Androcide

INTEL 1 #5

by Erec Stebbins

Detectives link gruesome murders to the Eunuch Maker, a serial killer targeting men. The stakes soon escalate to global proportions.

Genres: Thriller, Ebooks, Detective

360 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 26, 2017

About the author

Erec Stebbins is a biomedical researcher who writes novels in a variety of genres, focusing on thrillers and science fiction. His work has been praised for its action and thrills alongside a deeper, often philosophical angle. The Internet Review of Books dubbed him "master of the thinking reader's techno thriller".

His novels have been called "unique" and "pulse-pounding" ( The Ragnarök Conspiracy), "altogether profound, reminiscent of Bradbury and Dan Simmons’ Hyperion" (Daughter of Time Trilogy), and "startlingly dark" (Extraordinary Retribution) with five star ratings in Foreword Reviews, San Francisco Book Reviews, Portland Book Review, and others. His Daughter of Time trilogy is a Foreword Reviews' 2015 INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalist.

Amazon Author Page

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Their mutilated bodies were left on display. Were they a warning? A statement of revenge? Or were they just the tip of the iceberg or something far bigger than the streets of New York? A serial killer is running loose and they are making a statement. Who is “Gone?” What does she know about these killings? Does she have inside information? The Eunich Maker is leaving a bloody path of death on display and law enforcement needs all the help they can get, will they heed Gone’s words?

Meanwhile, on the international front, Nemesis is lurking in her lair in Tehran and it may take the lives of several CIA and black ops assets to bring her in. The problem? She is hiding out beneath a national monument in enemy territory and the underground labyrinth is an extensive death trap. Is it true she controls the Iranian government from behind the scenes? The solution? Unknown. INTEL 1 is on its own, and playing by the rules is a myth.

Erec Stebbins is back with another chilling addition to his INTEL 1 series, ANDROCIDE and this time out just locking the doors at night may not feel like enough, because “Stranger Danger” has never been more deadly. Bold, edgy and intense from start to finish, Erec Stebbins relies on both his creative writing and his studies to offer up razor sharp reading for those of us who find the edge of our seat reading to be both fascinating and magnetic.

I am a huge fan of Erec Stebbins' style, his gritty presentation and the labyrinth of questions and clues he judiciously peppers his tales with. Building two plotlines that run simultaneously, as they race to the finish, the heat is ratcheted up enormously and there is no putting this tale down!

I received an ARC edition from Erec Stebbins and he has done it, again!

Series: Intel 1 - Book 5
Publisher: Twice Pi Press (September 26, 2017)
Publication Date: September 26, 2017
Genre: Medical/Scifi Thriller
Print Length: 333 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Helen Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis
A serial killer targetting men is on the loose, leaving their mutilated bodies on display for women to find.  Meanwhile, Intel 1, a top-secret government agency, is tracking down the elusive Nemesis in Tehran... But how are these two stories connected?

Plot
This novel isn't just a mystery. Just like the Goodreads blurb says: It's an espionage thriller, a bio-thriller, political satire, and a police procedural.

I hadn’t read the previous four instalments in the this book, yet I jumped into this book with ease.  There are a lot of characters, but they very distinct from one another and Stebbins introduces them gradually enough that they're easy to keep track of.

There are two main plotlines that are seemingly completely isolated from one another (at first).  There is a serial killer named the Eunuch Maker who is targetting men. Detective Tyrell Sacker is working with a PI named Grace Gone (LOVE her name AND her personality) to track down this elusive killer.

The second storyline follows the Intel 1 team, who I assume seasoned readers have already gotten to know in the previous four books in this series, as they complete a mission overseas.

These two stories are quite disparate, but Stebbins flows between them effortlessly.  That said, I preferred the storyline following the serial killer, but that might be because of my own twisted preferences.

In the background of the action, there’s a presidential election underway, and one of the candidates is quite clearly Trump, though he has a different name. The things he says are almost identical to what Trump has said.  This truly added to the horror aspects of the story, let me tell you. I would say it was political satire, but it was exactly what really happened, so how can it be satire?

You can tell that the author is in the biomedical field, and a quick check of his bio confirmed it. There's a lot of science talk towards the end of the book, but it's written in such a way that it's compelling, and doesn't feel like an info-dump.  It's critical to the plot and interesting for nerds like me, but it's brief enough for those who don't want any science in their thrillers (heathens!).

Characters
There are a lot of characters in this book, but only a few main characters. I found Grace Gone, PI, to be a fascinating protagonist, and I was hoping to have more chapters focusing on her and Tyrell Sacker, the cop who is working with her.  They have an intriguing storyline and well-developed character arcs, and I wanted to see more of them by the time the novel ended.

Other characters are just as well fleshed out, and quite diverse. It's rare to read a spy or police procedural where it isn't all middle-aged white men grandstanding with one another.



I recommend this book to anyone who isn't sure what they want to read. Are you in the mood for a political commentary? A Tom Clancy-esque spy novel? Maybe a Noir private investigator-style mystery with a bad-ass female heroine and a hint of romance? If you said yes to any of these, then this book is for you!



*Thank you to the author for the book for review*

This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/

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[Rosemarie Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a bit of everything, it's a crazy whodunnit, a story of international intrigue and the manipulation of science that can bring apocalyptic ruin to humankind.

I don't recall reading a book with a serial killer whose sole purpose is taking out just men. This is the fifth book in the INTEL 1 series, but yet it wasn't hard to get to know the characters, so reading this as standalone was fine. The characters and world building are well developed. INTEL 1 is a covert government agency specializing in protecting the US from the most dangerous threats both domestic and international.

Although now I have to get to reading the rest in the series starting at the beginning and get to know more about these INTEL 1 operatives, (especially that Francisco Lopez, a former priest turned warrior) that's working for the president.

It begins with a gruesome murder on the street of New York, the victim, a known serial rapist; the serial killer is dubbed the Eunuch Maker. Detective Tyrell Sacker is the lead on this case with two junior detectives he must train and mentor. The killer leaves absolutely no clues for the detectives to go on, that is until he meets Private Investigator Grace Gone. That girl rocks, her uncanny ability to know what's going on and find the clues that everyone else missed is beyond. With her on the case leading Sacker to the truth, the case began to emerge as not just a serial killer but so much more.

Although I have to say that Detective Sacker pissed me off to no end, I mean dude get your shit together already.

The book is essentially in two parts; you're continually wondering, what do the gruesome murders in New York have to do with INTEL 1 operatives chasing down a known enemy Nemesis in Tehran? When these two stories converge into one you're shaken as to what is being done to these victims that kept piling up in New York. As both the NYPD and INTEL 1 join forces to solve these murders, we're in the path of possibly witnessing the horrifying madness of this murderer and what he has in store for us and the rest of the world.

An interesting premise in the book is the bio-research into male contraceptives, this is weaved into the story throughout the book. And makes for quite the conversation.

This book is an action-packed thriller, police procedural, with a compelling mystery that takes you on a ride both national and internationally. It will provoke your thoughts of endless possibilities about this kind of biological madness happening in real life, long after you've turned the last page.

I received a hard copy of this book from the Author, Erec Stebbins. Thank you.

[Viking Jam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Publishing Date: September 2017

Publisher: Twice Pi Press

ISBN: 9781942360322

Genre: Thriller/Fiction

Rating: 0.1/5

Publisher’s Description: Detectives link gruesome murders to the Eunuch Maker, a serial killer targeting men. The stakes soon escalate to global proportions.

Review: This started out pretty good as the story line is split and the commonality hard to determine. And then it goes to pure shjt.

What do I always say about authors inserting their own political perspectives couched in effusive moral platitudes? DON'T DO IT!! Well this douche wastes no time (while wasting ours), with super lesbian geniuses, trans-gender genius cops and a genius Asian hottie (with a limp) that saves the fooking world. Can’t forget the lengthy illegal alien dialogue (whitey bad) which has absolutely nothing to do with the novel. Forget that all white people are portrayed as evil hate-filled Nazis because they prefer the opposite sex.

This author makes a real effort to twist A Republican candidate into some myopic vision of horror in an alternate universe. I get that people have opinions but this reveal shows someone whose identity is warped by their own misplaced ego.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andro- the Greek prefix meaning male, man, or masculine

Cide- Latin origin suffix meaning killer, or the act of killing

Erec Stebbins begins his latest in the Intel 1 series with a rather gruesome murder in New York City. The victim, a known serial rapist, appears to be brutally beaten with what appears to be bruises all over his body and most noticeably his private parts have been removed. The detective on the scene is Tyrell Sacker along with two junior detectives that Sacker is training. It isn’t long before another victim shows up and Sacker has no leads to the murderer until he meets Private Investigator Grace Gone. Gone is a unique character and has an uncanny ability of seeing clues that everyone else seems to miss.

For those of you not familiar with the series, Intel 1 is a covert government agency that specializes in protecting the US from its most dangerous threats. The agency is headed by John Savas, a former NYPD cop. Other operatives include Rebecca Cohen, Savas’ wife and a former FBI counterterrorism operative; Angel Lightfoote, Intel 1’s computer expert with an unusual personality; Sara Houston, a former CIA operative; and my favorite character, pistol whipping padre Francisco Lopez, a former priest turned warrior. In Androcide, Intel 1 is dealing with the fallout that happened in the previous novel, The Nash Criterion. (spoiler alert for Nash Criterion) In The Nash Criterion, Intel 1 uncovered a sinister organization of intellects known as the Bilderberg that had designs on ruling the world. One of the most notorious member of the organization, with the code name Nemesis, escaped and is the focus for the latest escapade of Intel 1.

As I was reading Androcide, I kept wondering how the murders that were occurring in NYC could have any relation to Intel 1. Two storylines were going on at the same time, Sacker’s investigation of the murders, and a raid on a supposed underground hideout of Nemesis in Tehran, Iran by Intel 1. It is about halfway through the novel before the two storylines merge and is it a whopper.

There is a little of everything in Androcide; a perplexing whodunit, a story of international intrigue, and fascinating technology which makes for a whole lotta fun. Two new characters are introduced and I am sure that we won’t be seeing the last of them. Perhaps they will be a part of Intel 1 or a new series, we will just have to wait and see. A word of caution, if you are a big fan of the latest administration, then you may want to skip Androcide. Stebbins description of some of the political characters is a thin disguise for some more real life politicians and I have a feeling they are going to be the evil dudes in the next installment of the series.

Though this could be read as a standalone, it would be more enjoyable if the rest of the series was read first.

I would like to thank Erec Stebbins for my advanced reader copy in return for an honest review.

If you are interested in learning more about the The Intel 1 Series check it out on my blog A-Thrill-A-Week

[Read Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a GoodReads giveaway win. I won this book a few months ago. Decided to read part 1 first, to get some background. Then decided to just jump to my giveaway win to be more timely with reading books I have won. I don't think I missed too much by jumping ahead, but I will now go back and read #2-4 next.

I liked this story, but I had an issue with the some of the lead female roles, particularly the female interactions with the Iranians. Just the strong pro-male culture of the Iranians came across to me as too much of a stretch. But I sometimes do need to just let go of reality and enjoy the story.

I liked the "White Plague" twist. This is a good segment in a longer series.

Have a GoodReads. And I will be going back to read the books I skipped.

[judith hagmayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Androcide

Enjoyed the book. Very well written. The people in the book are great.enjoy angel. Looking for the next book to read.

[James Rocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have only read one of Erec Stebbins books before, "The Ragnarok Conspiracy", the first in the "Intel 1" series; I got books 1 to 4 on a free offer. I left a review because I loved the book but was worried about reading further because, you know, sequels 'n all that. Recently the author contacted me and offered me a copy of his latest book "China Girl" (the sixth of the "Intel 1" series) if I would be willing to read it and leave an honest review. I pointed out my experience and concerns with his books. The author gave me book 5 of the series ("Androcide") which I review here.

Set in both Iran and the US, the latter being the focus, the book is sixth in a series and not original in concept; by that, I am merely acknowledging that his "universe" was created in the first book and that other authors write in a similar vein. I shouldn't have worried about his other books because, in short, "Androcide" was excellent with a tight plot involving a man on a mission to commit murder on an utterly massive scale. The story starts simply enough with a rapist who has served his time, being caught, murdered and left almost artistically presented with his genitalia removed. The primary investigator, Tyrell Sacker, tries to fend off Grace Gone, a private investigator (the author makes amusing plays on her name with chapters involving her) before finally realising her brilliance and his need of her. In a parallel story set in Iran, Intel 1, a shadowy secret organisation whose headquarters are deep under Manhattan, is investigating other dark terrorist organisations. More men get killed (the clue is in the book's name) and a pattern emerges which ultimately gives them information relating to the biomedical terrorist's identity and reveals links to their current investigation and other events transpiring around them.

Based on what I've read so far, the author's work tends to involve a fair amount of violence, quite a lot of action and a degree of suspense. Although there are emotional entanglements, I've yet to see any sex scenes; in my opinion, that's a good thing since authors rarely get that right. However, what really makes the book both unique and terrifying is the background vision of an America gone completely and believably off the rails. Daniel Suite, a candidate for the US Presidency, is a nightmare version of Trump and, trust me, if the real Trump concerns you, he is nothing on this Suite character. I found the author's writing addictive as evidenced by the fact that I immediately went on to his next book, "China Girl" where Daniel Suite has won the US presidency, so he could continue to scare the hell out of me. The author pays attention to events playing out in our everyday lives because I see echoes of it both in the US and in the UK where I live.

There were no apparent errors either in writing style or in the author's understanding of science, although the latter should hardly surprise me given the fact that he has a PhD in the biomedical sciences. Still, it is a pleasure to be presented with a story with excellent grammar and spelling but there were occasions when the author's use of language pleasantly surprised me and brought a beaming smile to my face.

As I say, the book is little short of brilliant and I am currently about halfway through book 6 and in that we get to see the real nightmare of a now elected President Suite. Other reviewers have said that reading the Intel 1 books as a series is preferred and that's probably true but, as stated above, I read book 1 then book 5 and I'm currently on book 6. As long as the author doesn't try to advance stupid personal views through his characters as one author I once loved did, I'll continue to read (and probably review) his books. Once I have read "China Girl", I will post a review on Amazon and a combined review on my website.

[Vigilant Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title – Androcide
Author – Erec Stubbins
Genre – Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
333 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5 Posted 1/5/2018
No. 01 - 2018

Androcide: the systematic killing of men, boys, or males in general.

My Impressions: brutal, well written, psychopath, intriguing characters, personal political viewpoint injected.

Main Characters:
Sara Houston – Top of FBI wanted list, framed for murder of Vice President and terrorist activities, Intel 1.
Francisco Lopez – Defrocked priest, deadly member of Intel 1
Nader Zaringhalam – Double agent, hacker, member of Intel 1
Elaine York – President of the United States of America
Det. Tyrell Sacker – New York Police, alcoholic, wears a goofy Ice Topper Hat, suited for formal wear with a Tux.
P.I. Grace Gone – Handicapped, brilliant, Asian heritage. Also Biological research expert.

Androcide is an action packed thriller. It starts as two separate stories that begin to converge about halfway through the book. The three main characters listed first are members of Intel 1, a covert action group reporting directly to Elaine York, POTUS. They have saved the country from a mysterious group name Bilderberg. There are vague references to the second civil war and an atomic bomb exploded in Kansas. A terrorist named Nemesis is the last agent of Bilderberg and Intel 1 chases her to prevent her from reorganizing.
Det. Tyrell Sacker is assigned the case of dead, nude men whose genitals have been removed before they were staged about the city. P.I. Grace Gone wrangles her way into Sacker’s investigation against the direct orders of Sacker’s superiors.
All of the characters are larger than life and all have deep personal secrets that affect their emotions and performance. Only vague hints of these secrets are given, but from that I judged them to be extreme.

The editing and sentence structure are excellent.
Character Development is in depth for the main characters
Details are often sketchy or steeped in medical and research terms most readers will have little knowledge of.
The plot was excellent until the author injected his personal political view point and relied on exaggerations and outright lies to vent his opinion.
The author’s writing style is fast paced and full of medical and research jargon.

I was engrossed in the story until caricatures of current US politicians were injected and distorted by exaggeration and outright lies to fit the author’s partisan view.

This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.

[Maria Logan-Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Androcide at the request of the author, Erec Stebbins. It’s book #5 of his Intel 1 Series.
It is brilliant, philosophical, well thought out, and well-written. It will take you from biomedical terror to the politics of big city law enforcement, and from covert ops in Iran to the White House, and on to the ugliness of our presidential elections. Then there is a serial killer who insists he is only doing experiments.

The story opens when Jack Reaper, a convicted rapist just released from prison, attempts to rape a prostitute. His body appears to have been badly beaten. How did she get to be so strong? There is a serial killer targeting men. Was Jack the first victim?

Through his characters, Stebbins, a bio-medical researcher, examines the pros and cons of multiple current issues, such as immigration, birth control rights along with the sharing of responsibility by men for birth control, as well as crude behavior of some politicians. He provides serious food for thought on these and other issues.

This is a book that anyone who loves a good mystery or thriller must read. Normally, I prefer to read serial novels in order, but each one in this series stands alone. So my not having read the first four books was no problem.

What Makes This Reviewer Grumpy?

• Incorrect public health information: rosacea does not leave scars;
• misplacement of the word “only“ within sentences;
• beginning sentences with conjunctions “and” and “but”;
• missing commas,
• confusing further and father (they are not interchangeable).

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fifth book in the Intel 1 Series by Erec Stebbins once again took its Intel 1 Force's characters on a wild and epic adventure on two seemingly unrelated fronts. The first being the stopping of a virus created to wipe out all the men on the face of the earth. The second the continuing hunt for the final finger of the Bilderburg global dominating entity. This book introduced a new character into the mix, PI Grace Gone who along with NYPD Detective Tyrell worked to stop the madman who displayed his test subjects while attempting to spread the male-neutering virus. Of course, the Intel 1 adventure team of Cohen, Angel, Mary, and Gabriel are put into grave dangers and life-threatening situations as they attempt to find Sonol of Bilderburg. The pace is always fast and the story is always interesting and entertaining. It is also very thought-provoking as well as it touches on religion and politics in a very non-politically-correct manner. I am looking forward to how things will progress in book 6. This is a voluntary review of this book which was included in an Advance Reader Copy of the book from Hidden Gems Books.

[Walter Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing, great characters, and a compelling story

Seemed like a really long time between that awesome set of Intel 1 books. This one - #5 - was very much appreciated. If you haven’t read the first four, get them and read them as soon as possible, before opening up this one.
Two very different storylines – an Intel 1 operation in Tehran, and a New York Police hunt for a serial killer – and you wonder where this is going, and then Erec Stebbins blends them into an explosive story and lights the match.
The previous stories gave us a bit more on Angel, a quiet but critical element in the initial Intel 1 series, but in Androcide (a real word), she is a force of nature. Four more of the strongest female protagonists in thriller literature are going to make it hard to cast those five roles when someone makes the movie.
Yes, the President Elect is right out of the headlines for 2017, but the explosive potential for a shattered nation arising from bias and hate is truly scary, and as a Canadian, I am both nervous as well as heartbroken at where our world seems to be heading.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, this is my first book from the Author. I felt like I was listening to a David Baldacci book. The twists were really well done and well thought out. The story starts as two separate stories, it unclear until about midway, what connects the two. But once they do connect, light bulbs just go off. Really like how the Author did that, one side was spy, the other side was cop/PI. I loved the character Grace, she has a disability. Well, most of the characters do but hers is physical compared to the others. But she doesn’t let that stop her getting what she wants. She was also not ashamed to ask for help.

It was a little confusing in some areas with who was talking or was it the TV in the background?

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the Author. Does not affect my review)

[Bridgett Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
A known serial rapist is beat and his junk is removed. Tyrell Sacker along with two junior detectives that he is training are in charge of the case. But soon a another victim shows up and Sacker has no leads. In pops Private Investigator Grace Gone. She has a way of seeing clues others miss. With her help Sacker hunts down a murderer. it was a ok story, didn't really suck me in.

[Ken Rideout · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the best on in the series. A real in-these-times page turner!