Authorpreneur Dashboard – Ronald S Barak
The Puppet Master
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
What would YOU do if they took everything you had, your family, home, business, dignity, even—perhaps—your sanity? A gripping story of a political system gone awry—and those who feel compelled to fix it. “Have you ever killed anyone? I have. Do it again. If I need to.” Three prominent political leaders murdered in as many days.
Book Bubbles from The Puppet Master
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"I have. I'll do it again."
The Amendment Killer
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
"WE HAVE YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO." That's the text message Supreme Court Justice Arnold Hirschfeld receives as hearings commence in the U.S. Supreme Court to determine the fate of the 28th Amendment - enacted to criminalize abuse of power on the part of our political representatives. In court to defend the amendment, retired U.S. District Court Judge Cyrus Brooks observes his old friend and law school classmate Hirschfeld acting strangely and dispatches veteran D.C. homicide detective Frank Lotello to find out why. In the meantime, Hirschfeld's precocious and feisty 11-year-old diabetic granddaughter Cassie, brutally kidnapped to control her grandfather's swing vote upholding or invalidating the amendment, watches her insulin pump running dry and wonders which poses her greatest threat, the kidnappers or the clock. As Brooks is forced to choose between saving our nation or saving the girl.
Book Bubbles from The Amendment Killer
TAK in Top 21 Thrillers of 21st Century
Tommy Thomas here. (What, you were expecting Barak, maybe? Not on my watch. Not if I can help it!) So, Best Thrillers Magazine just announced that THE AMENDMENT KILLER is among the top 21 thriller novels of the 21st century. Big F------ Deal! Listening to Barak, you'd think this was all about him, that he had something to do with this honor. Hey, without me, and what I did to make this story happen, Barak would be nothing, nowhere!
The Idea Behind the Book
People often ask me if the original idea for The Amendment Killer was the kidnapping of Cassie Webber. The answer in short is "no." My original idea was to talk about whether and how the Constitution could be amended to criminalize political corruption, i.e., could such an amendment be lawfully enacted without Congressional support, which most people think is required, and would never be forthcoming because Congress wouldn’t want its misconduct being criminalized. The fact is that there are considered, if minority, views that Congressional consent is not required in order for the governed, as opposed to the governing, to amend the Constitution. I knew this would be too dry for many and so I needed to bring some additional excitement into the story. Thus, the kidnapping of the 11 year old granddaughter of the Supreme Court Justice thought to hold the swing or deciding vote.
