An Authors Collection Novel
In his first novel, FCEtier delves into the mindset of a masters candidate and the events that take the student on a career path to the top of a lonely profession. We meet “The Shooter” as a mission is about to conclude and quickly become acquainted with a conflicted individual seeking resolution to inner conflicts as a phenomenal career enters its twilight years. Then another assignment comes up almost immediately.
How does an individual become a target? Who makes the life-ending decision? The cast includes potential victims, security staffs, and several eccentric characters including an aging hippie who speaks only in song lyrics and a former FBI agent with diverse interests. The role of Julian F. Thibaut, the enigmatic billionaire member of the one percent of the one percenters, changes with the winds and adds doubt to the already unstable status quo.
As the action proceeds on several fronts, the shooter battles conscience, hired killers, and burn-out while juggling relationships and attempts at normalcy. In this fast-paced story with political overtones, FCEtier takes readers on a thrilling ride while addressing personal, business, and governmental ethics.
Review: In his exhilarating debut thriller, author FCEtier introduces readers to a memorable cast of characters, some of whom surprisingly actually make it to the last page. The Tourist Killer is populated by an aging gun-for-hire considering retirement, two ultra-rich, politically powerful men who despise each other, a grizzled “mountain man,” a group of senior citizens who hang out in an “old man’s bar,” a paranoid tailor who speaks in song lyrics, and a mix of eccentrics and everyday folk.
The Tourist Killer opens with a bang as the assassin takes aim at a serial killer who has eluded police for years. Then on to the next assignment, which takes place largely in North Carolina and Tennessee. Part of the charm of The Tourist Killer (yes, a political thriller can have charm) is that the author incorporates authentic locations and what may be favorite restaurants and shops, providing the reader with a travelogue of sorts.
The novel is divided into seven parts, each beginning with a flashback from the life of professional assassin Claudia Barry, establishing her connection to events and action even when she is not present. Barry is a baby-boomer (as are most of the central characters) who chose a path far from the one traveled by her contemporaries–hippies, activists, revolutionaries, and yuppies. Through her introspection, readers discover the influences that led to the choice of her unusual–and unsavory–career, and it is left to the reader to decide if she is a do-gooder ridding society of undesirables or a psychopath taking out the trash.
One of The Tourist Killer’s most electrifying scenes is a motorcycle ride through treacherous mountain roads that ends explosively. Astute readers will enjoy Etier’s witty wordplay, pop culture references, and double entendres. Intense action paired with the sneaky machinations of the top 1% of the 1% and seasoned with thought-provoking prose make this story a must-read for fans of political thrillers and action novels.The Tourist Killer is currently available for Kindle and will soon be released in paperback.
