BOOK REVIEWS

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Beverly Hills Book Awards

Delighted that my novel The Missing F_ctor was selected as the winner in the action-adventure category at The Beverly Hills Book Awards. I am honored to be selected by such a prestigious organization.

—Daniel C. Lorti

 

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I have just finished reading The Missing F_ctor and enjoyed it very much.  Your natural story telling combined with detail to locations I’d like to go to, already know, or am curious about, were the highlights for me. I’ve already looked up Maxim’s for instance. Your style reminds me very much of reading a John Gresham novel.  My compliments.

—Alistair Butler

 

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I want to share my thoughts on a book I just read by a Facebook friend/author, Daniel C. Lorti. It is called The Avignon Legacy. Great cover by the way. Anyhow half of the book takes place in 14th century Europe during the Middle Ages and it weaves in a lot of historical events while presenting a story about two knights who were best friends and their exploits. This part alone would make “Game of Thrones” relegated to just a King Author tale. It centers about a lost treasure which was the property of the French Vatican at Avignon. The second part is the present day and involves two friendly scoundrels and ancient book thieves who are lured into a quest for the hinted treasure. This makes a terrific follow-on to the first part. There’s romantic interests and banter throughout. Loved it!

—Marcie Stone, Facebook

 

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I took a Facebook friend’s interesting critique of The Avignon Legacy, a book by Daniel C. Lorti to heart and got a copy. No regrets. What a wonderful story, I found myself taking it with me wherever I went just to keep reading it. Its historical basis in the 14th century was entertaining and interesting. I loved the way two knights met in the first part and how two men with a touch of larceny met in the second part which takes place in the present day. Brava!

—James Taylor, Facebook

 

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I got curious about the touted novel, The Avignon Legacy by Daniel C. Lorti who is a Southern California author and gave it a try. If a history class was like this in college, I would have earned an A. A terrific read and I give it two thumbs up. I have to agree, it would make a great TV series or movie. The intrigue, romance and wisecracking while the story progressed kept me grinning. I’ve been to Provence, France and Avignon and I can picture the events happening just as described. A recommended read. I’m making it a housewarming present for my BFF.

—Don Murphy, Facebook

 

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5.0 out of 5 stars
Lorti does a fine job of bringing great history to life. Little known facts of Papal wealth and those assigned to guard it, as well as the Pope himself, are somewhat taboo. The facts and characters are well-researched; the descriptions and details make you feel right there. Going from past to present day, he continues the adventure and then some. I highly recommend this and would like to read more of his works.

— CJ Loiacono, Literary Agent

 

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This book is a great read! Daniel Lorti is a wonderfully inventive and smart writer. He has created a world and characters that you will be happy to follow in their adventures. Read this book and you’ll have a terrific time.

—Michele Wallerstein, Screenplay and Novel Consultant

 

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“…a fascinating tale of a treasure hunt well told.”

—Mid-Atlantic Book Reviewers

 

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The Avignon Legacy takes us from the 14th Century and the life of Jean Termonde, a knight and papal guard, to present day and a rare book dealer, Jim Pierce, who has been “commissioned” to acquire the tome Termonde last penned for Pope Gregory XI. It is not the words or the ancient parchment it is written on, the document contains a message to the pope cryptically revealing the location of the lost papal treasure, with Pierce being chased by an unscrupulous collector, who -in turn- has attracted the FBI, New Scotland Yard and the French authorities to the unknown quest. (Taken from the back of the book)

The first part is an incredible adventure chronicling the lives of the Termonde family. We start at the beginning of an event that has a ripple effect on the family. We’re there through the first half (or possibly more) of Jean Termonde’s life. This part of the story is actually pretty entertaining. It is fictional history showing us what life was like at the time for a few extraordinary people. Most of it is believable and interesting.

When it comes to the Catholic Church history, there are times when it becomes a bit ‘history book’ but it’s not too overwhelming. Lorti makes sure that we have a good grasp of what’s going on and the historical significance of it. For me, I honestly skimmed over it. It’s not my thing. Over all, though, it’s not a lot of history. It’s enough to explain everything, but it doesn’t really bog you down. For those that ARE interested in history, you’ll find a lot here to fascinate you. I must admit, even in my skimming, I learned.

The second part of the book is very much a heist story. We have a decent cast of characters, even though they aren’t as fascinating as the first part of the book. We don’t have nearly as much history thrown at us, though there is some put in as necessary. We have some ‘bad guys’ and some ‘really bad guys’ and ‘I’m not sure if they’re bad or good guys.’ I didn’t love any of the characters in the second part of the book, but they did play their part well.

I was intrigued with the heist portion of the story. How do you steal something from the Vatican? Even when you’re a professional thief and have others at your disposal, that’s a pretty serious theft! Then to add that you have thugs and all sorts of police after you, it’s nearly impossible! The sheer genius behind the planning of this heist and the attempt at pulling it off is what made the second part of the book good for me.

—Shawn Remfrey, Literarylitter.blogspot.com

 

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The Avignon Legacy by Daniel C. Lorti is an intriguing novel which takes the reader from 14th century France to the present day events surrounding Avignon, France.

The book opens with Part 1 in the Middle Ages. The Termonde family meets Sir Michael Chatillon, a knight and noblemen of King Philip VI, who invites the family to his estate. Life progresses, improvements made and the Termonde family becomes an important addition to the estate. Jean Termonde becomes friends with Sir Michael’s son, Maurice, who is sponsored to become a knight. Jean proves to be a worthy knight and events bring him to the Petit Palais at Avignon. There he is entrusted with important and secret tasks by Cardinal Guy de Boulogne. These tasks will play an important role in Part 2. James Pierce deals in rare books, the more challenging the book, the greater risk the greater reward, and his methods of retrieving these books are always on the up and up. One day, he is approached by wealthy reclusive billionaire, John W. Baxter. Baxter will offer him a job that will take Pierce to Italy, into the Vatican and end up in Avignon. There Pierce discovers clues about Jean Termonde and rumors of a hidden and long lost treasure.

The Avignon Legacy is an excellent story which builds a mystery and Ocean’s Eleven type cat and mouse with the controversial history of Avignon. I enjoyed seeing the parallels between the events of Part 1 and 2. I loved the suspense as Pierce carries out his plan to retrieve a book for his clients. I highly recommend The Avignon Legacy.

— Jennifer Lara – Observations from a simple life

 

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If you enjoy books that capture your attention from page one and keep you reading until well after your bedtime – and who doesn’t – then The Avignon Legacy will be right up your street. It combines history, suspense, modern day crime, mystery and more as the author takes us from fourteenth century France to present day America and Europe.

— Jackie Jackson – jaquo.com

 

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I’ve really been loving some history and historical fiction these past couple of months. The Avignon Legacy falls into this category, I believe, because it starts in the past and moves to the future, but its also centered around historical happenings.

It kind of had a DaVinci Code feel to it. Part 1 of the book begins in 14th century France and book two moves into present day France. Part 1 tells the story of a man named Jean Termonde, a knight in 14th century France who later becomes a hand of the Cardinal and does incremental tasks for him. In Part 2, rare book dealer James Pierce takes an offer he can’t refuse and goes on a treasure hunt per se, that leads him to Avignon, France and he begins to uncover secrets from the past. The whole book revolves around a man named Jean Termonde, secrets about the Pope and papal wealth and the history of the city of Avignon, France. It is an adventurous thrill ride from beginning to end.

If you enjoy historical fiction, fact based fiction, and books and movies similar to The Davinci Code, you will enjoy this book. I definitely would like to read more by Lorti and more books similar to this one.

— Kristen Chandler – goodreads.com

 

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I finished The Avignon Legacy. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and as a matter of fact I sent it to two of my friends. I ordered a second one from Amazon to send to a friend of mine in Michigan, and I sent my copy up to someone in Oakland. His wife has been studying to be an author and actually turning into a good writer, and I thought she would enjoy it.

It did violate my third rule of reading. My third rule is that I cannot learn anything from the books I read. … However, the history and background of France and England as it worked through the problems with the Catholic Church were very interesting.

— E.L.G., California

 

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The Missing F_ctor is very intriguing, filled with plenty of action and suspense. This book captured my interest from the very first page until the final page. Lorti does a great job of bringing the characters and settings in this book to life. I could easily picture the cities in my head because they were described in great and elaborate detail, something that always helps me to enjoy a book.

This is the first Daniel C. Lorti novel I have read, and I look forward to reading another. I would definitely read another Jim Factor novel and I eagerly await the next one.

— Suzanne Odom, bestsellersworld.com

 

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The Missing F_ctor is an interesting suspense thriller with guns battles and vendettas. The story is filled with twists and turns, hidden agendas and suspense that the reader will be on the edge of his or her seat as the story reveals who is behind it all. While I enjoyed reading this book, I think the book will appeal more for fans of The Jason Bourne series and other espionage type thrillers. If you enjoy suspense thrillers with games of cat and mouse, cloak and dagger, I recommend The Missing Factor.

— Jennifer Lara, observationsfromasimplelife.blogspot.com

 

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This novel definitely got me involved from the very first page. I kept reading on and on wondering when it would allow me to take a breath. A must reading for those readers who hang on every in-and-out of trouble and life and death situations. Fans of suspense with lethal and cunning heroes such as Bond and Reacher will take to The Missing F_ctor and Jim Factor.

— Max Bennett, Tinseltown Press

 

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Kudos for Daniel C. Lorti. I became engrossed in The Missing F_ctor right from the start with every believable move made by Jim Factor. His physical and mental transformation into a vengeful and lethal figure with cunning strategies kept me awake at night wondering about the next crisis. The descriptions of the cities, the details in the hunt for prey, the exit strategies all were thorough and believable. I look forward to the next novel in this beginning series.

— George Winthrop, Kansas City Review

 

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When an arms dealer becomes the target of a manhunt, the quest to prove his innocence and protect his family becomes more important than any deal he has ever entered into.

Jim Factor has been an arms dealer for years with no problems with the law or his customers. One day he is contacted by a man he has done prior business with and told he has a target on his head and should leave immediately. Jim doesn’t want to put his wife in danger and believes the threat is real, so he takes off leaving everything behind including his family in order to keep everyone safe. He flees to San Francisco to start a new life. Jim’s wife hires a private investigator to find her husband, which leads to ties with the Russian Mafia and an even more deadly case than either of them could have expected.

Jim Factor is either the luckiest man alive or a totally unbelievable character. With every endeavor he undertakes, he is successful and quick to catch on. For some of us, myself included, things don’t come that easily. If I am trying to learn a new skill, it takes me forever to get it down, so that makes people like Jim infuriating to people like me. I liked the persistence of his wife in finding him but found her lack of concern for what was really going on a little disturbing. If this were my husband, I would be frantic trying to find him and figure out why he disappeared without an explanation. I liked the characters of Adam and Chris, who both came across as very authentic and good at what they were doing and seemed to carry the story. The story was divided into two parts and could have easily been trimmed down to one part with a hundred fewer pages in my opinion. The story is still a good one that mystery lovers will enjoy. I recommend this to fans of mystery series that won’t mind a little fluff with their story.

— Jessica Higgins, Write – Read – Life

 

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The protagonist is Jim factor, a top arms dealer and former air force man, despite working in a business terrain that could be described as sharks infested, he chose to remain clean and focused but that was until he met Carlos Sengretti. His involvement with Carlos, who was not only greedy but equally carefree, in a supposed confidential business deal which resulted in its discovery by the U.S. Customs Service. Mikhail Borichov felt it was Jim that leaked the information and thus sent Russian hit men to murder him. Carlos got wind of the assassins coming after them and was lucky to escape through the borders without being apprehended and was on his way to South America leaving Jim behind to save his own neck and that of his family. Jim suddenly realized that he was living on borrowed time and must disguise himself and leave immediately if he were to stand any chance of escape.

The Missing F_ctor is a book filled with suspense and action just like the movies. The scenes kept changing from one country to another, and between continents just as wars and crises from one region to another meant a steady demand for arms which were to be met by Jim and others in his field of business.

The antagonist is Mikhail Borichov, a shrewd Russian businessman and arms dealer who exploited the collapse of the Soviet Union to make fortunes through stealing, buying and selling of military hardware and as a matter of necessity; he made contacts with the Russian mafia. With the help of the Russian mafia, he was able to remain on top of his game by eliminating those who had in one way or the other stepped on his toe.

In between the two adversaries are other characters in the book who all contributed their own quotas in ensuring that The Missing F_ctor had no dull moments.

iloveuniquebooks.com

 

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Knights of Honor was set during the Dark Ages and the story began as an attempt was made on the French ruler, King Charles Vas he sat in the Royal Crown before a crowd of dignitaries. Fortunately for the King, the two assassins were both killed before they could achieve their aim, however, with the two assassins’ dead, figuring out who was after the king’s life became a matter of conjecture. A school of thought pointed accusing fingers at England because of their belligerent attitude towards France while others felt the mastermind would be a French citizen. The politics of the era especially as it surrounds the Papal states, Roman Catholics, England and France were well captured in Knights of Honor and one could easily feel the sights and sounds of that dangerous period of human history with each passage of the book.

The plot of Knights of Honor is rich and well supported with a full grasp of the geography, the economy and politics of that era. Large parts of Southern Europe, including countries such as France, Spain, Germany, Italy as well as the Mediterranean Sea and all the activities that transpired across the surrounding areas were well captured in the book and it was during a time that Byzantine Empire still holds sway in ancient Europe.

Reading through the book feels like a time travel backwards by several centuries and kudos to the author because writing about a medieval era with minute details of activities that transpired during the time and making it all to appear very believable and factual must have required lots of research and study of historical data.

Another good attribute of Knights of Honor is the chronological way the date and places were set at the beginning of each chapter which helps in reminding one of the actual backgrounds where each event is taking place.

An interesting book by all standards!

iloveuniquebooks.com