A Hero

Then and Now

Now and Then

“Twenty years off the grid and Pascual thought he was safe.”

I first met Pascual in the book Kill Chain, releasing on October 6, 2020. The Cold War is over. For several decades, Pascual has buried his dark pedigree. He’s married and has a college age son. Life is soothingly pleasant in Barcelona. Hope is blooming over the scarred earth of subterfuge and danger. Until one day…

Pascual began his career and morally puzzling life in a book first published in the 1990’s, Lying, Crying, Dying. This book is being re-released on October 6, 2020.

What an experience to read about a hero from then until now, or from now until then. Besides the changes in the world- new alliances, new global dangers, new technology and methods- how does the older Pascual account for the young man he once was? Has he grown more careful, more open and caring, or has he repressed too much darkness?

In addition to the evolution of the character, how did the author change? Did he manage to maintain his unique literary style and intricate plotting? From the character to the style of the book, I highly recommend you get to know Pascual. I have included the Amazon information and my reviews of Lying, Crying, Dying and Kill Chain. My thanks to Meryl Moss Media and Dunn Books for review copies.

Pascual Today…A New Beginning

JENA’S REVIEW

Kill Chain by Dominic Martel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had grown a bit weary of romance novels. The “meet cutes” were fun, the “first kisses” were charming and there’s nothing wrong with a “happy ever after”. But I yearned for something more exciting. I wanted my pulse to pound in a different way for different reasons. Enough of the sweetness and light. I wanted cunning, ingenuity, deceit, skill, a bit of murder and mayhem and an intriguing rascal…

…so, I decided to accept Dunn Books and Meryl Moss Media’s offer of an advance paperback review copy of a new international mystery crime and suspense story, “Kill Chain”! I read it and I love it!

Author Dominic Martell had featured ex-terrorist Pascual Rose in three novels, published in the 1990’s. Now Pascual is back. He’s an older, wiser, off-the-grid guy in the present day. He has a wife and son that are his world, and every day is a vacation day for him.

“Twenty years off the grid and Pascual thought he was safe.”

But, before he realizes that anything is wrong- it’s too late. The kill chain has been activated. “Kill chain” was first used as a military term, to show the steps of a military action. Now it’s a cyber intelligence term. What this means for Pascual is that his phone, computer- really his whole life- has been taken over and he is plunged into the tech world of high stakes electronic money laundering.

Taken over by whom, you ask? Pascual doesn’t know. But he must race against time to save himself and his family. Pascual may be older now and it’s harder for him to outrun the bad guys, but he still has his smarts and cunning. Shell companies, cryptocurrency, international conflicts and intelligence agencies- Pascual must outwit them all.

This book is more than just an exciting plot. The book features marvelous writing and characters. Readers will thoroughly enjoy the detailed yet crystal clear plot, presented in taut and tight detail. Complex situations are the heart of this book and the author makes them understandable and engaging. Pascual and his family and friends, even the bad guys are vivid and real.

My question for Pascual Rose is- how does ordinary me stand a chance in our high-tech world? Looking forward to seeing you in more books!

A truly readable and memorable book and I thank Dunn Books and Meryl Moss Media for a review copy. This is my honest review.

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Pascual Yesterday…The Beginning

JENA’S REVIEW

Lying Crying Dying by Dominic Martell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lying Crying Dying by Dominic Martell is the first book in the Pascual series which was published in the 1990’s. The book will be rereleased in October, 2020. I had recently met the Pascual in a new book (also releasing soon) written 30 years after Lying, Crying Dying. I was mesmerized by this new look at an older Pascual in Kill Chain, the sequel which brings this Cold War anti-hero into the post 9/11 era. I am now sounding as complex as these amazing books but think about it. How often do you get to jump back into an exciting life and story?

This book should have been called, “Lying, Crying, Dying,THRILLING.” The book begins with Pascual lying low in Barcelona. After he defected to Mossad and the CIA, he was given a new identity. His days as a covert operations courier for radical European groups are over. In addition to all his specialized skills, he knows many languages and has lived in Eastern Europe, Damascus, Aleppo, Beirut, Morocco and even America. Now he is a ghost.

Until…he connects again with Katixa, a player from his earlier days. She has a suitcase with 5 million francs and needs to get away. Pascual gives in to his deep connection with her. From that point on, it’s a leap out of a fourth story window and the life or death chase is on. It’s one thing to avoid the law and underground agents. It’s another matter to avoid a trunk load of plastique.

But who is Pascual running from? The law, hitmen or himself? And is he running to the exotic Katixa or to the most dangerous situation he has yet to confront? Readers hang on to your getaway car- you won’t know until you screech around a curve to the last page.

I was fascinated to see that the younger Pascual in this book really wasn’t that different from the older Pascual I first met in Kill Chain. Of course, he always has his special skills. But the inner workings of Pascual have continued from the past to the present. He doesn’t always trust his inner compass, he depends on friends to help him, and he continues to search for a way to remain sane.

“Now he is launched; he is a stealth missile, off the radar screen. He is invisible and he is deadly and this time he is right.”

Lying, Crying, Dying is skillfully crafted, a dark thriller with literary tones. Plenty of characters from all walks of life are vividly presented. And Katixa is marvelous. Observations about friendship, trust, and the purpose of life from the small details of coffee in a bar to the philosophy of aiming a gun are woven into the suspense of danger and intrigue. Pascual is gritty, life is too and it’s incredible to see this dark hero from the 1990’s to 2020. You have to think while you read this book. You can read Lying first or Kill Chain but do read them!

Thanks to Meryl Moss Media and Dunn Books for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

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