Explosive concluding part of the Inner Space trilogy of Murder Mystery stories.
It is necessary to establish a universal regime over the whole world.”
(Writings of the Illuminati, 1780.)
Information is Power: For thousands of years men have created secret societies, brotherhoods and used religion in their never ending quest for the most addictive of drugs POWER. The main tool of control had always has been…FEAR!That was until he invented MONEY!
Today there are many who ask; Who really wields the power behind the world throne?
Rumours and conspiracy theories have haunted the secret world of Freemasonry for decades.This has prompted questions as to the existence of an Inner Circle, a group so powerful that they have an unnatural influence over Governments and World affairs.
Could it be that there is a New Illuminati ?Or has the old order just resurfaced as the invisible prophets of Capitalism. An elite group so powerful they control the financial resources of the world and would seek to recruit their disciples from within the organised and highly disciplined ranks of Freemasonry itself?
To Detective Chief Inspector Nick Burton such things as wild conspiracy theories belong in the world of goulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night. Or at least they used to, unfortunately some of his more recent investigations have led him to challenge everything he thought he knew.
Doctor Jill Tindell, his fiancée, and her boss professor Harman-Jones of Cambridge University have been studying and experimenting with the powers of the human mind; Parapsychological phenomenon such as telekinesis, and projection of the mind beyond the confines of the body.
At first Nick was enthralled but his jaundiced policeman’s eye quickly saw a frightening downside to their experiments.His biggest fear was that if he could see it then so could others… people who would not hesitate to use such power to their advantage.
The problem is has his dire warnings come too late and is his worst nightmare about to become reality? And if so….what the Hell can he do about it?
Excerpt
Mankind is a creature of the sun. It is against the natural order of things for him to be alert during the long dark hours of the night. At such times his senses are dull, his eyesight poor and his reflexes slow.
Conditioned over a long period of time by the five day working week the weekend is for fun, relaxation and a time to regenerate for the trials of the coming week.
Therefore two a.m. Sunday morning is when man is at the lowest peak of his mental efficiency.
The perfect time for an attack!
Chapter 1.
In the warm stuffy atmosphere of the reception area the night security guard stretched, rubbed his tired eyes and laid the book he was reading back onto the desk. He looked up at the big clock on the wall; it was nearly time for his external rounds. He quite looked forward to it, it gave him a chance to stretch his legs, have a smoke and above all relieve the terminal boredom.
In the area beyond the back of the desk a bank of CCTV monitors glowed eerily in the dimmed light. Had he been watching them at that very moment it is just possible that he may have notice the image on one screen flicker and change very slightly.
One minute, nothing except an empty car park clear all the way to the shrubbery border. The next the most subtle of movements behind the bushes as a dark vehicle inched into view and stopped.
From outside the van the grey tinted glass made it virtually impossible for normal vision to penetrate the internal gloom. But to the people sitting inside things were just as they should be. They all sat quietly patient and still.
Of the two figures sitting in the front of the van there was a strange almost alien look about them. Clothed entirely in black even their heads and hands were covered but most sinister of all was the one single green eye just above where the nose on a normal face would be.
“Time?” The question came from the figure sitting in the front passenger seat.
“Zero Two Twelve, Sir.” The reply came from somewhere in the black interior.
“Insertion on my mark, check external scanners for movement.”
“External scanners clear, no visual or heat readings, Sir.”
“Insertion team ONE, you have a GO!”
Eerily silent an opening appeared in the side of the van and three black shapes slid out keeping low as they disappeared into the bushes beside the van. The van door closed just as quietly as it had opened.
Once under cover the figures moved with stealth through the shrubbery until they reached the wide open space of the empty car park with the low lying buildings beyond. For the most part the buildings were in darkness except for a few external lights and an area that was clearly the front entrance and reception area. Within that lit area they could see movement. One of the crouching figures raised his right hand and made a quick signal that sent a team member off in that direction. To the other he held up a fist and pointed to the ground… the pair settled and waited.
They didn’t have to wait long before a tallish man wearing a security uniform came out of the building and stood off to one side. The flare of a match and a telltale puff of smoke told them that he had just lit a cigarette. A couple of puffs later and he wandered off around the far side of the reception building and out of sight.
As they watched him go they saw the dark shape of their colleague leave the protection of the shrubs as he moved fast and low towards the main door. One of the watchers smiled under his mask as he saw the door open almost immediately. Obviously the guard had not bothered to lock the door behind him, careless but useful.
Two static clicks in his earpiece confirmed what he already knew, his man was inside.
Thirty seconds later two more clicks told him that the computer recording device linked to the CCTV cameras had been deactivated but the cameras remained on. You would still see everything but only if you were right in front of the monitors.
Another minute passed before the next two clicks, this confirmed, “in position and concealed.”
Outside they watched as the guard came back into view, he wasn’t hard to spot he was whistling loudly and waving his large torch around all over the place. It was one of those big brash yellow contraptions with a beam so big and powerful you could practically climb up it. Nevertheless, even accidentally, it was a major threat to anyone on night operations; getting caught in the beam of that thing would seriously bugger up your night vision for a goodly while. The two concealed figures flattened themselves to the ground listening rather than watching. Neither moved until they heard two clicks announcing that the guard was now safely back in the building.
Security officer Jim Stephens having completed his external walk round inspection of the buildings under his care went back through the front door locking it behind him. He walked back behind the front desk and put the heavy torch back in its cupboard. He tossed the keys in the drawer scanning the bank of CCTV screens as he did so. These screens showed certain key areas of the building complex both inside and out and as usual for this time of day they showed no activity whatsoever.
He crossed over to a small fridge that stood concealed in the far corner of the reception area. On top of the fridge sat a microwave oven and an electric kettle, in fact he had all the necessary paraphernalia to make his rather boring job just that little more comfortable. He flicked the kettle on and started to make himself some tea.
Over on the desk area there were a few more comforts of home. He and the other regular night guards had clubbed together to make their fairly monotonous lives more tolerable. There were books, a good quality radio, a decent TV set with built in DVD player and if there was nothing worth watching he had brought along his lap top computer stuffed with enough games to last a lifetime.
Mug of tea and a large packet of McVitie’s chocolate digestives in hand he gave the CCTV monitors a quick look as he settled down behind the desk sipping tea and casually flicked through the TV channels.
That would be the last thing he would remember doing that night.
Outside in the bushes a further ten minutes elapsed before they heard an open language message, “he’s out.”
By the time they returned to the van the side door was already open and they were joined by four others similarly dressed figures but without the night vision goggles. Between them they carried two heavy canvas bags across the car park and quickly disappeared inside safe in the knowledge that there would be no record of their visit.
Professional Reviews
Inner Space book One
By J M Lennox Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
INNER SPACE Book One
I wasn't quite certain what I was going to find in Inner Space Book 1 by the title, although after reading the description I was prepared for a crime mystery, with a difference. What I wasn't prepared for was just how intriguing and thought-provoking that `difference' would be, in this captivating story.
Inner Space would easily appeal to several genres. There is the crime mystery itself skilfully written and tailored with totally believable, true-to-life characters. There is the expertly crafted romantic element intertwined perfectly with the story-line. And there is the paranormal aspect which also makes this book at the top of the list for must-read reading, especially if you like to explore possibilities which may take you out of your comfort zone.
It's impossible to equate Inner Space to any other crime mystery style I have ever read; it is so deliciously, refreshingly, different, although authors Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch) came fleetingly to mind, from my reading experiences. I found it extremely difficult to put this book down, and it was made all that much more difficult because there were no unnecessary blocks of description which served to sway me from continuing.
Inner Space Book 1 comes highly recommended, and I can't wait to read the remaining two books in the trilogy.
J M Lennox
Inner Space Book Two The Reluctant Nemesis
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Inner Space Book Two - The Reluctant Nemesis by Merlin Fraser
Again, another reviewer has beaten me to the punch with a perfect synopsis.
Frankly, I didn't think Merlin Fraser could do it twice in a row. In fact, he did not. Inner Space Book Two is actually better than Book One. The first in this trilogy was a perfect set up for Book Two and hints broadly at what await us in Book Three.
This time the pace is faster and the plot and sub plots provide twists and turns that will keep a reader guessing from first page to last. I will warn you now - if you think Mr. Fraser is going to go left with the action, he will most assuredly go right.
Again, the characters are richly drawn and from the first scene, they are up to their necks in mystery and mayhem. The principal actors from Book One join the action and bring their formidable talents to bear on crimes from the past the present and the future. What follows is a wild ride that touches on organizational politics, departmental border skirmishes, suspense, intrigue, romance, double dealing, sex, corruption in places high and low, arson, assault, robbery, murder and absolute terror.
That is well over the quota of plot elements but the author balances them all beautifully. Mr. Fraser's has a unique talent for introducing the impossible and the improbable and making them all absolutely believable. As in Book One, the good guys don't always get it right and the bad guys aren't always wrong. Few people in Inner Space Book Two - The Reluctant Nemesis are quite who you think they are - many times, they aren't who they think they are either.
Inner Space Book Two - The Reluctant Nemesis, is a book that comes highly recommended. This novel does not cross the genres of fiction so much as it creates a new one. Book Two of the trilogy is designed for people who love to read a marvelous story perfectly told by an author who is stylistically gifted.
Inner space Book three The All Seeing Eye
By Sconion Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Inner Space Book Three - The All Seeing Eye by Merlin Fraser
I could not wait to dig into this, the third in Merlin Fraser's trilogy. I was impressed in the extreme with books one and two and was optimistic about book three. There is always a question when I read trilogies - are my expectations too high?
In this case, nope, not high enough. Mr. Fraser surprised me in books one and two and kept the momentum up throughout book three.
The author continued to develop the main characters and tossed in a few new ones in just the right places. In books one and two we could see the characters clearly, but in book three we know them, can feel them across a spectrum of emotions. His characters are easy to identify with. The things they do and say and think and feel are natural, organic. They are, in a word, real.
As far as I can see that is the job of a writer. Merlin Fraser could have called it a day right there - but he didn't.
Each of the previous books had a freestanding story line, but both were connected thematically. The same is true with book three. This time, however, the atmosphere is darker, more sinister and far more deadly.
The characters have method, motive and opportunity to take on the largest opponent imaginable - the power elite. In the hands of another writer this could have looked tired and shop worn. The author's take on it, however, was fresh and provided twists and turns that kept me turning the pages late into the night.
Mr. Fraser explores areas of the paranormal in ways I've not seen done before. His treatment is delicate and provokes thought. I found this to be a book that asked and answered a lot of intriguing what-if questions. His handling of the procedural side was equally deft.
I found book three to be satisfying in so many different ways. Like the rest of the trilogy, stylistically it was unique, the characters were real, dialogue was authentic, the action was believable and the ending, well, I'll only say you won't see it coming.
I recommend Inner Space Book Three - The All Seeing Eye by Merlin Fraser, highly to anyone.
Boom! Pain! Blackness!
After an RPG attack on their barracks in Afghanistan, corpsmen, Amber Fox and Luke Owens wake up in an Army hospital in Germany.
Thus, begins a four-month recovery for both of them. Amber lost her left leg bel
Black Leather and Blue Denim, A '50s Novel is adult literature for anyone who likes 1950s' teen culture. BL&BD has been given a 5 Star Rating by ebookpalace.com and by Midwest Review
Her grandma always said she had “the blessing”, and to always use it for good, but sometimes there is shame in fame if a person can’t handle it. Don’t let the Boo Hag ride ya
