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Her Duty to Mankind
John Fennell Author Interview
Raven Gone Rogue follows Raven as she tries to find the truth behind her uncles death and needs to go against her former employer to do it. What was the inspiration for the setup to this exciting novel?
Raven Anderson is a very determined character who will stop at nothing to accomplish her goal. She knew The Foundation would never let her take out her uncle’s killer because he was a source of vital information, so she went rogue to hunt down the man who changed her life forever. As the author, I knew this was a natural story that would make a great plot for Raven Gone Rogue.
Raven is an intriguing character that I enjoyed following. What were some driving ideals behind her character development?
She was thrown into the agent lifestyle because of her uncle’s death, thus giving me a perfect character to develop. In the first book Raven and the Panther, Raven went from a teenager to a highly skilled assassin trained be her uncle and the Panther. In Raven Gone Rogue she had to leave The Foundation to accomplish her goal. This also set up conflict with her love Naci Vacara, grandson of The Foundation matriarch Amelia Vacara. The Foundation placed a target on her back.
I enjoyed the balance between action and exposition which kept the novel on a steady pace. Was there a balance you tried to strike, or did this develop organically while writing?
I wanted the story to follow a deliberate course to keep the reader engaged. I knew Raven needed to get back in the graces of The Foundation. Something drastic needed to happen in the plot so Raven could work her way back into The Foundation. It’s all in the book and the reader won’t be disappointed.
Where do you see this series going in future novels?
Raven will continue to rid the world of evil. She and her love Naci along with The Foundation will take on several more adversaries with a whole host of challenges. The next novel, Raven and the Code Book, deals with something that will change the world forever. Again, Raven Anderson meets her adversary head on and fulfills her duty to mankind.
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![Raven Gone Rogue by [Fennell, John]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51MkEhfUFnL.jpg)
Raven teams up with world renown assassin Morgan to seek revenge on her former employer, The Foundation, for not letting her bring closure to her beloved Uncles death. The Foundation put Raven in their sights because she went rouge, a policy that her lover, Naci, tried to change. Morgan and Raven organize an auction that bring together world leaders and a rouge scientist, Falcon-X, who will sell to the highest bidder, an advanced breakthrough in travel. Things don’t go as planned at the auction, Raven must protect Falcon-X and hide him. During their travels to Raven’s bunker, Falcon-X reminds her of something very important. Raven’s uncle Bill, although passed, sent her a signal in old film clip that saves her life. She must protect herself and all those around her, after the devastation Morgan creates in her life. Raven must find out the reason for her uncle’s death and who’s really on her side. She, along with her deceased uncle, put an end to, Raven Gone Rouge.
The Imposter’s Trail
Your heart will be racing as you read the latest in the Sean Kruger series The Imposter’s Trail by J.C. Fields. Our beloved Special Agent with the FBI is supposed to be living out his golden years with his new wife and child while teaching the next generation at university. However, if there’s one thing Kruger can’t escape it’s his own skill. When a culprit Kruger feels responsible for losing six years ago pops back up on the radar, our favorite agent can’t help but be pulled into the chase for this deranged murderer. What begins as a chase for an escaped serial killer evolves into a terrorist plot that only Fields could concoct. Will Kruger make it out of this one alive? Or will this finally be the end of Special Agent Sean Kruger?
Fields does a great job with his descriptions as usual. It is easy for the reader to picture either characters or settings in their mind. It is easy to get inside the mind of our protagonist, but we can also get inside the mind of our insidious imposter. Fields spares nothing in mapping out the thought process of this murder and what drives them to do what they have done. The story itself is gripping as we follow Kruger on his hunt while taking blows along the way. This installment hits closer to home than ever for our agent, and we read on with anticipation as to how he will react when all that is sacred to him is threatened. The action is well paced without being over the top or unbelievable. Even the relationships between all the characters are realistic. This is hard to do when you have a continuing series and when you have a cast of characters that can be as large as the one in this story.
A large cast can be a blessing or a curse, depending on who you ask. Having to keep all of the characters traits in line while remembering what importance they play in the story can be a detriment to some writers. Fields has done this before, however, and it’s easy to see that there are no characters created purely for convenience. Even those who do not last more than a paragraph are supplied with a backstory and meaning, even if it is only brief. This is a good tactic to take as it makes each person in the story meaningful to the reader.
When you’re looking for a novel about subterfuge, action and gripping human emotion, anything by J.C. Fields is a good choice. We are not let down with The Imposter’s Trail as we follow Kruger on his quest for personal redemption while he puts his life on the line to correct a mistake he made years ago. It’s not necessary to read the other books in the series which is a benefit for those who might be picking up this book without knowledge of the previous installments. Readers will still feel engaged and knowledgeable enough about the world and its inhabitants without feeling overwhelmed or clueless. The only real question we are left with is: what will happen to Special Agent Sean Kruger after this?
Pages: 280 | ASIN: B073V7V6FQ
The President’s Fixer
Igor Komarov works directly for the Russian President. His job is to take covert action against people the Russian President deems to be enemies of the state. Komarov is tasked to locate and retrieve a piece of software that has the potential to start another cold war. The software was developed using the latest quantum computers and can hijack and destroy any computer around the world. To get the job done Komarov must lose all connection to the Russian government and team up with the Russian mafia. Komarov and his mafia connections come up with a plan to steal the software, but before they can put their plan into action several other government agencies and mafia organizations are onto them. Now Komarov has to steal an advanced computer program off of a dangerous island while the NSA, GCHQ, and an ex-SAS operative tries to stop him.
The President’s Fixer is a fast paced action thriller that rivals Robert Ludlums Bourne series. The President’s fixer gets right into the action in the first dozen pages. The book opens with an assassination and from there it’s a lot of high stakes plot building that is cut up with short violent action scenes. I read this book all in one day because it was short and riveting. What I like about this book was that no one person seemed to be the bad guy; or doing evil things just to be evil. There was a purpose and direction behind everyone’s actions. I thought that Komarov would be the main character in the story, but he shares the spotlight with many other intriguing characters. My favorite character is the ex-SAS agent Tom Traynor. Quiet and calculating; he seems to be one that stands back, watches things unfold, and then acts with deadly precision when ready. I can’t wait to read more about Tom in the next book in the series. Many of the characters that are introduced are well trained deadly professionals and it was interesting to see them confront one another because when they are both after the same thing violence ensues and it’s entertaining to see which highly trained killer will come out on top.
The complex connections between people and places was interesting, but it was also something that was confusing at times. Because the book is so fast paced and condensed, and because there are several characters you have to keep track of, it gets a little difficult to follow along with who is doing what for which reasons. And because it was the thing that all the characters were after, I wish there was more technical description of how the quantum software was developed.
The President’s Fixer is a fast paced espionage thriller that doesn’t disappoint. Be warned, you will definitely want to read the next book in the series after you read this. Action packed, riveting, engaging and I can’t wait to read more.
Pages: 127 | ISBN: 9781310408519
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