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Colton Banyon Mysteries #6
A Dubious Artifact
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.
342 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
461 people want to read
About the author
Gerald J. Kubicki
32 books344 followersI 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 attended college at Suny Plattsburgh on an academic scholarship and I am a proud member of Theta Kappa Beta fraternity. I earned a degree in Asian history. My mother told people that I was an educated bum.
I spent my working career in consumer products industry and traveled the world. Most of the locations in my books are places I have visited. This has given me great background for my writings.
My hobbies include: writing, reading, golf, cooking and even a little gambling as I live in Las Vegas.
My basis philosophy is: History repeats itself and you will find that theme in all my books.
I attended college at Suny Plattsburgh on an academic scholarship and I am a proud member of Theta Kappa Beta fraternity. I earned a degree in Asian history. My mother told people that I was an educated bum.
I spent my working career in consumer products industry and traveled the world. Most of the locations in my books are places I have visited. This has given me great background for my writings.
My hobbies include: writing, reading, golf, cooking and even a little gambling as I live in Las Vegas.
My basis philosophy is: History repeats itself and you will find that theme in all my books.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 10, 2017
Book # 6 in the Colton Banyon Mysteries
I preferred reading series in sequence although sometime it is not always possible “A Dubious Artifact” is one that I had missed through the years. I wish to thank Mr. Kubicki for sending me the book and providing as in the past hours of captivating suspense for my enjoyment.
As in all the books the story is a smorgasbord of ideas presented in a fantasy style: a bit of Indiana Jones, a tad of James Bond, a dash of paranormal all mixed together into an exciting saga. Again we have Colton and his team of sidekicks protecting artifact. This latest saga is personal for Colton, the artifact was willed to him by his father: a piece of solid gold, written on it is a formula that could put the world’s currency and financial stability into a spin. Once again the Effort group is in the picture and joining in is a team of Chinese killers, Homeland Security personal and Colton’s old nemesis Dr. Thorne on the hunt to obtain this treasure at any cost.
The tempo is fast-paced with some down moments for us to catch a breather. The plot is good and exciting but mostly entertaining. It is not literature and by far, the style has faults many readers will notice but overall is pretty good. My only beef is the depiction of the female characters they are sex-crazed bimbos with little between the ears. Maybe the presence of the Patel sisters and the jealous Loni is adding a bit of fun…..and humour to an intense story, I guess it does. I would prefer more depth with the female characters…..
After 21 books read in this series, going back in time into the protagonist story with book 6 wasn’t a bad thing after all. I now can say I prefer the earlier books and by far.
I preferred reading series in sequence although sometime it is not always possible “A Dubious Artifact” is one that I had missed through the years. I wish to thank Mr. Kubicki for sending me the book and providing as in the past hours of captivating suspense for my enjoyment.
As in all the books the story is a smorgasbord of ideas presented in a fantasy style: a bit of Indiana Jones, a tad of James Bond, a dash of paranormal all mixed together into an exciting saga. Again we have Colton and his team of sidekicks protecting artifact. This latest saga is personal for Colton, the artifact was willed to him by his father: a piece of solid gold, written on it is a formula that could put the world’s currency and financial stability into a spin. Once again the Effort group is in the picture and joining in is a team of Chinese killers, Homeland Security personal and Colton’s old nemesis Dr. Thorne on the hunt to obtain this treasure at any cost.
The tempo is fast-paced with some down moments for us to catch a breather. The plot is good and exciting but mostly entertaining. It is not literature and by far, the style has faults many readers will notice but overall is pretty good. My only beef is the depiction of the female characters they are sex-crazed bimbos with little between the ears. Maybe the presence of the Patel sisters and the jealous Loni is adding a bit of fun…..and humour to an intense story, I guess it does. I would prefer more depth with the female characters…..
After 21 books read in this series, going back in time into the protagonist story with book 6 wasn’t a bad thing after all. I now can say I prefer the earlier books and by far.
April 27, 2021
It is possible that I received a free copy from the author; I am voluntarily reviewing.
I loved it.
Love interest, an artifact, Nazis, action, Homeland security
I would recommend and read more in the series.
I loved it.
Love interest, an artifact, Nazis, action, Homeland security
I would recommend and read more in the series.
February 16, 2013
I remember when “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was first released. On the surface, it was about a guy looking for a lost artifact. The folks who had it did a pretty good job of hiding it. Oh yeah, and he was racing a bunch of nazi's who were trying to get to it first – or failing that, at least have possession at the end. Then, it turned out that there was this mystical element hovering over the whole thing.
Gerald J. Kubicki takes that generalization at its highest level, and modernizes it. Our hero is a rich guy in Chicago. The villains are neo-nazis – including a couple of survivors of the Third Reich – with some Chinese government operatives mixed in for good measure. And yes, there's a mystical element. Then … mix in a little espionage and political thriller around the side, and spice it up with 4 incredibly sexy women, and you have “A Dubious Artifact”.
I've been a little lax in writing this review, because I'm really not sure how I felt about this book. There were some significant plusses. It kept my interest from beginning to end. It was usually fast-paced, as a good thriller should be, with occasional slower moments to allow the reader to catch his or her breath before the next action sequence. And I found I liked most of the characters – at least, most of the “good guys” like Colton Banyon and his live-in former FBI girlfriend Loni. I wanted them to not simply survive, but to come out on top in the end.
But the novel and its author also managed to make me uncomfortable at the same time. I felt Kubicki crossed the line from simply having the Chinese government and its operatives acting as the villains into the “Yellow Menace” themes that were echoed in the past by characters such as Fu Manchu where almost everyone of East Asian background was out to conquer the rest of the world. This would be a difficult tightrope for any writer; I'm sure more experienced hands than Mr. Kubicki's would have also failed. Case in point: the excessive use of the term “Chinaman”. The term is seen as offensive by many. I could understand where some characters in a book may use terms like that. However, when EVERY character does so, including the narrator, we can consider it to be thematic.
Also, the “every woman wants to sleep with the hero” sub-theme was eased out of the James Bond movie franchise because it is perceived by a growing number of individuals of both genders as an anachronistic attitude. Yet here, we have 4 absolutely beautiful women – 3 of them sisters – all with a history (and maybe a future, possibly even a current) uncontrollable desire to sleep with our protagonist. Explaining it away with “a curse” doesn't make it go away; it made me feel dirty reading it.
From a technical perspective, the book shows either a good but not perfect effort at self-editing, or a poor job by a professional editor. For example, there were too many misused words – the “there” / “their” variety.. This occurred enough that it actually distracted from the content at times. (I wish I'd thrown a bookmark or a paper clip into my printed copy of the book when I came across a significant example so I could cite specifics.)
Overall, this book provided enough positives to overcome its negatives and was a good read. I would expect more from subsequent efforts.
DISCLOSURE: This book was provided free of charge by the author, in return for a commitment to provide an honest review upon completion.
Gerald J. Kubicki takes that generalization at its highest level, and modernizes it. Our hero is a rich guy in Chicago. The villains are neo-nazis – including a couple of survivors of the Third Reich – with some Chinese government operatives mixed in for good measure. And yes, there's a mystical element. Then … mix in a little espionage and political thriller around the side, and spice it up with 4 incredibly sexy women, and you have “A Dubious Artifact”.
I've been a little lax in writing this review, because I'm really not sure how I felt about this book. There were some significant plusses. It kept my interest from beginning to end. It was usually fast-paced, as a good thriller should be, with occasional slower moments to allow the reader to catch his or her breath before the next action sequence. And I found I liked most of the characters – at least, most of the “good guys” like Colton Banyon and his live-in former FBI girlfriend Loni. I wanted them to not simply survive, but to come out on top in the end.
But the novel and its author also managed to make me uncomfortable at the same time. I felt Kubicki crossed the line from simply having the Chinese government and its operatives acting as the villains into the “Yellow Menace” themes that were echoed in the past by characters such as Fu Manchu where almost everyone of East Asian background was out to conquer the rest of the world. This would be a difficult tightrope for any writer; I'm sure more experienced hands than Mr. Kubicki's would have also failed. Case in point: the excessive use of the term “Chinaman”. The term is seen as offensive by many. I could understand where some characters in a book may use terms like that. However, when EVERY character does so, including the narrator, we can consider it to be thematic.
Also, the “every woman wants to sleep with the hero” sub-theme was eased out of the James Bond movie franchise because it is perceived by a growing number of individuals of both genders as an anachronistic attitude. Yet here, we have 4 absolutely beautiful women – 3 of them sisters – all with a history (and maybe a future, possibly even a current) uncontrollable desire to sleep with our protagonist. Explaining it away with “a curse” doesn't make it go away; it made me feel dirty reading it.
From a technical perspective, the book shows either a good but not perfect effort at self-editing, or a poor job by a professional editor. For example, there were too many misused words – the “there” / “their” variety.. This occurred enough that it actually distracted from the content at times. (I wish I'd thrown a bookmark or a paper clip into my printed copy of the book when I came across a significant example so I could cite specifics.)
Overall, this book provided enough positives to overcome its negatives and was a good read. I would expect more from subsequent efforts.
DISCLOSURE: This book was provided free of charge by the author, in return for a commitment to provide an honest review upon completion.
July 18, 2013
A Dubious Artifact is the sixth book in a series. I must say up front that I have not read any of the previous books and that my reactions may have been different if I had followed the entire series.
This book is fast-paced and intriguing. I like the way the past and present are woven into a complicated story, building a mysterious puzzle for the reader to piece together. I enjoyed the developing relationships between the main characters. The diverse schemes on both sides are well thought out and their reactions realistic. The double-crosses and turncoats gave the story interesting and unexpected plot twists.
That being said, this book seems to pull a lot of ideas from other books/movies and blends them into a new story. Three examples come immediately to my mind. First, and the most obvious connection to me, is Wolf, who is Colton Banyon’s spirit guide. This spirt-realmed character made me think of Bob from Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden Series. Second, the Nazi/Artifact relationship reminded me of several of the Indiana Jones movies. Third, the relationships of the multiple “ultra-sexy women” who all want Colton in bed reminded me of every James Bond movie ever made. There may be other parallels, but these jumped out at me.
I was annoyed by several things in this book. I found the stereotypical characteristics of the women to be overdone and distracting. I was also bothered by the overblown representations of both the Chinese agents and Nazi plotters. The editing seemed poor. There were many missing or misused words.
All things considered, I liked this book, enjoyed the storyline and plot, and thank Mr. Kubicki for a wonderful adventure.
This book is fast-paced and intriguing. I like the way the past and present are woven into a complicated story, building a mysterious puzzle for the reader to piece together. I enjoyed the developing relationships between the main characters. The diverse schemes on both sides are well thought out and their reactions realistic. The double-crosses and turncoats gave the story interesting and unexpected plot twists.
That being said, this book seems to pull a lot of ideas from other books/movies and blends them into a new story. Three examples come immediately to my mind. First, and the most obvious connection to me, is Wolf, who is Colton Banyon’s spirit guide. This spirt-realmed character made me think of Bob from Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden Series. Second, the Nazi/Artifact relationship reminded me of several of the Indiana Jones movies. Third, the relationships of the multiple “ultra-sexy women” who all want Colton in bed reminded me of every James Bond movie ever made. There may be other parallels, but these jumped out at me.
I was annoyed by several things in this book. I found the stereotypical characteristics of the women to be overdone and distracting. I was also bothered by the overblown representations of both the Chinese agents and Nazi plotters. The editing seemed poor. There were many missing or misused words.
All things considered, I liked this book, enjoyed the storyline and plot, and thank Mr. Kubicki for a wonderful adventure.
December 9, 2014
I received a Kindle copy of A Dubious Artifact from the author, in exchange for a review. This book is an entertaining espionage novel and I would recommend it were it not for the editing issues. When I read the book, the errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and tense were so numerous that I thought I was reading an early, unfinished draft of the book. I communicated with the author and he told me he uses a couple of beta-readers and a professional editor. It appears a spell checker must have been used, but the editor couldn't actually have read the story. For example, there is a character who says he wants to chock someone to death. Another character senses a present behind her. Another character, “sat majesty in front of the lead vehicle.” Chock, present, and majesty are correctly spelled words, but a reader would have to pause for a moment and re-read to realize that the words choke, presence, and majestically were what the author meant. These types of errors occur all throughout the book. There are also words that ended in “ing” when an “ed” was required. Furthermore, there was a constant misuse of commas and missing quotation marks that a basic spellchecker would catch.
I went and read some reviews for the previous book in this series, A Dubious Plan, and found another reviewer that notes editing issues. This series has a lot of promise, but the editor has done the author a dreadfully unprofessional disservice. Do the paperback copies of these books have these editing issues? Would it be possible fix the Kindle versions?
I went and read some reviews for the previous book in this series, A Dubious Plan, and found another reviewer that notes editing issues. This series has a lot of promise, but the editor has done the author a dreadfully unprofessional disservice. Do the paperback copies of these books have these editing issues? Would it be possible fix the Kindle versions?
June 13, 2014
(FTC: I received a Kindle copy of this book from the author, and I thank him for his generosity. This in no way influenced my opinions, which, as usual are 100% my own.)
Where has this marvelous series been that I have never crossed paths before?! The characters are so well written and "seasoned" with maturity and intellect,I almost never wanted to get to the end of the book! (I want Colton and his partner Loni to be my new BFFs)
Colton Banyon and his "company" are "finders" of lost/stolen/obvious and dubious artifacts, and they are really good at what they do. In a world where " the enemy of my enemy is my friend", they work with and outside of government and local law enforcement that may or may not be "The Effect": modern day Nazis trying to take over all.
In some ways,a small amount of The Effect backstory in this book reminded me of an older Phillip Roth book about what might have happened if Charles Lindbergh became president and Germany won WW2. (I can't even remember the book title but the book was worth remembering). This artifact traces back to the Pacific Theater, and along with some ancient Chinese legends, had me anticipating what might happen next, and who might not survive.
Thank you fir introducing me to this author's work. I can hardly wait to read more!
Where has this marvelous series been that I have never crossed paths before?! The characters are so well written and "seasoned" with maturity and intellect,I almost never wanted to get to the end of the book! (I want Colton and his partner Loni to be my new BFFs)
Colton Banyon and his "company" are "finders" of lost/stolen/obvious and dubious artifacts, and they are really good at what they do. In a world where " the enemy of my enemy is my friend", they work with and outside of government and local law enforcement that may or may not be "The Effect": modern day Nazis trying to take over all.
In some ways,a small amount of The Effect backstory in this book reminded me of an older Phillip Roth book about what might have happened if Charles Lindbergh became president and Germany won WW2. (I can't even remember the book title but the book was worth remembering). This artifact traces back to the Pacific Theater, and along with some ancient Chinese legends, had me anticipating what might happen next, and who might not survive.
Thank you fir introducing me to this author's work. I can hardly wait to read more!
July 3, 2014
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is the 2nd Dubious book I have read and I loved both of them. Very quick read. Colton Banyon and his companion Loni get involved trying to keep a WWII artifact out of the hands of old Nazis and the Chinese. Colton's dad had left the artifact to him.Then he finds out that Loni is also tied into the artifact through her mother. Colton's spirit friend Wolf tells Colton he can help them keep the artifact out of enemy hands and catch a few old Nazis he has been hunting, that he needs to get rid of in order to fulfill the requirements of his curse. So Colton, Loni with their old FBI friends and Maya, Previne and Pramilla plan to keep the artifact safe while removing some of their Nazi enemies, who are members of the Effort (a secret Nazi group that wants to take over America) and also keeping the artifact out of the hands of the Chinese( who want the artifact for formulas that are written on the artifact. A major battle ensues with many Effort members and Chinese men killed, but a few FBI men are lost including their old friend Agent Gamble. Once again Banyon solves his case.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2014
This is the second Colton Banyon novel I've read and the sixth in the series.
It's part thriller, part fantasy, with curses, magic rings, spirits that aid our hero, and lots of action.
The Effort is a Nazi organization that was started in America before WWII ended and these days had their hooks deep in the government, most especially Homeland Security.
The artifact of the title is an ancient Chinese piece of gold made to resemble an ashtray. Two formulae were inscribed on it. One extended life and vitality, the other was the fabled making gold long sought by humans.
It traces back to WWII where on a special mission, Colt Banyon's father gets the artifact handed to him, then finds the man who sent him on the mission has died and the knowledge of it gone. His new superiors think he went AWOL.
So he keeps it.
Now The Effort, in the persons of agents of Homeland Security, are after it. And a team of Chinese killers want it as well.
Colt doesn't want anyone to have it.
Makes for an action filled novel and quite engrossing.
It's part thriller, part fantasy, with curses, magic rings, spirits that aid our hero, and lots of action.
The Effort is a Nazi organization that was started in America before WWII ended and these days had their hooks deep in the government, most especially Homeland Security.
The artifact of the title is an ancient Chinese piece of gold made to resemble an ashtray. Two formulae were inscribed on it. One extended life and vitality, the other was the fabled making gold long sought by humans.
It traces back to WWII where on a special mission, Colt Banyon's father gets the artifact handed to him, then finds the man who sent him on the mission has died and the knowledge of it gone. His new superiors think he went AWOL.
So he keeps it.
Now The Effort, in the persons of agents of Homeland Security, are after it. And a team of Chinese killers want it as well.
Colt doesn't want anyone to have it.
Makes for an action filled novel and quite engrossing.
June 19, 2014
I loved the book I couldn’t put it down. A Dubious Artifact is the 6th book in a series of mystery books from Gerald J Kubicki. The group of characters are well developed, the story line has a number of twists and turns. The book starts with Colton Banyons' father in WWII to develop the importance of the artifact, and moves into present day. With characters from agencies of the FBI, Homeland Security, a spy from China and the fictional group name the Effort. This is a must read for yourself, so I really don’t want to give away the plot. Other than to say its a action filled science fiction mystery using historical fact that pits good vs evil. What more could one ask for, I will now have to read the rest to the Colton Banyon series because I enjoyed it that much.
I received a Kindle copy of A Dubious Artifact from the author, and I am very happy that I did. This has in no way affected my opinion or review.
I received a Kindle copy of A Dubious Artifact from the author, and I am very happy that I did. This has in no way affected my opinion or review.
January 6, 2013
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.
July 1, 2014
Another great entry in the Colton Banyon series. This time Colt and the gang are up against not only The Effort, but the Chinese Communists vying for possession of an artifact that will change the world. Lots of action, and lots of humor.
April 26, 2013
Kubicki knows how to draw in reader and keep interest. Highly recommend.
June 23, 2014
Gerald Kubicki really knows how to keep you interested in his books with all the twists and turns.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews