Thursday, October 1, 2020

An Author Reviews Stephen Hunter's Master Sniper

 A friend recommended Stephen Hunter books as superbly crafted thrillers. She was right. MASTER SNIPER was worth every second of reading time. The story takes place at the end of WWII. One final desperate mission to ensure the rise of the Forth Reich. Of course, there is an allied intelligence officer and his team trying to stop the ‘master sniper.’ The story has more than a ‘darker undertone’ and a final plot that will raise the hair on the nape of anyone’s neck. My advice for any reader is to make sure that they can finish the last hundred pages in one sitting before they start the last hundred pages. I wanted there to be more. I guess that I’ll just have to read his other books. For me, Stephen Hunter and MASTER SNIPER is pure five-star fun. Jeff Bailey, author of NOT ON MY WATCH.





My name is Jeff Bailey I write action thrillers inspired by real events taken from everyday news. I also infuse elements of my near 50 years of experiences in nuclear weapons, nuclear power plants and nuclear research into my stories.

  


Not On My Watch is about a LCpl. Casandra Sing, a Marine aviation rescue firefighter. The inspiration for Cassie's character was the stories that my granddaughter, who was a Marine Corp. aviation rescue firefighter at the time of the writing. Elements of the story are also taken from my service in the Army Nuclear Weapons Program. LCpl. Sing witnesses the murder of two U.S. Army M.P.'s and decides that is her duty to stop the murderers. The situation gets complicated when she discovers that they have also stolen two nuclear weapons.

 

 

  



In The Defect, I tell the story of a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant and why the government covered it up. The Defect is based on true events: The reactor accident at Three Mile Island NPS and a shooting incident at Watts Bar NPS. Some story elements come from years starting-up and operating nuclear power plants. In The Defect, I tell the story of what really happened at the power plant and why the government covered it up.

 





Welcome To My World

 










Saturday, September 12, 2020

Jeff Bailey Reviews Brad A. LaMar's The Obsidian Dagger

 

Excellent, engrossing, and so real. The Obsidian Dagger by Brad LaMar is an action fantasy that follows a family to Ireland and Scotland in search of their family roots. The teenage brother and sister find more than they bargained for. The tale is classic good versus evil with a twist that will blur the lines. I only know a little about the folklore of Ireland and Scotland, but this story seemed to be true to the legends. That made it all the more enjoyable. LaMar is a master of dialog and captured the teen-speak perfectly. I’d swear that These are the teenagers from up the street in my neighborhood. I’m glad to see that this is a series because I see a whole lot more story to tell. For me, Brad LaMar and The Obsidian Dagger is pure five-star fun.




My name is Jeff Bailey I write action thrillers inspired by real events taken from everyday news. I also infuse elements of my near 50 years of experiences in nuclear weapons, nuclear power plants and nuclear research into my stories.

Not On My Watch is about a LCpl. Casandra Sing, a Marine aviation rescue firefighter. The inspiration for Cassie's character was the stories that my granddaughter, who was a Marine Corp. aviation rescue firefighter at the time of the writing. Elements of the story are also taken from my service in the Army Nuclear Weapons Program. LCpl. Sing witnesses the murder of two U.S. Army M.P.'s and decides that is her duty to stop the murderers. The situation gets complicated when she discovers that they have also stolen two nuclear weapons.




In The Defect, I tell the story of a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant and why the government covered it up. The Defect is based on true events: The reactor accident at Three Mile Island NPS and a shooting incident at Watts Bar NPS. Some story elements come from years starting-up and operating nuclear power plants. In The Defect, I tell the story of what really happened at the power plant and why the government covered it up.












Welcome to My World



Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The First Chapter of The American Pirate by Brad A. Lamar and Jeff Bailey

Brad and I are collaborating on sea going saga of a teenage boy who sailed with the pirates Jean and Pierre Lafitte in the early 1800's. This is the first chapter of our book. Hope you enjoy it.




December 1814 The rope was tight around Carlos’s, neck digging into his skin and making it hard for him to breath. He wanted to take it off or at least loosen it a bit, but that was impossible with his hands bound behind his back. He tried to wriggle his wrists out of the binding, but his hands were too big, the knot was too tight. He felt it burning his skin every time he moved. The humidity didn’t help. Even though it was cooler in the cell than outside, his body still produced sweat to cool off. The sweat didn’t evaporate which left the salt to pool under the ropes and further aggravate the abrasions. “Buck up, kid,” Jean encouraged. Carlos didn’t bother to respond. He was so angry with Jean and his brother Pierre. He was also angry with himself and cursed under his breath.
Jean LaFitte

“This is the worst part, Carlos,” chimed in Pierre who stood just ahead of the teenager and Jean. “The waiting, I mean. Once the hangman pulls the lever, you won’t have to worry any longer.”
Carlos shot the elder brother a nasty look, but Carlos had other thoughts on his mind like Zelma and his parents. They couldn’t be too proud of him at that moment. He wondered if they were going to watch him die or would they choose to stay away from the crowds, the spectacle, and the embarrassment.
The young man began to gather in his nerves and look around for the first time. He was being held in a dank and dusty cell with thirty others from the brothers’ crew and a dozen other common criminals. The smell was the worst part. The mold was sour from the body castoff of years of prisoners. Carlos recognized it as the mold that got into a man and ate him from the inside out.
All the men were bound, each with a section of rope taunt around their necks. was sorry to see that Pulson and Gregory were among them. He wished that they had escaped when they had the chance. He wished for a lot of things to be different.
All the men were bound, each with a section of rope taunt around their necks. was sorry to see that Pulson and Gregory were among them. He wished that they had escaped when they had the chance. He wished for a lot of things to be different.
The cell door swung open and a burly, barrel-chested, sweaty guard entered the room. He didn’t say anything, but he made Carlos’s stomach turn from just his imposing stature. He symbolized death to Carlos, and Carlos did not want to die. The guard surveyed the room while chewing on his dirty fingernails, spitting a strip to his right regardless of where it would land. His lips snarled into a contorted grimace making Carlos think that it was the look he had whether he was eating, killing people, or gardening.
“Come on, move it!” the guard said grabbing a man that Carlos didn’t know by the rope around his neck. He yanked hard and the prisoner was forced to comply at first but then the bound man pulled back, trying to resist the guard. A heavy fist to the midsection took the fight out of him and the guard led the prisoner out of the cell while another massive guard latched the door behind them.
“Savages, all of them,” claimed Jean, his French accent still present though he had lost most of it during his years in America.
“So says the pirate,” Floyd said with venom.
“Proprietor, you mean.” Jean stretched his neck and jutted out his chin like he often did when the word pirate was mentioned in his presence. “I am an entrepreneur, a businessman of sorts.
Carlos rolled his eyes and then sent his attention to the raised stage. He could see it through the large set of bars that trapped the prisoners inside but granted them a great view of their future. The guard shoved the bound man up the steps and onto the platform directly under the hangman’s beam. The guard and the hangman positioned the man on top of the trap door and then the hangman drew slack to his line by pulling a lever. The hangman, whoever he was, was an ingenious fellow, Carlos noted. He had a spool of rope threaded around his beam with a metal hook knotted to its end. He brought the hook down and baited it through a small, secure loop on the rope around the prisoner’s neck. The hangman tugged on either side of the hook to make certain it would hold. When he was satisfied the hooded man walked over to his post. He held his hand out and placed it on a second lever that would work the trap door.
Carlos never liked watching hangings. He recalled coming to a few when he was a boy, but he never wanted to watch someone suffer, no matter who they were.
“John Douglas, you have been tried and convicted of the crimes of thievery, extortion, and debauchery. Do you have any last words or confessions?” Minister Thomas asked.
The man only cried. People in the crowd mocked the poor guy, laughing at him.
“May your soul rest in peace,” the preacher said as he signaled the hangman. The people cheered when the door dropped from under the prisoner’s feet. Carlos only winced. The man kicked his feet and thrashed around like a fish on a line, but that nonsense stopped after a couple of seconds. Carlos wanted to turn his head away, but he couldn’t. His mind wouldn’t allow it. That was going to be his fate. He was going to dance at the end of the hangman’s line at the ripe old age of sixteen.

Not On My Watch is about a LCpl. Casandra Sing, a Marine aviation rescue firefighter. The inspiration for Cassie's character was the stories that my granddaughter, who was a Marine Corp. aviation rescue firefighter at the time of the writing. Elements of the story are also taken from my service in the Army Nuclear Weapons Program. LCpl. Sing witnesses the murder of two U.S. Army M.P.'s and decides that is her duty to stop the murderers. The situation gets complicated when she discovers that they have also stolen two nuclear weapons.

THE OBSIDIAN DAGGER. When a mad witch with a magically crafted and frightfully powerful Obsidian Dagger threatens to obliterate humanity and overtake the magic clans of the Celtic Isles, destiny forces 17-year-old American, Brendan O’Neal, and his younger sister, Lizzie, to intervene. Joining the desperate princess of the Leprechauns, Dorian, and her two loyal companions, Rory and Biddy, they embark on a dangerous and wondrous adventure across Ireland and Scotland to thwart the witch and save mankind.

In The Defect, I tell the story of a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant and why the government covered it up. The Defect is based on true events: The reactor accident at Three Mile Island NPS and a shooting incident at Watts Bar NPS. Some story elements come from years starting-up and operating nuclear power plants. In The Defect, I tell the story of what really happened at the power plant and why the government covered it up.


The Megalith Union. Just as life was returning to normal for Brendan as a college freshman, the hands of fate intervene and adventure besets him again in the second installment of the best-selling Celtic Mythos series. Elathan, the golden god of Celtic lore, is reborn out of the ashes of a dead king and evil witch. Through Brendan and his family, Elathan maneuvers the tendrils of destiny, seeking to gain ultimate power at the expense of all humanity. Dogged by giants, alphyns, and ruas Brendan, Dorian, Lizzie, and a new cast of characters risk it all to unravel the mystery of the ultimate foe. With Corways under attack and Brendan’s father captured by a forgotten enemy, can Brendan and his allies prevent the end of days? As the megalith union looms, Brendan and his friends must look to the past to prevent a future where Elathan reigns supreme.

Monday, July 27, 2020

Jeff Bailey Reviews Larry Rodness' OCTOBER 32nd


October 32nd by Larry Rodness was an unexpectedly excellent read, to say the least. The main character, Alexander Malefant is hiding from his emotional world as a traveling insurance salesman (his real job). He goes to a small-town during Halloween to sign some new clients and things get ‘wonky’ quick. Wait until he meets the ‘witch.’ The story was superbly written and structured to keep me off the scent of the real story for as long as possible. The ending was the best part: one of the most imaginative and twisty endings I’ve read in a long time. A clever cross between Stephen King and The Twilight Zone. The last five pages made October 32nd one of my favorite reads of the year and Larry Rodness one of my favorite new horror writers. For me, five stars to Larry Rodness and to October 32nd. Buy now on Amazon.



Not On My Watch is about a LCpl. Casandra Sing, a Marine aviation rescue firefighter. The inspiration for Cassie's character was the stories that my granddaughter, who was a Marine Corp. aviation rescue firefighter at the time of the writing. Elements of the story are also taken from my service in the Army Nuclear Weapons Program. LCpl. Sing witnesses the murder of two U.S. Army M.P.'s and decides that is her duty to stop the murderers. The situation gets complicated when she discovers that they have also stolen two nuclear weapons. Buy now on Amazon.


In The Defect, I tell the story of a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant and why the government covered it up. The Defect is based on true events: The reactor accident at Three Mile Island NPS and a shooting incident at Watts Bar NPS. Some story elements come from years starting-up and operating nuclear power plants. In The Defect, I tell the story of what really happened at the power plant and why the government covered it up. Buy now on Amazon.




Welcome to my world.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Pam G. reviews Jeff Bailey's NOT ON MY WATCH



Pam G, "NOT ON MY WATCH by Jeff Bailey is the first book that I have read by this author. It is a military thriller that takes place in Oklahoma. Lance Corporal Cassandra Sing witnesses an event at the base’s north gate. With no way to communicate with others, she has to use her Marine training to attempt to prevent further damage.

Cassie was a compelling character and definitely someone that you could root for. The book started out with an intense situation and that suspense did not let up during most of the book. The reader gets some of Cassie’s backstory through a few flashbacks in time. Her goals were clear and her motivations seemed believable and well-drawn. There were no secondary characters with significant depth, but there was enough information on the antagonists to keep me engaged. The plot twists seemed believable and the stakes were high enough to make this a fast-paced page turner for me.

Overall, this was a dramatic, intense and absorbing novel that seemed feasible and all too real. If you enjoy military thrillers, then this [NOT ON MY WATCH] may be the next book for you."



Not On My Watch is about a LCpl. Casandra Sing, a Marine aviation rescue firefighter. The inspiration for Cassie's character was the stories that my granddaughter, who was a Marine Corp. aviation rescue firefighter at the time of the writing. Elements of the story are also taken from my service in the Army Nuclear Weapons Program. LCpl. Sing witnesses the murder of two U.S. Army M.P.'s and decides that is her duty to stop the murderers. The situation gets complicated when she discovers that they have also stolen two nuclear weapons. Buy now on Amazon.








In The Defect, I tell the story of a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant and why the government covered it up. The Defect is based on true events: The reactor accident at Three Mile Island NPS and a shooting incident at Watts Bar NPS. Some story elements come from years starting-up and operating nuclear power plants. In The Defect, I tell the story of what really happened at the power plant and why the government covered it up. Buy now on Amazon.