The Charlatan's Boy

"The Charlatan's Boy, by Jonathan Rogers is a unique story of right and wrong. Floyd, the ever present showman takes Grady an orphan without any past or apparent future, and transforms him into a showman. Floyd is the consomit showman and flim flammer, who cheats the unsuspecting people of the countryside out of their coppers by fakery and shams. Grady, who has no family that he can remember, other than what Floyd tells him, is transformed into a showman's apprentice. He takes great pride in becoming a Wild Man of the Feechiefen Swamp.

This story takes the reader from Floyd's and Grady's antics of Feechiefen to Phrenology and back to Feechiefendum. Along the way Grady meets some interesting characters and finds himself pitted against some strange and not so particularly handsome people when staring as the Ugliest Boy in the World Show. Once that gig plays out, both he and Floyd go back to their antics of promoting the Great Freechie Scare. What both Floyd and Grady don't know is what is right around the corner.

This story startes out slow, but with each chapter, the reader finds himself or herself wanting to learn more about Grady. the young man without a past and what appears to be no future. Jonathan Rogers has done a great job of pulling the reader into the story and at the end, I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

Seeds of Turmoil, Bryant Wright

Have you ever considered the reasons why there is so much hate and mistrust in the Middle East? Bryant Wright, author of "Seeds of Turmoil", sets out to enlighten the reader of the whys and wherefores of these conflicts. The "Seeds of Turmoil", takes the reader on a journey of the Bible to find out who is involved.

As it is soon realized, we find in Genisis, that Abram and his wife Sarai along with Sarai's Egyptian maid, Hagar, had two sons. The first born, was Ishmael, the son of Abram and Hagar, as at that time, Sarai, was barren. As the Scriptures tell, God had promised Abram and Sarai, that they would have children, or at least a son, who would become a great nation. At a very advanced age, Abram and Sarai, did have that son, Esau. I won't go into detail, here, but these two boys were polar opposites. And from these two as well as from their parents, trouble was been brewing in the Middle East ever since.
What I have found amazing, is that the author, takes the Scriptures to explain in easy to understand as well as intelligent format, just how the Middle East became such a ground of turmoil. It's no wonder there is so much conflict. Most of the story of Abram, or Abraham as he was later named by God, can be found in the Book of Genesis. Wright, also delves into the histories and points from all sides of the issues. He does not function purely on his knowledge of the Bible, but utilizes other sources of information to glean his book, "Seeds of Turmoil". Thank you Bryant Wright for doing your homework, while researching the information and then wrighting it in such a spectacular way. "Seeds of Turmoil" is bound to make the Christian Best Sellers List.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version

There is no one but God who can rate this wonderful collection of Books. Just wanted to let my followers know that I have completed the reading of the Bible for the year 2010. I will be reading the King James version in 2011.

Three Seconds, Roslund & Hellstrom

I have just finished reading a Crime Suspense novel entitled "Three Seconds", by Swedish authors Roslund & Hellstrom. This novel takes place in Sweden and involves the Police using criminals to infiltrate various factions, such as the various Mafias in the area. The main charactor, Piet Hoffmann (aka) Paula, is being handled by a police officer by the name of Wilson. They are trying to infiltrate the Polish mafia and take over the Drug trade in the prisons. Piet, is going to go to prison as an informant to take out the Polish Mafia's drug business.

The story is good, however, it takes a couple of hundred pages to develop. The entire first part of the story is devoted to character development, and even then the reader is not quite sure who is who, and what is actually going on. From Part 2 on, the story takes off and you as the reader find yourself playing detective. The main character for the police is a older Detective by the name of Ewert Grens. He is methodical in his approach and reminds me of the old Columbo series on television. Grens does not give up when he is faced with trying to interview Hoffmann, and then after a siege at the prison, Grens is put in charge of the scene when Piet Hoffmann, takes hostages. Grens also is dealing with other issues in his life, such as the loss of his wife. Between the loss of his wife and the current situation with an infiltrator/criminal, Grens is relentless.

Piet Hoffmann, is also dealing with leaving his wife Zofia and his two children. He is tornbut feels that he must act according to what his police handler is asking him to do. All in all, this story is very good, with what I considered an unexpected finale.

I have just had the wonderful opportunity to read a fictional novel, entitled "Hostile Intent", by Michael Walsh. This gripping tale of terror and espionage spans the United States, London and France, as well as being a world wide threat. Devlin one of the stories main characters is a member of an elite branch known as Branch 4. This branch is unknown to everyone, including the President of the United States. the story starts with an apparent hostage taking in a small mid western town where a group of men or maybe, just one man plots to take school children hostage, while plotting to expose another man. Families are torn and are willing to do anything to save their childrens lives. Next there is a bombing on the West Coast, followed by another event in Europe. All of these events are a plot to entice our main character into exposing himself. Devlin is also learning more about his own life and past whle dealing with all that is going on around him. This story is gripping and hard to put down, once the reader starts with the first page of the novel. Bravo to Michael Walsh for his attention to detail and superb writing ability. This novel is bound to be a Top Seller and on the Best Sellers List.