INTERVIEW
and REVIEW
Betrayed
by David
Van Zummeren
Author David Van Zummeren joins me today for an interview about his debut
thriller, Betrayed, which can be yours for only $0.99. You can also read my review.
Description
Another blink, another stab of pain. Cameron Matthews struggles to handle
the betrayal that has led to one death after another. Desperate to find
answers, Cameron spins a web of deception in hopes of capturing The Ghost and
the traitor before anyone else is betrayed.
Cameron chases The Ghost around the world, including the Cayman Islands
and Japan in hopes of saving innocent lives and the career of Japan’s Prime
Minister. The Ghost and the traitor inside Cameron’s team have been one step
ahead of him, and it has cost many people their lives.
Throwing all caution to the wayside, Cameron mounts a last ditch effort
to stop The Ghost and the traitor. What will the cost be to succeed?
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Tokyo – Friday, June
15 – 9:05 p.m. local time
Hibiya Park was
Tokyo’s first “Western-style” park, situated next to the southern moat of the
Imperial Palace. The park boasted two large flower gardens, one with tulips and
a large fountain and another with roses. It was designed as an oasis for the
hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Cameron Matthews was in the middle of the park, but
was oblivious to its many beautiful features. He was still holding the recently
purchased cell phone to his ear, the other party having hung up one minute ago.
He slowly lowered the phone, and the shock quickly transformed into an
explosion of hate and anger. As he glanced around the park, his training took
over, and he quickly scrutinized everyone near him. The crowded park had
already started to clear out with the setting sun. There was a group of
college-aged men playing Frisbee in a clearing. After deciding that he was not
being watched, he headed for the southwest exit almost at a run. He dropped the
cell phone into the garbage can next to the exit.
He rubbed his chest,
searching for his necklace. It was a simple silver cross that had been his
father’s. The comfort of the familiar cross couldn’t stop the abyss of
blackness in his stomach from expanding. The Japanese officer on the phone had
confirmed that Cameron’s worst nightmare had come true. Momose Sumi had just
been murdered. Cameron and Momose were supposed to have met over an hour ago at
the Ginza Tokyu Hotel. After she was more than twenty minutes late, he had
walked to their secondary meeting spot in Hibiya Park.
The authorities
would never solve her murder, he was sure of it. He knew who killed Momose, and
even more importantly, who had ordered her death. Somehow over the last six
months he had made a mistake. It might have been a small error, but it had cost
Momose her life.
Cameron struggled
with his emotions as he made his way to the Hibiya subway station. He had to
get as far away from the park as he could. There was no way of knowing how much
information her murderer had gotten out of her before he finished the job. All
of their meeting locations were no longer safe.
As he descended the
stairs to the subway, he realized how different he was from an hour and a half
ago when he ascended the same flight of stairs. His stride had been full of
confidence, as it should have been. Up until 9:05 this evening, Cameron had
never failed. In his sixteen years of service with the CIA, he had never had a
field asset compromised. He had earned his codename “The Machine” for his skill
and precision.
Those previous
sixteen years of success had vanished with one short phone call. Now there was
only one image burned into his mind: Momose’s smiling face as he had seen it
six months ago, when they had met. She was the personal secretary to Eiichi and
Katsuzi Imazu, brothers and founders of Imazu Pharmaceutical Inc., one of the
leading pharmaceutical companies in Asia.
Six months ago,
Cameron had attended a conference on cold remedies. The Imazu brothers were
boasting that they had found a cure for the common cold, a claim that three
dead American scientists deserved. Cameron’s assignment was to return the
formula to the rightful owners and make sure that the Imazu brothers were put
behind bars.
Momose was a demure
and inconspicuous woman. She was the perfect contact to get inside of IPI, and
it was apparent to Cameron that she was attracted to him, which made his job
even easier. He didn’t waste any time, and asked her out for a date on the
first day of the conference.
They went to the
Kabukiza Theater, which is Tokyo’s most famous Kabuki theater. After the
theater, they went dancing. They both had a great time getting to know each
other. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, or that she felt comfortable
enough with him, but she told Cameron of the sexual harassment that was a
constant from the Imazu brothers. The night ended innocently at the subway
station. She walked away in a daze, partly from the alcohol and partly because
of Cameron.
Cameron’s perfect
track record was in part from his ability to focus entirely on his objectives
and not allow anything to distract him. But he was a Christian and a gentleman,
and the news of the Imazu brothers’ sexual harassment only fueled his desire to
nail them to the wall. As always, he was able to suppress his feelings and
realize that the first step to his objective had been achieved—he had his toe
in the door of IPI.
The second night was
taken up with a boring dinner and keynote speakers. Cameron and Momose were
limited to flirtatious glances and presumptuous smiles. On the third night,
they went out again. The imminent departure of Cameron back to the States
forced an awkward, more urgent tone to the mood. The conversation was forced,
and the tension could be felt by both members. They only had one night left
together.
They rode the subway
back to her apartment, just two blocks north of the Tsukiji Fish Market. The
tension was unbearable for Momose. Her walk from the subway station to her
apartment normally was a passing thought for her. Tonight, as they held hands,
it seemed to last forever; she didn’t want it to end.
She invited him up
for a nightcap, and he accepted. Cameron no sooner got his foot in the door
than she turned around and grabbed him in her arms. She stared into his eyes
for a brief moment before rising to her tiptoes and pulling him down for a
kiss. Cameron could feel her trembling; the kiss was awkward, she had not
kissed many men previously. Momose’s face lit up; the tension of the evening
had been lifted. But for Cameron, it was merely another step to his objective.
Cameron knew that
the line had been crossed. The emotional stakes for Momose had been raised
tenfold. He had debated the previous night whether to let the kiss he knew
would come happen. But without Momose’s emotional response, Cameron wouldn’t
have been able to use her. Just the notion of “using” her sent a surge of
disgust through his body. He rubbed his cross. He might be called “The
Machine,” but he knew that Momose had feelings, and that they were going to be
hurt. He prayed that she would understand his actions. His next step was the
truth.
Momose twirled away
from Cameron and half skipped, half walked into her kitchen and grabbed two
wine glasses and a mildly expensive bottle of wine that she had bought the
previous night. She walked back into the room and something was different.
Cameron’s festive smile was replaced with a forced smile.
She cautiously
walked over to the couch, the lighthearted glide gone, and sat down next to
him. He could see the hesitancy in her eyes and began to tell her the truth. It
wasn’t what she wanted to hear that night. She almost threw Cameron out when
she heard the words.
Cameron knew that
Momose was a compassionate woman, and he explained his actions. He described to
her in detail the killing of three American scientists. He told her of the
families that would be without fathers and husbands. He explained that the
Imazu brothers had innocent men murdered just for a cold formula. Cameron
apologized, and begged that she would forgive him and help him. He repeatedly
tried to assure her that he never wanted her to get hurt.
It didn’t take long
before the tears stopped running down Momose’s cheeks. She could see the
sincerity in Cameron’s apologies. The images of the fatherless children
compelled her to help. She didn’t want to imagine a child's life without their
father. By the time he left her apartment, she had agreed to help him get into
IPI. He had gone over how they would communicate in the future.
The last thing that
Cameron insisted upon was a small keychain. It looked like a regular car alarm
keychain. When Momose pressed the button on it, instead of arming a car
security system, it would page Cameron. The small device was powerful enough to
beep not only a help message, but also coordinates from a GPS satellite. She
agreed to take the small keychain. He insisted that if ever she was suspected
of working with him, and she felt in danger, that she press the button and wait
for him to arrive. He knew that Momose was the key to achieving his objective,
but he didn’t want harm to reach her.
That was six months
ago. Cameron entered the almost empty subway car and grabbed a handhold. He
couldn’t sit down; the rage running through him wouldn’t allow it. “Why didn’t
she use the beeper!” resounded in his head. His knuckles were white from the
pressure of gripping the handle. He stared at his feet and knew that the death
of Momose was the cause of the growing pain in his stomach. It was a whirlwind
of remorse for her death and for failing to complete his mission.
He forced himself to
sit down and take deep breaths. “Lord give me the strength,” he prayed. He
gently rubbed his cross and began to calm down, and became the rational
“Machine” once again. Momose’s smile was ingrained in his mind, but he knew
that there wasn’t anything he would be able to do to bring her back. He put his
emotions in a small box in the back of his mind. He would properly mourn Momose
later, after retribution was given to the Imazu brothers.
The train stopped,
and he slowly lifted his head. The stop was for the embassy, and all of his
training told him to get off. He and his team would devise another plan to get
the cold formula back from the Imazu brothers. His grip on his cross tightened
almost enough for the cross to break the skin. He fought the rage, the pain,
the urge to race into the IPI headquarters and put bullets into both of the
brothers.
The doors closed,
and in a flash he didn’t lose his battle, but obtained clarity. He knew the odds
were going to be against him, but he didn’t have a choice. It was one of the
many decisions that others would call hasty or irrational—he knew his only
chance at completing his objectives was to surprise the brothers. He’d had them
both under a microscope for the last six months. He knew their next move before
they did. The brothers were crooks and murderers, but they were not ignorant.
There would be a
chance to get the formula back, but not for a long period of time. The brothers
knew the gold mine they were sitting on, and would rather wait a year or two
than try and cash in early and get caught up in Momose’s murder. The tears of
the seven fatherless children of the scientists and now the tears of Momose’s
loved ones wouldn’t allow him to wait that long. Tonight was the night for
vengeance.
Praise for the Book
"I am still recovering from the ending of this book. Betrayed truly kept me on the edge of my
seat the entire time. Full of intense scenes and surprising twists and turns,
this book would make an amazing movie, which is what was constantly running
through my mind as I was reading. The unpredictable plot kept me guessing right
up to the end. I never knew who to trust and who to suspect." ~ Cheryl Schopen for Readers' Favorite
"This book is full of action and intrigue. As soon as you think you
have a clue as to who the culprit is, a plot twist will come and make you reconsider."
~ Online Book Club
"An engaging, action packed, fast moving story. Good one for your
next cross country flight, TDY or week at the beach. William Shakespeare or
Arthur Conan Doyle it is not. But eminently readable it is. It does not appear
to be good for one's health to be closely involved with or even near our hero,
however. Betrayal is toxic. [...] This is a good yarn - worth your time and
money. David Van Zummeren has done a nice job." ~ Richard A. Stratton
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
CIA agent Cameron Matthews ("The Machine") is a deeply religious
man. He is set on avenging the murder of his informant at the hands of his
nemesis, "The Ghost", an elusive man who goes by many different identities
and is a master of disguise. He always manages to stay one step ahead of
Cameron, leading Cameron to conclude that there is a mole in the CIA. The Ghost
leads him on a chase to the Cayman Islands and Tokyo, where Cameron recruits his
latest informant, Ami Surabaya, and where he tries to stop a plot to overthrow
the Japanese government.
Betrayed is a compulsive and clever read with many characters and a complex plot
full of twists and turns. There are political conspiracies, assassination attempts,
double agents, a bit of romance, and lots of betrayals. There are a few minor
editing errors, but not enough to detract from the story. Unfortunately, I found
Cameron's religious convictions a bit hard to believe, and I figured out the
identities of the mole and The Ghost pretty early on. I kept waiting for a
twist that never came - perhaps the author is reserving this for the next book.
Overall, this is a good, solid read with plenty of action, adventure, and
romance.
Interview With the
Author
For what age group do you recommend your book?
I would recommend my
book to adults.
What sparked the idea for this book?
I had the original
idea for Betrayed way back in 1997. Whether I’m at work or grocery shopping, my mind is
constantly working on ideas for stories. I remember, going back to my childhood,
having a active imagination.
Which comes first? The character's story or the
idea for the novel?
For Betrayed and other books that I’m currently working on, the idea for the novel
comes first. In that idea is included some broad strokes of characters. I do
not do a lot of outlining in my writing and the characters tend to grow on
their own as I move through the plot.
What was the hardest part to write in this book?
Editing. My first few
drafts tend to be in the ‘rough’ category. Going back and editing takes a lot
of time and isn’t as exciting as creating the story and characters.
How do you hope this book affects its readers?
In my stories I try to
touch my readers emotionally. I want them to become attached to my characters.
Then I try and make the good characters good and the bad characters bad. But,
they need to be human and make mistakes. I am a Christian and I hope that some
of the decisions that I have the characters make show that. This isn’t a piece
of Christian fiction, though. There are not conversations that center around
Christian values or Bible passages.
How long did it take you to write this book?
That is a difficult
question to answer. The original text took about a year to finish, that was
back in 1997. Over the years I’ve spent time here and there working on it. Then
in 2012 I became serious again about writing. It took about four months to do
an almost complete rewrite of it.
What is your writing routine?
I prefer to write
while I’m out in public. Usually a coffee shop or book store. There is
something about being around people as I write and create characters in my
stories. Also, I can focus on writing and not the distractions of home. So, I
don’t get to do that very often. So what really happens is that at night I get
a coffee and put some music on and start writing.
How did you get your book published?
I tried for six months
to obtain the services of a literary agent and/or publisher. It would be easy
to get discouraged after fifty or so rejections, but knowing that it's usually
just a numbers game and nothing personal I decided to go down the
self-published route with Amazon. Although, I’m still keeping my eye out for an
agent and publisher. I prefer to write and not be the person primarily
responsible for all of the business aspects of publishing.
What advice do you have for someone who would
like to become a published writer?
Simply do not give up.
Remember that any rejection that you get is not personal. Agents and publishers
get hundreds of requests, even if your cover page and letter to them is
captivating, it’s still a hit and miss proposition.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
My children and family
take up my time. Seven children and soon to be three grandchildren. Also,
owning a house that needs a lot of work takes up a lot of my time as well.
What does your family think of your writing?
They are supportive.
My kids have a similar imagination as I do, so there is a lot of storytelling
that goes on.
Did you like reading when you were a child?
When did you first realize you wanted to be a
writer?
It was in 1997 when I
was struggling to figure out what do with my life. I’ve always been a creative
person, and one day it just kind of hit me, that I should write.
Did your childhood experiences influence your
writing?
I would say the lack
of a father in my life has influenced me. My father was around, just not very
involved when he was. The good male characters in my books are strong and
fatherly in their relationships.
Which writers have influenced you the most?
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds
of things do they say?
I am still building my
fan base. I have had some feedback from them and they are currently waiting for
the sequel.
What can we look forward to from you in the
future?
The sequel should be
out early spring. I have another book written and awaiting attention from me
for editing and revisions. I hope to have that released in time for the summer
of 2015.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by today,
David. I can't wait to read the sequel.
From the Author
My first memory of storytelling was listening to my grandfather. He is a
deacon and he could make preaching about the bible interesting, even for me as
a child.
I first thought of telling stories myself while spending time in a car
with my mother and sister in middle school. Each month we would drive about
forty-five minutes to buy groceries. On the trips we would take turns making up
stories. I’m sure my mother did this to stop us from fighting and thus saving
her sanity.
Growing up I read primarily science fiction. My favorite author is still
Isaac Asimov. I learned how powerful writing a series of books could be by
reading the Foundation and Robot series. From science fiction I moved into the
thriller and espionage genres.
It has been a long road for me to get my first book published. The
beginnings to Betrayed began back in 1997. I had a vision of writing a book that would
eventually be made into a movie. I figured that would be the only way I would
be cast in a movie. Now a days, I enjoy writing stories and not worry about
being a super movie star.
I currently live in western Illinois with my wife. We have a total of
seven children and one granddaughter. Our children range in age from six to
twenty two years. With three girls and four boys, on any given day we get to
experience typical drama from all age groups and sexes. It is a joyous journey
(most of the time).
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