WWII French Resistance Thriller

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Falmouth

• Marriage Before Death: WWII Spy Thriller
• Still Life with Memories, Book 5
• By: Uvi Poznansky
• Narrated by: Don Warrick

 WWII French Resistance Thriller 

Overall  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 out of 5 stars

Performance ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5 out of 5 stars

Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-28-21

The book opens as the characters are nearing the end of their lives. He was an American Soldier in WWII and she, unbeknownst to him was a French Resistance Fighter. The story moves from the present to the past and details their adventures. Very good story, well written and entertaining. You never know where the story is going next. I listened to the audio version and it was very well done - the narrator was great.

Michael & Ash’s Story Will Thrill Fans!

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B. Roscoe

• Virtually Lace
• By: Uvi Poznansky
• Narrated by: Don Warrick

 Michael & Ash’s Story Will Thrill Fans! 

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5 out of 5 stars

Performance  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5 out of 5 stars

Story  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-23-20

Michael & Ash’s Story Will Thrill Fans Of The Ash Suspense Thrillers With A Dash Of Romance Series! As Michael Waits For Ash To Heal, He Finds Himself A Suspect In Yet Another Brutal Attack. This is book one in a series of interconnected stories by different authors, each delving into the exciting world of virtual reality and high-tech crime solving, highlighting fascinating tools and possibilities within the field in the context of a mystery. Fans of the author are in for a real treat! Ash’s story is told in the three part Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance series. Here Michael, her boyfriend, gets to tell his own story. It takes place months after the incident that set off the Ash Suspense series. Michael Morse, high school dropout, is a brilliant software developer. He chose not to pursue hacking, despite his talent. With the help of his girlfriend, he had been working on a startup in his garage until recently. His girlfriend Ash, who is working on her master’s degree at the University of California Irvine, assisted with developing a Virtual Reality model as an industrial designer. They are technically partners. He recently sold the software to a military ops company and remains contractually bound to working with the company to further develop the program. Ash should be as well, but that requires some explanation. He has not seen her since the incident – the brutal rape that left her hospitalized and in a coma. He had visited her in the hospital, but her mother’s looks and suspicion made him terribly uncomfortable. Michael had developed an aversion to police as a result of the days of questioning he endured after the tragic event occurred. He had found Ash in a pool of blood hanging onto life, and he was the only real suspect. Her mother had never liked him, but with Ash in a coma and him as a suspect, she never let him live it down. The case still has not been solved. Ash has since left the hospital but refuses to answer his calls and texts. He had promised to give her time and wait for her, but her involvement in the project going forward is questionable. Michael feels her absence sorely, as his most inspired work comes when they are together, feeding off of one another’s energy. The story opens at the end of April on a breezy evening at Laguna Beach. Lonely, Michael heads out to take a walk when at 8:03pm he notices a teenage girl that somehow looks familiar, and in a small way reminds him of Ash. Perhaps it was the distress that he sensed, but his instincts kick in. Something feels wrong, yet he knows he is crazy in his presumption. He follows her and the trail to the beach as he tries to reason with himself. Along the way he loses sight of the girl, but he crosses paths with a number of others that leave an imprint on his mind. There is a homeless man on a bench. The two divers. The little girl selling sea shells. The three teens rough housing on the sand. And the body that he happens to stumble upon on some rocks. Of course Michael should call the police – but after his recent past he knows that is the last thing he wants to do. He will automatically become suspect number one by doing the right thing, so Michael follows a different path. Michael goes to his new office and sets about constructing a virtual reality model of the crime scene in the hopes of finding the murderer before the police try to pin it on him. In the process he begins to connect some dots. One involves the name of the victim: Lace. In the meantime he must deal with company politics. The system will now be used in politics and war instead of gaming. The president of the company, Mr. Armstrong, understands little about technology. Moreover, he has a bad temper and his lack of experience seems to get in the way. Mr. Armstrong assigns his nephew to assist Michael, and it happens to be someone that Michael vaguely knows. Manny Bullock, or Bull, is an artist without the requisite tech skills for the job, but Michael has no choice but work with the odd man. Michael and Ash have an interesting relationship, and it is nice to see it from Michael’ point of view. Ash is a bit kooky. She is brilliant and independent, and very damaged from her brutal rape and its after effects (read her series for more). Michael is the most patient boyfriend she could ask for. He never pressures her for more when she asks for space to heal. Not to say he is perfect – he gets lost in his virtual reality creations and isn’t the best at keeping track of time. He is a genius, and together they make a great creative pair. Here his guilt for not preventing Ash’s attack drives him to do what he can to help a different victim, but Ash’s reasons for getting involved are different. She grows bold rather than cowering, and wants to see justice done, even if it puts herself at risk. She, too, gets a little lost in her own world at times. They go to battle solving crime with their intellect and the VR world they created. In the end there is a little healing as they find their way back together. Dr. Michael Foreman, an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiology, enters the picture, hinting at book two of the series. It appears the two men, experts in their own fields, might be able to help one another. Two issues merit mention. First, in the Ash Suspense Thrillers series Michael was a college dropout, not a high school dropout. Additionally, Michael is a little slow to make some obvious connections. Perhaps this just highlights his humanity – even the most brilliant of us cannot see what is right in front of our noses. It is also in all likelihood a product of his aversion to the police. He postpones and delays, exposing himself and others to danger, because he must be absolutely certain before coming forward. Michael and Ash’s story will thrill fans of the Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance series. As Michael waits for Ash to heal, he finds himself a suspect in yet another brutal attack. The story is very well-written and plot-driven. The great attention given to detail makes for a lush and vivid tale that comes to life. The world of virtual reality that Michael creates is fascinating to read about. The characters are nicely developed. The story is written in third person in Michael’s POV. I rate this book 4.5 stars. As for the Audio: it is very well-performed and consistent with the book. I received an audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.

How normal people get trapped in nightmarish scenarios makes the story so believable

Michael Gallagher is the author of technothrillers that hook you. I am thrilled that he read my novel and reviewed it. Here is his review for Overkill

Espionage Lover

5.0 out of 5 stars A Poet Writes a Great Thriller

Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2021

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The deft hand of a poet dabbles with soft touches and images throughout this exciting thriller. The main character moves through the story from one unexpected twist to the next. Unputdownable. What I liked best about this story was the fine writing and down-to-earth world. How normal people get trapped in nightmarish scenarios makes the story so believable. Well worth the read. Highly recommended.

Overdue: the Print edition

 The print edition for my new thriller is now available! If you love holding a book, smoothing a hand over the cover, flipping through the pages on a fast-moving journey to bring the bad guys to justice, here it is: Overdue.

Overdue

(Volume IV of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)

 Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

 

I’m tempted to lose myself in him, but can’t let go of me

We stop and, hearts pounding, kiss.

His touch is sweet, his embrace—gentle. I’m tempted to lose myself in him, but can’t let go of me. My eyes open even before he eases away. 

Dark clouds are brushing the sky copper, their fiery edges sketched in reflection across the vast surface of water. After years of drought, an abundance of wildflowers has burst over the shoulder of the bluff, painting it mustard yellow. Tickseed flowers shake their toothed-tip petals, their scent sweetening the salty breeze.

Holding hands, we cross the line between the wind-blown dry sand and the wet, saturated seaboard. The beach looks different than I’ve expected. The cove, located just south of the Pointe, used to be famous as a popular clothing-optional meeting place back in the sixties, according to Ma. “Did your father ever mention where we first met? No?” She would snuff out the little smile flickering in the wrinkled corners of her lips. “Oh, the stories I could tell!” 

Overdue

(Volume IV of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)

 Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

From USA Today bestselling author Uvi Poznansky comes a gripping suspense thriller:

Ash has a long overdue plan to visit Vlad in UCI Medical Center and learn the secrets of his Russian gang. But during a raging pandemic, she unfortunately puts it on hold.

One way for Vlad to avoid paying the price for his crimes is to play dead; another is to play dying. For Ash, this not a game. He slips away from the hospital in a body bag placed in a refrigerator truck, then develops a brazen fraud scheme that will bilk health insurance companies out of millions of dollars, rob her of her identity, and drive other victims to suicide.

Will Ash manage to stay one step ahead of his gang and at the same time, protect her loved ones from contagion?

I hear you came to a gunfight armed with scissors

In the midst of all this clamor, it’s such a relief to see Michael cut through the crowd, rush over to the ambulance and hop into it, an incredibly huge bouquet of roses in his hand. 

I can’t help but wonder out loud, “While I was in danger, you stopped to buy flowers?”

“I practically snatched them from a flower stand while running through the airport—”

“Don’t apologize, Michael, I just love you for it.”

“Oh, Ash,” he says. “I hear you came to a gunfight armed with scissors.”

I try to lift my head from the gurney but immediately stop, wincing in pain.“Somehow, I came out on top.”

Michael leans in closer and smells my hair, parts of which have been singed by the fire. “I know you just enough to hold back from holding you back,” he says, in his softest voice. “I’ll never ever tell you to stay out of trouble.”

He touches the tip of his nose to mine, ever so gently. Only then do I start crying. 

And I can’t stop.

I don’t even know why I’m crying, but I have no choice but let the tears come, let them wash away the anxiety of the last few days and the fear. It seems to persist beyond the death of the shooter. 

★ Love Suspense? Prepare to be thrilled ★

Overkill

(Volume II of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)

Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

The last thing Ash expects when she lands in Clearwater, Florida is to be stalked by a troubled teenager. If that's not bad enough, she is caught in a shooting spree next to the nearby elementary school. The cops think it’s an attempt at mass killing, but Ash wonders if the only victim was specifically targeted by the killer. Will she manage to identify him and have him arrested before he comes after her?

"The author weaves a well-crafted Suspense Thriller with a generous sprinkling of Romance. Intriguing twists and turns also ensures that this book will captivate the reader from the first page to the last. I've read this author several times before and it's safe to say that her storylines leaves the reader spellbound." 

~Piaras, Vine Voice Reviewer

The risk is even greater now that she’s gone

 Vlad takes a deep breath, and his chest swells with pride. “It’s from you that I learned the Russian proverb, ‘If you're afraid of wolves, don't go to the woods.’”

Mrs. Komarov pokes him with a sharp nail. “The wolves are coming here. They are coming for you, because the air is heavy with the smell of blood.”

He shrinks like a punctured balloon, air rushing out of his mouth. “Ah, nonsense!”

“What exactly have you done to Linda?”

“Nothing worth talking about.”

Mrs. Komarov clicks her tongue. “While alive, that woman posed a risk for our business, and the risk is even greater now that she’s gone.”

He lowers his eyes, stares at his hands. “Talking about her is a waste of time—”

Overdue

(Volume IV of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)

 Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

From USA Today bestselling author Uvi Poznansky comes a gripping suspense thriller:

Ash has a long overdue plan to visit Vlad in UCI Medical Center and learn the secrets of his Russian gang. But during a raging pandemic, she unfortunately puts it on hold.

One way for Vlad to avoid paying the price for his crimes is to play dead; another is to play dying. For Ash, this not a game. He slips away from the hospital in a body bag placed in a refrigerator truck, then develops a brazen fraud scheme that will bilk health insurance companies out of millions of dollars, rob her of her identity, and drive other victims to suicide.

Will Ash manage to stay one step ahead of his gang and at the same time, protect her loved ones from contagion?

A Thriller for Our Times

During the last few months, confined at home because of the spreading pandemic, I wrote my new thriller, Overdue, with a guiding thought in mind: here we are, living in this historic moment, and I must commit to paper what it feels like. I must use the widespread angst we all suffer through, because in a way, this is not only a contemporary story but also a one of a grave historical meaning.

I tried to capture the despair of old people languishing in isolation. The feel of the streets, where the homeless are left to fend for themselves and rioters stir unrest. The doubt you have when faced with masked people, seemingly devoid of faces, of identities, to the point that criminals can easily pose as medics, they can use the new method of transporting the dead in refrigerator trucks as a way to escape justice. 

I fully understand that different readers may have different experiences with the story, because unfortunately our society is so divided these days. What to one person is the truth can be perceived as a provocation to another. Even so, I am compelled to take a snapshot of reality from where I stand.

Here is an excerpt:

This is a new world. A world where you can never be sure what to believe; where a pandemic is called a hoax, which allows it to spread unabated; where, in the face of a rising death toll, the promise of a vaccine is being dangled without any scientific basis whatsoever by politicians who’ll do just about anything to remain in power; where you better stay more than a breath away from crowds; where you must protect yourself from a hug, a handshake can be dangerous, and a kiss can kill.

 Will Ash manage to stay one step ahead of the Russian gang and at the same time, protect her loved ones from contagion?

Overdue

(Volume IV of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)

 Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

Cover reveal for Overdue

 The cover depicts Ash as she escapes the fire she set in the LA headquarters of the Russian gang. My art is storytelling. In many thrillers you have the protagonist as a figure seen from the back, running away as if being chased or chasing. By contrast, I show Ash coming towards us, nearly falling into our arms, so we can directly relate to the daring it takes to do what she does in spite of the fear. 

I also gave a lot of thought to making each part of this cover shimmer with texture and light, creating an explosive, dynamic urban backdrop for her.

Here is the excerpt describing the scene:

Michael and I make our way through hissing smoke to save the old woman. We peer at the scene between one tongue of fire and another. A hairy leg is spotted here, an arm there, and on occasion—Voola—a snake, tattooed around an elbow. 

I suck in a deep breath and duck through the flame in search of Mrs. Komarov. I’m guided by her frantic shrieks as a burning beam has collapsed next to her. I cover her head loosely with Linda’s black sweater to protect her from the smoke. We grab her arms and drag her together step by step out to the street, where an ambulance has just arrived. 

We carry her past the cops who surround the place and past the firefighters who are setting up their equipment. The old woman complains, her voice scratchy from smoke inhalation, about the stinging in her eyes. Medics arrive. They treat Michael and me for injuries and apply medication over a burn on her leg to relieve the pain. 

Strangely, the one person missing through all of this is her son. 

For a second, I think I see him across the street, watching us. A sudden rush of adrenaline sends me dashing over there, ready to cry out for the cops—only to realize there’s no one there. What I saw must have been a phantom of imagination, a dance of flames. Vlad is a master at escaping justice. Has he done it again?

Overdue

(Volume IV of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)

 Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

Overdue

 Yes, my new thriller is long overdue... But that's not the only reason why this is its title...

Overdue

(Volume IV of Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance)

 Paperback ★ Hardcover

Audiobook

From USA Today bestselling author Uvi Poznansky comes a gripping suspense thriller:

Ash has a long overdue plan to visit Vlad in UCI Medical Center and learn the secrets of his Russian gang. But during a raging pandemic, she unfortunately puts it on hold.

One way for Vlad to avoid paying the price for his crimes is to play dead; another is to play dying. For Ash, this not a game. He slips away from the hospital in a body bag placed in a refrigerator truck, then develops a brazen fraud scheme that will bilk health insurance companies out of millions of dollars, rob her of her identity, and drive other victims to suicide.

Will Ash manage to stay one step ahead of his gang and at the same time, protect her loved ones from contagion?

A struggle for love

 A wonderful review for The Music of Us:

Midwest Amazon Fan

5.0 out of 5 stars A struggle for love

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a brilliantly written saga of two people who are as different as night and day, yet mysteriously and miraculously drawn to each other. As the story unfolds more and more obstacles are put in the way of their ever being together. It was love at first sight, but they don't know that the feeling is shared because they are kept apart by circumstances and an over-protective parent.

Music somehow keeps them together, if not physically, in spirit. World War Two creates some challenges and ultimately causes a lack of complete trust. Nevertheless, love endures and wins out. Tragedy in the story comes and goes, and there is a most surprising ending.