Writers' Showcase Archives - Expat In Bacolod

Book Review: Undercover: The True Story of Britain’s Secret Police

Book Review: Undercover: The True Story of Britain’s Secret Police

Published by Stephen Bentley on November 21, 2016

This is my review of an excellent book Undercover: The True Story of Britain’s Secret Police by Rob Evans and Paul Lewis. What a disgrace!, 21 Nov. 2016 By SB Verified Purchase(What is this?) This review is from: Undercover: The True Story of Britain’s Secret Police (Kindle Edition) As a former UK undercover detective on the 1970s Operation Julie [ ASIN B01JUTPN30 Undercover: Operation Julie – The Inside Story] who has written a book about my experiences, I thought it was high time I read this book by Rob Evans and Paul Lewis. I am glad I did. It was an eye-opener and revealed a world I hadn’t got a clue existed even though I was part of one of the UKs largest drug busts.…

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Stories by ‘G’ Alas No More – RIP G

Published by Stephen Bentley on October 19, 2016

RIP G is a sentiment I was not expecting to express any time soon. Sadly, G passed away early yesterday morning after a fatal and sudden heart attack. Some of you read his stories here and I’m sure you enjoyed them as I did. G, Gerry, started to send me the short stories soon after he became a regular visitor to this blog. I accepted most of them with glee, only refusing one because it was a little risqué. He had talent and in his younger days had screenplays accepted by Hollywood. Gerry and I soon became online friends and I was delighted to meet him when he flew into Bacolod with his wife from Mindanao, Philippines, where he lived with his wife Priskylet Panday…

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They’re Rugby Boys, Don’t You Know? – Book Review

Published by Stephen Bentley on October 12, 2016

They’re Rugby Boys, Don’t You Know? by Natalie Vellacott My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. This book intrigued me for two reasons. I am also a former UK police officer as is the author of this book and I now live in the Philippines, the location for the tale of the “Rugby Boys.” It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative read and I recommend it to all who are concerned about the plight and suffering of our fellow humans no matter where they happen to live. I was aware of this problem and sometimes see the effects of solvent abuse on the streets of the provincial city where I live. I…

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How To Write A Novel In 17 Killer Steps

How To Write A Novel In 17 Killer Steps

Published by Stephen Bentley on September 30, 2016

This post first appeared on my author website. Many of you are writers and some bloggers – if there is a difference? Some of you will have no intention of writing a novel but it doesn’t matter. What matters is the powerful writing tool called ProWritingAid. Read more to find out all about it. Writing a novel is not easy. If you are a writer of fiction then you probably fall into one of two broad categories – a plotter or pantster. If you are definitely in the second category then read no further. There is an excellent new eBook available that shows even the novice how to write a novel in 17 killer steps. How to write a novel in 17 killer steps The beauty…

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The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way … – Book Review

Published by Stephen Bentley on September 30, 2016

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a book I did enjoy for more reasons than one. The first reason is I found it fascinating in itself. The second, is that it helped me enormously in understanding the hallucinatory experiences of users of psychedelics. Why was that important? Back in the day as an undercover cop, there was no training for that role. I took it upon myself to learn about drug experiences prior to my involvement in one of the world’s largest drug busts, Operation Julie. You may read about those days in my book Undercover: Operation Julie – The Inside Story View all my reviews That was the review…

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Next! Short Story By ‘G’

Published by G on September 27, 2016

Yet another short story by ‘G.’ I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The Philippines has talent! “Next!” The person next to me nudges me, “That’s you.” “Sorry, not thinking too clearly.” Friendly hands guide me along to the voice. One of them tells me to take a seat, that I should answer the questions as quickly as possible, because there was a major accident on I-75 and things are backed up. “Mr. Ted Jacob Anderson?” comes through an intercom. “Yes, sir” “Mr. Anderson, this is Michael. I’ll be processing you. Did you get your photo ID at the gates?” “What gates?” “The ones you passed through at 09:19 hundred hours.” I feel for my watch; it’s not there. “I don’t remember…

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Alarm Starboard!: Book Review

Published by Stephen Bentley on September 25, 2016

Alarm Starboard!: A Remarkable True Story of the War at Sea by Geoffrey Brooke My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is truly a remarkable story. In fact it is several remarkable stories resulting from the author’s career in the British Royal Navy from pre-WW2 1939 to the end of WW2 in 1945. It is remarkable and fascinating. So fascinating that I read all 288-pages of the hardcover version inside two days. I simply could not put it down! The author’s easy writing style certainly assists as the story gallops along from one life-threatening incident to another, and some of them were not related to ships or the sea. I seriously wonder whether the world will ever see another generation of young men like Geoffrey…

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Crossing The Whitewash by Nick Rippington: Book Review

Published by Stephen Bentley on September 13, 2016

Perhaps it is not surprising, given my background as both a former undercover cop and barrister (trial attorney for my American friends), that my taste in reading books leans towards crime fiction and true crime. Nick Rippington is the author of Crossing The Whitewash, a UK gangland thriller. The author interview with Nick recently appeared both here and on my author website. This is my review of his marvelous novel as left on both Goodreads and Amazon. Crossing The Whitewash: A UK gangland thriller by Nick Rippington My rating: 5 of 5 stars Cracking read! This is an author to watch. For a first novel it is quite a challenge to achieve all the right ingredients but Nick Rippington did it for me. The characters…

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Good Cop Bad War: Book Review

Published by Stephen Bentley on September 9, 2016

Good Cop Bad War is co-written by a former British undercover cop, Neil Woods with JS Rafaeli. Of course I was keen to read it in light of my own book about my undercover cop days due for publication next Wednesday, September 14, 2016. You can find Good Cop Bad War listed here on Amazon. I must confess that the book initially irritated me for reasons which become clear in my review below. Gradually the main message of Woods seeped into my head and I did my research. I now agree that the UK should follow Portugal’s ground-breaking example in decriminalizing drug use. There will be more to follow on that point eventually. Amazon Review A Must Read For All Interested In The Debate On Decriminalization…

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