Deathload: The Highway of Destruction

by Cy Young

When his Marine son is killed in Desert Storm by friendly fire, Ex CIA operative and truck magnet Vincent Fazio, builds two massive trucks, fills them with state-of-the art firepower, and sends them on a rampage across the country blowing up Air Force Bases in retaliation for his son's death. Manny Breen, Phoenix cop whose sister is killed early on by the two behemoths, joins forces with Phoenix Chopper Pilot Sharon Kramer to track and destroy the two massive killers. Will he stop them before they reach the White House and the President? Ride with us on this thrilling trip to a mind-blowing climax!

Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2019

About the author

Cy performed on Broadway as a singer/dancer/performer working in Broadway reviews and appeared with Buster Keaton and Howard Keel in National Tours. Cy's recorded many songs for the Painted Smiles label, published three plays through Samuel French, three musicals produced off-Bdwy, and has a song on the Streisand Third Album. Cy's currently writing books: a thriller Deathload, a y.a. novel, Onions, and is working on a series called Kicker.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the hook of the book is pretty good, the execution left a lot to be desired.

A young marine is killed in a stupid friendly fire incident in the first Gulf War. The marine's father, who didn't much care for his son in life, has outfitted some self driving trucks with missiles and other equipment. The goal is destroy a bunch of Air Force Bases on the way to kill the President, who was not the president during the war.

Meanwhile, a super cop with claustrophobia pursues the trucks in a helicopter. Sort of a more militaristic Dirty Mary Crazy Larry.

Unfortunately, every time we start getting some momentum, we get a little change of perspective to a character we only see for two pages, destroying all the progress.

Stops and starts the whole book.

[Bonnye Reed]

TheFussyLibrarian

[Cy Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I understand I can write a review of my own book! Instead of waxing rhapsodic over how brilliant it is, I'll confine my comments to the actual writing of the piece. The concept was inspired when I was on a trip from NYC to LA many years ago. I was driving my Pinto with my family across Hgwy. 70 Westbound and was impressed by the two parallel roads, one eastbound, one westbound. Then the "what if" suggestion occurred: What if two trucks could be fitted with the latest electronic weapon systems and sent on a path of destruction across the country? And what if it was motivated by a powerful retired CIA truck magnet whose son was killed by an A-10 Warthog? The narrative developed and what followed was a screenplay. Back in the Apple, the film script, now called SMASH!, was submitted to one of the producers of the action film, TOY SOLDIERS, optioned, and submitted to several then action hotshots. No one was available and the story was shelved. Cut to the advent of self-publishing, and here is my third book, DEATHLOAD, being introduced as an eBook and Paperback. Interesting note: I spent many hours researching the books multi-elements to give the narrative authenticity. This research included a visit to the Marine Recruiting Office in San Marcos Tx. to entice the Marine Recruiter, Marine Staff Sgt. Carlos Garcia, to read the completed book and check my facts. Carlos gave me a strong thumbs up on warfare strategy, weapon systems, and combat relating to ground/air engagements and other military operations. The reader can rest assured that the facts have been verified to the very best of my ability, including the character quirk that hero Detective Manny Breen can hold his breath for 20 minutes. The record is 22 minutes!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buckle Your Seat Belt!

Police Detective Manny Breen is quite the action hero. In the story you have a billionaire father whose son is killed in Iraq in a blue on blue engagement. He decides the United States military and the U.S. government are going to pay a terrible price. He develops two what he believes are unstoppable killing machines in the form of semi trucks. This novel is LOADED with action. Very enjoyable read !!

[Karen Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

What everyone is saying is true: you'll only want to close this book when it's over, OR you need to catch your breath!

When Vincent Fazio's only son is killed during Desert Storm by friendly fire, he swears revenge on the military and the commander-in-chief for the horrific mistake. But as a former CIA operative and multimillionaire truck magnate, Vince is in the scary position to follow through on his threat. He envisions and hires a genius computer programmer to help him build two massive machines of destruction: two mammoth, self-driven 18-wheelers equipped with the capabilities to take out entire Air Force bases in seconds. And then he lets them loose from the desert in the desert outside Phoenix, Arizona, with a mission of death and destruction.

Phoenix Police Detective Manny Breen has just left work to take his sister to get a new car. In his rearview mirror, he watches as the two large, black trucks scream up behind him, but even though he's able to get out of their way, his sister ahead of him is boxed in the lane with nowhere to go. He watches in horror as the lead truck smashes her off the highway to roll and tumble and burst into flames. Grief-stricken, unable to rescue her from the burning vehicle, he sets off after the trucks already miles down the road. What follows is the story of his determined pursuit of these deadly instruments of terror.

The premise of the two unstoppable and seemingly indestructible 18-wheelers is a crazy concept, but it works, and I ended up loving every minute of it. Once they get rolling, it is pure entertainment of the action film variety. I've read books before that I would describe as having "non-stop action," but Deathload seriously holds the title. I read this book in one sitting because I literally didn't want to put it down.

Vincent Fazio, the villain behind the trucks, the multimillionaire with CIA connection, may seem a sympathetic figure at first. His son, a likable young man we meet at the start of the story, was tragically killed by mistake. However, you soon realize the father's revenge is based on what he feels is an insult to himself rather than any grief over the loss of his son. There are really no mitigating circumstances in what he is doing.

Two strong characters, Phoenix Police Detective Manny Breen and Helicopter Pilot Sharon Kramer, lead the story in trying to stop Fazio. He is a witness to the death of his beloved sister by the mammoth trucks. Sharon joins the hunt when she is dispatched to where he has wrecked out while following the massive machines. Together and separately, they are unrelenting in their pursuit of the deadly trucks.

The driver-less trucks tear up the southwestern United States as they attack Air Force bases located across the rugged, hot, and remote terrain. The destruction starts outside Phoenix, Arizona, and follows a path through New Mexico and Texas as they bear down on their ultimate destination: the White House. The villain's revenge is single-mindedly about death and destruction. As the story progresses, thousands upon thousands of military personnel, law enforcement officers, and civilians are killed. The story includes graphic depictions of some of the deaths.

I recommend DEATHLOAD to readers that enjoy action-adventure stories that never let up. I was thoroughly swept up by the book and carried along by the continuous and intense action. I could easily see this story kicking off a series featuring the two leads, Manny and Sharon. This was entertainment.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hold on to your hat because Deathload is taking you on the most breathtaking ride of your life. Phoenix detective Manny Breen has the mind and muscle to deal with whatever comes his way. A former marine who served during the Gulf War, Breen was a karate champion and kickboxer as a young man, who was known for his speed and power. He's going to need plenty of both when he comes up against Vincent Fazio, Sr., an incredibly wealthy and twisted man who has vowed to wreak vengeance on the military for the loss of his son during Desert Storm. The story revs up quickly as Manny is drawn into a terrifying, white-knuckled ride down an Arizona freeway, following two driverless, hulking, black trucks that seem to have a mind of their own, with high-tech weaponry and a seemingly impenetrable structure. The trucks are closely tracked by Fazio and his gang of goons who will follow their boss’ orders, no matter how outrageous they are. Through vivid detail, the reader can see the violent attacks against the military that Fazio orchestrates and can feel Manny’s intense, controlled anger and his determination to stop this madman. Helping Manny is the smart and sassy Sharon Kramer who knows her way around choppers. Also a Gulf War veteran, Sharon feels drawn to the complicated Manny and does her best to keep up with the explosions, collisions and quickly changing conditions, all while deftly piloting a helicopter. The action-packed story will keep you hooked until the end, when you can finally get your breath back. Deathload contains page after page of excitement as well as characters that you won’t ever be able to forget.

[Terry L. Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deathload: The Highway of obstruction

When I first started reading the book I thought it was science fiction until I read the first several pages. It is action packed from beginning to end and while for me it was truly an escape from reality. However My Young did an excellent job in developing the characters and I became very interested as to what would happen next time after time. Before I knew it, I had finished the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would be interested in reading a sequel.

[Bianca Solis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deathload is a whirlwind of intensity! The characters, dialogue, settings and theme all bring this story together. I found it really fascinating and to the point of being realistic as hypothetically (without giving away spoliers) something of this nature could really happen! While reading this book, you could just see the amount of research that had to occur to get all of the weaponry details and military terms as accurate as possible. Deathload is a thrilling and enticing story that will have you in anticipation as the race for time has you wondering what the outcome will be! Definitely add this to your must read list!

[Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manny, a man with a mission

What a great read.
Chasing two monster trucks towards DC, following explosions that virtually wipe out Air Force bases he borrows two cap guns and wins the battle.
Thanks for a GREAT areas.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a result of a Goodreads giveaway. It was a fast paced book - one that I was eager to read to the end. The author made the book come to life for me; as I was reading I imagined it could be a Hollywood action movie. I also liked that it had a strong female character.

[Mark Eckstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, fun read. Read like a great popcorn action flick with nonstop action and interesting, engaging characters. I couldn't put it down.

[Jim Harter]

Great book.

Great book! I enjoyed it.
5 stars! Manny was great in the story as was Sharon. I wish there was a sequel with them in it.

[Sandi Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent adventure thriller. I read the book in one afternoon. The action never stops. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this one.

[Eric Prater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good beach read

Interesting concept, lots of violence, good guy cop takes on bad rich guy, lot of fun read, great job! Yup

[Mary Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great suspense book. You’ll love it.

[Mary Howard]

Buckle up for "Deathload", a high octane page turner! It will keep you engaged until the end. "Deathload" is fast-paced, well-written and has enough high-tech weaponry to make you sweat along with the book's hero. The author makes you feel as if you are right in the middle of the action on land and in the air. I enjoyed reading "Deathload" and would not hesitate to recommend it to friends who enjoy thrillers.