Showing results by author "Brett Strange" in All Categories

Encounters is a curated collection of six contemporary short stories set across three continents. The stories reflect disparate adventures in a globalized, rapidly changing world: A young couple discovers the luxurious allure of Monte Carlo’s Grand Casino, a woman from San Francisco reveals an inspirational uncle’s secrets, a Bangkok expatriate lives out a night of excess, and a Russian immigrant navigates her unique New World voyage. Each story shines a different, up-close perspective on a lived moment in a certain place and time.

It was a cold night when Paul Drake, an Iraq War veteran, wandered into the Zephyr Gallery in Manhattan’s Chelsea district. Little did Paul realize then that his chance encounter with Katerina Volkova would spark an unlikely but fated romance. An ongoing government investigation soon thrusts them both into a treacherous world of Russian power plays, double agents, and illicit chemical weapons sales. A lethal network of war profiteers working in the shadows aim to prolong the chaos - no matter the human cost.

"We become important only because of our decisions," Katya Volkova advised him. What she meant by this, Iraqi-war veteran Paul Drake wasn't quite sure at first. In this fast-paced sequel to Against the Dusk, Paul confronts a dangerous world of shifting global power politics and illicit weapons deals. A cat and mouse game to ferret out Russian-backed arms dealer Bogan Zoidze leads Paul, Katya, and a cast of other memorable characters to war-torn Syria, the posh avenues of Paris, ancient Black Sea ports, and hidden island retreats in Malta and Sicily.