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Stephanie Banner is twenty years old the night Dakota Shane stands center stage while six bullets ring out through the stadium. Five deaths occur from those shots, although only four ever go on record.
All four are women.
It happens in Portland, Oregon, at the Rose Garden Arena. The show is a sellout. Twenty-two thousand seats gone in less than four hours.
For the eight days leading up to the concert, a handful of disparate lives intertwine as their world unravels. Their sanity, their relationships, their work, their children, the law, and even death hangs in the balance. Among them the learning-disabled black kid from East St. Louis trying to move past having his little sister die in his arms when she and his Momma become collateral damage during a drive-by; the quick-witted black man who, after losing control of his car on his way to visit family in Portland, finds himself duct-taped to a chair, a hostage to a meth-addled lunatic wanted for a double homicide; the Latino son now desperately struggling to rise above his abusive father and help his mother and sister move on to a better life, while unable to let go of the tremendous guilt he bears over the fate of the other sister he once had; the slash-punk singer who manages to score her band the best gig of its career, only to learn she may not have a band left to play it; the Korean psychiatrist finally confronting how much of her life has slipped by her—how many years she lost—while focussing on far less important things; the ex-LAPD detective now working for the Portland PD finally facing the ghosts that still linger from the time of the Rodney King riots—a past that forced him to drag his family up out of LA; the bitter ex-wife of a disc jockey who still secretly listens to her ex-husband’s midnight radio show as she drinks herself into a whiskey coma; the out of control daughter having unprotected sex with strangers hoping that pregnancy might draw the attention of parents unable to see past themselves…
And then, Dakota chart-topping superstar with a dark secret, caught in a media and tabloid frenzy full of rumor, speculation, and lies. She’s off her meds and grappling to find any semblance of herself that might still exist inside an identity forged over the past five years by an extremely successful record company’s marketing department.
Each of these lives is a story and the stories collide with each other like silver balls bouncing off bumpers on a pinball machine.
But in the end, The Rose Garden Arena Incident is a tale about passion, about bravery, about redemption, about fixing those things in the world that are fixable and learning to live with the things that are not—A heartbreaking story of tragedy, despair, and loss that still somehow leaves you with a glimmer of faith, love, and hope.
The Rose Garden Arena Incident is a “serial thriller." The story takes place over seven separate books, each encompassing a full day or more leading up to the Dakota Shane concert.
All four are women.
It happens in Portland, Oregon, at the Rose Garden Arena. The show is a sellout. Twenty-two thousand seats gone in less than four hours.
For the eight days leading up to the concert, a handful of disparate lives intertwine as their world unravels. Their sanity, their relationships, their work, their children, the law, and even death hangs in the balance. Among them the learning-disabled black kid from East St. Louis trying to move past having his little sister die in his arms when she and his Momma become collateral damage during a drive-by; the quick-witted black man who, after losing control of his car on his way to visit family in Portland, finds himself duct-taped to a chair, a hostage to a meth-addled lunatic wanted for a double homicide; the Latino son now desperately struggling to rise above his abusive father and help his mother and sister move on to a better life, while unable to let go of the tremendous guilt he bears over the fate of the other sister he once had; the slash-punk singer who manages to score her band the best gig of its career, only to learn she may not have a band left to play it; the Korean psychiatrist finally confronting how much of her life has slipped by her—how many years she lost—while focussing on far less important things; the ex-LAPD detective now working for the Portland PD finally facing the ghosts that still linger from the time of the Rodney King riots—a past that forced him to drag his family up out of LA; the bitter ex-wife of a disc jockey who still secretly listens to her ex-husband’s midnight radio show as she drinks herself into a whiskey coma; the out of control daughter having unprotected sex with strangers hoping that pregnancy might draw the attention of parents unable to see past themselves…
And then, Dakota chart-topping superstar with a dark secret, caught in a media and tabloid frenzy full of rumor, speculation, and lies. She’s off her meds and grappling to find any semblance of herself that might still exist inside an identity forged over the past five years by an extremely successful record company’s marketing department.
Each of these lives is a story and the stories collide with each other like silver balls bouncing off bumpers on a pinball machine.
But in the end, The Rose Garden Arena Incident is a tale about passion, about bravery, about redemption, about fixing those things in the world that are fixable and learning to live with the things that are not—A heartbreaking story of tragedy, despair, and loss that still somehow leaves you with a glimmer of faith, love, and hope.
The Rose Garden Arena Incident is a “serial thriller." The story takes place over seven separate books, each encompassing a full day or more leading up to the Dakota Shane concert.
85 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 20, 2016
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Michael Hiebert
28 books99 followersMichael Hiebert is the award-winning author of many books and short stories. He is the author of Dream with Little Angels, the first book of his acclaimed Alvin, Alabama Mystery Series. His recent work includes The Rose Garden Arena Incident (A Serial Thriller in Seven Parts) and Sometimes the Angels Weep, his first collection of short stories. He won the Surrey International Writers’ Conference Storyteller Award two years running, and his story My Lame Summer Journal by Brandon Harris, Grade 7 was listed by Joyce Carol Oates as one of the top fifty most distinguished mystery stories published in The Best American Mystery Stories. He lives in British Columbia, Canada, with his three children and dog, Chloe.
Be sure to check out his website at http://www.michaelhiebert.com and sign up for VIP access and be eligible for all sorts of free stuff. Michael can be contacted by email at michael@michaelhiebert.com
Be sure to check out his website at http://www.michaelhiebert.com and sign up for VIP access and be eligible for all sorts of free stuff. Michael can be contacted by email at michael@michaelhiebert.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 4, 2017
The third installment of The Rose Garden Arena Incident is another action packed sequence with all of your favorite characters. It's fast paced with few breathers, and everything is starting to align. We have characters (unknowingly) coming together in such ways that their lives are about to intersect in a significant way. But we also see a hint of Marshall's past, as well as understand a little more of Karma and the other characters as well. It's a well balanced addition to this serial thriller, and one that's a quick read at that.
Genre: thriller (serial)
Rating: 4/5 stars
Genre: thriller (serial)
Rating: 4/5 stars
January 13, 2018
This serial is such a thriller, it's hard to have to wait to the next installment. Michael Hiebert has continued part 3 with an action packed ride. The introductions now over, we are delving into what led up to the final incident at the Rose Garden. And yes, you are left hanging! Dakota is a mess, her career is heading down the toilet due to mental state, Reggie is in a tough situation with a crazy drug user, and Karma is dealing with her self absorbed parents and getting herself stuck in the most dangerous of circumstaces, not to mention poor Marshal as he waits for Reggie to show up. It's so easy to get engrossed in their lives and want to see where they will all end up.
Eric Bryan Moore's narration of this serial is impressive. He continues to bring the characters to life, and with their current positions is able to build the suspense and tense emotions up to the point that you just do not want it to stop. It's addicting.
Eric Bryan Moore's narration of this serial is impressive. He continues to bring the characters to life, and with their current positions is able to build the suspense and tense emotions up to the point that you just do not want it to stop. It's addicting.
November 21, 2016
Author Michael Hiebert continues to build the suspense in 80 PROOF, the third book in "The Rose Garden Arena Incident" series.
Secrets are revealed as readers discover exactly how Marshall Davis' mother and sister died, and Marshall's friend Reggie finds himself in a life-or-death situation after a purely chance encounter with someone from his past in East St. Louis.
Singer Dakota Shane continues to assert that she's being stalked, and it's affecting her performances. Her road manager is given orders to make sure she takes the concert stage in Portland -- no matter what.
The more I read of Hiebert's "Rose Garden Incident," the more questions I have about who is involved and how and why. All the more reason to come back for Book Four! Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Secrets are revealed as readers discover exactly how Marshall Davis' mother and sister died, and Marshall's friend Reggie finds himself in a life-or-death situation after a purely chance encounter with someone from his past in East St. Louis.
Singer Dakota Shane continues to assert that she's being stalked, and it's affecting her performances. Her road manager is given orders to make sure she takes the concert stage in Portland -- no matter what.
The more I read of Hiebert's "Rose Garden Incident," the more questions I have about who is involved and how and why. All the more reason to come back for Book Four! Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews