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‘The Cartel’ A Conversation with Don Winslow

June 22, 2015 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

Don Winslow_5718Don Winslow is known to thriller lovers everywhere, especially after his extraordinary novel, Savages, which was made into a film directed by Oliver Stone. Don grew up in Rhode Island, and at age seventeen, left to study journalism at the University of Nebraska, where he earned a degree in African Studies. While in college, he traveled to southern Africa, sparking a lifelong involvement with that continent. Later, he obtained a master’s degree in Military History.

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Filed Under: novel, On Writing, war Tagged With: drug wars, Mexican cartels

“Secrets of State” A Conversation with Matthew Palmer

May 27, 2015 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

Matt Palmer Author Photo Credit (C) Kathryn BanasMatthew Palmer is a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service. Having been at ground zero for many pressing global issues from Kosovo to Africa, he has extensive knowledge of international crises. His debut thriller, The American Mission, has been compared to John LeCarre’s The Constant Gardner. As a son of the late Michael Palmer, Matthew’s writing pedigree is clear.

Matthew’s new novel, Secrets of State, is a gripping thriller focusing on the world’s most dangerous nuclear threat—war between India and Pakistan. After leaving government service, the novel’s protagonist, Sam Trainor, is working for Argus Security, a private consulting company. He stumbles across a startling bit of intelligence: a telephone transcript implying the delicate balance between India and Pakistan could be deliberately upset, and it becomes clear something catastrophic could be looming: nuclear war between these South Asian giants. The clock is ticking as Sam Trainor must do what he can to prevent a world-changing disaster from occurring.

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Filed Under: About Books, book launch, Huffington Post Column, war Tagged With: Character, conflict-free diamonds, espionage, India, Michael Palmer, nuclear war, Pakistan, storytelling, thrillers, U.S. State Department

“Twelve Days” A Talk with Alex Berenson

February 18, 2015 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

AlexBerenson ©Sigrid EstradaAlex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter, covered topics ranging from the occupation of Iraq; the flooding of New Orleans; to the financial crimes of Bernard Madoff. He’s written eight previous John Wells novels, all geopolitical thrillers, with his first, The Faithful Spy, having won the 2007 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

His ninth John Wells thriller, Twelve Days, has ex-CIA agent Wells and his associates uncovering a huge plot: a secret plan to convince the President to attack Iran and ignite a war. They have no hard evidence, and no one at Langley or the White House will listen. The President has set a deadline for Iran to give up its nuclear program, and the mullahs in Iran have responded with a deadly terrorist attack. Wells and his associates have twelve days to find the proof they need to expose the plot, as the United States moves troops and military assets to Iran’s border.

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Filed Under: About Books, crime, Huffington Post Column, thriller, war Tagged With: conspiracy, thrillers, war

Wars of the Roses: A Talk with Conn Iggulden

July 23, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

2014-07-19-ConnIggulden-thumbConn Iggulden is internationally known for his historical fiction. He’s written the Emperor series about the life of Julius Caesar, and the Conqueror series, based on the lives of Mongol warlords.  He’s also written a series of children’s books called The Dangerous Book for Boys.

Now, he’s begun the Wars of the Roses series with the first of three books, Stormbird. This series focuses on the betrayals and machinations behind the story of the two royal families who plunged England into one of the most bloody and brutal periods of British history.

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Filed Under: About Books, Huffington Post Column, Interviews, novel, On Writing, thriller, war Tagged With: Genghis Khan, Henry VI, historical fiction, House of Lancaster, House of York, Julius Caesar, Tudors, War of the Roses

“THE FOOT SOLDIER” Wins Silver at the Benjamin Franklin Awards

June 25, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

The Foot SoldierJust received the official certificate from IBPA informing me that “The Foot Soldier” won the Silver Award in the category of Popular Fiction. It’s an honor.

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Filed Under: About Books, psychological thriller, thriller, war

Fast and Furious: Novels, the Media and our Changing World

April 28, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

2014-04-26-Brainwaves-thumbI’ve been reading a great deal of fiction (crime, literary and other genres) and observing as much as possible, not only about books, but about entertainment in various media.

It seems there’s more and more blending of crime novels with horror, the occult, with paranormal events, romance, and science fiction. The genres are coalescing.

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Filed Under: About Books, thriller, war Tagged With: attention span, CGI, comics, crime-novels, culture, Facebook, Goodreads, literary fiction, movies, Neural pathways, Pinterest, technology, Twitter

Please Help Our Returning Veterans

April 21, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

The Foot SoldierOur veterans are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with very little support from the VA, which has suffered from financial cutbacks. The Foot Soldier is now ranked #10,000 on Amazon. Please help move it up to #5,000 by downloading it on Kindle for 99 cents. It’s also available as a paperback for $3.49. This 50 page novella is a story of right versus wrong and has a 4.8 star rating on Amazon. All author’s proceeds are being donated to www.DAV.org to help with rehabilitation services for our veterans. Here is the link to Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/nw4dpfk.

Many thanks for your help.

 

Mark Rubinstein

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Filed Under: war

Review of “The Foot Soldier”

February 6, 2014 by Mark Rubinstein Leave a Comment

The Foot SoldierREVIEW OF “THE FOOT SOLDIER”

I admit, I initially picked this book to read thinking it would serve as an “easy” read in-between all the non-fiction on my reading list. I’m a bit of a war fanatic in the sense that I appreciate reading war materials, come from a military family that has served in several wars, and have worked with veterans. Still, I’ve never been in a war. So when I come across something like Mark Rubinstein’s “The Foot Soldier,” where he is able to take the reader inside of a war, inside of a humid jungle full of mosquitoes and predators and booby traps and probably most of all fear, I’m beyond captivated. Though it was a short read–less than an hour–I felt the pain of young Costa every step of the way, especially to the heart-breaking decision at the end. There are choices we have to make in our lives that are so mind-blowing, we can’t even comprehend them at that second. I think no one knows the meaning of that sentence better than the men serving in our forces, the ones who make hard choices every single day. So–was this the best book about war I’ve ever read? No. Was the ending the best it could have been? Not really. But did it grip me emotionally? Absolutely. I nearly choked trying to hold back tears while reading certain passages. My body tensed up subconsciously as I read with a fast pace about Costa’s journey serving “point.”I’m done with the book and my nerves are frayed, my thoughts are scattered, and I’m anything but calm. That’s what makes a good story.

Chelsea Woodring
Net Galley Reviewer

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Filed Under: About Books, war Tagged With: atrocities, booby traps, combat, jungle, moral choice, predators, soldiers, Vietnam, war

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