Review: A Dubious Artifact by Gerald J. Kubicki

A Dubious Artifact (Colton Banyon mystery #6) by Gerald J. Kubicki

Description:
Colton Banyon is having a good day when he learns that the Chinese and the Effort are after an old artifact that was willed to him by his father. He later discovers that Loni is also tied to the artifact. Written on the old piece of solid gold are formulas that go back thousands of years, formulas that could put the world’s currency and financial stability in jeopardy. His old nemesis, Dr. Carol Thorne suddenly returns and wants the artifact at any cost, but Banyon is one step ahead of her and hatches a plan to protect it. His teams of sidekicks soon appear to help. Unfortunately the Chinese are not so easily put off. Within hours, Banyon’s life becomes at risk and several gun battles ensue. He and his team retreat to a FBI safe house but are discovered and both the Chinese and the Effort attack with an army of killers. Banyon must take down the Nazi leaders of the Effort and defeat the Chinese while protecting the artifact. He does have the help from Wolf, but the spirit tells him that some of his friends may die and he has to make the choices. In the final battle, the unthinkable happens, some of his friends die and he must carry on without them.

My Thoughts:
Banyon and company are in the business of taking out old Nazis and the Effort. In this, the sixth book of the series, they need to keep an artifact out of the hands of the bad guys. This book has lots of action, some mystery, ghosts and curses. The sex-crazed Patel sisters and jealous Loni provide comic relief. This is a fun action read. I have read A Dubious Plan, but it is not necessary to have read the other books to know what is going on.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!
*Notes: Violence and some blood. Some strong language.

My Source: author

Where to get it:
Amazon


Where to find the author:
Gerald J. Kubicki
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Click here to read my interview with Gerald J. Kubicki.
Click here to read my review of A Dubious Plan.

Author Interview: Gerald J. Kubicki (and a giveaway)

Gerald J. Kubicki is the author of the Colton Banyon mystery series. I have read and reviewed A Dubious Plan and plan to read A Dubious Artifact soon. Keep reading to find out more about Gerald J. Kubicki and enter to win a copy of A Dubious Plan .

Describe your ideal writing space. How does it compare to reality?

My books are a reflection of society today. There are as real as I can make them, including

historical facts and geographical locations that I have visited. I weave this information into

the plot of the story. There is a touch of paranormal that makes my books different. The

hero can communicate with a spirit who provides him with information. It’s not scary, it’s

more like the spirit is a researcher.

What is the first story you remember writing and what was it about?

My sister and her husband owned a small newspaper on Long Island. They needed small

articles to fill space. I wrote articles about things that I noticed about people and places, an

example is; in Las Vegas, people wear flip flops instead of shoes. I learned to identify who

was coming to my office, by the sound of their flip flops.

Name a memorable book from your childhood. Why is it memorable?

When I was young, I was laid up with an injury for six months. I started reading then. The

first book that impacted me was A Brave New World. After that I began to read everything.

The second book that influenced me was, On Dubious Ground, by Hemingway. As a result

it stuck with me my whole life.

If you could ask any writer (living or dead) a question, who would it be and what

would you ask?

I would ask Stephen King how he coped with the early years of rejection.

If you could pick any of the worlds or characters you have created, which would you

want to visit or spend a day with?

That is easy. Loni Chen would be the character. She is beautiful, smart, aggressive, and yet has

many old world values. Her background is a constant mystery. She also causes the hero, Colton

Banyon, many headaches with her impulsiveness, and jealously.

What is one thing you like to do when you are not reading or writing?

I generally write a book every three months. I spend one month researching, one month

writing and the third month, I golf. I also live in Las Vegas and get many visitors.

What are you currently working on?

My sixth book came out the first week of November. It is centered on an artifact from World

War II. It recaps the history of the Burma campaign during WWII. My father served there.

I have three more books finished. One is about a possible war between Mexico and the United

States. The second concerns the Vril Society and the third is about Unit 731. I also reveal more

about the backgrounds of the main characters.

About Gerald J. Kubicki

I was born and raised on Eastern Long Island in the Westhampton area. My youth was full of adventures since we had miles of woods surrounding my home and we were near the ocean. I didn’t know until I reached college that most people didn’t have celebrities living nearby. The Hamptons are loaded with them. I considered myself an athlete and excelled in baseball. My goal was to play major league baseball, but a shoulder injury ended that dream.

I attended college at Suny Plattsburgh on an academic scholarship and I am a proud member of Theta Kappa Beta fraternity. My mother told people that I was an educated bum.

I moved to New York City in 1970. My degree was useless and I worked a variety of jobs including food service, bartending and recruiting models and secretaries. That was fun, but not much money. I eventually entered the business world.

My first real job was in the Consumer Products industry. I was hired by a major manufacturer of food products.They trained me to be an executive and also to believe that anything is possible.  They exposed me to the broader world. After ten years my division was sold and I moved on to the car wax business in an executive position and started to travel to other countries increasing my knowledge base. Eventually I went to work for the huge conglomerate, where I became involved with trade organizations for consumer products companies. As the age of computers blossomed I became an expert in developing business for our customers and developed many trusted contacts in business. This resulted in my development of a consulting business.

My hobbies are golf, reading, writing, traveling, all sports, cooking and even a little gambling. I am an accomplished speaker and have been certificated in Behavior Modification, facilitation, and business organization. I studied business management at Hofstra university. In addition to owning a consulting business, I also started an English language school in China.

My basis philosophies are: History will repeat itself, we are products of our environment, knowledge is always the key and everyone deserves justice. They are reflected in my books. One more thing, I also believe that there are unexplainable phenomena in the world, like spirits and curses.


Where to find him:
Gerald J. Kubicki
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Twitter
Goodreads

Amazon Page


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Review: A Dubious Plan by Gerald J. Kubicki

A Dubious Plan (Colton Banyon Mystery #5) by Gerald J. Kubicki

Description:
In the fifth Colton Banyon mystery, Banyon and his sidekick, Loni are called to Death Valley just as they are about to attend a wedding in Las Vegas. The wedding is very significant as one of the Patel sisters is marrying Eric, Wolf’s long lost grandson. Loni is determined to make it happen as it will end the curse that sexually attracts the Patel sisters to her man.
However, an old German war plane has been found in the sand dunes of Death Valley and contains many mysteries. They drive out to inspect the discovery as Banyon believes that the find is very important. As they attempt to unravel the mysteries, they discover a plan that goes back to the end of World War II and could affect modern day America.
Soon they find someone who was on the plane and possesses a map to a hidden cave. But an old Nazi knows about the cave and a war develops in the barren desert. Banyon calls in his team and finds out that they are on their own as the old Nazi attacks. The Nazi is after something, but what? Banyon and his entire team face immense peril. And then bad things start to happen.

My Thoughts:
I'm not really a history person, so when I saw this was about Nazis, I wasn't sure if I would be that interested. I ended up really enjoying it. This book is fast-paced with an intriguing mystery, action, suspense, shooting, explosions, a spirit who talks to people, curses, and a great cast of characters. I especially like Loni, with her guns and attitude. I love this quote about her by Banyon, after she takes out one of the bad guy's bodyguards: "She is my bodyguard. I only need one. Now take this crybaby and get out now."

Loni and Banyon are detectives who, I believe, hunt down old Nazis and/or Nazi artifacts. This is the fifth book and I haven't ready any of the others, but I think that's right. I currently have the sixth book, A Dubious Artifact, waiting for me and I am anxious to read it. There are also several more waiting to be published, so if you don't like to wait long between books this is a good series to start.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!
*Notes: Plenty of sexual references, but they are left to the imagination.

My Source: author

Where to get it:
Amazon

Where to find the author:
Gerald J. Kubicki
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads