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BETA
Private Investigator Mallory Petersen, a fourth degree black belt with her own taekwondo school in Des Moines, Iowa, splits her time between teaching martial arts and her often inane cases. It's not that she wants bad things to happen to people, but it makes life more interesting when they do.
When Mallory accepts a case to find Cheryl McGee’s kidnapped eight year old daughter, she is pulled into the dark underworld of child pornography. The trail soon leads to the Quad Cities, where Mallory partners with an officer from the Special Case Squad.
As the investigation deepens, Mallory discovers there’s more to the girl's disappearance than her client let on.
When Mallory accepts a case to find Cheryl McGee’s kidnapped eight year old daughter, she is pulled into the dark underworld of child pornography. The trail soon leads to the Quad Cities, where Mallory partners with an officer from the Special Case Squad.
As the investigation deepens, Mallory discovers there’s more to the girl's disappearance than her client let on.
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First published October 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 1, 2012
BETA, by Stephen L. Brayton, is the first novel in the Mallory Petersen series of thrillers. In this new mystery thriller, Mallory Petersen, a fourth-degree black belt with her own taekwondo school gets into bone-chilling scrapes, one after the other, with thieves, police, and especially underworld scum and their vicious guard dogs.
These scenes are breathtakingly fast, Mallory’s taekwondo technique, expert and authentic. And just when we think Mallory will succeed in wrapping up the case, there are more exciting twists.
Fast-action scenes are offset by the poignant, searing commentary and scenes involving the plight of a kidnapped eight-year-old girl.
The story begins when a woman hires Mallory to find her kidnapped daughter, Cindy McGee, a child forced into the dark world of pornography, rape, drugs, you name it. The trail soon leads to the Quad Cities, where Mallory partners with a delicious-looking Detective Lawrence Cameron to continue her search for the kidnapped girl, and, along with more action and daring, there is the promise of romance.
Mr. Brayton’s writing has a distinctive voice. His characters are fresh and plentiful (I especially liked three of his minor characters: Mallory’s grandmother, the oily Edward Brougham, and the likable snitch, Willy.) Themes include grief and loss surrounding child pornography.
Make no mistake, the subject of BETA is child pornography—sexual exploitation for profit, slavery at its bleakest level. If you have avoided books dealing with this perverse but pervasive underworld in the past, know that in BETA the author handles the subject with tender sensitivity and poignancy.
And the tale of our children’s exploitation needs to be told. Child pornography is one of the fastest growing industries on the internet.
In the quote below, the author switches from the voice of Mallory Petersen’s first-person narrative told in the past tense of storytelling to third-person omniscient. Because he uses the present tense, we feel like we are there:
“The girl sits very still in the cold room. Her mind is fuzzy and her eyes can’t focus very well. She wants to forget the last few hours, the feelings, the pain, the sickness in her stomach. Mercilessly, the memories return again and again, distorted, blurry, but all too real.”
‘Mallory’ in Old French means ‘Luckless.’ You’ll have to read the book and decide for yourself whether or not the name suits Mallory Petersen, but if you enjoy non-stop thrillers, the fine writing of an unputdownable story, then you won’t want to miss BETA.
About the Author. Stephen L. Brayton owns and operates Brayton’s Black Belt Academy in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He is a Fifth Degree Black Belt and certified instructor in The American Taekwondo Association.
During his early twenties, while working for a Kewanee, Illinois radio station, he wrote a fantasy based story and a trilogy for a comic book. He has written numerous short stories, written a paranormal mystery, entitled NIGHT SHADOWS. Sequels to NIGHT SHADOWS and BETA are in rewrite/revision stages.
BETA
ISBN 978-159080-094-2
Copyright © 2011 by Stephen Brayton
Published by Echelon Press
These scenes are breathtakingly fast, Mallory’s taekwondo technique, expert and authentic. And just when we think Mallory will succeed in wrapping up the case, there are more exciting twists.
Fast-action scenes are offset by the poignant, searing commentary and scenes involving the plight of a kidnapped eight-year-old girl.
The story begins when a woman hires Mallory to find her kidnapped daughter, Cindy McGee, a child forced into the dark world of pornography, rape, drugs, you name it. The trail soon leads to the Quad Cities, where Mallory partners with a delicious-looking Detective Lawrence Cameron to continue her search for the kidnapped girl, and, along with more action and daring, there is the promise of romance.
Mr. Brayton’s writing has a distinctive voice. His characters are fresh and plentiful (I especially liked three of his minor characters: Mallory’s grandmother, the oily Edward Brougham, and the likable snitch, Willy.) Themes include grief and loss surrounding child pornography.
Make no mistake, the subject of BETA is child pornography—sexual exploitation for profit, slavery at its bleakest level. If you have avoided books dealing with this perverse but pervasive underworld in the past, know that in BETA the author handles the subject with tender sensitivity and poignancy.
And the tale of our children’s exploitation needs to be told. Child pornography is one of the fastest growing industries on the internet.
In the quote below, the author switches from the voice of Mallory Petersen’s first-person narrative told in the past tense of storytelling to third-person omniscient. Because he uses the present tense, we feel like we are there:
“The girl sits very still in the cold room. Her mind is fuzzy and her eyes can’t focus very well. She wants to forget the last few hours, the feelings, the pain, the sickness in her stomach. Mercilessly, the memories return again and again, distorted, blurry, but all too real.”
‘Mallory’ in Old French means ‘Luckless.’ You’ll have to read the book and decide for yourself whether or not the name suits Mallory Petersen, but if you enjoy non-stop thrillers, the fine writing of an unputdownable story, then you won’t want to miss BETA.
About the Author. Stephen L. Brayton owns and operates Brayton’s Black Belt Academy in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He is a Fifth Degree Black Belt and certified instructor in The American Taekwondo Association.
During his early twenties, while working for a Kewanee, Illinois radio station, he wrote a fantasy based story and a trilogy for a comic book. He has written numerous short stories, written a paranormal mystery, entitled NIGHT SHADOWS. Sequels to NIGHT SHADOWS and BETA are in rewrite/revision stages.
BETA
ISBN 978-159080-094-2
Copyright © 2011 by Stephen Brayton
Published by Echelon Press
January 2, 2012
BETA, by Stephen L. Brayton, is the first novel in the Mallory Petersen series of thrillers. In this new mystery thriller, Mallory Petersen, a fourth-degree black belt with her own taekwondo school gets into bone-chilling scrapes, one after the other, with thieves, police, and especially underworld scum and their vicious guard dogs. These scenes are breathtakingly fast, Mallory’s taekwondo technique, expert and authentic. And just when we think Mallory will succeed in wrapping up the case, there are more exciting twists.
Fast-action scenes are offset by the poignant, searing commentary and scenes involving the plight of a kidnapped eight-year-old girl.
The story begins when a woman hires Mallory to find her kidnapped daughter, Cindy McGee, a child forced into the dark world of pornography, rape, drugs, you name it. The trail soon leads to the Quad Cities, where Mallory partners with a delicious-looking Detective Lawrence Cameron to continue her search for the kidnapped girl, and, along with more action and daring, there is the promise of romance.
Mr. Brayton’s writing has a distinctive voice. His characters are fresh and plentiful (I especially liked three of his minor characters: Mallory’s grandmother, the oily Edward Brougham, and the likable snitch, Willy.) Themes include grief and loss surrounding child pornography.
Make no mistake, the subject of BETA is child pornography—sexual exploitation for profit, slavery at its bleakest level. If you have avoided books dealing with this perverse but pervasive underworld in the past, know that in BETA the author handles the subject with tender sensitivity and poignancy.
And the tale of our children’s exploitation needs to be told. Child pornography is one of the fastest growing industries on the internet.
In the quote below, the author switches from the voice of Mallory Petersen’s first-person narrative told in the past tense of storytelling to third-person omniscient. Because he uses the present tense, we feel like we are there:
"The girl sits very still in the cold room. Her mind is fuzzy and her eyes can’t focus very well. She wants to forget the last few hours, the feelings, the pain, the sickness in her stomach. Mercilessly, the memories return again and again, distorted, blurry, but all too real."
‘Mallory’ in Old French means ‘Luckless.’ You’ll have to read the book and decide for yourself whether or not the name suits Mallory Petersen, but if you enjoy non-stop thrillers, the fine writing of an unputdownable story, then you won’t want to miss BETA.
About the Author. Stephen L. Brayton owns and operates Brayton’s Black Belt Academy in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He is a Fifth Degree Black Belt and certified instructor in The American Taekwondo Association.
During his early twenties, while working for a Kewanee, Illinois radio station, he wrote a fantasy based story and a trilogy for a comic book. He has written numerous short stories, written a paranormal mystery, entitled NIGHT SHADOWS. Sequels to NIGHT SHADOWS and BETA are in rewrite/revision stages.
BETA
ISBN 978-159080-094-2
Copyright © 2011 by Stephen Brayton
Published by Echelon Press
Fast-action scenes are offset by the poignant, searing commentary and scenes involving the plight of a kidnapped eight-year-old girl.
The story begins when a woman hires Mallory to find her kidnapped daughter, Cindy McGee, a child forced into the dark world of pornography, rape, drugs, you name it. The trail soon leads to the Quad Cities, where Mallory partners with a delicious-looking Detective Lawrence Cameron to continue her search for the kidnapped girl, and, along with more action and daring, there is the promise of romance.
Mr. Brayton’s writing has a distinctive voice. His characters are fresh and plentiful (I especially liked three of his minor characters: Mallory’s grandmother, the oily Edward Brougham, and the likable snitch, Willy.) Themes include grief and loss surrounding child pornography.
Make no mistake, the subject of BETA is child pornography—sexual exploitation for profit, slavery at its bleakest level. If you have avoided books dealing with this perverse but pervasive underworld in the past, know that in BETA the author handles the subject with tender sensitivity and poignancy.
And the tale of our children’s exploitation needs to be told. Child pornography is one of the fastest growing industries on the internet.
In the quote below, the author switches from the voice of Mallory Petersen’s first-person narrative told in the past tense of storytelling to third-person omniscient. Because he uses the present tense, we feel like we are there:
"The girl sits very still in the cold room. Her mind is fuzzy and her eyes can’t focus very well. She wants to forget the last few hours, the feelings, the pain, the sickness in her stomach. Mercilessly, the memories return again and again, distorted, blurry, but all too real."
‘Mallory’ in Old French means ‘Luckless.’ You’ll have to read the book and decide for yourself whether or not the name suits Mallory Petersen, but if you enjoy non-stop thrillers, the fine writing of an unputdownable story, then you won’t want to miss BETA.
About the Author. Stephen L. Brayton owns and operates Brayton’s Black Belt Academy in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He is a Fifth Degree Black Belt and certified instructor in The American Taekwondo Association.
During his early twenties, while working for a Kewanee, Illinois radio station, he wrote a fantasy based story and a trilogy for a comic book. He has written numerous short stories, written a paranormal mystery, entitled NIGHT SHADOWS. Sequels to NIGHT SHADOWS and BETA are in rewrite/revision stages.
BETA
ISBN 978-159080-094-2
Copyright © 2011 by Stephen Brayton
Published by Echelon Press
May 4, 2012
Mallory Petersen is a hard hitting Private Investigator, quite literally as she is also a fourth degree black belt with her own Taekwondo school. Most of her cases are mundane and run of the mill; employee checks, suspicious spouses and so on. When a distraught mother appears at her office Mallory is drawn into an investigation that will put her in danger and show her the worst of mankind.
Eight year old Cindy McGee has been kidnapped from play park. Mallory establishes from her contacts that local police have few leads and the FBI breathing down their necks, as the disappearance is one in a recent series. Her investigation quickly leads her to the dark world of child pornography. When the trail leads from Des Moines, Iowa to the Quad Cities she teams up with a Special Case Squad who have their own share of drudge work and a team leader who appears to appreciate Mallory and her slightly unorthodox methods. This tense thriller has the reader wondering whether she can find Cindy and who is behind the ring peddling young children like merchandise.
This book tackles a dark and emotive subject but does so in a way that provides enough detail to make the level of depravity clear, but without becoming too graphic. What is left unsaid is powerful enough. There are parts where the viewpoint switches from Mallory to Cindy, and through her eyes the horror of the situation becomes even more immediate. I enjoyed the tone Mallory adopts, reminding me slightly of old fashioned PI films. The narrative is fast paced and there is plenty of action as Mallory comes up against those who have secrets they would rather keep hidden. The ending reinforced feelings I was having throughout the book and was unexpected. Fortunately a hint of romance with an Adonis provides a bit of light relief.
I really enjoyed the characters, most of whom had some little quirk that made them endearing. At one point Mallory seemed a little too close to indestructible, even with her training in mind, so it was good to see she had a vulnerable side. I was intrigued by her serene assistant and amused by her snitch Willy and persistent suitor Brougham. As the book is described as "A Mallory Petersen Mystery" I'm very much hoping we will see further instalments which will reveal a bit more about her past and develop some of the characters in this book further.
I raced through this book, which in addition to the positives above was well formatted and virtually typo free. I'd be very happy to read more by this author in future.
Eight year old Cindy McGee has been kidnapped from play park. Mallory establishes from her contacts that local police have few leads and the FBI breathing down their necks, as the disappearance is one in a recent series. Her investigation quickly leads her to the dark world of child pornography. When the trail leads from Des Moines, Iowa to the Quad Cities she teams up with a Special Case Squad who have their own share of drudge work and a team leader who appears to appreciate Mallory and her slightly unorthodox methods. This tense thriller has the reader wondering whether she can find Cindy and who is behind the ring peddling young children like merchandise.
This book tackles a dark and emotive subject but does so in a way that provides enough detail to make the level of depravity clear, but without becoming too graphic. What is left unsaid is powerful enough. There are parts where the viewpoint switches from Mallory to Cindy, and through her eyes the horror of the situation becomes even more immediate. I enjoyed the tone Mallory adopts, reminding me slightly of old fashioned PI films. The narrative is fast paced and there is plenty of action as Mallory comes up against those who have secrets they would rather keep hidden. The ending reinforced feelings I was having throughout the book and was unexpected. Fortunately a hint of romance with an Adonis provides a bit of light relief.
I really enjoyed the characters, most of whom had some little quirk that made them endearing. At one point Mallory seemed a little too close to indestructible, even with her training in mind, so it was good to see she had a vulnerable side. I was intrigued by her serene assistant and amused by her snitch Willy and persistent suitor Brougham. As the book is described as "A Mallory Petersen Mystery" I'm very much hoping we will see further instalments which will reveal a bit more about her past and develop some of the characters in this book further.
I raced through this book, which in addition to the positives above was well formatted and virtually typo free. I'd be very happy to read more by this author in future.
November 9, 2012
I highly recommend "Beta" by Stephen L. Brayton. The main character, Malory Petersen, is not only a top notch private investigator; she is also an expert in martial arts. As she sets out to solve the case of a missing girl, eight-year-old Cindy McGee, she becomes immersed in the dark world of child abduction, pornography and slavery where children are emotionally, physically and sexually abused. As I read, I experienced several emotions: anger, disgust and sadness. Mr. Brayton has written an emotionally charged novel with an intricate plot and memorable characters. A must read!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews