The Devil's Brigade (A Nick Lassiter-Skyler Thriller) - Softcover

Marquis, Samuel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1943593000 ISBN 13: 9781943593002

Publisher: Mount Sopris Publishing, 2015

Synopsis

THE DEVIL'S PILE BRIGADE - A NICK LASSITER-SKYLER THRILLER BOOK 1 (FORMERLY THE SLUSH PILE BRIGADE) #1 DENVER POST BESTSELLER (FICTION) AWARD-WINNING FINALIST BEVERLY HILLS BOOK AWARDS (MYSTERY) BY SAMUEL MARQUIS - #1 DENVER POST BESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR In this first thriller in the Nick Lassiter-Skyler International Espionage Series, Mr. Everyman Nick Lassiter becomes an unwitting intelligence operative and encounters for the first time the beautiful female assassin Skyler, who plays a prominent role in Books 2 and 3 of the series. As he celebrates his thirtieth birthday with friends, Lassiter is also a man in crisis: he has lost his girlfriend and his job, is wanted by the police, and has discovered that his unpublished thriller, Blind Thrust, has been stolen and turned into a blockbuster movie called Subterranean Storm. Even worse, the movie is based on a soon-to-be bestselling novel by Australian thriller writer Cameron Beckett, one of the world’s biggest brand-name authors. Rather than seek revenge through a financial settlement or public humiliation, Lassiter sets out for New York to obtain mea culpas from Beckett and his renowned literary agent, whom he is certain colluded with the Aussie in stealing his debut novel. Once in New York, Lassiter, and his three fish-out-of-water friends who insist on accompanying him, instantly run afoul of the law and other powerful forces intent on thwarting them and their mission. As they encounter one thorny obstacle after another, the scope of their inquiries expands and they are soon in way over their heads, battling toe-to-toe not only against the mega-bestselling author and his agent, but a formidable army of antagonists, including the NYPD, Beckett’s Big Five publishing house security squad, and the Russian mob. Collectively, these adversaries present Lassiter with the greatest—and deadliest—challenge of his life. Unexpectedly aided by his CIA father, Director of the Russian Counterintelligence Desk, and his former girlfriend turned CIA-informant, Lassiter and his comrades take to calling themselves the Devil’s Brigade in tribute to the legendary U.S.-Canadian First Special Service Force, an elite commando outfit that fought in Italy in World War Two. Outmatched and outgunned, they are foiled at every turn but still they are determined to win. But will justice be attained? Can they prove that Beckett and his crooked literary agent have stolen Lassiter’s blockbuster novel and are undeservedly reaping the success? More importantly, can they solve one of the most important counterintelligence cases in CIA history and in the process honor the original Devil’s Brigade?

About this title

From the Author:

What was the inspiration behind both "The Devil's Brigade" and "Blind Thrust", the novel stolen from fledgling writer Nick Lassiter in the novel? "Blind Thrust" seems more closely aligned to your day-to-day work as an environmental hydrogeologist, while "The Devil's Brigade" seems like an adventure in your imagination.
 
I actually wrote "Blind Thrust" before "The Devil's Brigade." The inspiration behind "Blind Thrust" is my experiences in California and Texas as a registered professional geologist in assessing earthquake hazards and fault classifications. I wrote the novel and my agent was pitching it to publishers in New York. I began wondering, "What if a mega-best-selling author was having writer's block, needed a good story, and actually colluded with his literary agent to steal a promising novel by a no-name author from the slush pile, an author who happened to be an expert in his field like me and had written a scientifically-accurate novel like "Blind Thrust?"
 
I wondered to myself how I would try and seek revenge. Once I dug into the research, I quickly discovered that big-name publishers, producers, writers, editors, and directors in both the literary industry and Hollywood pilfer creative works from no-name authors and screenwriters all the time. It made me angry. And that is why I wrote "The Devil's Brigade." Like a lot of people, I root for the smart, hard-working little guy and want him him to be able to earn a fair wage for his creative work.

From the Inside Flap:

Book 1 of the Nick Lassiter - Skyler International Espionage Series.

About this edition

• Publisher: Mount Sopris Publishing
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1943593000
• ISBN 13: 9781943593002
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 270