry about that.

There was an article in the Sunday Telegraph about two weeks ago which caught my attention.  The title read: “Fact of fiction: how reading the classics gives the brain a boost”.  The article went on to say:

“Academics at Liverpool University found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers had a beneficial effect on the mind, by catching the reader’s attention and triggering moments of self-reflection.

“Using scanners, they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read pieces by Shakespeare, Wordsworth, T. S. Eliot and others.  Scans showed that the more ‘challenging’ prose and poetry set off more electrical activity in the brain than more pedestrian sections.

“Scientists were able to study the brain activity as readers responded to each word and noticed how it ‘lit up’ as they encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure.

In the first part of the research, the brain activity of 30 volunteers was monitored as they read passages from Shakespeare’s plays . . . and again as they re-read the text re-written in simpler form.  While reading the plain text, normal levels of electrical activity were displayed in their brains.  When they read Shakespeare, however, the levels of activity ‘jumped’ because of the use of unfamiliar words.

“In one example, volunteers read a line form King Lear: ‘A father and gracious aged man: him have you madded’. Shakespeare’s use use of the adjective ‘mad’ as a verb caused a higher level of brain activity than the straighforward prose.

The study went on to test how long the effect lasted.  It found that the ‘peak’ triggered by the unfamiliar word was sustained  into the folowing phrases, suggesting the striking word had hooked the reader, with their mind ‘primed for more attention.’

“Volunteers’ brains were scanned while reading four lines by Wordsworth: ‘She lived unknown and few could know when Lucy ceased to be.  But she is in her grave and oh the difference to me’.  Four translated lines were also provided: ‘She lived a lonely life in the country and nobody seems to know or care, but now she is dead, and I feel her loss.’  The first version caused a greater degree of brain activity, lighting up not only the left part of the brain concerned with language, but also the right hemisphere that relates to autobiographical memory and emotion.”

This makes sense to me, but I think that some comments are in order.  First, poetry is a different medium than prose: it is more condensed and tends to convey more feeling.  That being the case, one would expect the reader to be more engaged with a well constructed poem than with its prose equivalent.

Second, (apart from the use of ‘mad’ as a verb) the English language was different for the classical writers than it is today.  The English language is constantly evolving.  The reader therefore expects differences and their brains will be more alert.

Third, it is desirable but difficult for the writer today to achieve the same ‘brain boosting’ prose.  Desirable, because it captures the readers attention.  And difficult, because if the writer is not careful, s/he can create distrust in the reader.  The reader may begin to believe, ‘s/he is just making this novel difficult not for artistic reasons, but just for the sake of being different in their writing style.’

This is a particular concern of mine which I have touched upon in other posts: how to write in a style that the reader finds interesting for artistic reasons not just to differentiate my writing from that of other writers.

 

The Iranian Scorpion

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My fourth novel (another thriller) has just been published.

 

 

In brief, this novel involves an undercover agent of the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), who with the help of an attractive freelance journalist and a shadowy Taliban official learns the cultivation of the opium poppy in Afghanistan and how to convert opium to heroin.  He follows a heroin shipment into Iran and traces it to New York City where it has been sent by The Iranian Scorpion.  When a bust is made in New York City, The Scorpion orders the agent captured and executed.  Will the agent’s connections  including his father (a US Army general),  the journalist, a 15 year old Afghan boy and some Iranian dissidents be able to save him from execution?

The full synopsis follows: 

Robert Duval, an agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency, volunteers for a reassignment after years of trying to stem the stream of drugs across   Grande.  He is sent toAfghanistan with a mission of developing a strategy to stifle the flow of drugs to Iran and on to the US.  Robert meets Kate Conway,  a freelance journalist in Kabul, and she introduces him to Vizier Ashraf, a shadowy figure in the Taliban, who also has a religious interest in reducing the cultivation of the opium poppy.  In preparation for the Afghan assignment, Robert has developed fluency in Pashto, and, at the urging of the vizier, he disguises himself as Abdullah, as a migrant peasant farmer.  In the village of Nad-e-Ali, in Helmand province, Robert finds work on Azizullah’s large poppy farm.  Under Azizullah’s direction, Robert learns how the poppy is cultivated and its liquid opium is harvested.

After the harvest, Robert, Azizullah and three other field hands take the opium cakes to the owner of a make-shift conversion ‘factory’.  There is a violent falling-out over price, and that night, Azizullah, Robert and the field hands raid the factory, killing the owner and his helpers.  Robert questions the owner’s fifteen-year-old son, Rustam, who knows the chemical conversion processes.  Rustam is taken captive; the chemicals and equipment of the ‘factory’ are hauled away to Nad-e-Ali.

A new ‘factory’ is established in Nad-e-Ali, and Rustam, chained to Robert, begins to convert the opium to white heroin.  Men from Rustam’s village attempt to retake the factory.  They are repulsed, but Rustam fears that his old neighbours will kill him for the shame he has brought on his village, if he returns to it.  As an inducement for Rustam to stay in Nad-e-Ali, Robert persuades Azizullah to find Rustam a wife.  Rustam is married to Padida, a twenty-three-year-old war widow.

General David Duval, Robert’s father, is frustrated with his assignment to Pentagon logistics, and at the urging of his young girlfriend, he accepts an assignment with the International Atomic Energy Agency.  In Tehran he joins an IAEA delegation, which is reviewing the Iranian nuclear program.  David meets ‘Lisa’, the secretive widow of an anti-government activist. ‘Lisa’ is well connected in the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, and is not averse to using her body to obtain evidence of the duplicity of the Iranian government.  She provides David with test data showing that an enrichment level of 42% U-235 has been reached, as well as the wiring diagram of a prototype nuclear weapon.

Azizullah, Robert and Rustam cross the fortified border into Zabol, in southeast Iran, with 15 kg of heroin to find a buyer.  They are able to sell it, but Rustam protests that they have failed to find the principal buyer: The Scorpion.  On a subsequent exploratory trip, Robert and Rustam find that The Scorpion is actually the provincial governor, and they make arrangements for the sale of 25 kg.  Azizullah joins his employees for the sale, which takes place in the governor’s palace in Zahedan, the provincial capital, and is attended by The Scorpion and General Khorhoushi, the commander of the Republican Guard in the province.

Robert is able to learn where the consignment of heroin has been shipped.  He reveals his true identity to Rustam, and persuades the boy to accompany him on a trip to Kerman and Bandar Abbas, where the destination and method of shipment of the heroin are discovered.  Robert advises his boss, James, at the DEA, of the destination: a carpet dealer in New York, who is the Scorpion’s cousin.

The Scorpion guesses that it was Robert who had his cousin arrested, and he orders General Khorhoushi to find the agent.  Robert is captured and imprisoned, but Rustam eludes capture.  Rustam uses Robert’s phone to advise Kate and James of Robert’s capture.  The Scorpion is concerned that if Robert is released, he will inform Tehran of the governor’s involvement in the drugs trade.  Robert is tried by a kangaroo court, found guilty of ‘espionage’ and is sentenced to death. Tehran officials, notified by the US government of The Scorpion’s drugs trafficking, demand that Robert be released to them at once.  The Scorpion sends Tehran a premature message informing them that Robert has been executed. 

David Duval is informed of his son’s execution, and decides to take vengeance.  ‘Lisa’ supplies him with a ‘sticky bomb’.  He travels to Zahedan, and attaches the bomb to what he thinks is the governor’s limousine.  He learns, instead, that he has killed General Khorhoushi.

(You’ll have to read the novel to learn how it ends.)

Haute Couture

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There is an exhibition at Somerset House in London entitled: Valentino: Master of Couture.  My wife and I went to see it over the weekend, and I would certainly recommend it to my lady readers.  The exhibition includes a ‘catwalk’ where the visitors walk down a carpeted aisle about sixty yards long.  On either side of the aisle are female mannequins – about 130 of them – each dressed in a Valentino dress.  It is absolutely stunning!  The quantity of dresses!  The detailed innovation in each one!  And the beauty of them.  Now, I have to say that I didn’t like all of them.  Some were a little too fussy for me, and I don’t particularly like beige.  But the overall effect was amazing!  The exhibit also included photographs, letters, invitations and press releases.  Valentino was certainly well connected.  The other section of the exhibition which caught my attention concerned the techniques that Valentino used to make unique decorations like roses, unusual ruffles, lace effects, etc.  There were videos of  ‘le regazze’ (the girls) who are the seamstresses in his workshop.  What they can do with a needle and thread can only be called pure art.  Finally, there is a stunning wedding dress for Princess Marie Chantal of Greece which took something like three man-years of seamstress’ time to complete.  Imagine what that cost!

Here’s an example from Valentino’s website:

Valentino dress

Valentino dress

 
This dress would not be for every woman, but if she was young and pretty, with a large bank account, it could be ideal!
 
As you’ve probably guessed, I did some comparison’s between the fashion designer and the writer.  Both are clearly artists, working in different media, and they have different objectives.  The fashion designer wants to make his customers look beautiful, while at the same time appealing to their egos.  The writer’s objective is to entertain and perhaps to provoke his/her clients, without caring particularly about the customer’s ego.  In both cases, there are issues about trends and trendiness: what is ‘in’?  In most cases, the designer and the writer have to go along with what’s ‘in’ to achieve a following.  In fictional literature today, it seems to me that one trend is to write about quite dysfunctional people.  Perhaps I have gone along with this trend.  In Efraim’s Eye, Efraim is clearly dysfunctional, but wouldn’t we expect a terrorist to be dysfunctional?  In The Iranian Scorpion the Scorpion is certainly dysfunctional as a corrupt, egotistical dictator.  I rather like creating unusual characters, like Naomi, the idealistic, lonely, beautiful nomad in Efraim’s Eye.  Or like Rustam, the poor, intelligent Afghan boy desperately searching for love in The Iranian Scorpion.  I can’t comment on the trends in fashion; for that I would refer the reader to Vogue.  To me it seems clear, though, that some fashion designers (like Valentino) and some writers (like Hemingway) can create their own trends.  These are the giants in their respective fields.
One difference strikes me.  This is that fashion designers, particularly who that serve celebrity clients, can become celebrities in their own right.  Very few writers become celebrities, unless you’re a Salman Rushdie with an Iranian fatwa on your head.  I think some of the reason for this may be found in the respective personality styles of writers and fashion designers: writers tend to be introverts, while fashion designers are, in my opinion, likely to be extroverts.  (See my post about the writer as an introvert.)
 
I’ve written about a fashion designer: Ellen in Sin & Contrition who becomes a minor celebrity in New York City (and very wealthy).

Reviews: Efraim’s Eye

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On this page, I’ll post all reviews of Efraim’s Eye:

“Efraim’s Eye” by William Peace is a thriller in which a very capable and determined terrorist is pitted against a very capable and determined financial consultant. Doesn’t really sound fair, does it? Until, of course, you think of the last banker you worked with and who won.

Early in the book Peace gives us an example of Western duplicity when the consultant, Paul Winthorpe, is duped by a charming and sophisticated woman for–of all things–money. Nor is being a terrorist a piece of cake. Efraim Al-Rashid is betrayed by both Taliban and Russian arms dealers as he puts his plot into action. There is a major difference in the two agendas, however, that goes beyond greed. The terrorist has suffered great personal loss; as a result, revenge is the dominating tenet in his interpretation of the Muslim faith. “An eye for an eye” and, in this case, the EYE of London.

Winthorpe’s goals are the more prosaic ideals of helping companies run effectively. He takes on a pro-bono assignment to examine the management of a Moroccan affiliate of an international charity based in London. Assisted by a young, Arabic-speaking, Israeli woman, he soon realizes that the entire situation requires either abandonment or complete overhauling. Of course, outside consultants often irritate existing company structures, especially if the CEO–as in this case–is embezzling most of the funds for terrorist activities.

Peace really seems to know Marrakech, Tbilisi, and yes, account books like the back of his hand. There are lots of little throwaway sentences that bring the book to life and infuse it with authenticity. It is unfortunate, therefore, that in what is probably an attempt to give more literary depth to his novel, he interjects a May/December romance and numerous discursions into Christian, Jewish, and Muslim beliefs and practices. It is not that these digressions are exactly boring, but they might have found more resonance in another setting.

It should also be mentioned that the book is–fittingly–very well edited, with hardly a typo. Bookreview.com considers it an excellent thriller, but suggests that you read it after you’ve had a ride on the EYE.

BookReview.com

I very happily rate Efraim’s Eye by Bill Peace a Great Read. The first book review had me a bit worried, but I did not find the spontaneous love affair that bloomed in Morocco a distraction. These people are very real and interesting. Nor did I find the explanations of the various religions involved a problem. I was deeply impressed by the author’s apparent first hand knowledge of places I will in likelihood never get to in this lifetime. Including Morocco and Afghanistan, Georgia, Pakistan etc. I also found in this book a rational and even handed construction of the Koran (I still balk at spelling it the new way).
This in not your ordinary page turner replete with endless chase scenes and terrifying moments piled up on top of each other. What makes you want to keep reading this book is the skillful characterization of ALL the protagonists. Efraim himself is a multi-faceted bad guy. I even found myself almost liking the poor guy when he was agonized by the problem of clean vs. unclean women and the enormous drive provided from his groin area.
I cannot think of a single character, down to the loyal driver, Mohammed, who is not dealt with in depth. The women who work in the Moroccan charity are both very much alive and sympathetic. The part-time, and very young assistant bookkeeper is superbly drawn and he’s only on scene for a few pages. Paul’s (the hero’s) family are a nice mix of fun and intelligence.
The mechanics of making a very complicated terrorist bomb (or rather, six of them) are sketched with what seems to be the product of deep and keen research–at least I am hoping this is not first hand knowledge.
I don’t want to get too much into this lovely read because I would encourage to get the book yourself. I read mine in the Kindle version and was amazed at the few typos–though there are a handful, and they do not disrupt the narrative.
Peter C Parsons
Some writers produce a great first book, but subsequent books are mediocre. Some sustain their proficiency from book to book. And some seem to get even better with each book written. Mr. Peace’s first two books were both good reads, but his third, Efraim’s Eye is his best so far. It is a fast paced page turner revolving around a terrorist plot to destroy the London Eye.
While doing pro-bono work for a London charity checking on one of its subsidiaries, Paul Winthrop along with Naomi, a consultant with the charity, discover a terrorist plot to destroy the London Eye. Each one of the characters is developed in depth and with a complexity that makes them believable. No cardboard cutouts here. We follow two storylines as the book develops. One is with the developing relationship between Paul, a widower but in a relationship back in London, and Naomi, a well traveled, intelligent and younger Israeli. The other deals with the organization of the plot from obtaining the necessary weapons and equipment to choosing the personnel to be involved.
As we follow the terrorist Yusef as he travels to several countries to complete the plans, one cannot help but be impressed with Mr. Peace’s attention to detail. Whether describing weapons or the intricacies of an audit or the geography of a city, his information is so well researched and written that one is reminded of Tom Clancy in his early books.
Mr. Peace appears to have an interest in religion and in the spiritual aspects that guide and motivate individuals. This was a thread in his previous book as he explored facets of Christianity. In this book, Mr. Peace is able to explore the beliefs of Islam and the teachings of the Koran. He is never judgmental and gives his reader much to ponder.
I look forward to the next book by this talented writer.
“Kitty” Book Lover
William, congratulations!  There is quite a difference between reading a manuscript and holding a book in one’s hand.
Efraim’s Eye is a first rate thriller. It will have a wide audience. It is tightly plotted – no loose ends – the sex is just right- in  other words, very believable, and the settings are interesting – even London – and the incompetence of the Police!!
They were warned beforehand, in detail, where the explosive charges were going to be placed – they had sharpshooters stationed, and they didn’t shoot the perp – it was the civilian, admittedly ex SAS, who foiled the villain!!!  Poor old Scotland Yard!  A good read and I am now going to bed, sad to have come to the end.  I am a good boy, like your  hero Paul, but that doesn’t prevent me from dreaming about Naomi.  Well done.
     Peter S.  (Peter S. is a retired recruitment executive.  He is quite direct; his comment on a different manuscript: “It’s boring”.)

“Efraim’s Eye” by William Peace is about two Iraqi half-brothers, Yusuf and Efraim, who are set to destroy the London Eye, an 800- passenger Ferris wheel, as a personal vendetta against the British. They plan to accomplish this by utilizing funds from the Morocco Chapter of the Global Youth Enterprise, GYE, a charity founded by the Duke of Suffolk which provides low cost loans to young entrepreneurs who have a great business idea but lack the financial requirements.

The story begins when Paul becomes a member of the charity in London and realizes that there are problems every time they send someone to Morocco to conduct an audit. At the same time, we learn that Yusuf is the CEO of the charity in Morocco as Efraim begins to plan the London Eye strike. As a financial consultant, Paul is sent to Morocco to investigate along with Naomi, a multilingual Israeli, who is the Director of Operations for GYE.  Upon the discovery of accounting irregularities with the management of the money, the chase for proof of corruption begins.

Peace did an excellent job alternating between Efraim’s whereabouts and actions and Paul and Naomi’s investigation and romance.  He was able to portray them simultaneously while developing and maintaining a flow that was easy to follow. His characters were real and interesting to the point that the suspense was built in his character development with action following towards the end. My favorite part was Paul and Naomi’s relationship and interaction, as he paired a conservative and well set in his ways 60-year-old man with a free spirited younger woman. Their fun interaction woven in the midst of the suspense made this a fun read.

Definitely a page turner, I found “Efraim’ Eye” by William Peace very difficult to put down. I recommend this book to all who love International, terrorism thrillers. “Efraim’s Eye” is a fascinating, and entertaining thriller!

Reader’s Views (Shortlisted for the prize in general fiction)

Promotion

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How does one promote a book which is not carried by book stores and which is not advertised?  For me, this has been the question, since my publisher does not wish to sell to bookstores and does not advertise books for its authors.  Selling to bookstores is a problem, because the large chains demand big discounts and all bookstores insist on full refunds for copies which go unsold.  (The online booksellers demand big discounts, but they buy their stock outright.)  Some publishers (the large, famous ones) work on a ‘push strategy’ where they advertise heavily and insist that the bookstores carry stock.  Other publishers (like mine) operate on a ‘pull strategy’, which means that they depend on the author to create demand.

How can an author create demand?  I have offered to do book signings on the basis that one can at least sell the autographed copies.  But, it’s not easy to find bookstores that are interested in arranging signings for authors that aren’t yet famous.  At one  time, my publisher was arranging book signings for its authors, and I asked for half a dozen bookstores in strategic cities.  None was interested, but there was one bookstore in Bangor, Maine (somewhat out of my way) that volunteered to take me.  I declined: the travel expenses would have dwarfed my royalties.

Then, I tried to persuade small, independent bookstores to carry my books on the basis that I would own the books until they were sold and would replenish them on demand.  None was interested.  They are very protective of their shelf space.

My publisher is now emphasizing the sale of foreign rights at big trade shows around the world.  They take their portfolio of  authors to book shows, and sell distribution rights (usually of ebook copies) within the various countries.  I’m going to give this a try next year.  My publisher also recommends that its authors have a blog (like this) and a website (I have one), as well as postings on social media.  I’m not convinced that Twitter and Facebook add value above and beyond a blog and a website.

Of course, I let all my friends and business contacts know about a new book when it is published, and, in the case of Efraim’s Eye, I have sent copies to the literary editors of the major UK newspapers.  They should be interested.  The central plot involves an attack on the London Eye, and much of the setting is in England.  We shall see.

One can hope that a novel one has written will go ‘viral’ like Fifty Shades of Gray or Thursdays in the Park, the new ‘Granny Sex’ novel.  My wife has read both these novels; she says they are badly written.  But in each case they have a secret appeal.  In the case of Fifty Shades of Gray, the appeal is sado-masochistic love, and in the case of Thursdays in the Park, it’s about a woman in her sixties falling in love again and having sex.  Neither book was strongly promoted by its publisher, but Fifty Shades of Gray has sold something like 50,000,000 copies, and Thursdays in the Park probably won’t be far behind.  For someone who tries to write quality literature, these examples are (mildly) frustrating, but I’m not about to seek a kinky theme for the sake of sales volume.

It is interesting to note that Pippa Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister and sister-in-law of Prince William, has obtained an enormous amount of publicity lately.  In addition to the photographs of her (she is a very attractive young woman), she is quoted as offering tips from her recently published book, Celebrate: A Year of Festivities with Family and Friends.  The book, unfortunately, has been panned by the critics and is reportedly not selling well.  Pippa’s publisher must be gnashing his teeth, having paid Pippa (it is rumoured) an advance of £400.000 and now having to shell out for publicity shoots.  Moral of the story: promotion isn’t enough; one has to offer something that the public wants.

Efraim’s Eye

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Efraim's Eye

My third novel, Efraim’s Eye, has now been published and is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Briefly, it is about a lone wolf terrorist who has a fanatical hatred of the British, and who is financed by his half-brother.  Efraim intends to destroy the London Eye and kill the eight hundred passengers.  Standing in the terrorist’s way are a middle-aged British financial consultant and a beautiful Israeli charity worker.

A (nearly) full synopsis is as follows:

Efraim has designed a plan to sever the supporting cables of the London Eye, using shaped charges, causing the Eye to fall over into the River Thames.  All 800 passengers will be killed or drowned in their capsules.

But first, he must call on his half-brother to provide the funds with which he will buy the ingredients for the shaped charges.  Having obtained the money, he travels to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Chechnya, where he obtains the RDX high explosive, the polymer binder, and he has the casings manufactured.  He kills two Taliban who try to steal from him, and a Russian agent who tries to entrap him.  He visits prostitutes and agonises over the Qur’an’s proscription of ‘unclean women’.

Efraim’s half-brother, Yusuf, is chief executive of the Moroccan chapter of the British charity, Global Youth Enterprise.  GYE provides loans and mentors to young entrepreneurs who have a business idea, but no funding.  The CEO of the British GYE suspects that all is not well in his Moroccan chapter, and he engages Paul, a senior financial consultant, on a pro-bono basis, to assess the Moroccan chapter.

Paul is a well-to-do, widower in his late fifties.  He has worked in large practices, has joined Charitable Consultants LLP., and now has his own practice in the City.

Paul is joined in Marrakesh by Naomi, the operations director of the parent GYE.  An Israeli by birth, in her mid-thirties, and beautiful, she speaks seven languages, including Hebrew, Arabic and English.  In their week-long assessment of the Moroccan GYE, they find much that is wrong, including lack of financial and operating procedures, lax board governance, and rumours of fraud and embezzlement.  But they can’t find proof of illegality.  Yusuf’s evasiveness and hostility frustrate them at every turn.  Efraim appears threateningly, and his malevolence reminds Naomi of events in her childhood.  She draws close to Paul and they become lovers. 

Reportedly, Efraim is a fiery, fundamentalist imam at a minor mosque, and secretly, Paul and Naomi attend Friday prayers.  Paul records Efraim’s talk and Naomi confirms its venomous intent.

On his return to England, Paul informs Sarah, his divorcee lady friend, of his affair with Naomi, and Sarah leaves him.  On hearing Paul’s report, the Accreditation Board of British GYE decides that the books and bank accounts of Moroccan GYE should be properly audited, and Paul is sent back to Marrakesh to perform the audit.  A careful inspection of the bank statements reveals that fraud has been committed, but they lack the evidence of embezzlement until Naomi finds it.  Paul and Naomi secretly hear Efraim speak again; he gives clues that his target is the Eye. Just before fleeing to England, Naomi is abducted and severely beaten by Efraim.

Paul succeeds in convincing Scotland Yard of the seriousness of the threat, and a thorough plan of prevention is set in motion.  The attack is expected on Sunday.  Paul decides that he and Naomi should visit the Eye on Saturday.  They find Efraim hurriedly laying out the shaped charges. 

(You’ll have to read the book to discover the conclusion.)