Rebecca Tree

The world is running out of time as the American political system is trapped in an accelerating death-spiral into irrationality. The country becomes increasingly polarized as rapidly rising seawater separates ‘wet’ states from ‘dry’ states. Parts of South Florida surrender to the sea as carcasses of once-chic beachfront hotels poke out from the ocean floor. ‘Guest’ agricultural workers from Mexico hand-pollinate fruit trees and vegetable crops in a desperate effort to maintain the country’s food supply. California’s once plentiful fruits are now as rare as caviar in post-Tsarist Russia.

Out of this chaos emerges Rebecca Tree, the rebellious granddaughter of America’s most powerful politician, Merewether Tree. A successful inventor and businesswoman, Rebecca’s life is marked by a string of tragedies, having lost both parents at the age of two, and her twin sister Allison at the age of four. The loss of her sister stirs her heart to beat for two, propelling Rebecca forward into a life of accomplishment, developing technologies that might help reverse global warming. When Rebecca's brother, the current president of the United States, dies in office during an election year, her grandfather blackmails her into entering the race for the White House.

After shockingly winning the election in a dysfunctional near-future America, she begins a journey uncovering family secrets while trying to restore rationality to an embittered country . . . if only she can avoid the brother-and-sister ‘Native Force’ team that seems hell-bent on assassinating her.

Beware of whiplash—

*May Contain Spoilers*

When the President of the United States, Sam Tree, dies, his sister is pushed into the run for office at the insistence of her grandfather in Michael Abramson's novel, Rebecca Tree. Merewether Tree, an evil man hidden behind lies and sealed files, wants to control the highest office in the country, but he's mistaken if he thinks he can force Rebecca Tree to do his bidding. 

Rebecca Tree is a global advocate for healing the Earth. She's a savvy business woman who focuses on clean energy and loyalty. When her grandfather insists that she run for the Presidency, she thinks he's mad, but she soon realizes that she can do some good in politics, maybe even reverse some corruption and scandal. Rebecca is a good and decent human being. She was in the Army and lost the love of her life while in the military. Readers will enjoy her initiative t-shirts and progressive ideas. They'll also understand her need to know what really happened to her sister, Allison, which may be the biggest scandal she uncovers as President. However, I'm not sure how I felt about the use of government and presidential tools to fight a family battle. I also think that the political terminology and situations may be better suited to a reader who is more knowledgeable in those matters, but the family secrets and life or death moments will draw readers across genres. 

The plot was a little confusing at times as the story begins with the death of President Sam Tree, a man painted negatively throughout the entire novel. At first it seems that the novel will focus on Rebecca Tree's wave of change to remove corruption from Washington, help citizens, and tackle Global Warming. However, when clues about what happened to Allison, Rebecca's twin, are discovered, the book's focus shifts to unraveling the mystery surrounding her death. The assassination plot also adds a mortal air to the novel, intriguing readers with the mystery and mayhem caused by unknown murderers. All of these dominoes align, along with her health condition, to place readers on Rebecca Tree's side. As more and more stress is piled atop her plate, Rebecca struggles with anxiety and it's debilitating effects. These events and details work together to bring readers into the fold, allowing them to like Rebecca and root for her survival. 

Rebecca Tree is a complicated political thriller that drafts the future of the United States in a harsh light unless change is implemented in the system. 

Rating: 3/5 cups

Platform 21 - Blog Tour

Synopsis:
Luke’s life is about to take a dangerous turn.
But first he has to die.

In the year 2052, high school sophomore Luke Gibson considers himself an average teenager in a world on the brink of monumental change. Joining his parents and sister, Laura, at the first World Energy Initiative Conference, he is among thousands gathered in a Denver arena to celebrate free renewable energy when a massive earthquake strikes killing everyone in the stadium. The last thing Luke sees before his death is a girl reaching out to him—a stranger whose face he remembers from his dreams.

The end, however, is not the end. Suddenly, inexplicably, Luke is back home in Ohio and everything is different. His sister is gone, the victim in an unsolved homicide years before. Angela, his mysterious dream girl, is here also, and the only person besides Luke who recalls the previous reality. And now their determination to uncover the truth about Laura’s murder and their transformed world is making them targets—forced to flee for their lives from a nameless shadow organization and a government seeking vengeance for an unthinkable act of terror—as they stand on the threshold of a dark conspiracy that threatens all humankind.

Review:
T.R. Patrick combines global crisis and murder with his novel, Platform 21, the first in his Beyond the Veil series. As the world turns to chaos after a terrorist attack killing thousands, Luke awakens from death to find a new life awaiting him. A life in which his sister was brutally murdered and the criminal never caught. With the need to decipher his sister's death, Luke and Angela join forces when they discover they both survived the terrorist attack. Though, now that they're alive, the government seems to want to place the blame on their teenage shoulders.

Though Luke tells most of the story from his point of view, both he and Angela are the main characters. Readers will enjoy Luke's unwavering fortitude. He's intelligent, loyal, brave, and a little superhuman. He perseveres through every obstacle the government throws at him, uncovering connections to his sister's death that is ultimately the key to the global conspiracy.

Angela is the perfect partner for Luke. She's incredibly strong, both physically and emotionally. Angela is the character readers will cheer for. As she survives death during the terrorist attack, losing her best friend, falling in love, being abused, and being declared treasonous, Angela keeps her strength. Though readers will connect with Luke, Angela is the one readers will form an unbreakable bond with.

The plot of Platform 21 is a creatively chaotic layering of interwoven mysteries. While the terrorist attack is the push-off point of the novel, the murder mystery that comes after is the real focus. The mystery unravels to reveal multiple (seemingly) unrelated deaths which don't add up to equal the global conspiracy. It's an intricate plot that doesn't seem to come together until the very end. Though, the confusion is worth the wait as the novel reaches its climax and the series-plot is actually unveiled.

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Author Bio:
Author Timothy R. Patrick, born in 1985, started writing when he was only nine, delivering his first short story to his Mom for her birthday. Since then, writing has been an incredible passion. Every chance he could write, he took it. He even scratched out a few stories in Naval Boot Camp at Great Lakes, Illinois.

Tim spent four years in the Navy achieving the rank of Petty Officer 2nd class. He served three years aboard USS Chosin and was deployed twice in support of the Global War on Terror, and Iraqi Freedom. However, he would always be remembered as the guy who sat in the corner of the mess decks writing a book he would never release. He said it wasn't good enough.

After his time in the Navy, Tim became a Test Engineer working for companies like Scientific Research Corporation and Hewlett Packard. During this phase of his life he moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he bought a home and tried to settle into the American Dream. But Tim wasn't content with that, he wanted to do something more than work the 9 to 5. So, he tried his hand at politics and ran for Dorchester County Council as an Independent. They said he was too young and verbose. After losing the election, he decided to try his hand at writing instead.

Today, Timothy Patrick is the author of, Platform 21 - the first installment of the "Beyond the Veil" series. Platform 21 is a novel set in the near future which follows a young man on a journey to solve his sister's murder in the midst of global conspiracy. His current project is, The Vorago Initiative - which picks up right where Platform 21 left off.

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