What do you think?
Rate this book
They Cried Wolf
Along with a stunned nation, Diego Constance gapes at the newscast. A frantic evacuation escalates, as a virulent contagion dissolves Midwesterners by the tens of thousands. It confirms the staggering betrayal he’s uncovered. His boss, the President of the United States, is responsible. Masked by an engineered calamity, the President has maneuvered a panicked congress into granting him dictatorial powers. A psychopath has slipped past the American electorate.
Despite legal constraints, Diego remains the President’s weapon of choice against national security threats. Killing however takes a toll and makes for a lonely life. Without family or friends, Diego longs for an end to his solitary existence. But first his scarred soul must once more descend into a violent darkness.
A despot grips freedom’s throat. With each passing hour the stranglehold tightens. Whatever the cost, tyranny cannot stand. Diego steels himself. The bloodlust swells. He will confront the most powerful, the most guarded man on earth. Diego’s cunning, hardened by a brutal lifetime, guarantees nothing.
What no one knows, not even the President…the Executive Assassin is a werewolf.
Despite legal constraints, Diego remains the President’s weapon of choice against national security threats. Killing however takes a toll and makes for a lonely life. Without family or friends, Diego longs for an end to his solitary existence. But first his scarred soul must once more descend into a violent darkness.
A despot grips freedom’s throat. With each passing hour the stranglehold tightens. Whatever the cost, tyranny cannot stand. Diego steels himself. The bloodlust swells. He will confront the most powerful, the most guarded man on earth. Diego’s cunning, hardened by a brutal lifetime, guarantees nothing.
What no one knows, not even the President…the Executive Assassin is a werewolf.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2013
2 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Rafael
46 books12 followersBorn and raised in New York City, a spectacular river of people from every part of the world and country flows through my hometown. It inspired me to spend large segments of my life traveling across the globe to experience their native habitats.
The insights my characters bring to the human condition reflect my many adventures and encounters along those journeys.
The insights my characters bring to the human condition reflect my many adventures and encounters along those journeys.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 26, 2016
I’ll say up front that I’m not generally a fan of werewolf stories, and I’ll also admit that the story’s opening pages (an introduction to the werewolf mythology of the book) made me wary. But once the book switches gears and enters full-on action mode, and we’re introduced to the story’s fascinating protagonist Diego, I was quickly and effectively sucked into the world the author creates.
I think what struck me most about They Cried Wolf is the quality of the writing, and Rafael’s skill in crafting a complex narrative arc. You never know what you’re going to get in an ambitious work - and They Cried Wolf is certainly that, throwing multiple genres together into a stew of intrigue, horror, mystery, and politics - and Rafael manages to pull it off. One of the ways the author is able to hook non-were fans like yours truly is by subverting the genre openly; one of my favorite passages concerns Diego, on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic, dealing with some of the modern-day realities of his condition: “pockets always remained empty - emergence wreaked havoc with clothing.”
There’s a lot of death, but then again, this is a werewolf story. I admire the way Rafael goads you to root for Diego despite some dubious ethics, and keeps you rooting for him. Antiheroes can be cheaply rendered, relying on the gimmick of cheering on the “wrong" guy; Rafael paints a complex picture of Diego, and besides, Diego’s status as hero or antihero is a concept the author toys with nicely.
Kudos to Rafael for taking a few genres that aren’t my cup of tea (political thrillers aren’t usually my bag) and creating something so unique and original that I couldn’t help but be sucked in.
I think what struck me most about They Cried Wolf is the quality of the writing, and Rafael’s skill in crafting a complex narrative arc. You never know what you’re going to get in an ambitious work - and They Cried Wolf is certainly that, throwing multiple genres together into a stew of intrigue, horror, mystery, and politics - and Rafael manages to pull it off. One of the ways the author is able to hook non-were fans like yours truly is by subverting the genre openly; one of my favorite passages concerns Diego, on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic, dealing with some of the modern-day realities of his condition: “pockets always remained empty - emergence wreaked havoc with clothing.”
There’s a lot of death, but then again, this is a werewolf story. I admire the way Rafael goads you to root for Diego despite some dubious ethics, and keeps you rooting for him. Antiheroes can be cheaply rendered, relying on the gimmick of cheering on the “wrong" guy; Rafael paints a complex picture of Diego, and besides, Diego’s status as hero or antihero is a concept the author toys with nicely.
Kudos to Rafael for taking a few genres that aren’t my cup of tea (political thrillers aren’t usually my bag) and creating something so unique and original that I couldn’t help but be sucked in.
March 8, 2017
Let me start by saying that I don’t normally read monster stories. I have studiously avoided books with vampires or werewolves in them ever since Twilight crapped all over the genre. Apologies to Twilight fans but somehow I don’t think Bram Stoker would approve of the likeness.
Back to point though, I gave They Cried Wolf a try because it sounded original and I can say that I’m glad I did. This is not Twilightesque in any way. Be warned that this book is not for you if you’re weak of stomach as there is quite a lot of blood within these pages.
The story begins rather slowly but once you get past the prologue it takes off like a rocket. Rafael’s writing is crisp and inventive and he shows time and again throughout this book that he knows how to spin a good yarn! He absolutely excelled at the big picture narrative. His depiction of an unknown disease outbreak and its aftermath gave me chills and left me checking to see if it wasn’t in fact CNN breaking news!! Simply outstanding.
Where the story lost a few points for me was on the small scale where interactions between characters sometimes felt forced. I’ll admit to also finding it difficult to follow in places.
Overall though an entertaining read worthy of 4.5 stars.
Back to point though, I gave They Cried Wolf a try because it sounded original and I can say that I’m glad I did. This is not Twilightesque in any way. Be warned that this book is not for you if you’re weak of stomach as there is quite a lot of blood within these pages.
The story begins rather slowly but once you get past the prologue it takes off like a rocket. Rafael’s writing is crisp and inventive and he shows time and again throughout this book that he knows how to spin a good yarn! He absolutely excelled at the big picture narrative. His depiction of an unknown disease outbreak and its aftermath gave me chills and left me checking to see if it wasn’t in fact CNN breaking news!! Simply outstanding.
Where the story lost a few points for me was on the small scale where interactions between characters sometimes felt forced. I’ll admit to also finding it difficult to follow in places.
Overall though an entertaining read worthy of 4.5 stars.
May 7, 2016
Throw out everything you know about werewolf stories, and strap in for a high-octane ride.
From a prologue that quickly establishes the ancient myth behind the werewolf story in this world, the reader is catapulted into a blockbuster scene as commandos board Air Force One in flight to discover its occupants butchered, and the US President dying, gasping out only one word to hint at who the killer was. It's a scene right out of Tom Clancy, but with a werewolf twist.
We then jump back in time to meet Diego Constance, code name Twenty, a werewolf hundreds of years old and a hired assassin in the service of successive US Presidents, from Andrew Jackson onwards.
And so the story propels us through a fast-paced series of events, as the killer becomes a target, and he starts to piece together a conspiracy of almost apocalyptic proportions, with a killer bacteria sweeping across the United States and bringing society to the edge of destruction.
This is the second novel I've read by Rafael, and he sure knows how to put together his action - there's barely a moment's pause as the werewolf kills his way towards the top as he hunts down his ultimate prey.
Along the way, he is aided by the last surviving relative of a family that has long served him, and the brilliant Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Elena Norwich. These last two perhaps don't feature as much as you might think - largely sitting on the sidelines as Twenty's bid for revenge takes centre stage. I'll confess I'd hoped for a bit more from each of these in the story, it felt like we spent time with each character only for their own story not to get going - but that's really the only criticism I have for this tale.
The body count is high, and yet you stay on the side of the werewolf protagonist, even as you may be appalled by the horrific actions he commits along the way. It feels like a big action movie playing out in front of you - so grab your book, some popcorn and enjoy!
From a prologue that quickly establishes the ancient myth behind the werewolf story in this world, the reader is catapulted into a blockbuster scene as commandos board Air Force One in flight to discover its occupants butchered, and the US President dying, gasping out only one word to hint at who the killer was. It's a scene right out of Tom Clancy, but with a werewolf twist.
We then jump back in time to meet Diego Constance, code name Twenty, a werewolf hundreds of years old and a hired assassin in the service of successive US Presidents, from Andrew Jackson onwards.
And so the story propels us through a fast-paced series of events, as the killer becomes a target, and he starts to piece together a conspiracy of almost apocalyptic proportions, with a killer bacteria sweeping across the United States and bringing society to the edge of destruction.
This is the second novel I've read by Rafael, and he sure knows how to put together his action - there's barely a moment's pause as the werewolf kills his way towards the top as he hunts down his ultimate prey.
Along the way, he is aided by the last surviving relative of a family that has long served him, and the brilliant Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Elena Norwich. These last two perhaps don't feature as much as you might think - largely sitting on the sidelines as Twenty's bid for revenge takes centre stage. I'll confess I'd hoped for a bit more from each of these in the story, it felt like we spent time with each character only for their own story not to get going - but that's really the only criticism I have for this tale.
The body count is high, and yet you stay on the side of the werewolf protagonist, even as you may be appalled by the horrific actions he commits along the way. It feels like a big action movie playing out in front of you - so grab your book, some popcorn and enjoy!
May 10, 2016
Well I am going to be honest, this book wasn’t for me and I did really try to get into it, reading and rereading it but at the end of the day, the merging of paranormal and the political business wasn’t really to my taste. I would rather have one or the other but that doesn’t take from the book just my thoughts.
The author certainly as an edge to his writing which I liked but at times it did annoy me, because it didn’t make for such an easy flow for me.
That said, this book is packed with danger, actions, lots of plot twist and a likeable force of a protagonist Diego Constance and loads of other characters all well developed by the author Rafael. There were moments that left me at the edge of my seat and moments that moved me to tears. All in all, they cried wolf is a good book, and if all of the above is your bag, then I recommend you get your hands on this book.
The author certainly as an edge to his writing which I liked but at times it did annoy me, because it didn’t make for such an easy flow for me.
That said, this book is packed with danger, actions, lots of plot twist and a likeable force of a protagonist Diego Constance and loads of other characters all well developed by the author Rafael. There were moments that left me at the edge of my seat and moments that moved me to tears. All in all, they cried wolf is a good book, and if all of the above is your bag, then I recommend you get your hands on this book.
October 17, 2014
Great story. Very entertaining while being thought provoking. Except for quite a few typographical and grammatical errors, it was well written. It was hard to follow some of the thoughts in the sentences, some due to lack of punctuation, some seemed to be written by a person that English might not be their first language. All in all, though, a satisfying read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews