Holding-the-market

Several years ago, David Robbins authored a novel, WAR OF THE RATS, the plot of which revolved around the duel between two snipers, a Soviet and a German, amidst the WWII Stalingrad battlefield. HOLDING THE ZERO, by Gerald Seymour, is at least equal, if not better, in portraying the sniper's esoteric art.

It's a couple of years before Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the British government receives word of a sighting of one of Her Majesty's subjects roaming northern Iraq with a bloody big sniper rifle and a band of Kurdish fighters led by a charismatic peasant girl, Meda. The witness even provides a name, Augustus Henderson Peake. Captain Willet of the Ministry of Defense is tasked, along with a representative from the Security Service, to investigate Peake and report on his mind set, motivation and training. How much trouble can Peake cause for Her Majesty's government? From the very beginning, Willet knows that Peake has no military background, is the transport manager in an English haulage firm, and is a civilian, award-winning, target shooter. Willet's initial assessment is that Peake will not survive whatever foolish venture in which he's involved himself.

In the meantime, Peake is Meda's secret weapon as her growing band of Kurds advances out of its mountain fastness and wins a series of increasingly ambitious skirmishes with Saddam Hussein's army. The ultimate goal is to take Kirkuk, headquarters of the Iraqi Fith Army and a city sacred to the Kurdish nationalists. The Iraqi Army sends out its best sniper, Major Karim Aziz, to intercept and kill Meda's sharpshooter.

HOLDING THE ZERO is one of the more complex of Seymour's novels that I've read to date. There's a plethora of interesting characters besides Augustus himself: Meda, Aziz, Meda's military advisor Haquim, Peake's guide and spotter Omar, Aziz's tracker dog Scout, Willet, the minefield-clearer Joe Denton, the Mossad agent Isaac Cohen, and the relief worker Sarah. Ironically, in the Big Picture of a CIA plot to topple Saddam, Aziz and Peake are on the same side, and it's ultimately only mano-a-mano pride which matches each against the other.

As in all of Seymour's thrillers, the Good Guys don't always win, and the Bad Guys don't always lose. At the conclusion, one must tally up the body count to decide whose side owns the victory - and it's often Pyrrhic.

As we peer over the shoulder of Willet as he unearths the nature of the man Peake and composes his report, we also march along with Augustus on the journey that will prove Willet right or wrong. At the end of the day in an isolated Iraqi valley, we must stand amazed.

"Holding The Zero" by Gerald Seymour, 14 CD Audio Book read by Sean Barrett, ISIS Audio Books, 2000.

Augustus Peake goes to Iraq to repay a debt of honor incurred by his grandfather, some fifty+ years ago. "Gus" is fitted out in what appears to be a haphazard fashion, and travels to Iraq to support the insurrection of Kurdish forces against their ancient enemy. A complaint by an Australian caseworker in Iraq begins an UK investigation into Augustus Peake and why he is engaged in a sniper's duel in Iraq. The investigation shows that the entire adventure was not so spontaneous as it first seems. So, on the first level, this is a very personal duel between the neophyte (but excellent marksman) Gus Peake and the head of the school for sniping in Iraq, Major Karim Aziz. When we first meet Major Aziz, he is prone on a roof, seeking an opportunity to shot (it seems) the President of Iraq, our friend Saddam. There is much introspection presented, both for Gus Peake and for Major Aziz, as both snipers consider the finality of the tools they use. The climax of the book is the sniper's duel between the two men.

On a second level, this book is a fine compendium of the history of sniping. The author, Gerald Seymour, uses the necessity of explanations for the young Kurdish boy and assistant to Gus, to present the history, of modern sniping, from the American Civil War up to the present. Seymour tends to introduce characters to present points. For example, he has a rotund Russian, interested in the mineral rights to the land, (if the Kurds win), tell the story of the famous sniper's duel at the Battle of Stalingrad. The author also uses a British character, an ex-corporal, to explain to Augustus Peake how a sniper, together with carefully place land mines, can halt a column of armor. Gus does just that!

On the third level, the author, Seymour, makes a telling statement against the vested interests of Americans, British, Israelis and Russians, in raising the hopes of the Kurdish people but not truly supporting them in their struggle against the despotic government of Iraq. All of these outsiders were using the Kurds as proxy fighters. At the very end of the book, the Kurds retreat back up into the mountains, which they call their only true friends.

The book was well read by Sean Barrett, who has a keen ability to provide an accent to match each character. The use of "further" when "farther" was needed nettled my ears once or twice or more. When a sniper shoots over a long distance, he has shot "farther" than any one else. "Far" for distance, while "further" is used for consideration, or thought or discussion. Further, when the reporters divide up their gear to carry it all back to the car, they should have divided it "among" the three of them, not "between" the three of them. Between for two, among for three or more.

Gus Peake should have stayed at home, but an old family debt drew him to the remote wastes of Northern Iraq and a forgotten war between Kurdish guerillas and Saddam Hussein's military regime. Peake brings a marksman's skills to the brutal combat taking place there. But he must quickly learn to deal out random death at long distances, and help the guerillas to reach the city of Kirkuk, the old capital of the Kurdish people. Holding The Zero is a tautly written action novel by Gerald Seymour that is superbly narrated by Sean Barrett. This unabridged, 14 hour, 16 minute, technically flawless production will prove a very popular addition to any personal or community library audiobook collection.

Holding Out for a Hero is an intriguing Romantic Mystery set in
Planet Hollywood amidst the glitz and glamour of the entertainment
world. It is also a story about filling the empty lives that seem
so prevalent once the spotlights are turned off.

Actor Billy Prescott is changing his life style and is trying to
reconnect with his former fiancée and fellow actress Samantha
Hathaway. But Billy's overt lifestyle is more than Sam can tolerate,
she has had enough. Before she can share her feelings with Billy,
his life is tragically snuffed out in an automobile accident. With
much suspicion surrounding the unfortunate incident, Sam's best
friend, Jarad Naughton, solicits the help of New York Police Detective
Adam Wexler to protect Sam and to forgather information about the
now questionable accident. Adam travels to California under the
guise of consulting with Sam on her role in her upcoming movie. But
Adam has another motive, and though he went as an officer of the
law, he finds himself cast in the role of his life.

This is Ms. Savoy's first Romantic Mystery and as with her previous
works, it will have readers anxiously anticipating the ending. The
supporting cast is an excellent addition and they are strategically
placed throughout the story. One added twist is the family
relationship that exists between the characters, it makes a reader
eager to see what fruit fell from which tree. This book was completed
after September 11, and it touched briefly on that horriffic tragedy,
and on the heroes that rose from the ashes.

Reviewed by aNN Brown

In the world of romance novels being real is sometimes forgotton with fantasy. "Holding out for a hero" is real and romantic. Everyone should enjoy this book and keep the pages turning.

Hollywood actor and playboy Billy Prescott was killed in an auto accident, actress Samantha (Sam) Hathaway who was also in the car was spared because she was thrown out on impact of the collision. Sam's childhood friend filmmaker Jarad Naughton is not so sure it was an accident and is concerned about his friend's safety. Jarad is aware that Billy's brother is NYC detective Adam Wexler and hires him to play bodyguard to the actress under the guise of giving her guidance for her next role as a police woman. Adam's foray into the glitzy Hollywood scene leads him to starlets, players, drugs and an uncooperative actress. Samantha is aware and angry that Jarad has sent someone to watch over her and proves it at every turn. Adam finds himself attracted to beautiful and feisty Sam, to Sam's dismay she feels the same. Adam has not revealed his true identity to Sam but soon finds out that she has two dislikes, liars and Billy's family, especially the police officer brother whom Billy worshipped and adored but never saw. Although Adam took the job to find out the truth about his brother's accident, it becomes clear that Sam is in real danger and he will do whatever is necessary to save her. Then he must find a way to tell her the truth about himself without losing her forever. There are no secondary characters in 'Holding Our For A Hero', each one is critical and necessary to complete this complex love story. Deirdre Savoy has written a 5 star novel full of intrigue, suspense and Hollywood magic. Vannie(~.~)

Although this was readable, it's one of those books that just didn't hold up to this author's talent. It was pretty boring, actually. Nothing like the first book in the series.

Nora Roberts has won me over with her ability to romance her readers. Her characters become become part of your reading life, full of struggles and sucesses. Her trilogies grip you so that you the reader anxiously jump forward to the next saga.This trilogy regarding the lives of three beauiful women is complete entertainment. I highly recommend the reader starts with "Daring to Dream" , book one of the trilogy, then goes on to "Holding the Dream" and the concludes with "Finding the Dream" You'll be cheering these heroines on through out the trilogy,feeling their emotions, and the love they cherish between them

This is the first dream trilogy that i've read. But i can't wait to read all of them. i love strong-willed and intelligent heroines. And Kate is the very type of heroine that i've always wanted to encounter in romance novels. She is indepedent, intelligent, and sweet. too independent to pass her own problems to Byron at first. But Byron is so much Southern gentleman that he never turns a blind eye on Kate's troubles. And i like the way that Byron fell in love with Kate who is not stunningly beautiful.

I am sorry, but I have truly given up on Ms. Dain as an author. Nearly all of her supposed love scenes are nonconsensual. Please, can get get away from the bodice rippers of the 70s already. Intelligent modern readers want so much more. The deflowering of women is just not an entertaining topic, and especially not when done with such graphic and down right crass mishandling.
William finds out she is not a virgin and immediately blames her without ever once stoping to look around him at the ruined mansion he has got thanks to marrying a total stranger. she is just a possession to him like everything else. He just can't bear the thought of anyone sharing fun with her except him. He doesn't understand that every time he calls her CAt and falls upon her like a starving man on his dinner, that this is what her attacker used to do to her. He hardly even bothers to try to understand her point of view until it is forcibly shoved under his nose.
William is not quite as Neanderthal as her other heroes but he comes pretty close. Then we have her rapist Lambert going about scot free and trying to reclaim her. He tries to kill her, and at last she fights back for about a minute. Graphic violence ensues, and that includes William being stabbed in both sides with swords and still surviving to kill the villain. PUH-LEEESE.
We never see any commitment warmth or fondness in any of these books, just unremitting doom and gloom, and miserable lives for all her female characters. This is not quite as depressing as some of Ms. Dain's other books, but the characters are flat and insipid and not people I ever care about even though we are supposed to admire her as a victim. and him for 'forgivng' her.
I would rather admire my characters for being brave, noble, loving and committed to one another. As most intelligent readers of romance would. Let this one go for sure.

I liked this book. This is the 1st book I've read by Claudia Dain and It won't be the last. I enjoyed the story of William, the hero who has been given Greneforde Castle as a gift for being a loyal knight by his king. His traveling companions Rowland, Kendall and his squire Ulrich are the best of friends and thier loyalty to each other is plain to see. William takes as his bride the orphaned Cathryn. She is a quiet and beautiful young woman who has protected her people during the long war as best she could. William must overcome many barriers to prove his love for Cathryn. He is tender with her but determined to win her love. This story was warm and touching and I would enjoy reading about the secondary characters in future books.

The Holding is the first book by Claudia Dain I've read. I read it in one day - it was incredible! It's a refreshingly different kind of romance. It has all the elements of a sensual love story, yet this novel is a very unique mix of spirituality and sensuality. I'm happy to find an author that realizes the two are not mutually exclusive.

William, the hero has been given Greneforde Castle (including resident lady of Greneforde, the orphaned Cathryn) by the king to reward him for his loyal service. Both William and Cathryn have scars of their past to overcome. The story is completely absorbing as the author gradually reveals the tragedies that haunt them. William's character grows into a warm, tender and sexy husband. Cathryn has put up a strong front for so long that she finds it hard to let her defenses down to her new husband, but when she does, she finds ecstasy.

The secondary characters are some of the most well developed and interesting I've read in a long time. Among them is a priest who provides wise spiritual guidance and two servants who are falling in love themselves.

This book is well worth your time and money. It's truly an intelligent, thoughtful romance.

I totally agree with the reviewer that said the cover is bad. Ms. Dain, if you're reading this...don't let the publishers do that to you again! This book deserves better!!

This is an excellent book and I was very sad when I heard that it was not being published any more.

This is a story about a girl who has to go to a diffrent school than her best friend Gretchen. Gretchen got into an accident last year and had to repeat a grade. That means that the girl has to go to the high school all alone. Then there is a girl named Sandy who is always following her a round. The girl wants to ditch her so she can be in the popular group, but she feels that she can't because Sandy has scoliosis. Then in home economics another girl named Jennet begins to bother, threaten and harras the girls. What will happen?

It is a travesty that the "Kobie" books are out of print! I adored reading about Kobie, and strongly feel that the few books that featured her were among the most underrated of the young adult genre in the 80s.

Like one of the other reviewers here, I am also nearly 25. Though Kobie was a little older than me (I was maybe in 5th grade when I first read about her high school adventures) she spoke of universal awkwardness. Kobie was funny and genuine, and there was nothing condescending about her. It was smart, sensitive reading. She felt like an old friend. If I have a daughter someday, hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on the Kobie books for her, as my copies fell apart a while ago. So what if she won't understand the references to Van Halen and the "cool" 80s styles? She'll have hours of good literary company.

I LOVED the Kobie Roberts books (Almost Ten and a Half, Going on Twelve, Thirteen, Fourten and Holding, Fifteen at Last)....Kobie was so cool in that she wasn't perfect...She was funny.. I wish there had been a "Sweet Sixteen" book in the 'series' as well...I'm almost 25 now, but I plan on keeping my Kobie books...

I don't read SF, but have been looking for near-future/future military/space novels, and I was browsing the SF shelves at one of my local bookstores and picked up SOS: Holding the Line. Looked good, interesting concept, so i picked it up, saying to myself that if this [was weak], i wouldn't follow the series or the author. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying the action, and the interaction between the humans and the various alien species of the Alliance of Light. What I was disappointed about was the lack of believable weaponry, sensors and equipment that the 1st Combined Regiment used. I was also a bit miffed that there were some ground units, such as artillery, but no tanks or IFVs, and there wasn't any description of the aerospace fighters or its weaponry. Ok, i'm probably being a bit too picky, because it's essentially about the rangers,not the Grand Alliance's spacecraft, ground units, or other cool weaponry. For those two reasons i gave it four stars instead of five. It has however got me interested in military SF and i have added John Ringo, Ian Douglas and Rick Shelley to my bookshelves.
Reading Deep Strike at the moment, enjoying it so far!

Unlike the usual smart alec mil-sf heroes, Drak and his squad of assorted aliens go where brass sends them, shoot enemy, get shot at, do not know big picture until much later and do NOT save the universe by daring action. The general feeling is not one of adventure, but of hard, unpleasant, dangerous work that has to be done.
This basic honesty and unwillingness to entertain is strangely charming, reminding me of WW2 memoirs. Buy this book if you like careful, unhurried world-building for the sake of itself. Do not buy it if you like adventure and galactic intrigue.

Holding the Line is the first novel in the Spec Ops Squad series. During the war with the Ilion Federation, Bart Drak is the squad leader of a special ops squad in the Ranger Battalion of the 1st Combined Regiment, a unit including every species in the Alliance of Light.

In this novel, Bart has just returned from Dintsen, where his ranger battalion has been mauled by the surprise attack that started the war with the Ilion. Since the unit was on Dintsen only for joint training with a divotect battalion, the casualty rate in his unit was very high -- 75% dead -- and even worse among the divotect. Bart is training infantry recruits at Fort Campbell when he is pulled out of the field to meet Major Wellman, the battalion commander, to be informed that he has volunteered for the 1st Combined Regiment. As usual, he and Wellman get thoroughly irritated at each other.

Bart's orders say that he is to report for transport to Dancer, a previously uninhabited world in the middle of nowhere. There he meets his squad: Lance Corporal Fred Wilkins, the only other human; Corporal Ying'vi Souvana and Lance Corporal Trau'vi Kiervauna, the porracci; Privates Iyi Col Hihi and Oyo Col Hihi, the biraunta; Private Jaibie, the abarand; Private Ooyonoa, the divotect; and Privates Fang and Claw, the ghuroh (whose real names are impossible to spell or to pronounce). Although Bart has been warned that porracci are aggressive and replace their superiors through trial by combat, he is not told that biraunta are terrified of porracci. Moreover, the ghuroh do not even arrive until the eleventh week of training.

The regiment's first assignment is to take back Dintsen from the Ilion Federation. They will be reinforced with a porracci battalion and two additional mobile artillery batteries, but they will face an estimated six battalions of combat troops, mostly tonatin. They are already outnumbered six-to-five going in, not counting the defenders advantage in a spaceborne assault.

This novel portrays future warfare from the point of view of the men who fight and die in the war zones. The author has at least a nodding acquaintance with military terminology and practices, but I can't find any mentions of military service in his (rather short) bio. In any case, he makes this story come alive; you feel like you are serving at Bart's side in garrison and in combat.

Recommended for Shelley fans and anyone who enjoys small-unit combat SF stories.