The World Council
by
Norm Meech
Crime Thriller / Police Thriller / Speculative Fiction
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Publication Date: October 20, 2023
Page count: 278 pages
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SYNOPSIS:
Ricky Montgomery had just graduated high school in June 1976 and was enjoying life as an 18-year-old teenager. He was hired by the Dawson City Police Force, and after graduating from police college he was assigned to work as an undercover operative in a motorcycle gang.Ricky, although happy, was struggling living his double life as a cop and biker. Then it happened: during a biker war, Ricky's life was saved by agents from the World Council (TWC). TWC was created by the world's leaders to prevent manmade disasters from happening and to liaise with aliens who have been monitoring mankind for hundreds of years. TWC's mandate, with the assistance of aliens, is to ensure mankind's continued existence.TWC is a highly secretive organization, whose agents have the ability to travel through time, to change history, and to take lives to save lives. Ricky becomes a TWC agent and discovers that TWC's command staff is making unethical decisions, hiding secrets about aliens and trying to reduce the world's population through biological warfare. Ricky teams up with other agents and tries to save mankind and the world from disaster.
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READ AN EXCERPT:
Just as I turned and looked outside, the van’s side door slid open and two masked men with guns opened fire. I yelled to everyone, to get down as I hit the floor. There were shards of broken glass and bullets flying everywhere.
Although the barrage of gunfire only lasted a few minutes, it seemed a lot longer, like time had slowed down. One of the Devils who was packing a gun was able to return fire and the van disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. I looked around and most of the people were starting to get up off the floor. All except for a couple.
Then I realized that Vicky was still on the ground and there was blood pooling beside her. My God, she had been shot! I yelled for someone to call an ambulance and to get me some towels. I got the towels and applied pressure to her midsection. I looked around for help but there wasn’t any. The other waitresses were helping one of the Devil’s members and another waitress who had also been shot. Hammer and the other guys took off knowing that the cops would be showing up soon.
Sure enough, in a matter of minutes ambulances and a ton of cops arrived at the bar. The ambulance attendants started working on Vicky and the cops pushed me off to the side, telling me to stay back, let them do their job. Obviously none of the cops or ambulance people knew we were undercover. I was judged to be a low life biker and my “old lady”, a waitress, was also judged to be the lower part of society. They allowed me to ride in the ambulance with Vicky, only after I gave some uniform cop our names and addresses. They worked on Vicky all the way to the hospital and they told me that she was in critical condition when they wheeled her into surgery.
It suddenly hit me like a truck. It did not matter who I was, a biker or a cop. We are all humans and Vicky did not deserve this. She was only 23 years old and she was a beautiful person. I knew she understood the risks of being a cop, especially an undercover cop, but she was harmless. She had stepped up to the plate, she had warned me, she had my back. Besides saving me, she probably had saved a lot of other people in that bar. I was so emotional and confused; I was holding back tears and I was so full of anger I did not know what to do. Who could I call? It could not get out that she was a cop! I called Christine to tell her what had happened.
REVIEW:
4 stars!
An imaginative mix of science fiction, police undercover
work, and saving the world!
While secret organizations set up to fight crime and evil-doers
are not new, in The World Council, author Norm Meech has created one that,
in conjunction with an alien benefactor, works to avert man-made disasters that
threaten humanity and the environment through the use of time travel into the
past. It is often a gritty tale with characters who have authentic hopes and
dreams, love, have sex, make mistakes, and celebrate their victories, big and
small.
Initially set in the latter years of the 1970s, the main
character, Richard Montgomery, is a genuine product of the time. He's young and
somewhat aimless, without a plan for his future until he decides to pursue a career
in policing. It was interesting to read about his journey to becoming a
constable and noting the differences between the Canadian and American law
enforcement systems. I thought his and Vicky's assignment to infiltrate the
local criminal motorcycle club was a tense, suspenseful story just on its own,
but the author completely turns the tale on its head! (There's way more!)
I enjoyed the creative simplicity of how the TWC executed
time travel for their agents to move them to the locations of their missions or
recall them to headquarters for meetings. As with the undercover storyline, the
TWC aspect of the story made for exciting reading on its own, but intriguing
twists and turns in the plot took it to the next level. I thought the multiple
storylines fed well into each other, creating a robust and enjoyable reading
experience.
For those who need to know, the book has grammar, spelling
mistakes or typos, and continuity issues during the undercover operation, with
the characters' names changing from one page to their next appearance. Also,
for those who seek to avoid certain situations in their reading, the main
characters engage frequently in sexual activity, and there are a couple of
incidents of cheating. There is some hard drinking, pot smoking, discussion and
scenes of drug use, violence, and murder.
I recommend THE WORLD COUNCIL to science fiction readers who
also enjoy crime thrillers and stories of first contact.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Norm Meech has been retired for nearly two years, capping a distinguished forty-four-year career in policing. He fondly recalls the camaraderie of work friends forged during his tenure and the unique experiences as a police officer.
While missing aspects of his former profession, Norm keeps himself engaged by maintaining fitness and pursuing various hobbies. Additionally, he channels his creativity into writing, aiming to produce a book annually. His latest work delves into science fiction, inviting readers to ponder questions about the existence of aliens, unidentified flying objects, government involvement in secret conspiracies, the potential for time travel, and the impact of human activities on the planet. Norm hopes readers enjoy the fictional stories he crafts, sparking contemplation and curiosity.
Norm Meech will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
Thank you so much for featuring The World Council today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, this sounds very good
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