Peter Thomas Senese: Dreams and Hopes of Every Writer - The Impact of Chasing The Cyclone

As I sit and reflect on my next novel titled 'Predators Games', which I must admit, I am so thoroughly enjoying writing, as in, really loving it . . . my thoughts have drifted to what my hopes and aspirations are for the sequel to 'The Den of the Assassin'.  And this leads me to think about 'Chasing The Cyclone', and what this book has accomplished thus far . . . while knowing that 'Chasing The Cyclone' still has a long way to go!

Of course, 'Predators Games' is a very different type of book than 'Chasing The Cyclone' and so, the aspirations are a very different.  Nevertheless, it is my intent and hope in writing 'Predators Games' that readers will find great entertainment value while also learning about a great deal of geopolitical issues that may give them a desire to think about things that society as a whole must contemplate.

With respect to 'Chasing The Cyclone' it has been nothing short of . . .

Every Writer's Hope . . . The Impact of Peter Thomas Senese's 'Chasing The Cyclone'                                                                                   



The power of the written word is alive and well today, as it has been ever since mankind first etched hieroglyphics on stone.  Despite living in the nano-universe of digital storytelling, at the root of our ability to convey a story or issue in the detailed substance that it may deserve, it is my opinion that there is nothing more powerful and insightful than a book.

When I first decided to write 'Chasing The Cyclone', I did so with the hope and intent that perhaps one parent or one lawyer or one judge may learn something about the growing pandemic of international parental child abduction and either prevent the abduction of a child or assist in the safe legal recovery of a child. 

What has originated from the first pages I penned of my deeply personal novel while I was sitting on the wind swept sand beach of Paradise Cove located in Malibu Beach has come to be nothing short of a Call-To-Arms against the despicable, unacceptable abuse of a child that is international child abduction and child trafficking.

Unquestionably, the publication of 'Chasing The Cyclone' has helped many parents and children.

Before I go any further, I want you to know that I have learned that by following your heart, you can make a difference for others.  And regardless if that difference benefits one person or many, the privilege of helping another is in fact the greatest gift we can receive.

It is based upon this notion coupled with other blessings I have in my life, that I have volunteered both my time and significant resources to help protect children and their parents.

I have done this by making significant contributions to the highly respected 501 C 3 not-for-profit organization I am the Founding Director known as the I CARE Foundation (I invite you to read more about the I CARE Foundation).  In fact, outside of direct contributions I have made to the foundation, I have also donated 100% of all my earnings from all e-book sales of my various novels to the I CARE Foundation (I invite you to see 'Peter Thomas Senese Donates Book Sales To Help Children).

Has this been successful?

Incredibly.  (I invite you to read, "Peter Thomas Senese Helps Rescue Numerous Children Who Have Been Victims Of Or Targeted For International Abduction' (Note: the select sworn affidavits are only a sampling of sworn testimonials I am in possession of concerning my and the I CARE Foundation's work. A great majority of our activities are not publicly disclosed due to the sensitivity of the subject of child abduction).

So what has made Chasing The Cyclone a great success?  A great deal. Here is a sampling of accomplishments that have and will continue to help children and their parents.

                                                     

                                                    THE I CARE FOUNDATION

1. The creation of the 501-C-3 Not-for-profit ‘International Child Abduction Research & Enlightenment’ Foundation' (I CARE Foundation)  that was established to and has successfully rescued numerous internationally kidnapped children while conducting advanced research in the area of IPCA in order advocate for the creation of new laws that will protect children from international kidnapping.

2. Under the I CARE Foundation’s leadership, we have built a large national pro bono network of lawyers willing to assist parents who are targeted to have a child internationally kidnapped or who have had a child abducted while also launching a successful and ongoing recruitment campaign for lawyers to join the United States Department of State's Hague Convention Attorney Network; and,

3. Overseeing the legal rescue and reunification of numerous internationally kidnapped children; and,

4. Provided necessary resources required for numerous lawyers and targeted parents who were trying to prevent their child from being internationally abducted (see 'Senese Creates Arsenal Of Tools To Hlep Lawyers and Targeted Parents'); and,

5. Board Member Carolyn Vlk wrote the legislation for the State of Florida's Child Abduction Prevention Act while Board Member Peter Thomas Senese orchestrated lobbying efforts that led to the unanimous passage of the CAPA legislation into now effective law; and,

6. Successfully advocated for the federal implementation of the 'Prevent Departure Program' to be used as a tool to stop international parental child abduction; and,

7. Writer and advocate behind legislative initiatives to prevent international child abduction by modifying the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative; and,

8. Writer and advocate behind legislative initiatives to prevent international child abduction by modifying the Prevent Departure Program II; and,

9. The co-authoring and creation and FREE publication of the extensive 'The World Turned Upside Down' open-tablet E-book resource guide on IPCA; and,

10. The creation and production of the FREE ongoing educations documentary film on IPCA titled'Chasing Parents: Racing Into the Storms of IPCA; and,

11. The co-authoring of the extensive research report titled 'Crisis In America: IPCA Today'; and,

12. The co-authoring of the extensive research report titled 'International Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere'; and,

13. The creation of one of the most informative websites on IPCA; and,

14. The ongoing efforts to create additional federal laws that evolve around child abduction prevention.

15. The stout support and advocacy that led to the passage of on line impersonation laws such as those passed in the states of California and New York.

16. I have used significant book publication revenue to finance the recovery of internationally kidnapped children.

17. Upcoming I CARE Foundation sponsored educational legal training seminars for lawyers in the area of IPCA.

18.  A large and growing grass-roots effort to educate parents about the risks of IPCA and child trafficking.

19.  A promise to continue my efforts to educate society about the issues of IPCA, use my resources whenever possible to assist others, and to work toward the passage of new laws that will protect children, as demonstrated in the sworn testimonials of my conduct.


All from a book called 'Chasing The Cyclone' that was inspired by the time in my life I was required to chase into the storms of abduction.

One final note, and this is personally extremely important to me to share.  Before I raised my voice and tried to make a difference in the fight against IPCA, there were, as there are today other wonderful advocates who have fought so hard to protect children by raising their voice, using their resources to fight a good fight, and to pass new laws that will protect children.  I recognize and applaud each of these individuals who make up the community of child advocates who are dedicated to protecting children.

For more on me, Peter Thomas Senese, I invite you to visit my official website.

Preeminent 'Guilty Pleasures Book Review' Calls Peter Thomas Senese's Chasing The Cyclone "Phenomenal. Remarkable. Extraordinary."

I am so pleased to share the highly respected book review site  Guilty Pleasures Book Review commentary of Chasing The Cyclone.  

Guilty Pleasures Book Review in a preeminent online book review site 'Written By Women For Women'. 

This is what Guilty Pleasures Book Review had to say about Chasing The Cyclone:

"If I had to use one word to describe Chasing the Cyclone by Peter Thomas Senese it would be phenomenal. As in remarkable. Extraordinary. I have read many books over the years, for enjoyment, for education, because I had to, because I wanted to. I cannot think of any other book that comes close to making me feel as I did when I read this book. I believe these feelings will stick with me forever." Click Here to read the entire review.

Step by step the issues of international parental child abduction are increasing at a grass-roots level in our society. It is my hope and anticipation that as education and awareness gain traction, new laws and policies will be created and implemented that will help other children. After all, one child's life is worth fighting for - hundred's of thousands of children whose lives are at risk is worth changing a system over.

Click here to purchase Chasing The Cyclone from Amazon.

The New York Journal Of Books Calls Peter Thomas Senese's Chasing The Cyclone A Well-Written Thriller Readers Will Be Reluctant To Put Down

I am very pleased to share that the prestigious New York Journal of Books gave a terrific book review of Chasing The Cyclone.

From the New York Journal of Books On Peter Thomas Senese:

Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese

Peter Thomas Senese is a bestselling author writing primarily in the historical fiction genre. He is actively engaged in combating crimes involving international child abduction and human trafficking by increasing the social dialogue around these issues, by providing useful and current resources for those affected by abduction and trafficking, and by participating in creating new laws that will protect all children—and their parents. All of the profits from the sale of Chasing the Cyclone will go to the I Care Foundation whose mission is to conduct research in the area of international parental child abduction.

From the New York Journal of Books on Peter Thomas Senese's Chasing The Cyclone:

Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas Senese

Chasing the Cyclone is a well-written thriller. Senese shares myriad emotions as he weaves through the action in this suspense-filled story. This novel might also be considered a treatise on international child abduction. Cyclone, full of actual strategies and resources to assist parents in international abductions, is above all else a love story about a father and son. From Los Angeles to Canada to New Zealand and eventually China, Cyclone is rife with international intrigue and suspense. Filled with a plethora of powerful characters, puzzling predicaments, and dead ends, the story moves quickly . . . you will be reluctant to put it down.

Click Here to read the full book review and forwarding introduction of Peter Thomas Senese and the international legal thriller Chasing The Cyclone.

Click here to purchase Chasing The Cyclone on Amazon.

Click here to purchase Chasing The Cyclone at Barnes & Noble.

Book Reviews of Cloning Christ by Peter Senese

An Inspiring work
By Harriet Klausner

Syracuse, New York research geneticist Dr. Max Train deeply believed in God until, a dozen years ago, someone brutally murdered his beloved wife and four-year-old daughter. For Max, their deaths and his legal tribulations afterward left him void of any belief in an All Mighty.

While Max is visiting the Jerusalem area, an earthquake hits uncovering a buried cross. Max wonders if he holds the True Cross that Jesus was crucified on. If the answer is yes, could he clone the Christ from the bloodstains and hair remnants on it causing the Second Coming? In the Vatican Cardinal Anselm Mugant learns of the discovery in Israel. He plans to prevent Max from cloning the Christ by hiring an assassin The Scorpion to kill Max.

Though there are several subplots such as the "Fifth Crusade" that spins the reader away from this delightful inspirational tale, fans will relish this thriller. The tale is loaded with action yet uses the characters as symbols of mankind similar to a medieval passion play like Everyman. The cast represents the faithful, the disbelievers, the dividers (torn between science and religion) or the selfish. CLONING CHRIST brings the debate of religion vs. science to the forefront in an exciting manner that focuses on the sacredness of life.


Thoughtful, Artful, and Valuably Innovative
K. Santon

The modern day or current fiction body requires a process of active fact-gathering - not just working from memory or sensory observation, but to cultivate the root of past historical context so as to give credible life to a storytelller's work of art. In order for a modern-day fiction story to have viable credability a critical criterion necessary is currency - that a writer get on the story's subject matter in a timely manner so that the intended message of the story will have an opportunity to reach an audience to whom the writer directs his or her words to. In 'Cloning Christ', Peter Senese thrust the reader into a spell-binding, mind obsorbing story of currency as the issues of genetic 'human cloning' drive the criterion of currency, while displaying a unique ability of taken a 2,000 year old occurance - the crucifixition of Jesus, and re-creating Jesus' possible birth through the tormented struggles 'Cloning Christ's' main character, Dr. Max Train, must endure as innovative life is given to wooden boards 2,000 years old. The possible rebirth of Jesus, for many Christ, is innovatively created through the author's artful storytelling that essentially hands the possible True Cross of Jesus to the reader, and then says here's the Cross, what do you want to do with it? Unfortunately, the reader, and for this matter, Dr. Train, never have too long to think about what to do with this ancient discovery since one dark ambush after another seems to be waiting for 'The Cross-Bearer'. The thoughtfully juxtaposed ideals of good vs. evil are carefully carried out in the continued confrontation Dr. Train faces as he carries this Cross out of Jerusalem, and into a chaotic world of unknowns waiting for him at every turn.

Senese's story of 'Cloning Christ' is most innovative in that this is not, in my openion, a story that can easily fall in the catagory of 'Christian Fiction' even though there is complete overtures towards Christianity. 'Cloning Christ' is not apocolyptic - there is no Armageddon presented similiar to other well accepted fiction (science) works, unless the reader looks deeply into some of the more thoughtful questions possed in Senese's handling of Jesus' Cross, which he happily hands to you and artfully says 'what do you do next - and, who do you really think it is - Jesus or Christ - that you're holding in your hand? The believeability that a person may one day discover the True Cross of Jesus has credability, regardless of what certain scholars and doctrines claim of Helen's discovery seventeen hundred years ago. And it is the believable criterion of 'currency' that does in fact bring to life the individual readers own Armageddon! Artfully, Thoughtfully, and Valuably Innovatively, Senese hands the reader the past, the present, and the future, and challanges you to look within at your own life and values, though never giving you too much time to stand still because there exists two uniquely created dark forces: the self-rightous man, Anselm Cardinal Mugant, and the prelates Master, an assassin known to one as Sergio, and to a select few as The Scorpion, who are after 'The Cross-Bearer'. Innovatively, the partnership between the prelate and his confessor are filled with many twisted plots and subplots that enthrill the reader, while allowing the author an opportunity to subtlely provide insight on the behaviors of narcissim and self-rightousness.

Innovatively painting a brilliant portrait of landscape and setting, Senese and Geis, create a series of atmospheres which provide 'Cloning Christ' with a living, breathing backdrop. Thus, with 'In Cold Blood' Truman Capote was taking off form the innovations of John Hersey's Hiroshima, the first serious work to attempt a novelistic factual narrative on a large scale. And thus, Tom Wolfe would add his won wrinkle to this strain in 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test' by eschewing Capote's uninflected and rather stiff narrative voice for a wigged-out hop patois that mirrored his characters' sensibiltiy, Senese in 'Cloning Christ' presents real scenarios to very real possible events with the kind of suspense and emotion one expects from the best realistic fiction. And by handing 'Cloning Christ's' protagonist, Dr. Max Train and the reader the possible True Cross, Senese goes deep into his subjects' consciousness, emerging with intimacy and empathy that causes the reader to have a reality check of their own.

Overall, 'Cloning Christ' is an outstanding novel. There is a style fo substance that shows the authors were very thoughtful and purposeful in their presentation of factual material, and artful in their interpretation of realistic 'what if's?' that give life to fiction. Most of all, it is with great precision that the reader is given the possible True Cross of Jesus - a valuably innovative concept that causes hairs to rise on your skin, your heart to race, and while sleeping at night, to wake up and attempt to understand what Jesus did for Man on that cross many like myself believe to be The True Cross. This is creative ficiton at its best.


An Extraordinary Novel With Compelling Meaning

Jerry Merrian

Once in a while authors get a tale just right-- this novel is one such example. In a perfect harmony of a sci-fi thriller and religious passion the writers have gotten the reader into a fast paced novel that brings them face to face with a well-conceived and well-thought out predicament: a genetic scientist finds the Cross of Christ. Will he clone the remnants on that Cross? Step by step, carefully and with rigor, the authors take the story from Mount Olivet, where scientist Max Train is confronted with a possible discovery of Jeus that set him off from all others. Is he in the presence of God incarnate's remains?

Assassins commissioned by a clerical power in the Vatican have been watching Train for a while, as well as other geneticists, in preparation to do away with them all in the name of religion and faith-- but their faith is not the faith of the religion of Christ, or any religion. The novel is now joined from Jerusalem on the Joppa Road to Tel Aviv, on a plane to Rome, where Train is shot at, and where he himself turns into a savage to ward off those he cannot understand or fathom. On to Bologna, Lake Como, Zurich as the Vatican's blackmailing prelate Cardinal Mugant issues orders of his compromised followers to kill the fleeing Train before he "commits a sin against Christ again". Paris, Edinburgh-- a brutal encounter for Train and his Mossad aid Sarah, a woman instructed to help Train avoid the treacheries of Mugant's long extending talons--, and then off to New York whither Train escapes by a hair as it seems almost all the world is after Max Train. The media spread lies,the police of different cities have their orders, and now in New York traps are set all through Manhattan-- but Train eludes Mugant's most unbelievable hire, The Scorpion, as the woman Mossad aid is tortured in Colombia. So much more happens in the book, but you get the point: we have a brilliant blend of action and reaction, plan and counterpoise, message and ignore-- all within the pages of this distinctively laid out novel of suspense and turmoil. I re-iterate what I wrote before: authors once in while get a tale just right, and Peter Thomas Senese fits that description here. Now a movie should be made to bring to the screen one of the rare achievements of learning and action conjoined in a novel that only comes around when talent gives rise to true artistic accomplishment. Cloning Christ is one such novel.


A Fresh Approach to A Well Talked Out, Written Subject

By Anthony B.

First off, I want to say there are to many Apocolyptic books out there! What in the world is going on, are The Horsemen Coming, or what? It seems as if everyone is talking about cloning Jesus these days! Now lets get real for a minute, and I say this with no intent to offend those religious folks who actually believe Armageddon will occur upon the sun's next rising! Maybe its the upcoming war, maybe its the cloning buzz, and maybe there are just too many liberties being taken in the publishing business. You go figure this out for yourself, I'm tired of it. Fortunatly, or unfortunatly, I work in a book store, so I get to see the best as well as the 'what were they thinking' in books. Here's my scoop on this book: I kept noticing the cover jacket from the counter, designed with its dna cross, and decided to take a look. Interesting. Yes, once again the cloning Jesus theme is brought out, like other stories, but, to my surprise, this book actually has no intent of diving into the drawn out issues of cloning Jesus. The story, to my applause, takes the reader into the main character's own personal struggles as well as the dark struggles of the protagonist and the villan (who, I will say, were enjoyable to follow). The story is a strong thriller with some unexpected twists that were not predictable, which kept me interested in continuing on. And so I did. Strong points of Cloning Christ: the reader becomes one with the books plot and settings, and, there is a non-preachy education the authors share with their audience. Negatives: I wish we had more insight into the villan known as The Scorpion, and I think the writers could have increased the tension in the epilogue a bit. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will recommend it to readers who like clever thrillers. I can understand why this book is catagorized under Inspirational Fiction, however, I think this book should be considered a thriller, for that's what it really is.


A truly Contemporary Thriller

By Gail Ponder

What I liked most about Cloning Christ is how real world it is: it addresses a phenomenon-- scientific cloning-- in a way making it a reality the reader must confront. How? In the most ingenious way possible-- by taking Jesus Christ's bodily remnant from his Cross and saying to the reader, What happens if Christ's body is cloned? Is it God? Is it a substitute Christ? And what do you do with this new found reality, the cloned remnants of God the Son?

Cloning Christ brings the reader across many leaps of faith as its hero, Max Train, flees unknown assassins from Jerusalem all the way to New York. The Vatican looms as a cursing shadow in Train's struggle to understand his find of Christ's Cross. Within the eternal city prowls a Cardinal, Anselm Mugant, who has arrogated unto himself the role of God's vengance on geneticists who dare to play "Creator" of man. Powerful players in finance and media, gun running, and environmental ownership are this Cardinal's pawns as the Israeli Mossad comes forth in ways clever and subtle to beat back the would be killers of Max Train.

There is a great human dimension in the book that the two authors adroitly develop: the heartache, doubt, despair, fear, and final resurrection of Max Train's spirit; the plodding hatred and self-righteousness of a pathological prelate; the calm and deliberate behavior of a Pope and a Jewish Rabbi; the simply remorseless behavior of a hired killer who was once a penitent at the confessional of Anselm Mugant. In the character of this killer, The Scorpion. one sees Nietszche revelling in the oily turmoil of words he alone could bring about.

Cloning Christ is a contemporary thriller then, in its making clear what cloning is for humanity, what it could be for a God, and what it actually became for the novel's hero-- Max Train. His only desire in life was finally never to have lost the family so cruelly siezed from him, but which he finally found replaced in full when he made his peace with the Cross and saw his life transformed by a magical woman who actually showed him that God had never stopped loving him.

I cannot recommend the book strongly enough.

Universal Truths

By Mitchell Blessitt

We like stories because they tell us about our world and enable us to learn from the experiences of others, an imaginative capacity that is one of the principal endowments of man. Cloning Christ by Peter Senese disseminates and explains the cultural traditions of religious beliefs that shape our lives by creating an praise-worthy historical thriller evolving around the Cross of Christ. In creating Cloning Christ, the main support characters of this Cross, Dr. Max Train and his guide, the Mossad agent, Sara, the author develops a story that counsels on existential dilemmas of the spirit and soul so to admonish us and point us in new directions, to give us courage to stay a given course, provides us a sense of universal kinsmen, kinswomenship - offers us other eyes through which we might see, other ears which we might hear. It is true that stories attract us by resonating with our anxieties; they allay our anxieties by conveying information or conferring wisdom. By essentially handing to the reader the Cross of Christ, Senese effectively causes great anxiety to the new Cross-bearer while provoking this reader to confront, indirectly at first, and then directly as the story unfolds, the essence of one's faith.

If we rely on stories to guide us through life, we want the guide to be reliable and truthful, and to tell it like it really is or could be; however, we also want the guide to be artful and witty, and to lead us along paths with which we are familiar. Cloning Christ is an inescapable contradiction in terms; a nonfiction fiction; a factual fantasy; a truthful deception; a non-beleiver beleiving.

Cloning Christ is a fascinating, cleverly written geo-theological thriller in a class by itself.



This was good.

By Biker Bob

Okay kids, here's my thoughts: First off, the characters in this book are thought out - each somehow making you think about different issues we all face in today's mixed-up world. The lead guy, Max Train, is a normal guy that really got pissed-on: he losses his wife and daughter to a brutal murder, then gets tried about their killings. If this happened to me, I, like Max sure would have some choice words with the Big Man upstairs. As you can imagine, Max doesn't believe in a thing. Then something crazy happens to him - he finds a cross that may be Jesus cross. To make things worse, this cross appears to have blood on it. Now kids, in christian faith, didn't Jesus, if he was Christ, leave this place? That is a question Max is confronted with. So here is a guy that looses his faith, wants to get back to believing, then suddenly is confronted with wondering if God exists.

To lead matters from the gray to the black, there is a cardinal, who in my openion, is one of the cleverist characters I have every read, that wants this guy Max dead before he lets on to the world that a cross that may be the one Jesus was linched on was found. Yep! The blood and hair follicles get Cardinal Mugant's blood boiling. Caught in what he thinks is his responsabilty to protect the Church, this guy does anything humanly possible to find Max - including making a deal with an assasin who is seeking redemtion and salvation . . . so the Cardinal thinks.

Unfortunately, Mugant has no idea who he REALLY made a deal with. Do I hear some piercing violins? I sure do! Adding to the mix are some fascinating characters, known as the Fifth Crusade. Five cats with great wealth coming from the misdeeds of Nazi Germany that were protected by the Church (this stuff I know to be true, so the authors did some serious homework), are all held hostage, so to speak, by Mugant. If they don't follow his commands, their little secret of how they pandered monies would be shared with the world.

In essence, their lives belong to him. There's this woman Adrianna who is the only surviving child of an arms dealer that can't have a kid. Yet she is torn between participating in the Cardinal's manhunt for a genetisct who may one day assist in medical science that may allow a flower to grow inside her, and killing him. There's this media mogul from Italy who is trying to also protect his empire, but believes in the message of the good Pope - who Mugant can't stand and expects to where the great big hat once the Pope dies.

There's a CIA bigshot with more secrets than there are secrets also manipulated by this crazy cat. You get the point: there are some good layers here. Personally, my favorite cat outside the Cardinal is a Jewish rabbi that helps out Max, not to mention Sara, the 'guide' who eventually follows and protects him as the story drives you to keep reading. The cool thing is that Max, while on this crazy journey, somehow finds his soul, and makes friends again with the Big Man upstairs. Overall kids, this is a good story.

Book Reviews of Peter Thomas Senese's 'The Den of the Assassin'

By Shelley Gammon

Nail-biting Drama and Intrigue

This timely novel brings most of today's headlines into an action-packed drama of intertwining plots involving North Korea's Kim Jung-Il, biological warfare, Muslim terrorists, mercenaries, members of Russia's underbelly, Pakistani nuclear scientists and the brokers & money-movers of Wall Street together a web of why's, how's & whodunits.

Some of the enemies of America's economy and way of life don't fit the usual suspects and they easily slip under the radar of both average citizens and our Department Homeland Security. The linchpin to this international plot is Tyler Boxter, a Wall Street broker who is one of the few good guys who sees beyond the almighty dollar, but who also knows how to turn millions into billions. As he and his partner, former Federal Judge John Morgan, form the building blocks of a multi-billion-dollar empire, they believe they have crossed all "t"s and dotted all "i"s by keeping their plans as close to the vest as possible before the official unveiling. Even their trusted friends, members of the firm they built from the ground-up, have not been included in this scheme which is intended to not only make them all filthy rich, but to also make life better for the common man.

Unknown to them, secret eyes are watching them in the wings, waiting to kill them. Are they just hired mercenaries from some company pushing industrial espionage to the next level, or do these cut-throat terrorists have more sinister plans in which Boxter and Morgan are just stepping stones?

The story takes the reader across the world, literally, as each character travels from one square to another on the global chess board, stitching together a plan to take over the economies of the planet itself, destroying America along the way.

Author Peter Thomas Senese weaves together complex, but believable characters - described both physically and emotionally so you really care what is happening to them. Despite the fact that everything from prostitution to beheadings is touched on, Thomas manages to tell his story without foul language, without grotesque details that give you nightmares and without detailed sex scenes that make you want to bathe after reading. How refreshing!

Just when you think you've figured what is going to happen next, the story twists and turns just like real life - and you don't know what's happening until it's over. Antagonists are hate-worthy and protagonists are not perfect, but heroic nonetheless. Thomas is a gifted writer and can write certain scenes in such a way that you feel like you are in the room with these characters.

My less than perfect rating is for a number of reasons, but I think they all stem from one main problem - this book needed a professional editor to chisel off the rough edges. Some of the economic, trade and health care concepts were way too detailed and over-explained, and made the story less than enjoyable. The concepts are explained, re-explained and then explained again in dialogue that sounds like an infomercial. An editor would have been instrumental in snipping these over-the-top explanations, as well as eliminating the typos. Each chapter has a scene change - citing a date and a time. Some of the time differences are really irrelevant or at least were lost on this reader. Most of these time notations would have been better as "later that evening" or "earlier that morning..." in my opinion. And finally, the over-use of $50-words - words that no one with even an above-average IQ would use in a normal conversation. I had to consult a dictionary so many times, I simply stopped looking the words up because it stopped the natural flow of reading. I love an intelligently-written book such as "Den of the Assassin," but it felt as though the words were thrown in because they were the most intelligent-sounding words found in a thesaurus.

Despite these shortcomings, the book is well-worth the read and enduring the technical jargon regarding the financial markets. Once the story gets going, it is a page-turner. Love, hate, anger, joy, jealousy, loyalty, celebration and grief - the novel takes you through about every emotion and experience you can imagine in a brief 400+ pages and does an excellent job at it. The end of the book sets the reader up for expectations of a second novel. Just like life, things are not tied up in a neat little bow all the time. For his first novel, Thomas truly shines, I am already looking forward to reading his next book. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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By Daniel Jolley


A Thoroughly Engaging, Unpredictable Suspense Thriller

This is one seriously good thriller. Billed as "a novel of international finance and espionage," Den of the Assassin is a super-realistic exploration of frightening possibilities, unsurpassed heroism, Lucifer-like evil, and terrorism of the worst kind. When you look at the cover, which features a shot of the American Stock Exchange captured in the sights of a rifle, you might think this the novel revolves around some kind of Day of the Jackal-like assassination plot, but the complexity of this novel stretches its tendrils deeply into international finance, the vagaries of the American legal and health care systems, international terrorism, diplomacy, intelligence, WMD, and cold-blooded murder - with a little romance thrown in just to stir up the pot a little more. Peter Thomas does a masterful job traversing the inner hallways of diverse institutions as he slowly brings all of these diverse elements together for a slam-bang climax.

The novel is steeped in the new realities of our post-9/11 world, which gives the whole story a visceral prescience teeming with realism and frightful possibility. The focus also provides a warning of sorts, as the greatest danger to America may lie where it is least suspected. The potential dangers inherent in the secret black-market underworld (and the rogues' hall of evil men it does business with) of a still-troubled Russia become a clear and present danger as Den of the Assassin works its way toward its highly suspenseful conclusion.

Tyler Boxter is a young, well-respected investment banker working in the heart of Wall Street. He and his partner, retired judge John Morgan, are days away from finally realizing a dream borne of years of hard and highly secretive work. If eight Special Letter Ruling applications (SLRs) they have submitted amongst several federal agencies are approved, the two partners will thoroughly shake up the financial, insurance, and medical world by revolutionizing (and perhaps even fixing) the health care industry - they will also, in the process, earn almost unimaginable profits for themselves and the company. Tyler has basically staked his wealth and reputation on this plan, and it is a truly risky proposition - if a single one of the SLRs is rejected, the whole plan falls apart. The greatest danger, however, is that someone outside of Tyler's tight circle will find out what is going on and begin putting up legal roadblocks to keep it from happening. Many people stand to lose vast sums in the wake of this revolutionary change, and they will do just about anything to stop the deal dead in its tracks. Tyler knew that going in, but he could never have realized the true dangers he would soon be facing.

Tyler's greatest fear is realized when copies of the SLRs are stolen by unknown thieves. Thinking a competitor is out there trying to circumvent the deal, Tyler and Morgan bring in Judge Ronnie Pitt, a brilliant but disparaged 83-year-old lawyer and Morgan's mentor, and rush to move their timetable up so that they can move as soon as the applications come through (they hope). As things develop, it becomes increasingly clear that Tyler and Morgan have a much bigger problem on their hands than they initially thought, though. For reasons they can't comprehend, their ordeal seems to be linked to an international terrorist operation. Fears of financial failure soon turn to fears for their very lives and those of their friends and loved ones. What makes this terrorist threat so insidious and dangerous is the fact that it does not come from the likely suspects (e.g., al-Qaeda). The real enemy here consists of a criminal, Mafia-type organization of old guard Russian hard-liners led by an untraceable mad genius with designs on destroying America and using her pilfered resources to make Russia the dominant player in the world. The Father, as this mysterious entity is called, needs money - and lots of it - and he will stop at absolutely nothing to get what he wants - including the unleashing of an all-too real "mythical" superplague secretly developed in Russia's biological weapons labs.

Thomas displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance, describing all the technical intricacies of the story's elements and implications with great attention to detail -without ever letting the pace get bogged down or become confusing to the reader. He also keeps a number of secrets close to the vest, saving them for just the right time in the story. This serves to make the book thoroughly believable and increasingly suspenseful. There's no shortage of action here. What Tyler finds himself involved in is nothing less than a war, and he must fight to save not only himself, his friends, and his company, but his very country from an unimaginable catastrophe. The Father's network of agents and killers is as formidable as they come, and the security-related forces Tyler brings into the game are some of the best money can buy. In the end, though, the drama becomes deeply personal, as The Father and Tyler Boxter rush headlong toward a face-to-face encounter of epic proportions.

Many a writer of thrillers seem to drop the ball somewhere in the middle of their novels, but Thomas' knowledge of geopolitics, international finance, and 21st century terrorist threats keeps the fires of detailed complexity and story evolution stoked and red-hot for the entire ride. Tyler Boxter is no James Bond, but Den of the Assassin proves to be just as exciting as any 007 caper - and much more realistic. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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By Mark DeLap "Mark"


Blood Gets Us To Heaven... Wisdom Keeps Us Sane In Life's Journey


If you had a chance to view your own funeral... and at that sacred journey's end, you were permitted view the impact you had upon this world, what would you hope to answer? This book has been reviewed as a spy novel, a modern day Wall Steet thriller, a mystery text with a warning for the aching to return to the cold war, a book about Holy Wars, Gihad, and a novel about the ever present threat of bio-terrorism to erase in moments what God created in seven days.

This book by Peter Thomas, which is a pseudonym for Peter Senese, comes on the heels of his novel, Cloning Christ. As that novel portrayed a picture of a sovereign God and a modern day Job - this novel continues that story line and leaves a living legacy to those of us who yearn to live... LIVE in a ravished world with that self same sovereign God.

Oh... don't misunderstand... All of the reviews you read are correct in that they depict the events of the book with great accuracy and passion. In fact, I don't know of another novel that covers as much of the world's gangrenous canker in a little more than an 8 day scenario.

But if all you see when you read this book is the accuracy of, as Peter says... "America in perilous waters...merely the calm before the storm", then certainly you have missed the passion of this author's heart as he leaves behind years of wisdom and truths as a "gospel" to those who need to survive in this world that we live in.

Peter Senese lost his faith and found God in New York in September of 2001. What he leaves us in this book are accurate world facts that point to continued terrorism... and he also leaves us a trail of breadcrumbs that will take us past the "ground zeros" of our life to the door where the bread of life can be found.

The author calls his New York haven... "Manhattan's grandest house of God" - but if you look at the back cover of his book, you will see that this grandest house pales in comparison to the skyscrapers of this financial hub. Nevertheless... the twin towers are gone... Trinity stands... through the revolutionary war... through the civil war... through world wars... and through the war on terrorism... She still stands.

Want to know how to stand after you've done all to stand? Then I implore you to read this book for the passion and the message that is standing small but mighty amongst this world's systems and monuments.

Want to know how to impact your world after it's all said and done? Read this love letter that Peter Thomas Senese wrote to his son.... and if you can't see a love letter within it's pages... then take the few steps from ground zero to Trinity and know that most certainly there is a road less traveled - where miracles still happen.

"Fate does not fall on man however they act, but falls on man unless they act." just one breadcrumb... it tastes so good, you can't eat just one...

Thank you Peter!!! From a father who needs to leave something of worth behind for my own son... thank you. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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By Elizabeth McGregor

Extremely Well Crafted, Thoughtful, and Hightly Entertaining

'The Den of the Assassin' is one of the most provocative books I have read in years. It is clear and evident that the Russian Black-Market is alive and well, and, it has found its way to the world of capitalism. Author Peter Thomas Senese does an outstanding job of using historical facts to web a unique modern day story that appears to be in every present headline dealing with the world of terrorism and threats to the free world. But there is something really special here above the foresight and intelligently written modern day thriller: Peter Thomas Senese's story is accessable to all readers, as there is a cleverly, though fast paced love story that evolves nicely and importantly through the whirlwind action that takes the reader aroud the globe in as a deadly game is played between Tyler Boxter, the story's protagonist, and Vladamir Stockow, the madman who controls an arsenal of biological weapons rooted from the former Soviet Union's Bioprepreate.

Make no mistake, there is a great deal of fascinating information presented by Thomas in 'The Den of the Assassin'. It is significant, but not overwhelming, and easily understandable. What is amazing is how the author hits his mark on all points: character development keeps you rolling, a plot line that doesn't stop, and too, is fascinating, the use of settings as characters themselves was done wonderfully, especially in New York City, and most of all, the presentation of the common journey all individuals face in finding their way, the way Tyler Boxter needed to, was flawless

I honestly can't say enough wonderful things about this book. Two days from start to finish, Thomas has a lot to say . . . and if you haven't noticed, Iran is building nuclear facilities based upon information obtained from the former Soviet Union and the current Black Market that still exists after it's fall. My only question is how in the world did the author know so much? If you love LeCarre, Clancy, Turow, Patterson, or the deceased Ludlum's work, you will be amazed with Peter Thomas Senese's novel 'The Den of the Assassin'.


By Barry Roth

The Most Realistic International Thriller I Have Ever Read

In 'The Den of the Assassin' author Peter Thomas Senese has written what I beleive to be the most realistic international thriller I have ever read. The story is a riveting expose of current and very real terrorist threats to the Free World, and how these threats use democracy's capitalistic structure to finance and develop there networks. But the electric pulse that captures the reader is not reduced by Thomas' use of . . . amazingly true but little mentioned and news covered facts . . . such as the fact that a handful of biochemist working on an Ebola-oriented vaccine were murdered . . . or the fact that the CIA did in fact create an extraordinary world-wide, multi-language computer monitoring system capable of monitoring all money movement worldwide . . . including and not limited to the unimaginable events of 911 and how the US government knew of large discrepancies in the various trading of entities that would be beneficial to individuals making a hedge to profit from the misdeeds.

From New York, to Narau, to Moscow, to North Korea, to Iraq, to places unknown, the reader enters onto an amazingly colorful journey of nations and intents; however, Thomas' masterful handling of the story's protagonist: The Father Stockow is so brilliant that he is everywhere, and always, somehow on Wall Street - where the unsuspecting banker Tyler Boxter is essentially a deer looking into the headlights.

Boxter's evolution is brilliant: as Thomas transforms the lost lamb into a predatorial shark . . . hunting for the one person who can destroy the world. In a page-turning writing style that hits you over the head with critically important fact after fact at a level that you actually want more information and facts, Senese's character development of all his characters is defining.

Which leads me to say this: Den of the Assassin is a brilliant novel worthy of the highest praise possible. That said, I want to add that there is great meaning in this story, something bouyed by the love story that prevails with Julia Marcardo and Tyler Boxter. As for Boxter, and the movement that is set in this story by the main character I want to list some words that come to mind: redemption, hope, faith, determination, addiction, love, fear, surrender, love.

Great job.



By Dave Rumereo

One To Relish On

Let me begin by stating that my review is based specifically on the story and not issues of the art of editing, for which I am not an expert in. I am, however, a lover of books, especially well thought out fiction, and in DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, Peter Thomas Senese has written one of the best modern-day thrillers I have read.

In DEN OF THE ASSASSIN I found myself reading one of the most intricately structured and detailed plot lines I have ever read, brilliantly executed that my eyes kept racing from page to page. Starting in Russia, Thomas soon brings you to New York City, where the action of this thriller is laid out perfectly: on Wall Street. And this is where Thomas shines most - clearly he knows the pulse of this place in the physical and metaphysical sense, bringing the reader into the frenetic canyons of capitalism, and the world of finance's connectivity to the worlds of terrorism. In the thematic of Wall Street's connection to the concerns of global terrorism, Thomas' point is current, informative, sensitive to detail, and interesting.

Evolving around the thematic of global terrorism we are introduced to Tyler Boxter, a somewhat typical Wall Streeter with an interesting, but not overwhelming past. He's a guy with issues, but who's not with them? As a provocative game of death is being laid out, we are introduced to an array of characters, some deliberately fanciful, others meticulously sterile. All with purpose, the characters in this story drive the action around the world, and to the finality of a very clever, unexpected ending.

If you are a fan of thrillers, I think readers will really find this book to be a great read. Personally, I am a fan of James Patterson, Patricia Cornwall, Nelson DeMille, David Baldacci, Jon Kellerman, Michael Connelly, and of course, Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy. In DEN OF THE ASSASSIN I believe we have found a writer who, if showing consistency, may have the ability of joining these wonderfully gifted writers as mainstream writers of note.