Tag Archives: Action Adventure Thriller

by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | February 20, 2024 · 5:00 am

Reap the Wind Virtual Book Tour

Action/Adventure/Thriller

Date Published: 02-06-2024

Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc.

REAP THE WIND is THE PERFECT STORM meets THE FIRM.

The novel is an action/adventure thriller in which three lawyers flee
Houston heading to Cincinnati in a rented Lincoln Town Car. They must drive
across Texas and the Midwest in the midst of the worst climate
change-induced hurricane of the century so Josh Goldberg can be with his
girlfriend who is giving birth to their baby. They have to survive a
hurricane, tornado, hailstorm, driving rain, and each other to get
there.

Josh’s travel companions are his best friend—an alcoholic,
drug-addicted lawyer—and his boss who connives to derail his plans so
she can get to Philadelphia for a business meeting with a Norwegian
billionaire. The odyssey is dangerous on many levels and may be a suicide
trip.

EXCERPT

From Chapter 18
Looming straight ahead, the tornado was barreling down US 59. It looked huge, probably
a quarter mile across. It reached thousands of feet up into the clouds and carried with it trees, all
kinds of garbage, and I’m pretty sure I saw a cow. A whole damned cow. Leaves and branches
whipped at the car as Geoff slowed to a stop.
“Everyone!” I shouted. “Open your windows a crack. If we don’t, the air pressure from
the tornado will blow them out.”
As soon as we all cracked our windows, we were nearly deafened by the roar. People say
it’s like a freight train and that’s actually what it sounded like. Except that the freight train is
coming straight at you and you’re standing in the middle of the tracks.
Frozen.
Mesmerized.
About to be pulverized.
I figured we had maybe ten seconds to do something. I had no idea what.
Geoff gripped the wheel like he was holding on for his life. “What should we do?” We all
looked around. There were woods on our left and a farm field to the right. No roads or driveways
anywhere.
“Google said to drive at a right angle from its path,” I said. “We can’t get through those
trees, and if we try to go across the field, we could be stuck in the mud, completely exposed.”
I called over my shoulder, not trying to hide my sarcasm, “So what do you suggest now,
Diane?”
When she didn’t reply, I checked the mirror again. She’d disappeared. I pulled off my
seatbelt and got on my knees on the seat and turned around. Diane was lying on the floor in a
fetal position, holding her knees. Her body was shaking. I felt a moment of sympathy for her and
put my hand on her shoulder. It was quaking. You are such an asshole, Diane. I’m never
listening to you again, bitch. “Hang in there, Diane. We’ll be okay.”
We were down to maybe five seconds until the tornado hit us. The car was being pelted
with branches, rocks, and debris.
I turned to Geoff, “Can you turn this around? Maybe we can outrun it?”
“No time, but if we stay here, we’re sitting ducks. “Did you see that cow? That could be
us. What should we do?”
By now, the wind whipped hard against the car, all kinds of shit was pelting us from all
directions.
“I don’t know, I don’t know. But we’ve got to get out of here.”
Three seconds to go until we were hit by the wall of the tornado.
“Down there,” yelled Geoff over the rising noise as the tornado approached, now just
hundreds of feet away. He pointed to the side of the road. A ten-foot berm was built up just
ahead, between the field and the roadway. To carry the highway over a small dip in the terrain.
“It’s not much cover, but it’s better than nothing.”
I understood his idea but couldn’t see how we could get down the steep incline without
rolling over. “How are you going to get there?”
Geoff looked at me and grinned. He looked crazy-mad. “Hang on. We’re going full
Dukes of Hazzard.”
“Wait! What?” Was all I could say as I rushed to re-attach my seatbelt. Geoff hit the
accelerator and we rocketed into the teeth of the tornado.

About the Author

Joel Burcat is an award-winning author of three environmental legal
thrillers: Drink to Every Beast (about illegal dumping of toxic waste), Amid
Rage (about a coal mine permit battle), and Strange Fire (about a fracking
dispute). His most recent book, Reap the Wind, published by Sunbury Press,
Inc., is about three lawyers trying to drive from Houston to Cincinnati in a
climate change-induced hurricane.

He has received a number of awards, including the Gold Medal for
environmental fiction from Readers’ Favorite for Strange Fire, and as
a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Amid Rage. He
has written numerous short stories. Burcat imbues his novels with facts to
educate his readers about critical environmental issues while they are being
entertained by the story.

Burcat’s books are infused with realism developed over a forty plus
year career as an environmental lawyer. Burcat has worked in government as
an Assistant Attorney General and in a private law practice. He was selected
as the 2019 Lawyer of the Year in Environmental Litigation (for Central PA)
by Best Lawyers in America. Among his numerous professional writings, he has
edited two significant books on environmental and energy law. He has retired
from the practice of law and works full-time as a novelist.

He is an active member of the International Thriller Writers and
PennWriters.

Burcat lives in Harrisburg, Pa. with his wife, Gail.

Contact Links

Twitter: @JoelBurcat

Purchase Links

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Tagged as Action Adventure Thriller, Joel Burcat, Reap The Wind

by Jennifer Reed/ bookjunkiez | February 26, 2020 · 5:00 am

The Lost Train Tour

The Lost Train banner

Action Adventure Thriller

Date Published: 2/20/20

Publisher: Golden Acorn Press

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

A former MP, Will Stattin, is called to Europe to investigate the theft of several paintings. He learns that the paintings are part of a series of nine pieces of art, all with a clue that ultimately leads to a train that disappeared from Konigsberg, Germany in late 1944 full of gold, art, and priceless artifacts. He quickly learns that he is not the only one after the paintings. Now it is a race across Europe to find the paintings and the lost train with the help of the beautiful and savvy museum agent, Giovanna Rossi, before the hunt turns even more deadly than it already has.

EXCERPT

As they were leaving the room, Giovanna Rossi caught up to them.

“Signor Ricolini! I need to see your paintings.” Giovanna was holding up what looked like a purse, but Will spotted a custom head band with a magnifying glass and ultra violet light sticking out of it.

“Why, may I ask?” Mr. Ricolini frowned.

“I’m the last check before the paintings leave the building. You didn’t think I came tonight to buy a painting, did you? No. The museum hired me as a courtesy to the buyers. I make sure each painting is authentic at the point of departure. The museum has a reputation to uphold.”

Behind them another buyer had come to pick up his paintings.

Piero gave her a pained look. “Of course, of course. It will only take a minute, won’t it?”

She smiled. “Two minutes. Unless I find something. You can take them right over to the door if it makes you feel better.”

Will watched her begin her inspection. She flipped on her ultra violet light and looked closely at each painting. “Are you staring at me or the painting,” she asked Will with a grin.

Will turned away quickly just as Piero’s guards came in the delivery entrance. When Giovanna was done with her inspection, they wrapped up the paintings and placed them on specially constructed dollies. Then they wheeled them out the open back door.

“Signor Ricolini, you are all set,” Giovanna said. “Just sign here and you are on your way.”

Will walked out the door, still on alert. So far the evening had been quite tame. He didn’t really expect the thieves to strike at the museum, but he also knew that being prepared saved the day.

This is why he was the first to hear the sound of an engine roar as it changed gears. A black Mercedes van barreled down the narrow alleyway and skidded to a stop right in front of their van. Four men in black tactical gear jumped out of the van with semi-automatic rifles in their hands. They immediately pointed them at Piero’s guards.

“Get back! Hands in the air!” One shouted in German, which Will understood, and then switched to Italian and said the same thing. Two of the guards raised their hands and started backing slowly away from the van and the paintings. Inside the van, hidden from view, Vitto pulled his gun and edged to the end of the van.

Will ducked back inside the doorway and pulled out his Glock. “Get down, sir!” he said to Piero. Will stepped protectively in front of Giovanna, using his body to block her from sight.

Fear lit Giovanna’s face but Torrence had his hands on her and guided her away from the door before turning back for Piero. He was already on the phone alerting the police.

Just then, one of the gunmen reached the edge of the van and Vitto fired. He missed. The gunman stumbled back in surprise but then fired a volley into the open door of Piero’s van.

“Be careful of the paintings!” one of the attackers shouted in German.

“Don’t let them get the paintings!” growled Piero to Will.

Will raised his gun and fired. The closest of the attackers crashed to the pavement. The other gunmen, seeing a new threat, let loose a volley at the doorway. The bullets rocketed off the metal doorway and sent them scrambling for cover.

Will peeked around the corner and saw the paintings being grabbed while another volley ricochetted off the door. He was pinned down. He fired wildly through the door in the direction of the assailant.

Vitto must have thought he was a hero, for he stepped out from behind cover and took a wide stance and just started firing from his gun at the attackers. Maybe he thought the attackers were using plastic bullets. Will knew they weren’t. He didn’t know what had changed, but something had. These were live rounds.

A split second later, a bullet took Vitto in the chest and he went down, clutching at his neck.

And then it was over. They heard the black Mercedes van squealing as it pulled away.

Will turned and froze. To his horror, he saw that Piero had been hit in the chest. His eyes rolled back in his head. Giovanna had her hand over her mouth in shock. Torrence was trying to staunch the flow of blood, but his face was pale and said what they fearing.

Piero was gone.

Will jumped out and checked the bodyguards. Frank was going to be fine. His vest had taken a few bullets, but he was going to survive. Vitto and another guard were dead. Will looked in the back of the truck, his heart racing at the horrible turn of events.

The paintings were gone.

About the Author

Seth Crossman is a minister, speaker, and writer who lives in Upstate New York. His own adventures have taken him across the globe and stirred his desire to write fast-paced, provocative thrillers that keep readers turning the page. He has three boys that he wants to inspire with a sense of adventure and courage to overcome whatever obstacles get in their way.

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