Chance Kings and Desperate Men eBook Shawn Frederick Michael Want
Download As PDF : Chance Kings and Desperate Men eBook Shawn Frederick Michael Want
In January, 1937, you do whatever you can to get by. Matthew Becker is a recent college grad, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and a crack shot since childhood. He’s also one step away from the breadlines. He makes money on both sides of the law while trying to find meaning, honor and self-respect in a world of chaos.
Becker and his best friend Angelo are driving back to Jersey from a crooked boxing match outside Philadelphia when they come upon two gangsters beating a man to death. The victim is Becker’s manager, Mendy Schecter, a Brooklyn wise-guy long on talk and short on charm. Still, it would be bad manners to leave him. They shoot both hoods dead and get Mendy to safety.
Becker and Angelo are no choirboys. They grew up in a tough immigrant neighborhood and know the rules. Interference in Mob business is a death sentence. Now they have to get away or get dead.
They volunteer for The Republic in the Spanish Civil War. The choice of joining the volunteers in Spain or staying with the love of his life and caring for his dying father has tortured Becker for months. Now the decision has been made for him. But on their way to fight Franco, Becker and Angelo are intercepted by a Party agent in Paris who needs men with special skills. The Fascists in France are backed up by the Gestapo and The Cause needs someone lethal enough to go up against them.
From the ganglands of America to the backstreets of Paris and the trenches of the Spanish Civil War, CHANCE, KINGS AND DESPERATE MEN depicts the demands of duty, friendship and conscience in tragic conflict with the moral ambiguities of war.
Chance Kings and Desperate Men eBook Shawn Frederick Michael Want
At first look, the time and setting for this story might mislead you into viewing it as an attempt to channel Hemingway. In fact, it is much closer to Bernard Cornwell or Patrick O'Brien. Like O'Brien's "Aubrey/Mataran" series, the tale hinges on the bond between two very different men. They are thrown together into a maelstrom by loyalty and a sense of honor. Their adventure, which takes them from a fight club in rural Pennsylvania to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, is a kaleidoscope that shows us a different era. That era is brutal and dangerous, but it is also filled with men who believe they can actually change the world for the better by taking a stand. One of the book's strengths is the lack of cynicism shown by its characters. They believe in things - they don't just pretend to believe. As a fan of the "Greatest Generation," I was hooked. A great adventure story, with exciting battle sequences and characters you care about.Product details
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Chance Kings and Desperate Men eBook Shawn Frederick Michael Want Reviews
A friend recommended this book to me and I wasn’t sure I was up for a historical novel, but I agreed to take a look. The first chapter came out swinging (literally) and I still wasn’t sure I would stay with it. By the end of the second or third chapter, I started to realize how much was really going on and how much we don’t know about the period before WWII. But the story isn’t about boxing, war, The Depression or the Mafia. It’s about all the hard choices that get forced on us in our lives and all the unexpected consequences that follow. Try it, stay with it – sooner or later you might see yourself in it.
Shawn Frederick’s book, Chance, Kings and Desperate Men is an action packed novel that takes the reader through a fast paced series of adventures. Best friends Becker and Angelo are extremely likable and multifaceted characters who make difficult life decisions, resulting in a multitude of challenges they must overcome. The novel is enhanced by the author’s rich use of imagery and allusion, while using humor to diffuse the severity of the dangerous escapades. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be entertained and thrilled.
As a life-long fan of historical fiction, I would rate this book as one of the best I have read. It is a beautifully crafted tale that combines a terrific cast of characters with suspense, humor and an in depth look at the tragedies of war. The main characters tug at your heartstrings and the supporting cast makes the story pop off the pages. I kept thinking what a great film it would make and I am hoping for a sequel!
I am a fan of historical fiction, which is what drew me to this book. The author obviously has a thorough understanding of the time period he writes about and engages the reader, as he intertwines the characters development with that of historical struggles. From the opening pages, I could tell I was in for an adventure and was not let down. A thoroughly enjoyable read!
This is a riveting read. From the first pages I was in love with the principal characters. But as the story unfolded hints peppered here and there gave me the feeling that I just might learn what they were truly made of; and that they might not be quite so lovable. Flawed maybe? No more than the rest of us? Was it that they had the unusual courage to do what was necessary while the rest of us watch life from the audience, not daring to go on stage? Or were those notions just my rationale kicking in because I wanted to stay in love with them? All so well told in a page turning style and a textural backdrop that was clearly well researched. I can’t wait for a sequel, or a prequel – I just want more.
A fast paced story that starts in post depression America and moves to the Spanish Civil War. A great read for people who like historical fiction or action stories, this book incorporates both in a very different way. When two young men become entangled in the affairs of the less savory elements of their neighborhood, their only path out is to escape overseasÑand the quickest and safest route available is signing up for the Spanish Civil War. These two main characters Becker and Angie find themselves in Europe at the mercy of a loosely organized network ferrying a motley crew of would-be-soldiers into Spain. But itÕs soon recognized that Becker and Angie are cut from a different cloth than the rest, and to them falls a much more sinister task. The rest of the story paints a picture of what it must have been like to be in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. I give it four stars for being a roller coaster ride through a very desperate time with masterfully developed characters and clearly thorough research.
I found this story to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. Set during the tumultuous times leading up to the Second World War, this novel has pretty much everything a fan of historical fiction like myself could ask for the corrupt fight game, sleazy mobsters, loyal family and friends, a bittersweet romance, and the deadly political intrigue of the Spanish Civil War. As with Hemmingway’s classic saga of the Spanish Civil War, For Whom the Bell Tolls, the author of Chance, Kings, And Desperate Men also took the title of his tale from a John Donne poem. Unlike Hemmingway who lived through and reported on the Spanish Civil War, if this writer’s website photo is to be believed, he is far too young to have any firsthand knowledge of the conflict. Yet to this aficionado of the genre, the novel is historically accurate and does an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere and events of the era.
At first look, the time and setting for this story might mislead you into viewing it as an attempt to channel Hemingway. In fact, it is much closer to Bernard Cornwell or Patrick O'Brien. Like O'Brien's "Aubrey/Mataran" series, the tale hinges on the bond between two very different men. They are thrown together into a maelstrom by loyalty and a sense of honor. Their adventure, which takes them from a fight club in rural Pennsylvania to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, is a kaleidoscope that shows us a different era. That era is brutal and dangerous, but it is also filled with men who believe they can actually change the world for the better by taking a stand. One of the book's strengths is the lack of cynicism shown by its characters. They believe in things - they don't just pretend to believe. As a fan of the "Greatest Generation," I was hooked. A great adventure story, with exciting battle sequences and characters you care about.
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