Paradise Denied!

A Novel

AUTHORS COMMENTS:

Can three men save democracy? Paradise Denied! is a compelling and thought-provoking novel of the men who believe they can.  Although set against a background of counterterrorism, the book focuses on the characters; who they were, who they become, and the forces that dramatically change their lives. I chose to make the characters real. They have human strengths, weaknesses, ideals, personality flaws, and massive egos. They succumb to the pressures and passions of the moment.  Their decisions and actions shape their future and the future of the world. Their lofty ideals fall prey to greed, corruption, self-indulgence, and their blind obedience to their goals.

  CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:

Paradise Denied! depicts the lives of the character through their actions, their speech, and their intimate thoughts. As in real life, personal thoughts often contradict the spoken word. What one says may not be what they believe or think. I employ this unusual technique of direct “hearing” of the character thoughts to contrast them to the characters’ spoken word. Ed Walker, CIA investigator, Bilal Maqsood Ahmed, a Pakistani bent on revenge for the car bombing of his family, become Regional leaders of the newly formed STN. STN stands for Stop Terrorism Now.  STN’s avowed mission is to save Democracy.  They are convinced that world governments are not doing enough to combat the increasing threat of global terrorism, and only they and their teams can succeed where others have failed. The third main character, Timothy Randolph Barrows III, with ambitions to become President of the US, becomes Chairman of the Peace Envoys. Their secret mission is to destroy STN.   Each man leads a dual life-one as an ordinary citizen, and the other as the clandestine leader of his respective killing team.

The characters spring to life through their actions and reactions, their speech, and, uniquely, through their most intimate and personal thoughts. Their feelings, fears and anxieties, flaws, and actions and plans, mirror people each of us know in real life.    

Reader feedback has centered on their reactions to the characters, which they like, dislike, fear, or even hate. As the complexities of the characters evolve, their ideals fade, even as they attempt to regain control.  Their momentum lost, their thoughts and behaviors dramatically change in their attempt to recapture their past. Readers claim they began to root for the success of the character they like, while demanding the failure of those they don’t, just as casual observers take side in a sporting event. They point out, in vivid detail, the emotional impact they experience as the true nature of each character slowly unfolded. They see traits of themselves or parts of others.  Reader comments highlight the believability of the characters.  

 THE STORYLINE:

Disenchanted and angry because of the lack of progress in the war against terrorists, a group of wealthy anonymous people decides to take matters into their own hands. They believe that the supporters of the terrorists, whom they call The Circle of Contamination, must be included in the war against terrorism.  They create a super secret organization, Stop Terrorism Now (STN), whose mission is to destroy both groups.  They passionately believe this is the only way to secure the freedom and democracy of the word. They create nineteen STN killing teams in cities where terrorist are active. On September 11, 2010, nine years after the Twin Towers disaster, they make their first strike.  They immediately announce their intentions to the world. 

Success is theirs! As the number of terroristic attacks decrease, STN expands their targets to include criminals.

World leaders, who, behind closed doors, had previously welcomed the STN actions, now fear them. They decide to empower an existing global agency, the Peace Envoys, to do their dirty work for them. The secret potion of their mission is to find and eliminate the STN leaders. The original mission of the Peace Envoys was to provide economic and advisory assistance to third world countries. They hoped that by eliminating global poverty, the lure of terrorism would decrease.

Intrigue, betrayal, luck, and the bending of the rules come in play as the Envoys uncover the STN leaders. Paradise Denied! reaches its exciting conclusion as the human traits of the characters begin to have a dominate influence in the story. Paradise Denied! compels the reader to consider his or her own values and beliefs as they relate to their safety and freedom.

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H. J. Kaplan