Why would Iranian terrorists break into a Paris cemetery and steal the bones of an American Jewish WWI veteran? The answer lies in the deadly parallel history of WWI and the Spanish flu, but it’s a mystery that Jake Fortina will have to uncover in Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke’s thriller, Major Jake Fortina and the Tier One Threat.
During WWI, the Spanish Flu killed millions of people—some estimates as high as 100 million—but a Jewish nurse tossed off the flu like a cold and continued to serve her country. Iran’s leaders believe the DNA in her bones will let them develop a virus that could kill Americans and Israelis by the millions while simultaneously developing immunity for Iran’s own population.
This threat drives the story as it reaches deep into multiple countries and their governments, who collectively try to figure out the importance of the bones theft and, ultimately, what to do about it.
Jake Fortina is an Army foreign area officer, a special position designed to handle international and political-military duties. He’s called to work with an FBI agent in France to track down the terrorists, but must be careful so they can derail the plot and arrest the perpetrators.
The chase starts in Paris and winds its way eventually to the Italian coast. Jake’s skills are more diplomatic than James Bond as he navigates the complex relationships between multiple governments.
Even the carrying of a weapon by an American agent into some countries is forbidden unless specifically approved by a government agency. Jake and his fellow officers must swim in these political waters in order to track down the terrorists.
This novel favors patriotism, professionalism, and process over slam-bang cinematic action. Virtually every aspect of Jake’s actions, his relationships with colleagues, the cooperation of governments—from heads of states to ordinary agency and military officials— is spelled out in detail. Author Steinke paints Jake’s intricate world with undeniable authenticity.
Readers will enjoy a well-written thriller and come away with a better understanding of how the real world works (or should work) when confronted by an existential threat. It is at once a novel and an education in international diplomacy and coordination, balancing all aspects well.
Ro Delahanty bears heavy weights on her shoulders—a decades old conspiracy, the complexities of polyamorous love, and troubling family secrets—all of which she will begin to face in Revelations, book 6 of Dave Lager’s Ro Delahanty series.
On the belief that life isn’t just the random cards one is dealt, A Path to Excellence by Tony Jeton Selimi offers a blueprint—the octagon of excellence—to succeed personally, professionally, and spiritually.
A Song That Never Ends, the first volume of a two part series by Mark A. Gibson, opens a dramatic fictional saga of the Hamilton family from the late 1930s Depression era, to 1967 and the Vietnam conflict. Here against the backdrop of a South Carolina tobacco farm, we come to witness a family in turmoil.
In The Brisling Code, a fast-paced first installment of her historical thriller series, Oakley weaves a brilliant portrayal of the perils met by the Norwegian Resistance during WWII. 
In Loving Beth, a Christian historical romance by Bonnie Rose Ward, a young woman finds herself in dire straits when her widowed mother dies unexpectedly.
The Winter Heir, the second book in J.A. Nielsen’s Fractured Kingdoms series, picks up where the first book, The Claiming, leaves off—with its protagonists struggling under the weight of a vital bargain.
If you’re looking for a beach read with supernatural intrigue, A Circle of Stars by Erin Lark Maples will draw you in from page one. Ember “EJ” James, a newly-arrived stranger in the strange land of Prescott, AZ, immediately begins navigating unfamiliar territory, both physically and metaphysically.