Blog Archives
Trust and Confidence
Trust and Confidence – The 1998 Battle Between the Secret Service and Ken Starr is a historical look into the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. This in-depth analysis of the event started with author Jim Lichtman interviewing Lewis Merletti, the former Director of the United States Secret Service. This astute book gives readers an enthralling look into the political drama that unfolds when two factions of the Justice Department: Starr’s Office of Independent Counsel (OIC) and the upper echelon of the Department of Justice (DOJ) are pitted against each other. Lichtman opens this book with the thought-provoking epigraph:
“If you have integrity, nothing else matters.”
“If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” – Senator Alan Simpson
This sets the tone for the rest of the book and introduces the reader to the theme. It is a book about trust and confidence, the basic tenets of the United States Secret Service.
Merletti was an important figure in Starr’s investigation against the Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal, which was part of the much bigger Whitewater Scandal. This intriguing book is based entirely on personal interviews, documents from the personal files of the former Secret Service Director Lewis Merletti, and several other documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
The story is not just limited to Merletti’s encounters regarding the Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal. It also covers how Merletti defended the report of his internal investigations on the raid by The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) on a religious sect led by the spiritual zealot, David Koresh. Additionally, Lichtman discusses how Merletti fulfilled his role in the presidential detail and ultimately got appointed as the Director of the US Secret Service. This gives the reader a deeper insight into Merletti as an individual, what he stands for, and thus better explains the concept of trust and confidence around which the entire book revolves.
Trust and Confidence is an intellectually invigorating read. This phenomenal book is recommended for anyone interested in political drama and wishes to dive deeper into the Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal and look at its nuances as the book deliberately prevents the scandalous details of the extramarital affair from overshadowing the theme.
Pages: 212
Heirs of Deceits
Heirs of Deceits by Elizabeth Reinach is a historical fiction story set in Victorian England. Sir Gilbert Stanley is a wealthy landowner and member of parliament who has left behind a string of abandoned women and illegitimate children. When the mothers died, the children were sent to live at a workhouse or fostered out to another family. Years later, Sir Gilbert does not acknowledge them as his children but takes them in to his household to work as servants at his country estate, Stanley Court. When his illegitimate son, Henry is murdered, will Sir Gilbert be able to discover who killed him? And what will become of his other children when the scandal of their illegitimacy is revealed?
This story had a unique structure that spanned a number of years, following several children from early childhood in to young adulthood. I liked how the author showed insight into the various trials faced by the characters. It was an interesting contrast to see the difference between the hardships in the lives of Sir Gilbert’s illegitimate children living in a workhouse compared to Lady Anne, who was raised in an aristocratic household. I enjoyed the elements of mystery in this story, reading all the different clues during the murder investigation and trying to put the pieces together to figure out the identity of the killer. I liked that the author included an epilogue showing how the lives of the characters turned out.
The story was divided into several parts and in the first part, where each chapter was focused on a different child’s early life experiences. In Part Two the story lines of the different children start to merge together. When the same events were told from more than one character’s perspective, the facts were not always consistent as is often the case when multiple people are retelling a story, everyone remembers things a little different. This adds a layer of realism to the story with the retelling from multiple perspectives.
Heirs of Deceits by Elizabeth Reinach is a wonderful period piece that highlights a common issue of the time when men often had illegitimate children but no one ever wanted to speak of them. While a work of fiction this book give a voice to those deemed illegitimate. With scandal and a riveting murder mystery this novel will entertain a diverse set of readers.
Pages: 244 | ASIN: B07T239B3B
Despicable Ruthless Bosses
Muriel Ellis Pritchett Author Interview
Like Peaches and Pickles follows Georgia as she fights to maintain her position in a work place that is quickly changing. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Throughout my long career in journalism and communication, I never worked anywhere that did not have politics. I never understood politics or learned to play the game. I was always horrified to see workers caught up in politics and crushed alive. I always thought that if I did the best job I could do, if I always tried to exceed my boss’s expectations, and if I stayed as far away from office politics as I could, then I would be fine. However, I soon learned that was not true. I wrote this book for all women who have ever been caught up in office politics, but especially for those women whose lives were forever scarred by despicable, ruthless bosses.
What I liked about Georgia’s character was that she continued to develop throughout the story. What was your inspiration for her character?
I was inspired by the strong women I met over the years whose lives became ensnared in office politics. Women who fought back against wage discrimination and sexual harassment. Women who were vilified for trying to bring about positive changes in the work place.
I really liked how I could relate to the office politics in the story. What experiences from your own life did you bring into the story?
Like all authors, I draw from my own experiences. It was my naivety when it came to back-stabbing office politics that often got me into trouble. I worked 10 years at a major Southern research university, so I definitely had experiences of my own to weave into LIKE PEACHES AND PICKLES, like political hires, wage discrimination, sexual harassment, fraternity hazing, arrested athletes, and campus scandals. I mixed my personal experiences with stories I heard from faculty and staff members at universities and colleges across the United States and Canada.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently working on the third book in my “fruity” series–tentatively titled ROTTEN BANANAS. It is about a recently retired university professor who moves to a retirement complex for a safe, no-stress life full of Bridge games, yoga, water aerobics, music concerts, art classes, afternoon tea, and shopping trips to the Mall and Walmart. But one morning as she looks at her Bridge partner and counts up 40 points in her hand, she decides she wants more than that. So she signs up for a Caribbean cruise on the Emerald Dream, where she meets a stowaway, tangles with drug smugglers, gets kidnapped, and becomes involved with a “hottie” secret agent. What could be better than this?
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
![Like Peaches and Pickles by [Pritchett, Muriel Ellis]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512feuD%2BNAL.jpg)
The university’s selection committee nominates Georgia Davis to become their first woman vice president — a job she’s coveted for more than a quarter century. But the university’s new president, Paul Van Horne, sours her plans by ignoring the committee and hiring Carl Overstreet, his old college buddy instead. In spite of her outrage and better judgment, Georgia begins having romantic feelings for the despicable scoundrel who is now her boss — at least until he fires her. But Van Horne and Overstreet soon learn that a Southern peach like Georgia does not go quietly into the compost bin. And Georgia discovers that revenge can taste as sweet as romance. Like Peaches and Pickles — a deliciously wicked story — will make you laugh, love and cheer for one Southern peach with a pit of steel.
LITERARY TITAN 