Category Archives: Espionage

The Hidden Truth–a Review

Author Hans G. Schantz and I run in some of the same circles, so we’ve bumped into each other before (he also organizes the Big Based Book Sales). But this book was recommended to me by somebody I know online who is not an author. I’ve become so gunshy about all the poorly written indie novels on the market that it took this little nudge for me to give The Hidden Truth a try. I am now thankful for the recommendation.

It doesn’t hurt that the subject matter is right up my alley. I’ve long been fascinated by hidden truths (behind myths, legends, history, common knowledge…but I repeat myself), so the title alone should have been enough.

For my money, the story lives up to the title. Of course, I hope the succeeding books dig deeper into the plot groundwork laid here.

Peter Burdell finds a strange reference while perusing an old book on electricity (I think it’s actually called “wave theory). The information has been censored from other editions of the book. Why? Naturally, our hero is curious, though at first this could all be chalked up to coincidence or inconsistent editing/revisions back in the Dark Ages before the Internet, personal computing, or even television. But when other people stumble across this hidden truth, they die under mysterious circumstances.

Peter is hooked, and just has to dig deeper. As a reader, I’m hooked, too. Again, I’m a sucker for hidden truths–like the missing song in Shadow Hand Blues. or “Rosebud” in Citizen Kane or “Calima” in Planet of the Apes.

I like the characters and never had trouble relating or sympathizing. There was a bit of mustache-twirling by Uncle Larry when he tries to recruit Peter, but overall the storytelling is strong enough that I won’t give this any less than five stars.

The author even dabbles in the socio-sexual hierarchy and the concept of game–and does so in an amusing way.

Seriously, this has been the most enjoyable book I’ve read in years. Strongly recommended.

Benghazi, Revisited

Can’t vouch for the authenticity of this, but it’s far more believable than any iteration of the Official Narrative from the Swamp Media:

Ambassador Stevens was sent to Benghazi to secretly retrieve US made Stinger Missiles that the State Dept had supplied to Ansar al Sharia in Libya WITHOUT Congressional oversight or permission.

Sec State Hillary Clinton had brokered the Libya deal through Ambassador Stevens and a Private Arms Dealer named Marc Turi, but some of the shoulder fired Stinger Missiles ended up in Afghanistan where they were used against our own military. On July 25th, 2012, a US Chinook helicopter was downed by one of them. Not destroyed only because the idiot Taliban didn’t arm the missile. The helicopter didn’t explode, but it had to land and an ordnance team recovered the missile’s serial number which led back to a cache of Stinger Missiles kept in
Qatar by the CIA.

Obama and Hillary were in full panic mode, so Ambassador Stevens was sent to Benghazi to retrieve the rest of the Stinger Missiles. This was a “do-or-die” mission, which explains the Stand Down Orders given to multiple rescue teams during the siege of the US Embassy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…(This was why Hillary) had a Private Server, (in order to delete the digital evidence), and WHY Obama, two weeks after the attack, told the UN that the attack was the result of the YouTube video, even though everyone KNEW it was not.

Furthermore, the Taliban knew Bowe Bergdahl was just a useful pawn used to cover the release of the Taliban generals. Everyone knew Bergdahl was a traitor but Obama used Bergdahl’s exchange for the five Taliban generals to cover that Obama was being coerced by the Taliban about the unauthorized Stinger Missile deal…that the administration had aided and abetted the enemy WITHOUT Congressional oversight or permission, so they began pressuring (blackmailing) the Obama Administration to release five Taliban generals being held at Guantanamo.

In case you still don’t get it: you are paying taxes so that traitors, criminals, and evil perverts can bankrupt your country (starting with YOU); sell you out to foreign and domestic enemies who hate you; corrupt and/or molest your children; enslave forthcoming generations in perpetuity; blame people like you for all the suffering they cause; and make themselves rich in the process.

The Shelter-In-Place E-Book Sale…Part 2

I’m not calling it “the Martial Law Book Sale” because I’m trying desperately to be optimistic about the shutdown and what will happen afterwards.

While we’re waiting (and hoping) for this to blow over, don’t succumb to boredom. Kick back with a good book and enjoy the down time.

Mike has reduced the prices of all his e-novels, now. Also, I’ve slashed the prices of my shorter books and will add those links, too. Remember, you can click on the images or the text links to buy. And all these books are available not only on Amazon for the Kindle, but at Barnes & Noble for the Nook, Kobo, the Apple Store, and just about every other store where you can buy e-books, for whatever device.

-Hank

Fast Cars and Rock & Roll…that title tells you exactly what you’re in for in this 459 page  high-testosterone tale of Deke Jones’ adventures with racing, rock music,  and ravishing women.

CLICK HERE TO READ IT ON YOUR KINDLE!

Click here to read it on Kobo.

Click here to get it from Smashwords.

Click here to get it everywhere else.

Deke Jones is back for 612 pages of private detective work mixed with irreverent mayhem in Shadow Hand Blues, trying to solve a cold-case mystery after stumbling on a dead blues man’s electric guitar.

CLICK HERE TO READ IT ON YOUR KINDLE!

Click here to read it on Kobo.

Click here to get it from Smashwords.

Click here to get it everywhere else.

There are no elves, unicorns, or pixie ninjas in Gods & Proxies, but it’s about as epic a fantasy as you could possibly get in 316 pages. Or is it a fantasy at all?

CLICK HERE TO READ IT ON YOUR KINDLE!

Click here to read it on Kobo.

Click here to get it from Smashwords.

Click here to get it everywhere else.

The Curly Wolf is 321 pages of western action, innocent romance, and larger-than-life characters.

CLICK HERE TO READ IT ON YOUR KINDLE!

Click here to read it on Kobo.

Click here to get it from Smashwords.

Click here to get it everywhere else.

 

Buy all three Retreads novels from Amazon.
Buy the whole series from Amazon.

The entire Retreads series is available for a song at Amazon. Well, I don’t think they actually make you sing. But the three E-Books will cost less than a cheeseburger from the drive-through.

And, of course, the books are for sale individually, too. Hell and Gone was the series premier, my first bestseller, and still the most popular of all my books.

Buy Hell and Gone for the Kindle.
Click to buy on Amazon.

Buy it for the Nook on Barnes & Noble.

Buy it at the Kobo store.

Buy it at the Apple store.

Buy it at Smashwords.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible. Comment on this post to get a coupon code for a discount!

The second Retreads novel is Tier Zero. Many readers thought it was even better than the first book.

Click to buy Tier Zero for the Kindle.
Click to buy on Amazon.

Buy it for the Nook on Barnes & Noble.

Buy it at the Kobo store.

Buy it at the Apple store.

Buy it at Smashwords.

Also available as an audiobook from Audible. Comment on this post to get a coupon code for a discount!

With the third book, False Flag, the Retreads series took a turn into SHTF (I believe the current term in use is “boogaloo”) patriot fiction.

Buy False Flag for the Kindle.
Click to buy on Amazon.

Buy it for the Nook on Barnes & Noble.

Buy it at the Kobo store.

Buy it at the Apple store.

Buy it at Smashwords.

Below are some shorter books that were priced lower than the full-length novels. Now they’re even cheaper! (Sale prices will be visible after clicking on the links.)

Long before mixed martial arts, men of the west displayed their violent prowess with fists only. Tomato Can Comeback is the tale of a young fighter’s quest for redemption…on the canvas.


Also available as an audiobook from Audible. Comment on this post to get a coupon code for a discount!

Radical Times is set during the aftermath of the Civil War, when a soldier returns to the girl he loved, but is caught in the middle between two factions that still want to fight.

Thus Spake the Bard tells the story of a troubador and his creative friend, who get on the wrong side of a sheriff from Nottingham.


The Greater Good is a satire, dropping snark bombs on the superhero genre and leftist groupthink.


There will one day be a full-length Honor Triad novel, but for now there are two short books in this heroic fantasy series: The Bloodstained Defile, and The Gryphon of Tirshal.

The Shelter-in-Place Book Sale

There’s a lot of stuff going on right now. Some of the “solutions” to COVID-19/the Wuhan Coronavirus are wrong, infuriating, and scary. In the short term, a lot of us are worried about our jobs–will they even exist once this mess blows over?

People around the world are worried about putting food on the table. For those in that position, I urge you to be as wise as you can with what resources you have.

For those who have food and water covered, but are bored and need something to do, Virtual Pulp is cutting the prices on our E-Books. I’ve suddenly got a lot more time to read than normal, and it’s one positive side effect of this crisis. Below are text links and image links (yes–you can just click on the book cover image to buy one from Amazon) for reduced-price E-Books. They’re available in all electronic formats and pretty much every online book store except Google Play.

Stay safe and keep your powder dry.

Buy all three Retreads novels from Amazon.
Buy the whole series from Amazon.

The entire Retreads series is available for a song at Amazon. Well, I don’t think they actually make you sing. But the three E-Books will cost less than a cheeseburger from the drive-through.

And, of course, the books are for sale individually, too. Hell and Gone was the series premier, my first bestseller, and still the most popular of all my books.

Buy Hell and Gone for the Kindle.
Click to buy on Amazon.

Buy it for the Nook on Barnes & Noble.

Buy it at the Kobo store.

Buy it at the Apple store.

Buy it at Smashwords.

The second retreads novel is Tier Zero. Many readers thought it was even better than the first book.

Click to buy Tier Zero for the Kindle.
Click to buy on Amazon.

Buy it for the Nook on Barnes & Noble.

Buy it at the Kobo store.

Buy it at the Apple store.

Buy it at Smashwords.

With the third book, False Flag, the series took a turn into SHTF (I believe the current term in use is “boogaloo”) patriot fiction.

Buy False Flag for the Kindle.
Click to buy on Amazon.

Buy it for the Nook on Barnes & Noble.

Buy it at the Kobo store.

Buy it at the Apple store.

Buy it at Smashwords.

Virtual Pulp contributor Paul Hair also has some work published you should look at.  It is not on sale currently, but still worth a read. You can find his short stories in the Appalling Stories series.

Buy the Appalling Stories bundle.
Click to buy from Amazon.

Or you can buy them individually. First, there’s the original Appalling Stories.

Buy Appalling Stories 1.
Buy it on Amazon.

Then the sequel anthology, Appalling Stories 2.

Buy Appalling Stories 2.
Buy it on Amazon.

Paul came back (and Hank added a story, too) in Appalling Stories 4.

Buy Appalling Stories 4.
Buy it on Amazon.


vv

False Flag – More and More Relevant As Time Goes On

False Flag is “an action-packed, enjoyable and terrifying read.” – R.A. Mathis (author of Ghosts of Babylon and the Homeland series).

A terrorist group came into possession of a tactical nuke. Uncle Sam covertly put together a squad of mercs and SpecOps veterans to swipe the WMD before it could be used. The team of military contractors led by former SEAL Rocco Cavarra, who prefixed their radio call signs with the term “has-been,” had to fight their way through war-torn Sudan to reach the terrorist camp where the bomb was stashed. This all happened in Hell and Gone, the first book in the Retreads series.

Ten years later, the survivors of the Sudan mission helped their SF buddy Tommy Scarred Wolf execute a hostage rescue in South Asia. The Retreads shot it out with human traffickers, pirates, and  a secret team of black ops assassins. This took place in the pages of Tier Zero–the second and most action-packed Retreads novel so far.

While the Retreads were fighting overseas over the years (officially and unofficially), bad stuff has been happening on the home front in their own country. Now the USA is speeding over a cliff into economic collapse, nuclear terrorism, and civil war, and the Retreads are caught up in the middle of it in False Flag: the third novel.

Amazon reviewers have called False Flag “a runaway action thriller,” “a thinkers book,” and “an awe-inspiring ride.”  More than a few have used the phrase: “ripped from the headlines,” but there are trace amounts of what would never make the headlines. Certain subplots would be dismissed as “conspiracy theory” in some circles, but in the wake of Jeffrey Epstein’s death, those circles are shrinking.

Both Hell and Gone and Tier Zero are available in audio book format as well as paperback and e-book. There are plans for a False Flag audio book as well. Now is a great time to pick up  one of these great reads. They’re unlike anything else being published today; and they’re distinct from the action-adventure of yesteryear, too.

Where We Go One… (Alt★Hero: Q #1) – A Review

You don’t need to be a QAnon follower, or necessarily even believe in Q, to enjoy this comic. You don’t have to believe a man can fly to enjoy Superman stories either (although these days you probably do need to be a drooling commie NPC).

Chuck Dixon is in fine form here, mixing together compelling plot elements to weave a story that will be exciting and fascinating, judging by this first issue. Alt★Hero has struggled a bit with some of the artwork so far but I can assure you the visuals in this issue are superb.

The protagonist is a Treasury Agent. We are introduced to him as he and a team of other door-kickers are raiding a supposed counterfeiting operation. Through efficient storytelling, we learn that there is a mysterious cover-up underway, which this raid serves, and there is at least one compromised agent on the team.

Not everything sits well with Agent Dane. Something stinks about that op and how one of the suspects was snuffed. Is his heresy the very reason Dane is assigned bodyguard duty for a VIP visiting Peru? I can’t wait to find out.

For those who wonder, as they read, what this story has to do with Q…don’t worry. The dots will be connected by the time you’re done.

I do have a couple technical gripes: An M2 Browning .50, by itself, is not a “Ma Deuce.” But it will not only Swiss-cheese a pickup truck, its slugs will mangle the people inside the vehicle on their way through it. That Dane needed an M4 to take out the unscathed leftovers from an entire belt of .50 is kind of ridiculous. But Dixon apparently knows some veterans, so hopefully they will set him straight for the future.

Based on my reading of the first issue, I can’t recommend this series highly enough.

What’s the Difference Between an Illegal Semi-Automatic and an Illegal Full-Automatic Weapon?

Read this excerpt from Tier Zero to find out.

Two vessels knifed through the waves, away from the port and out to open sea. The Barbara Gee was a recreational trawler, and the Tinseltown was a diving support craft once used for underwater cinematography, as well as towing robot sharks and other sea monsters. It was now stripped of all deck machinery and had plenty of open space inside the horseshoe-shaped fence of antennas and satellite dishes, bristling from just inside the gunwales like the mutant quills of a giant aquatic porcupine.

Tied down to the deck was what looked like a radio-controlled airplane. Only it wasn’t a scale model of an existing aircraft. There were no fake windows or any markings at all. It was made of smooth, nondescript aluminum painted dull green on top, blue on the bottom.

Rocco Cavarra had procured both the watercraft and the captains when Tommy gave the green light. The line of credit provided by Vince’s new pal in New York paid for them, and a whole lot more.

“How does that work again?” Josh Rennenkampf asked, pointing at the German Shepherd mix on the deck of the Tinseltown.

“First you gots to put her in demo search mode,” Leon Campbell replied. He called down to his dog, “On station!”

Shotgun put her nose to the deck and ran immediately to the ammo crates not yet loaded in the hold below. She bellowed low, like a cold engine being turned over with a weak battery.

“That’s her bark for powder-type explosive,” Leon explained. “Good work, girl. Now check that one.” He pointed to the foot locker which contained bricks of C4.

Shotgun trotted over to the footlocker and yelped repeatedly at a higher pitch.

“And that there’s her bark for putty-type ordnance. Good job, Shotgun. Stand down.”

Shotgun stopped barking and returned to Leon’s side, sitting beside his feet.

“I bet she comes in handy in Iraq,” Tommy said.

Leon nodded. “She saved a few lives.”

“How long did it take you to train her?” Gunther Scarred Wolf asked.

“Well, I ain’t done with her, yet,” Leon replied. “Folks say I shoulda’ trained her like the bomb squad dogs, but I didn’t know I’d even be able to teach her this much. She still tend to put herself in demo search mode all by herself when new ordnance come into a secured area. I’m workin’ on it.”

“The last thing we need on this trip is a mutt,” Vince said. “You better clean up behind it, ‘cause the first time I step in something that stinks, I’m throwing it overboard.”

Tommy glared at his brother, then slapped Leon’s shoulder. “Hey, we’re glad to have a mascot, buddy.”

Dwight Cavarra came up the ladder from belowdecks huffing and puffing. “Okay, somebody else’s turn to stack gear down there.”

“I got it, Rocco,” Campbell said. “Go lay down, Shotgun.”

Shotgun slunk away to the stern and curled up on a coil of ropes.

Rocco caught Leon’s attention before he climbed down. “Hey, I think I found a stock for your M21 you’re gonna like.”

“Not one of them ‘chassis’ I hope,” Leon replied. “The ones cost both arms, a leg and your firstborn.”

“I can get you a deal on those, too,” Cavarra said. “But no. This is a polymer stock with a nice grip, and an adjustable cheek piece. A fraction of the price. We’ll talk about it later.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Leon said, and disappeared into the hatch.

“Speaking of weapons,” Tommy said, nodding to Josh, “we’re far enough away from snooping eyes, now. Show me what we got.”

Josh nodded, kneeling beside a large plastic case. He unlocked it and swung it open, pulling out a heavily-oiled M10. Out of habit he racked the bolt to check the chamber before handing it to Tommy. “It’s Christmas, Chief. Mr. Ingram has seen to our short-range room-clearing needs.”

Tommy worked the bolt himself, peering into the empty chamber, then inspected the exterior of the little blocky box of a machine pistol.

Vince stepped closer for a look at the weapon. “Is that a MAC-10? Those are illegal.”

Josh cocked an eyebrow up at him as he pulled another Ingram from the case. “According to who?”

“According to the law,” Vince said.

Tommy groaned. He knew there was a volatile mixture of personalities aboard, but it looked like they were going to touch off even faster than he feared.

“The law says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” Josh said. “If you’re a cop, and you sure act like one, then you swore an oath to uphold that law…not the so-called laws that violate it.”

“Those are easily converted into automatic weapons,” Vince declared. “And full-auto weapons have been banned from civilians for 80 years, hot shot.”

“These are full-auto, Vince,” Tommy said.

Vince’s complexion darkened. He appeared ready to blow a gasket. “Do you even know…? I mean, I could throw all of you… I could lose my badge just for…”

Josh handed one of the submachineguns to Cavarra. “Why waltz when you can rock & roll? Do you know what the difference is between an ‘illegal’ semiautomatic weapon and an ‘illegal’ full automatic weapon?”

Cavarra worked the bolt and gave it the once-over. “Yup. Firepower.” He snapped the fingers of his free hand and strode across the deck, stooping to unzip a nylon rifle case. From it he produced a Galil rifle with an M203 grenade launcher mounted underneath. “Remember this?”

“Fondly,” Tommy said. “In fact, I got a variety of 40mm rounds for it in some crates downstairs. Brought a 60mm mortar too, just for giggles.”

“Tommy,” Vince protested. “You know better than this! These guys are all…” the words froze in his mouth when he saw Josh screwing a suppressor onto the threaded barrel of an Ingram. “Silencers? Silencers!”

Josh rose to his feet with an irritated scowl, gesturing toward Vince with his free hand, and asked Tommy, “Is he gonna do this the whole trip?”

Excerpt #2.

Excerpt #3.

The Exception – a Review

Coincident with the German blitzkrieg into France, Heinrich Himmler assigns a special detail to “protect” Wilhelm Hohenzollern, the former Kaiser of the Second Reich, who is exiled in Holland.

The assignment is passed down to young Captain Brandt, a veteran of the Poland Campaign who was wounded winning the Iron Cross, but also got on the wrong side of the SS after witnessing an atrocity. Still recovering from shrapnel wounds to his stomach, he nonetheless doesn’t want this cushy rear-echelon job. But orders are orders, so off he goes.

Brandt is quickly caught in a tug of war between the Kaiser’s military attache; the Gestapo; Wermacht Intelligence (trying to track down a British spy in the area), and a young, nubile war widow who is down for cheap, meaningless sex.

It’s a pleasant surprise how good this movie is. While it certainly has its faults, it’s not always easy to guess what will happen next.

In Case There Was Any Doubt

…That Hillary Clinton armed ISIS and other Muslim terror organizations while Secretary of State, Wikileaks has confirmed it.

Clinton took the lead role in organizing the so-called “Friends of Syria” (aka Al Qaeda/ISIS) to back the CIA-led insurgency for regime change in Syria.

Under oath Hillary Clinton denied she knew about the weapons shipments during public testimony in early 2013 after the Benghazi terrorist attack.

And all this, once again, begs the question of what the US Ambassador was actually doing in Benghazi, and the actual reason for his murder.

Chinese Hackers and the Inevibility of War

The latest cyber-attack by the Red Chinese is being compared to Pearl Harbor.

The Washington Post reported that this is part of an ongoing strategy by which Beijing is gaining unprecedented digital power over the American people by “building massive databases of Americans’ personal information by hacking government agencies and U.S. health-care companies, using a high-tech tactic to achieve an age-old goal of espionage: recruiting spies or gaining more information on an adversary.” Rich Barger, chief intelligence officer of the cybersecurity firm ThreatConnect, based in Northern Virginia, said, “They’re definitely going after quite a bit of personnel information. We suspect they’re using it to understand more about who to target.”

It’s a little like the trick-or-treating strategy employed by street bullies: Rather than do the hard work of going door-to-door collecting the loot, let someone else do it for you and then simply steal it from them. With U.S. government three-letter agencies conducting intrusive surveillance on the American people, the shortest path to that data is to hack those databases and steal it. And it appears this is exactly what China is doing. This is precisely what groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have warned about as part of their opposition to the blanket surveillance conducted by these overreaching agencies.

 

In the late ’90s, intelligence sources reported that the Chinese High Command considered a war with the US inevitable within 30 years.  After the treason committed by the Clinton Administration, our strategic assets were compromised and Red China was handed technological parity to go along with its overwhelming numerical superiority. Meanwhile, the “American leadership” in Washington continues to weaken us in every way possible, except when it comes to a war with the American people that they consider inevitable.

It only makes sense that our foreign enemies would seek every possible advantage in preparing to destroy us. True, politicians are willing to hand our enemies pretty much anything they want, but the Chinese want some lower-level spies and sabateurs as well, just to have every possible base covered before they pull the trigger.