The Mysterious Tale of the ‘Hidden Agenda’ By Peter Berman

Peter Berman was appointed a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles in July of 1973. After ten years of working as a trial attorney, he was promoted to Head Deputy District Attorney and during this phase of his career, he oversaw the daily operations of the District Attorney’s Office in three separate branch courthouses. Concurrent with his career as a prosecutor, he was also lecturer and professor of criminal law. Berman has testified before numerous legislative committees and his work as a Deputy District Attorney has been profiled on several television shows. He has received a Citations of Recognition from the LA County Board of Supervisors, the Directors Recognition Award from the US Secret Service, and Awards of Merit from numerous law enforcement agencies. In 2008, Berman was honored by the LAPD as Reserve Officer of the Year. He is currently a Specialist Volunteer with the LAPD in the Robbery-Homicide Division, Cold Case Specials Unit, where he investigates unsolved homicide cases.

Publisher: Cassandra Publishing Inc.
Publication Date: 4/19/2013
ISBN-13(e-book): 9789606707131
Price: $6.99

Jeremy Hart, a senior prosecutor in the LA District Attorney’s office, is a young widower whose grief counselor sends him to a charity party to jump-start his social life. At the party, he meets Claire, a young married woman with two small children who is trapped in a loveless marriage to Peter, a very wealthy and abusive man. When a courtship develops between Jeremy and Claire, Claire’s violent husband Peter discovers the affair. After a brutal beating, Claire confides to Jeremy that she believes that Peter is planning on taking her life.When Claire’s husband is found shot to death in the driveway of his home, detective Ulysses S. Gibson and his partner Jennifer Donahue are called to investigate the murder. For the prosecutor, the crime is an easy conviction when all the leads of the investigation point to Jeremy.For detectives Gibson and Donahue, nothing is so obvious. How are these individuals connected? And what of the death of Jeremy’s wife, Elizabeth, years go? Gibson and Donahue keep the scales of justice in balance as they discover everyone’s Hidden Agenda.

Book Reviews:

“This book is outrageously clever, witty, charming and like one of those mysterious men you read about in romance novels. You have no clue how to work them out, but you like it. And they are full of surprises!”

-Elle Lainey

“I loved the book. The story took a lot of twists and turns. After I finished it there were many days I could n ot stop thinking about how it all worked out and wondered about the finish. I had to find another book to stop thinking about the book. I understand there is another book coming and I can’t wait to read it. Great job Peter.”

-Caroline Durst

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Addicted by JoAnn DeLazzari
(Contemporary Romance)

Renowned investigative journalist Nikki Bradley is at the height of her career. When she tenaciously braves the remote jungles of Columbia on an assignment with personal motives, her profession seems to become less important. After her brother dies of an expected cocaine overdose, Nikki has one thing on her mind: to find the man responsible for her brother’s death, expose him, and ruin him. Her dangerous traipse through the jungle on a quest to avenge her brother’s death brings her face to face with one of Columbia’s biggest cocaine operations. When she is caught taking pictures on the outskirts of the camp, she is taken prisoner by one of the leaders, a menacing drug trafficker determined to claim her as his own. An innocent pawn in a deadly game at the mercy of her captor, a mysterious and impossibly handsome man named King, Nikki must decide whether to abort her mission and surrender, or risk her life to expose her brother’s killer.  

* * *

Charades by Ann Logan
(Contemporary Romance)

     Mercedes Fuentes, or Mousy Mercy as she often refers to herself, has buried herself in academia in order to avoid those frightening creatures that make up the other half of the human population: MEN! When an opportunity to pay off the majority of her student debt is offered to her by a family friend, Mercy has her doubts. But how can she refuse a weeklong date with a handsome man, at the end of which she will be nearly free of all debt? Enter the seemingly innocuous, over-worked oil tycoon Wulf Rheinhart, a man in need of a fake fiancée for a week in order to close a business deal with a family-oriented Texan. One charade leads to another in this fast paced car chase of a romance where no one is who they seem to be.

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Destiny’s Disguise by Candice Kohl
(Historical/Regency Romance)

Lord John, the earl of Farleigh–his giant frame scarred by battles fought as a mercenary knight–returns home to England to claim his unexpected inheritance. But now he must battle against the wicked baron Elwood of Eye and a woman with an inner strength to match his own who dares to love him. Lady Gwyneth–her willfulness and deceit borne not of treachery–determines to wed the new earl in her sister’s stead. Expecting nothing but cruelty at her husband’s hand, she is surprised to find herself the recipient of that which she has so often given but never received: love. But Gwyneth has dark secrets that will inevitably be revealed, secrets that will test the strength of their love.

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Heart of Steel by Jennifer Probst
(Contemporary Romance)

Chandler Santell avoids men–especially the rich and powerful ones who believe more in money than in people. Desperate to save her struggling Yoga and Arts Center, her last hope is the most powerful man in the finance industry, a man reputed to have a “Heart of Steel.” Logan Grant knew he was in trouble the moment Chandler Santell walked into his office. He agrees to her crazy deal only when she risks all and guarantees him a profit. Behind the scenes, a dangerous game of love, power, and greed begin to play out–a game Chandler knows nothing about. The payoff is worth millions to the man who can win Chandler’s heart. But is love worth the price?

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Knight’s Desire by Elizabeth Taylor George
(Historical/Regency Romance)

All that stands between Sir Judson Langley and his chance to inherit Cresswell Castle is the truth, and a beautiful young serving woman with a secret…

Judson Langley yearns for lands of his own. Sent to Cresswell Castle by Lady Emily Goodfife to prove her great-granddaughter is alive, Judson is torn between greed and his obligation to Lady Emily.If he proves the girl, Arian Goodfife, is dead, he stands to inherit Cresswell. Judson expects to encounter the castellan’s hostility, but not the loss of his heart to an enchanting serving girl. How could he know that the secret she hides threatens to tear all his dreams asunder?

Arian Goodfife, rightful heiress of Cresswell, lives in the shadows, dirty and wretched. After her mother’s suicide, her cruel stepfather claimed to all that Arian died in a fire. Her identity stripped away, she trusts no one. Driven by the desire to regain Cresswell, she vows to depose her stepfather. Then a dark, handsome knight named Judson arrives, making another claim on her lands. Though he touches a place in her heart she thought had turned to stone, Arian realizes the peril she would face were Judson to discover her true identity. Is Judson an angel or a devil? Only a miracle of love will answer her question.

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NEW RELEASE: Peter Berman’s ‘Hidden Agenda’ – Crime Fiction

    “A very intriguing read, Peter Berman pulls you in…”

      Jeremy Hart, a senior prosecutor in the LA District Attorney’s office, is a young widower whose grief counselor sends him to a charity party to jump-start his social life. At the party, he meets Claire, a young married woman with two small children who is trapped in a loveless marriage to Peter, a very wealthy and abusive man. When a courtship develops between Jeremy and Claire, Claire’s violent husband Peter discovers the affair. After a brutal beating, Claire confides to Jeremy that she believes that Peter is planning on taking her life.
     When Claire’s husband is found shot to death in the driveway of his home, detective Ulysses S. Gibson and his partner Jennifer Donahue are called to investigate the murder. For the prosecutor, the crime is an easy conviction when all the leads of the investigation point to Jeremy.
     For detectives Gibson and Donahue, nothing is so obvious. How are these individuals connected? And what of the death of Jeremy’s wife, Elizabeth, years go? Gibson and Donahue keep the scales of justice in balance as they discover everyone’s ‘Hidden Agenda.’

     A very intriguing read, Peter Berman pulls you in from the word “go.” And, yet he never truly reveals everything all at once – he instead chooses to hint at how everything will play out until the last several chapters of the book, when the questions of how everything intersects is finally answered.  Even then, not all of the questions the reader has will be answered . . . .

     I was pulled in immediately and did my best not to ‘see the trees for the woods’ – I tried instead to read between the lines, however the twists and turns this story took kept interrupting my line of thought, which then caused me to re-think where I was going with it. I was so intrigued by the book that I could not put it down – I just had to know how it was going to play out. . . . I highly suggest setting aside a large block of time to read Hidden Agenda.  You will need it.

                                         – Lara Girdler, NC Reader Girl Book Reviews

 

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SONY, and iTUNES!

 

4/5 BOOK REVIEW: New Contemporary Romance – “Charades” by Ann Logan

 

 

Mercy Fuentes is doing a favor for a friend. She is going on a week long ‘date’ with a German oil worker as he prepares to try and gain an exclusive contract. This contract is with someone who likes his colleagues to be in a stable relationship. Wulfgar Rheinhart is a man who constantly works and has no spare time to spend on finding love. Mercy agrees to pretend to be his fiancé for a week. Little does she know what lies ahead.

The author quickly lets us, the reader, into one of the secrets within the pages of this book. Wulfgar is not actually German, nor is he trying to gain a contract. He is, in fact, trying to gain access to something which Mercy’s grandfather stole when he left Germany before the end of the war. Wulf has been led to believe that Mercy somehow knows the whereabouts of the missing item.

This story is one of lies, hidden truths, betrayal, and families fighting each other. As we read more of the story it becomes clear that no one is telling the truth. The secrets woven into the pages begin to unravel, but even more is discovered along the way.

Mercy finds herself falling for Wulf, as he also falls for her, but will this ‘love’ withstand the test of all the lies when the truth finally comes out? Will the truth actually come out or is it hidden so deep it can never be found?

Mercy is subjected to so much during the story. She discovers family she didn’t know she had. She discovers the truth about the deaths of family members. She also finds out that almost all of her family, and extended family, are out to find the stolen item, and most will stop at nothing to find it. Can she find anyone who is telling the truth? Will she manage to uncover the whereabouts of the stolen item? And will everyone she cares about survive till the end?

I loved the twists and turns in this book. Just when I thought I had it figured out another secret was brought out into the open, throwing everyone into chaos again. The author has written a story which takes the characters, and the reader, on a journey through several countries in a short period of time. It is a fast paced story which constantly gives you more to think about, it has you trying to work out and decipher what is real and what is not.

This isn’t your normal love story, but more a test of a love against all the odds. Is it possible to come out the other side of so much deceit with love intact, or is there a limit to the amount one person can take? The only way to find out is by reading this story yourself. I can guarantee you one thing though, you will not expect half of what you will find within its pages.

Review by Fiona W.

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HOT NEW RELEASE: Exciting, Steamy Contemporary Romance from JoAnn DeLazzari – “Addicted”

          Renowned investigative journalist Nikki Bradley is at the height of her career. When she tenaciously braves the remote jungles of Columbia on an assignment with personal motives, her profession seems to become less important. After her brother dies of an expected cocaine overdose, Nikki has one thing on her mind: to find the man responsible for her brother’s death, expose him, and ruin him. Her dangerous traipse through the jungle on a quest to avenge her brother’s death brings her face to face with one of Columbia’s biggest cocaine operations. When she is caught taking pictures on the outskirts of the camp, she is taken prisoner by one of the leaders, a menacing drug trafficker determined to claim her as his own. An innocent pawn in a deadly game at the mercy of her captor, a mysterious and impossibly handsome man named King, Nikki must decide whether to abort her mission and surrender, or risk her life to expose her brother’s killer.
‘Addicted’ is a thrilling, suspenseful story of political conspiracy, drama, and passion set in both the steamy tropics of South America and the urban worlds of Puerto Rico and Los Angeles.

What readers are saying…

“‘Addicted’ is addictive! An amazing passionate romance, suspense and thriller that definitely keeps the reader on their toes throughout. JoAnn DeLazzari has completely filled this novel with excitement, adventure, fear, fun and action . . .. I was gripped throughout and did not want to put the book down.”

“A steamy romantic suspense that delves into the dark and dangerous world of drug trafficking and corruption at the highest level. At its heart is a passionate love affair between two people who are unexpectedly thrown together in their quest for justice. I found this to be a much hotter read than many others in this genre . . . The complex plot includes violence and action, subterfuge, kidnap and many nail-biting scenes . . . The reader is kept guessing as . . . the plot goes through many unexpected twists and turns before the tale reaches its climax . . . I recommend this book to readers who like to read an action packed and sensual romantic suspense, with an alpha hero and a feisty heroine.”

“YEEEESSSS!!! I don’t know what to say! I truly didn’t expect this when I started reading this book, but once I started it was hard to put it down.  JoAnn DeLazzari really did it when she wrote this book!  Addicted was exciting, suspenseful, and an overall good book to read!! JoAnne Delazzari has outdone herself in this page-turning story.”

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