Wereth Team Member Norman Lichtenfeld has Passed Away.
Free Today on Kindle WWII Espionage Thriller / The Russian van Gogh
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| Painter on the Road to Tarascon by van Gogh |
A couple years back I was searching online for the most valuable painting lost in the destruction of the Second World War and I came across The Painter on the Road to Tarascon (pictured left) by Vincent van Gogh. It is a self portrait of the artist in his "yellow period"that if it had survived would be worth more than $300 Million USD today. Of course it set my imagination on fire and the result is one of my favorite thrillers I have written but of course judge for yourself. And for the next two days you can download it for free to your Kindle.
Link (Grab for Free on Amazon)
I wrote this story essentially as the female version of Indian Jones. I wanted it to be a fun read, an across the globe adventure in the high stakes world of multimillion dollar art. And yes Vldimir Putin plays a major role in the story.
A secure Russian government warehouse is breached in a violent raid. Chechen terrorist Sergey Karpov now possesses a priceless van Gogh the world thought lost in an allied bombing raid in 1945.
Seized in a German museum outside Berlin by the Red Army Trophy Brigade during the last chaotic hours of WWII the masterpiece is part of a hidden stash of billions of dollars worth of stolen art the Russians want kept secret.
Karpov's plans to extort the Putin administration are met with an iron fist and he turns to the world stage releasing a shocking tape to the BBC declaring he will burn the van Gogh and other paintings if his ransom is not paid in seven days.
The Russian van Gogh is a thrilling international race against time as the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam posts a $10 Million dollar reward for the captured painting's return. And British Secret Service along with WWII stolen art recovery experts, The Monuments Men, all join the hunt.
The Monuments Men, founded at Harvard University, dispatches Art History Professor and Forensic Art Detective Riley Spenser, the world's leading expert on the paintings of van Gogh to authenticate the painting. If it is truly the lost van Gogh from WWII it's value could reach $300 million. Riley teams with British MI6 Agent, Justin Watson, and together speed to Moscow and eventually to the most dangerous city in Russia to find the painting.
From first page to last the story is a gripping intelligent page-turner filled with intrigue and peppered with cinematic action that jumps off the page like a major motion picture.
Thomas Child Update New Pictures!
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| Thomas Child (left) at Gettysburg 50th with unidentified vet |
In any event Diane knew all about Thomas and spent time in his former home and the best part is she had more photos! I am sharing them in this post. The very cool part is Thomas, who fought at Gettysburg with the 18th Mass. actually attended the 50th Gettysburg Reunion in 1913 the year before he passed away. And here pictured is the photo to prove it along with this train ticket from Massachusetts to attend the reunion. I did not know this but was informed that all veterans who wanted to attend were provided free train transportation.
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| Thomas Child train pass to Gettysburg reunion |
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| Thomas Child Discharge Paper from the Civil War |
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| Thomas W. Child after the war perhaps at age 35. |
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| Thomas W. Child in later years |
D-Day On Lake Erie
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| Rob Child and Tony Antonucci, Commander 2nd Rangers |
I was there to immerse myself in the time period as well as to get a sense of the general audience enthusiasm for WWII. You couldn't have gotten a more patriotic or enthusiastic crowd. Those in attendance were lovers of history and appreciative of WWII vets in particular. And I heard an announcement at the event that there were over 150 WWII vets in attendance. This event was massive but very well run and incredibly free of any admission charge. Yes, free. All the town asked for was a donation which I gladly gave. The event site is situated on the shores of Lake Erie an hour east of Cleveland in the Conneaut Town Park. The terrain actually mimicked Normandy as the park is on a high bluff overlooking the lake. And Erie being one of the "great lakes" after all looks like the ocean or the English Channel.
The most striking difference between the troops at this event and those at a Civil War event was the age. WWII Reenacting is still a young hobby and I saw many younger troops especially on the German side. Yes, they had a full German encampment with SS troops and the works. Since I am writing the WWII story, Blood and Armor, for the Ardennes Group I was very heartened to see this younger enthusiasm for the history and the time period.
The event itself was exciting. Prior to the the American troops landing on shore in the Higgins boats and other crafts the Germans fired a working 88mm gun as well as a flak wagon and MG 42 machine guns. They used these to "fire" on the troops landing. But what was ultra cool is they had American P-47 strafing the beach as well as bombers. And I even thought I caught sight of a Liberator. I took a very short video with my phone which is the reason I wanted to publish this post. My camera work is nothing to write home about but this clip gives you a sense of being there. Enjoy!
Tag :
War and Military,
WWII
Free on Amazon Today - 5-Star Thriller The Russian van Gogh
I wrote this story essentially as the female version of Indian Jones. I wanted it to be a fun read, an across the globe adventure in the high stakes world of multimillion dollar art.
Here is more about the story:
A secure Russian government warehouse is breached in a violent raid. Chechen terrorist Sergey Karpov now possesses a priceless van Gogh the world thought lost in an allied bombing raid in 1945.
Seized in a German museum outside Berlin by the Red Army Trophy Brigade during the last chaotic hours of WWII the masterpiece is part of a hidden stash of billions of dollars worth of stolen art the Russians want kept secret.
Karpov's plans to extort the Putin administration are met with an iron fist and he turns to the world stage releasing a shocking tape to the BBC declaring he will burn the van Gogh and other paintings if his ransom is not paid in seven days.
The Russian van Gogh is a thrilling international race against time as the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam posts a $10 Million dollar reward for the captured painting's return. And British Secret Service along with WWII stolen art recovery experts, The Monuments Men, all join the hunt.
The Monuments Men, founded at Harvard University, dispatches Art History Professor and Forensic Art Detective Riley Spenser, the world's leading expert on the paintings of van Gogh to authenticate the painting. If it is truly the lost van Gogh from WWII it's value could reach $300 million. Riley teams with British MI6 Agent, Justin Watson, and together speed to Moscow and eventually to the most dangerous city in Russia to find the painting.
From first page to last the story is a gripping intelligent page-turner filled with intrigue and peppered with cinematic action that jumps off the page like a major motion picture.
A fast-paced ride, The Russian van Gogh, is one of my favorite stories that I have written.
New Hamilton Book I Highly Recommend
Here's a link to it on AMAZON
London Calling Soon on Presale at Amazon
"The follow up to The Russian van Gogh."
Forensic Art Detective, Riley Spenser, returns in this thrilling follow up to the, Russian van Gogh.
Keep HamilTEN!
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| Image Courtesy of the New York Post the newspaper founded by Hamilton |
"The
injustice of women not yet placed on U.S. currency does not justify creating
another injustice by removing Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill. The ‘Women
on 20s’ campaign makes a persuasive case for the use of the $20 bill for
highlighting distinguished U.S. women. Hamilton gave the United States its
economic, financial, banking, and monetary systems that strengthened the nation
during its founding, and has fueled its economic growth for over 225 years.
Alexander Hamilton deserves to be "Right on the Money!"
Rand is certainly not alone. Numerous articles have appeared highlighting the
outrage including articles in the New
York Times.
Ron Chernow, author of Hamilton makes an eloquent unapologetic argument to keep Hamilton on
the currency in a recent article on Politico.
Ironically
in our increasingly politically correct world the person who deserves to be
removed from the currency is Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. He is the
President responsible for the Trail of Tears, which removed Native Americans
from their tribal lands. If you read further into Jackson's history I am
confident you will be appalled.
I
had the opportunity to study Hamilton in depth while writing my historical
novel Rush on Boys: Hamilton at War. I felt after months and months I came to
understand the man and his motivations and especially his hopes and dreams for what
America could be. We live in Hamilton's America not Jefferson's and the groundwork
that Hamilton laid has supported our nation's economy for over 225 years. He
was an immigrant who saw the greatness of America before it was even a nation.
And in my opinion we should honor and celebrate the man who gave us so
much by keeping him "on the money."
If you want to learn more about the Keep HamilTEN initiative the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society has created a Resource Page with many links and quotes. They will also be highlighting this issue at their upcoming Celebrate Hamilton Days July 10 - 14 in NY/NJ. More information HERE.
99th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme
Ninety nine years ago today, July 1, 1916 was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. On this day more than 57,000 casualties occurred in a capture of less than five miles of ground. Imagine that type of carnage. Even casualties in the battle of Gettysburg which occurred over three days are thought by most historians to number around 51,000.
WWI, the Great War, was thought by most combatants involved to be the LAST WAR. They thought it had to be so terrible as to prevent another one. Well history of course proved them wrong. 100 years ago in 1915 marked the introduction of gas attacks on the battlefield. It was a horrific way to die as many at first did not know what was happening but once they did it was too late. They died essentially from drowning from the fluid in their own collapsed lungs.
I have written a book on the last 100 days of the war called, How Canada Won The Great War. It is a provocative title but one that is based on meticulous research and absolutely accurate. You can pick up a copy at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other places.
Below is an audio except from the book which describes the Battle of the Somme read by the great Colin McLean. It is available on itunes and Audible.com
I have written a book on the last 100 days of the war called, How Canada Won The Great War. It is a provocative title but one that is based on meticulous research and absolutely accurate. You can pick up a copy at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other places.
Below is an audio except from the book which describes the Battle of the Somme read by the great Colin McLean. It is available on itunes and Audible.com
Tag :
War and Military,
WWI
