"Powerful books for passionate readers."
"Powerful books for passionate readers."
TRADE REVIEWS: 
In Retribution, one man's crusade to avenge the death of a fallen comrade turns into an urgent race against time and nuclear terrorism, with the survival of Western civilization hanging in the balance. Retribution is the tale of John Burns, a former Marine officer turned CIA operative who has dedicated his life and career to hunting down the Arab terrorists who captured, tortured, and murdered his commanding officer, Col. Thomas West. Burns' personal quest for retribution gives way to a discovery of global proportions: his friend's murderers have now launched a plan to attack a host of Western cities with nuclear weapons. As Burns chases down a nuclear bomb headed for America, his mission evolves from one of retribution to one of redemption.
Order a copy of Retribution now for immediate delivery.
READER REVIEWS: 
"Magnificently written, uncomfortably plausible action novel."
From Midwest Book Review / Internet Bookwatch: "In John Copeland's outstanding novel, Retribution, a former Marine Corps officer and CIA operative tracks down the men who murdered his former commander and uncovers a Hezbollah terrorist plot to destroy Western civilization using suitcase-sized nuclear weapons. Retribution is a magnificently written, uncomfortably plausible action/adventure novel -- the kind of reading that grips hold of you from first page to last."
Real Action, September 21, 2000. Reviewer: A reader from Santa Cruz, Ca. USA. "Great story, with good character develoment and plenty of action. Even though this story is fiction, it could and probably will happen sometime in the future." (courtesy Amazon.com)
Current Concerns, September 25, 2000. Reviewer: 1cav from Scotts Valley, CA USA. "John Copeland has matched Tom Clancey and Nelson Demille with a action filled novel that places the reader in the middle of the story. Fast reading that keeps your attention. A must read for all interested in current world affairs, as you read this book, the reader can have a virtual reality experience.Looking forward to Copeland's next book." (courtesy Amazon.com)
"A fast-paced thriller a la Tom Clancy." "RETRIBUTION is almost prophetic in light of new revelations about missing Soviet suitcase-sized nuclear bombs." -- Donald P. Roth, Captain, Pan American Airlines (Ret.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
John Copeland was born in 1928 in Indianapolis, Indiana. In January of 1951 he left Washington University and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. In 1952 he graduated from pilot training and was sent to Korea. As an RF-80 "Shooting Star" pilot in the Korean War, Copeland flew 100 combat reconnaissance missions, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross award and two Air Medals. Following his military service, Copeland became a pilot for Pan American Airlines. That career spanned thirty-two years. He retired in 1998 as a Boeing 747 captain. John currently resides with his wife, Jeri, in California, their home of 27 years. The author describes himself as "a good airline pilot and a lousy golfer."
THE AUTHOR TALKS ABOUT HIS BOOK....
"I first got the inspiration to write Retribution in the spring of 1997. I based my opening chapter on an incident which took place during the Lebanese Hostage Crisis of 1989-1991, during which thirteen Americans were captured by fanatic Hezbollah Arab terrorists. I used newspaper and magazine accounts from that time period as my chief reference material. Retribution rose out of my indignation of seeing the United States the target of lunatic terrorists. It bothered me even more that we seldom seemed to actively pursue them and bring them to justice.
About a year after I finished writing my manuscript, I learned about the book, Patriot Dreams, by Lt. Col. Robin Higgins. In it she tells the true story of the kidnapping, torture, and murder of her husband, Col. Rich Higgins, head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon. That was an amazing coincidence! It had been his murder which inspired me to write my novel, in which I tell what the American government should have done after his capture -- and didn't. I don't want the American public to forget about the people who gave their lives in defense for our country.
Terrorism is a major threat to U.S. security and has been for the last twenty years. The list is long: embassy takeovers, aircraft hijackings, assassinations, kidnapping, torture, bombings, and on and on. At this moment, the terrorists may not be able to reach the U.S. with a nuclear missile -- but the nuclear terrorism scenario the terrorists use in Retribution is entirely feasible. That's what scares me."
HERE'S A SAMPLE TO ENJOY:
"Upstairs team, let's go get our man."
The upstairs team entered the castle through the front door and met Washington and Stewart at the base of the stairs. Careful not to make a sound, they went up to the second floor and took up positions, two by each door. One person from each two-man team put a charge in the lock and prepared to detonate it. The other man stood by the side of the door with a silenced .45 held ready to cover the occupant. Stewart and Washington were at the first door, John and Billy Bob were at the middle door, and Shorty and Lou at the third door.
"I have something," Stan Moore said, from the basement. His words came softly through the assault team's earpieces. That meant the Geiger counters had registered radioactivity. The news shocked them all. Nuclear weapons. The threat was real and served only to intensify John's hatred of Omar Abdul.
John clucked his tongue to let Moore know that he couldn't talk, but that he understood. John and Billy Bob got as far away from the door as they could. Then, John raised three fingers and counted down to one. He pushed the tiny clicker that set off the explosive. It was a tremendously loud explosion, much bigger than they thought it would be, and it nearly blew the door off the hinges. Billy Bob went through the door first and covered Omar, who was sitting upright in his bed. He suddenly lunged for the nightstand and John riddled the table with automatic fire, chopping one of the legs off with a bullet and tipping it over, sending Omar's gun skittering along the stone floor. Billy Bob had his .45 aimed squarely at Omar's temple.
The other two explosions ripped through the interior of the castle. There was a shuffling of movement in each room.
Billy Bob never took his eyes off of Omar. "Go for it," he said, inviting Omar to lunge for the gun again.
Outside, a loud explosion erupted from the area of the barracks. There was some sporadic gunfire from the courtyard, probably a lot more than could be heard because half of the men were using silencers.
"Barracks under control," John Deer Tracker said. "We're bringing them out into the courtyard now."
"I've got one," Jim Niedermeyer said from the basement. "That's two!"
"Get out of that bed!" John ordered, jerking on Omar's nightshirt and shoving the silencer against his nose.
Stewart and Washington were standing at a gaping hole where a door had been, covering Omar's personal bodyguard. He had his hands up and was kicking his AK-47 across the floor toward them as he neared. Some of the other guests were starting to poke their heads out of the doors.
Shorty and Lou brought Salad Seim, Omar's new deputy, out of his room peacefully and lined him up against the wall, his hands already bound with a plastic tie.
"Group A, get upstairs," John said. "We have people coming out of every door in the place."
Suddenly, a door burst open and a fat man came running down the hall. "I am unarmed! Don't shoot, I am no Arab, no filthy Palestinian. I am European. Don't shoot!"
Stewart and Washington whipped their weapons around to cover the crazy nut screaming down the hall. It was a fatal mistake . . .
SAMPLE MEDIA INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
Coming soon.
PUBLISHING FACTS:
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER, CORINTHIAN BOOKS:
Corinthian Books publishes cutting-edge fiction and non-fiction books in a wide variety of genres. Corinthian is one of several imprints of The Côté Literary Group, an international literary services firm based in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, USA.Telephone: +1 (843) 881-6080; facsimile: +1 (843) 881-1899; e-mail editor@coteliterary.com.
We are professional members of the Small Press Association of North America, the Publishers Marketing Association, and the San Francisco Bay Area Editors Forum
Do or Die
