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Gladstone #1
Gladstone
Jack Saunders just wants a new start after a messy divorce. He doesn't bargain on a wrong turn and a breakdown in the Arizona desert. A beautiful girl coming to his rescue on a classic Indian motorcycle might mean things are looking up. Or, they might be turning really strange in a town that time forgot, with friendly people willing to die for a cause ... to save a founder's statue
....Haskell turned to John Smith. “Are we clear on this?”
“Yes sir. Crystal. I do have some questions, though.”
“You may ask your questions,” replied Haskell.
“How did you come up with this map and know what equipment is in what building? Second, what’s the name of this town?”
Haskell grinned and said, “it’s Gladstone, and I used to live there.”
“One last question. How are we supposed to wipe out a town and not worry about the consequences?”
“Don’t worry about that, Once we’re done, and before we leave, we will bury the town by blowing out the sides of the canyon cliffs. It will look like Mother Nature took care of them.”
John Smith nodded his head in approval. “You have this all figured out. So, any idea when we do this, so I can tell my men?”
“Soon,” replied Haskell with an evil grin.
....Haskell turned to John Smith. “Are we clear on this?”
“Yes sir. Crystal. I do have some questions, though.”
“You may ask your questions,” replied Haskell.
“How did you come up with this map and know what equipment is in what building? Second, what’s the name of this town?”
Haskell grinned and said, “it’s Gladstone, and I used to live there.”
“One last question. How are we supposed to wipe out a town and not worry about the consequences?”
“Don’t worry about that, Once we’re done, and before we leave, we will bury the town by blowing out the sides of the canyon cliffs. It will look like Mother Nature took care of them.”
John Smith nodded his head in approval. “You have this all figured out. So, any idea when we do this, so I can tell my men?”
“Soon,” replied Haskell with an evil grin.
136 pages, ebook
First published January 31, 2013
2 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
John A. Miller
4 books14 followers"You'll be Sorry!" is John Miller's first book. As a young boy John Miller was told he had a vivid imagination. He had some ideas that he wanted to put down on paper. He likes to share these images and stories in his head with his readers. John Miller writes as if you're sitting on the front porch drinking tea and He's telling you a story.
He grew up in the small town of Oliver Springs Tennessee. His mother moved him there when he was 12 and he enjoyed growing up in a small community.
John Miller is an animal lover and it shows in his books.In his books there is some sort of animal whether it be a dog, coyote or horses. John miller has two rescue dogs that he loves very much. Snowball and Bryan were shelter dogs that he adopted and are a big part if his life. John Miller had an Idea of mixing old west and modern times thus the Gladstone series came about. He is really excited about the Gladstone series and the concept behind it. He hopes his readers enjoy reading the series as he had so much fun in writing it.
John Miller just finished his first full length Novel. Its a western story called "Trail Dust." The book is about a Civil War veteran who leaves Tennessee in search of his brother. Along the way circumstance makes him a U.S. Marshal and he recruits some unlikely characters to help him.He's currently working on the third and final installment of the Gladstone series and it should be done some time later this year. He likes to write and share his ideas with friends, the public who want a little mystery,romance and of course action and adventure. John Miller hopes his readers like his imagination and characters he creates in his books.
Here is a review from "you'll be sorry".5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed July 9, 2013
By read-along-with-Sue
Format:Kindle Edition
I couldn't sleep well last night due to the heat, so I picked up this short story.
The author John A Miller is a new author, very new to me. His style was superb, I loved the concept of the story and how it built very quickly, the characters in the book soon shot up to be real to me, and Herman, the dog. I could have read this book for longer as I had enjoyed it so much. The 'kick' in the book came suddenly which kept me enthralled, too short! I wanted more.
I downloaded this book when it was pointed out to be a freebie that day, so glad I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read his other books. Can I just say to, I have "met" the author on line, he's a lovely humble chap too. Please look out for his books, you won't regret it.
Here is an excerpt from "Trail Dust".
"I think you need to go outside and get some air, my friend."
"You're that marshal everyone is talking about. You would rather talk than fight."
"I like to keep the peace, you could say."
The man turned to the other men at the table. "He is a coward with a badge." He spat, hitting the floor an inch from Joshua's right boot. The other three men at the table laughed.
"I'm going to ask you again. Go outside and cool off."
The man stood there boring holes in Joshua with his eyes. Their eyes met for another moment until the man reached for his gun. Joshua drew his Colt from his left holster and pointed it at the man's chest. He froze and his eyes widened. The man sitting in the middle of the table started to stand slowly. Joshua drew his Colt from his right holster and pointed it at him, without taking his eyes off the man standing.
"There are four of us, and you have both guns spoke for." said a third man at the table. His face slid from smug to scared when he felt Anna's Schofield push against the back of his head. The man raised his hands slowly.
He grew up in the small town of Oliver Springs Tennessee. His mother moved him there when he was 12 and he enjoyed growing up in a small community.
John Miller is an animal lover and it shows in his books.In his books there is some sort of animal whether it be a dog, coyote or horses. John miller has two rescue dogs that he loves very much. Snowball and Bryan were shelter dogs that he adopted and are a big part if his life. John Miller had an Idea of mixing old west and modern times thus the Gladstone series came about. He is really excited about the Gladstone series and the concept behind it. He hopes his readers enjoy reading the series as he had so much fun in writing it.
John Miller just finished his first full length Novel. Its a western story called "Trail Dust." The book is about a Civil War veteran who leaves Tennessee in search of his brother. Along the way circumstance makes him a U.S. Marshal and he recruits some unlikely characters to help him.He's currently working on the third and final installment of the Gladstone series and it should be done some time later this year. He likes to write and share his ideas with friends, the public who want a little mystery,romance and of course action and adventure. John Miller hopes his readers like his imagination and characters he creates in his books.
Here is a review from "you'll be sorry".5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed July 9, 2013
By read-along-with-Sue
Format:Kindle Edition
I couldn't sleep well last night due to the heat, so I picked up this short story.
The author John A Miller is a new author, very new to me. His style was superb, I loved the concept of the story and how it built very quickly, the characters in the book soon shot up to be real to me, and Herman, the dog. I could have read this book for longer as I had enjoyed it so much. The 'kick' in the book came suddenly which kept me enthralled, too short! I wanted more.
I downloaded this book when it was pointed out to be a freebie that day, so glad I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read his other books. Can I just say to, I have "met" the author on line, he's a lovely humble chap too. Please look out for his books, you won't regret it.
Here is an excerpt from "Trail Dust".
"I think you need to go outside and get some air, my friend."
"You're that marshal everyone is talking about. You would rather talk than fight."
"I like to keep the peace, you could say."
The man turned to the other men at the table. "He is a coward with a badge." He spat, hitting the floor an inch from Joshua's right boot. The other three men at the table laughed.
"I'm going to ask you again. Go outside and cool off."
The man stood there boring holes in Joshua with his eyes. Their eyes met for another moment until the man reached for his gun. Joshua drew his Colt from his left holster and pointed it at the man's chest. He froze and his eyes widened. The man sitting in the middle of the table started to stand slowly. Joshua drew his Colt from his right holster and pointed it at him, without taking his eyes off the man standing.
"There are four of us, and you have both guns spoke for." said a third man at the table. His face slid from smug to scared when he felt Anna's Schofield push against the back of his head. The man raised his hands slowly.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 8, 2014
Let me start off by saying, I was gifted a short story from John Miller, I thoroughly enjoyed it. {I have a review on this blog]
I met a man named Jack in this story, he was looking for a fresh start. He took a wrong turn and ended up a little lost. Due to his car overheating he was in difficulties. Along came Susan. I could then see that Susan would feature quite a lot in Jack's life from then on. I wasn't wrong.
Its a clean story, a clean soft running "behind the scenes" romance. Nothing hot. Jack seems quite a laid back kind of character. To me, anyhow. Susan strikes me as quite feisty.
I live in the United Kingdom and never been outside of it, so Arizona and surrounding areas are not known to me or its way of life. Although Gladstone is a fictional place, its a place that seems to draw Jack in, over friendly, a kind of 'make yourself at home' type of thing. Living in the UK people are more suspicious of one another and takes ages for anyone to be accepted unless you have been brought up in that city/town, so was hard for me to get the grips of it being so over friendly and all so polite.
There is a twist in this story, I got lost at one point, but reading the other people reviews on Amazon.co.uk and .com I could see I where I missed out, I didn't get onto the wavelength at all.
This is a great well thought out storyline, John has the makings of a very successful author. I just would have liked it to be a little bit more upbeat, that is MY humble honest opinion.
Its well formatted, well edited, and I can see Johns thoughts and personality coming through on every page. I wish I knew more about Cowboy land, and horses and guns :) I am sure I would have 'got' it much more than I did.
That doesn't mean to say this is an awful book, quite the reverse, I'm not travelled so it was hard for me to grasp the unknown.
Thank you John for a lovely read. I just wish I could go and experience the 'open road' and get more light from other counties.
I met a man named Jack in this story, he was looking for a fresh start. He took a wrong turn and ended up a little lost. Due to his car overheating he was in difficulties. Along came Susan. I could then see that Susan would feature quite a lot in Jack's life from then on. I wasn't wrong.
Its a clean story, a clean soft running "behind the scenes" romance. Nothing hot. Jack seems quite a laid back kind of character. To me, anyhow. Susan strikes me as quite feisty.
I live in the United Kingdom and never been outside of it, so Arizona and surrounding areas are not known to me or its way of life. Although Gladstone is a fictional place, its a place that seems to draw Jack in, over friendly, a kind of 'make yourself at home' type of thing. Living in the UK people are more suspicious of one another and takes ages for anyone to be accepted unless you have been brought up in that city/town, so was hard for me to get the grips of it being so over friendly and all so polite.
There is a twist in this story, I got lost at one point, but reading the other people reviews on Amazon.co.uk and .com I could see I where I missed out, I didn't get onto the wavelength at all.
This is a great well thought out storyline, John has the makings of a very successful author. I just would have liked it to be a little bit more upbeat, that is MY humble honest opinion.
Its well formatted, well edited, and I can see Johns thoughts and personality coming through on every page. I wish I knew more about Cowboy land, and horses and guns :) I am sure I would have 'got' it much more than I did.
That doesn't mean to say this is an awful book, quite the reverse, I'm not travelled so it was hard for me to grasp the unknown.
Thank you John for a lovely read. I just wish I could go and experience the 'open road' and get more light from other counties.
November 4, 2013
For someone humble enough to say that he does not consider himself an author, I was truly moved by John Miller's writing, which is natural, fast paced, and cinematic. The dialog flows, the characters are well fleshed out, the scenery is vividly painted, and I enjoyed the attention to detail in describing the journey, all of which is greatly informed by the author's unique experience as a truck driver. There is a firm sense of place, as evident by the name: Gladstone is the name of a seemingly nice, quiet little town, that presents the riddle for the main character, Jack Saunders.
He arrives there by accident, when he takes the wrong turn. I don't wish to give out spoilers here, but the story leaves a trail of clues, a bit here, a bit there at every twist and turn thereafter, pointing you in the right direction towards the solution of the riddle. Will you get there first, or will the end surprise you?
Five stars.
He arrives there by accident, when he takes the wrong turn. I don't wish to give out spoilers here, but the story leaves a trail of clues, a bit here, a bit there at every twist and turn thereafter, pointing you in the right direction towards the solution of the riddle. Will you get there first, or will the end surprise you?
Five stars.
May 24, 2013
Jack Saunders is a nice guy who thinks he's found a nice town and a nice girl. But why are the townspeople checking up on him, seemingly spying on him? I think the reason they're so jealous of their secrets in this town will surprise you. I loved the amazing coincidence that brought this man to this town at this time. If you're looking for and old west-style code of honor town with cell phones and jet skis thrown in, come to Gladstone, You'll love the ride from the time you get on the back of that "Indian with the Indian."
October 11, 2013
This is the third book I've read by John Miller and was not disappointed. Jack, recently divorced, takes to the road when he takes a wrong turn and finds himself stranded. When a beautiful woman on a motorcycle stops to help she takes him to Gladstone, a quiet town that time seems to have forgot. The descriptions are beautiful making the reader believe Gladstone is real and the characters are wonderfully written. The ending ties the story together yet leaves you wanting to read more. A fantastic quick read and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
November 10, 2013
The way this author writes.....bravo! What a flair for adding in subtle clues and tying everything together at the end. This book had me turning page after page, when I should have been turning off the light!! I couldn't stop reading it. Well done, Mr. Miller. If you want a good story with the flair of the old West, this one's definitely for you.
July 23, 2013
A really good story, which keeps you guessing to the end. Some great characters who you immediately take a liking to.
June 9, 2014
This story caught my attention early on. Jack breaking down on a dusty road in Arizona really isn’t that odd. Lots of dusty roads in the Southwest. Lots of people break down. But once he gets to Gladstone, we start to see interesting little bits that let us, the readers, know that all is not as it seems. So while I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on with the townsfolk, I had fun watching Jack start to notice the oddities. The town is small, tucked away in a canyon. There’s one bar where folks go to drink and socialize and lose at darts. One man goes out every few weeks to bring in supplies. So no deliveries from the outside world. Yet folks have cell phones and computers. So these folks are not ignorant of the rest of the world. Indeed the set up is excellent, giving the reader plenty to ponder and keep them reading on.
The middle of the story sagged a bit for me as everyone was way, way polite. While we do start to learn of Susan’s strange affinity with animals, that was pretty much the highlight of the middle. But the last third picked up again with Haskell, who use to live in Gladstone. He becomes the main antagonist. Of course, Jack isn’t aware of Haskell or his reasons for wanting to cause destruction to Gladstone, so the townsfolk have to make a choice of whether or not to trust the man. Will Jack help the town? Will they kick him out? Will they tie him up and lock him in his car until all the excitement is over and then toss him out? I wasn’t sure until the last quarter of the book how things would turn out for Jack – and that is one of the things I liked about this book.
The plot starts off strong, but by the end I had some questions, mostly about the other main character, Susan. She is Native American, but we never learn her family name. And since she has this strong affinity for the animals, wild and tame, I wondered how she felt about the townsfolk eating meat. I can’t recall her specifically eating meat, but she did go to a dance where a pig was being roasted. Luckily, the author didn’t mind chatting on line and assured me that all meat was brought in from the outside (so, no the townsfolk were not eating Susan’s friends). And Susan has her Caucasian name because her Native American name is too hard for many people to pronounce.
Also, my one real criticism is that Susan is the only non-Caucasian in this book. If you have read the book and know the ending, this doesn’t make much sense. SPOILER ALERT The canyon has some magical quality that has preserved Susan since the 1800s. Her family left her there to go finish business warring and never came back. So after a few years, she was lonely, and started taking in strays – like these sick, dying folks who couldn’t keep up with a caravan heading to California. But for some reason she never found any Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, or Native Americans that were sick or wounded or being chased by bad people to take in and help. Given the racial mix of the Southwest over the 200 year time period, you’d think there would be at least one or two other non-Caucasian’s taken in and who also decided to stay. END SPOILER. Still, perhaps this will come up in future installments in the series and we’ll see a more realistic cast of characters.
The ending wrapped up the major plot points for this story, but also left the door open for the next book in the series. By the end, we have more info about the antagonist and his reasons for attacking Gladstone and we also know something of the magical qualities of the canyon. Jack still needs to find his spot in life, and the townsfolk may have found an ally in Jack. Oh, and part of this book takes place in the town I was born in, albeit I only ever visited the hospital – my parents living in an even smaller town that had no medical personnel whatsoever.
Narration: The narration was very good, Hansen capturing Jack’s often questioning attitude as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Hansen also had very nice feminine voices, a British accent, and a Tennessee accent too (when it was required).
The middle of the story sagged a bit for me as everyone was way, way polite. While we do start to learn of Susan’s strange affinity with animals, that was pretty much the highlight of the middle. But the last third picked up again with Haskell, who use to live in Gladstone. He becomes the main antagonist. Of course, Jack isn’t aware of Haskell or his reasons for wanting to cause destruction to Gladstone, so the townsfolk have to make a choice of whether or not to trust the man. Will Jack help the town? Will they kick him out? Will they tie him up and lock him in his car until all the excitement is over and then toss him out? I wasn’t sure until the last quarter of the book how things would turn out for Jack – and that is one of the things I liked about this book.
The plot starts off strong, but by the end I had some questions, mostly about the other main character, Susan. She is Native American, but we never learn her family name. And since she has this strong affinity for the animals, wild and tame, I wondered how she felt about the townsfolk eating meat. I can’t recall her specifically eating meat, but she did go to a dance where a pig was being roasted. Luckily, the author didn’t mind chatting on line and assured me that all meat was brought in from the outside (so, no the townsfolk were not eating Susan’s friends). And Susan has her Caucasian name because her Native American name is too hard for many people to pronounce.
Also, my one real criticism is that Susan is the only non-Caucasian in this book. If you have read the book and know the ending, this doesn’t make much sense. SPOILER ALERT The canyon has some magical quality that has preserved Susan since the 1800s. Her family left her there to go finish business warring and never came back. So after a few years, she was lonely, and started taking in strays – like these sick, dying folks who couldn’t keep up with a caravan heading to California. But for some reason she never found any Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, or Native Americans that were sick or wounded or being chased by bad people to take in and help. Given the racial mix of the Southwest over the 200 year time period, you’d think there would be at least one or two other non-Caucasian’s taken in and who also decided to stay. END SPOILER. Still, perhaps this will come up in future installments in the series and we’ll see a more realistic cast of characters.
The ending wrapped up the major plot points for this story, but also left the door open for the next book in the series. By the end, we have more info about the antagonist and his reasons for attacking Gladstone and we also know something of the magical qualities of the canyon. Jack still needs to find his spot in life, and the townsfolk may have found an ally in Jack. Oh, and part of this book takes place in the town I was born in, albeit I only ever visited the hospital – my parents living in an even smaller town that had no medical personnel whatsoever.
Narration: The narration was very good, Hansen capturing Jack’s often questioning attitude as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Hansen also had very nice feminine voices, a British accent, and a Tennessee accent too (when it was required).
November 17, 2013
Needs a good edit.
This story is a fun read and moves at a good pace. There are plenty of little questions and clues thrown in to keep the reader turning the pages.
Although I kept guessing at the history surrounding Gladstone, it was a surprise when finally revealed. The methods use by the people of Gladstone to defend themselves against a superior enemy, are believable with a couple of good twists thrown in to keep the tension going.
I enjoyed Gladstone enough to read the second book in the series.
As I tend to read a fair number of books by 'new' authors, I accept that some errors creep in. The number of punctuation, grammatical and spelling errors in Gladstone was unacceptably high and distracting.
[2013/10/12] Since I wrote this review, John has gone through the book and has corrected the mistakes. This should make for an easier read.
This story is a fun read and moves at a good pace. There are plenty of little questions and clues thrown in to keep the reader turning the pages.
Although I kept guessing at the history surrounding Gladstone, it was a surprise when finally revealed. The methods use by the people of Gladstone to defend themselves against a superior enemy, are believable with a couple of good twists thrown in to keep the tension going.
I enjoyed Gladstone enough to read the second book in the series.
As I tend to read a fair number of books by 'new' authors, I accept that some errors creep in. The number of punctuation, grammatical and spelling errors in Gladstone was unacceptably high and distracting.
[2013/10/12] Since I wrote this review, John has gone through the book and has corrected the mistakes. This should make for an easier read.
February 21, 2014
This was a fantastic story. Set in current day, but feels like it goes back, almost historical. It's just an illusion and part of the mystery of the story. It's a wonderful plot with a great romance in the background. Truly had me hooked the whole time I listened.
The narrator did a wonderful job with the narrating. Each character had its own voice and I enjoyed the pace in which he spoke. His voice was almost hypnotic.
It's a small town, western, gun slinging, camaraderie, and take care of each other type of book. I truly enjoyed. There's not much more I can say without giving it away.
The narrator did a wonderful job with the narrating. Each character had its own voice and I enjoyed the pace in which he spoke. His voice was almost hypnotic.
It's a small town, western, gun slinging, camaraderie, and take care of each other type of book. I truly enjoyed. There's not much more I can say without giving it away.
February 2, 2015
I wanted an easy read lacking in seriousness, and I couldn't have found a more banal book. In addition to its syntax errors, it was just plain lacking. That I finished it is enough to make me think I must be a glutton for punishment.
May 4, 2014
It would have been more enjoyable if the writer and proofreader had a better command of the English language.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews