Review: Angel's Mark
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 14, 2012
Angels MarkNatalie Burke ThomasThe flames envelope the entire room as the match was lit and the lone observer makes sure that the entire apartment is engulfed in flames. Remembering this incident, sitting by herself in a restaurant out of the cold and frigid night Serena Wilcox assesses her life, her fears and what she remembers. As she recounts to the reader one reporter's words as the United States came under attack and many cities demolished by nuclear blasts we learn about a man named Tom and her life before this happened. All alone sitting in this restaurant at a table for six, nursing her coffee and desert she finally makes her way outside into the cold night hoping to find some consolation and warm within her car. Driving through Cannon Falls and seeing all of the Christmas lights, the blinding roads covered with ice and the endless loneliness while trying to escape the cold and the fear that the car would go off the road from her blurred vision. Reminders of the house fire loomed into her conscious as she pulled into the driveway, opened the door and was greeted by her family. Tom and her children were there worried about her and hoping for her return.World War III has taken place the United States has changed and the constitution rewritten. Two Presidents running the country with equal power for 18 months and each appointed by the outgoing President that resigned. John Williams the President on the East and Ann Kinji the first female and Japanese President on the West with Williams handling the states in between. His party called the New Conservative Party mirroring the Republican Party of the past and hers called the Democratic Union or as her supporters have dubbed it The New Liberals. The two party systems was still in place, many changes made and the past President's speech would set the stage for what would come. A former cabinet appointee the first woman President lacked the celebrity for the job and definitely preparation. Thinking to herself that everything was find and the country was running the same would make anyone that really knows anything realize that is not the case. Enter Paul Tracy who has an agenda all his own and wanted a seat up close and personal with both leaders. Would you believe a position in her cabinet? Hoping that he would be offered something but just why? But, just who is Serena running from and what will happen next? What role does he play in helping Serena and her family disappear?Serena placed a comment on the forum of an organization called off grid, which helps people and families disappear. No one from their past will ever communicate with them, changing their names completely and allowing their friends and family to think they are dead forever which was the purpose of the house fire.As Serena contemplates her life she is listening to the head of her group make a speech. Part of the requirement was to join the organization and the topic is one that many have heard before in the headlines: How would you feel about having a computer chip placed somewhere within in you in order to track not only where you are but your finances too? The chip would be an ID and your banking information and credit information too taking the place of these needed cards and checkbooks. But, the nuclear warheads just bombed several cities so where should the discussions focus? With Senators pressuring the President to sing the Identity Chip bill as an emergency measure to help locate missing people, would this really benefit the future of any national crisis? What about terrorists already in America? Continuing to speak the author through Paul who focuses his thoughts on the McCarthy era where everyone feared saying anything and paranoia reigned. So, where does he fit in and what do they offer their people?  A chip of their own called Angels Mark, which they feel everyone in their group should get installed. But why? In other words only member of the OGG campus will be able to get into their system and others will not and they offer the ability to help them hide or stay off the grid. But, Serena does not want this and she relates to the reader that they won't know her family does not have this Angels Mark unless they try to leave the off-grid campus. Stocking up on food for three months without anyone being the wiser. What is her solution to shopping? That you have to read for yourself.Paul Tracy is a vacuum cleaner salesman and much more. Accused of doing something by one of his coworkers this smooth talker convinced his boss she was in the wrong. But, the boss of Handley Sweep and Repair wanted Paul to give in to the client and do whatever she wants to make the sale. The author relates the reasons why Paul and his brother started their church, how his brother Clyde manages to manipulate his every more and thought, and the true purpose behind what they are doing. As the reader learns more about his rose to riches and how he managed to escape his mundane job and destroy his former boss we find him next on the doorstep of one of our two Presidents hoping to give her an offer she cannot refuse. But, President Kinji is smart and will not succumb to blackmail but President Williams has other ideas in mind for Paul as he leaves her office and is taken to meet our other President. A telling photo that he hoped would get him a foothold or job in her office would definitely bring him on the radar for Williams. His job is to leak the photo and they will do the rest. Without any recourse or choice he has to agree to the demands of the President or pay a heavy price. Wanting to make sure that the Identity Chip Bill is passed was the primary reason for wanting a job in her office but what about his role with Williams?Reenter Serena and her family who decide on an outing and wind up in danger once more. Entering a restaurant they encounter a young man who remembers Serena from the beginning of our story who was her server. But, in reality he works for an organization that he prefers remain hidden or a mystery from her. When Serena sings a song her children and husband know that's a clue to make their move and fast. One man finding out about her past would send them in a totally different direction and what is revealed when they reach her friend's house is even more telling.Karyn and Dan agree to hide them but what Karyn reveals would break this wide open and cause a huge rift between her and her husband as we learn about an Iranian woman she has been emailing and the information they have been sharing. Did Karen know about the bombings and do nothing about it? Did she really report it to the FBI? The author shares her past and her relationship with readers. As Paul reads an email that puzzles him related to the bombings from the same Iranian woman that communicates with Karyn. Why would Karyn forwarded it or was it from the Iranian woman? Added to that he knows he is being watched and followed. Reenter our server named Bryce who Paul enlists to fix the problem and much more. They want him to take out Serena but will his brother be able to fix it? Their plan they hoped would work but for now Serena and her family are once again on the run and where would they go this time and who can they trust? But, Serena and her family fell for Paul's ruse and Bryce was now Paul's guest in his trunk just how would this play out? What she learns would rock her world. Reenter President Kinji who fell for the ruse planted by Paul and approaches her husband with the news. But, what she learns about Williams and Bryce was even more telling than the fake picture she received from Paul. With the help of her security team the truth about the War and who knew about the bombings is revealed. Just how far up does this corruption go and which President will prevail?So, what happens next will definitely surprise you as Serena proves she is no one to be fooled with and the family is whisked to meet Kinji but why? Why did they bring along the two brothers and Bryce and what the real plan and where would everyone go next? As Kinji learned the deceit behind her opponent's motives, the truth about the bombings and the past and present President's roles what happens next would endear her to Serena and enlighten everyone about Paul. But, would she believe what she was told? Just how they plan to break through to get the other President's files you won't believe but when the author shares what Angels Mark really is and does through the voice of a young child who thrives on computers will it work and will the other President be fooled? But, the shoe turned out to be on the wrong foot and the manipulations continued and Serena needed another way out when she realized she was trapped again. Just how this plays out is a matter of national security that cannot be revealed by this reviewer. What Williams does and his meeting with the former President will really shake you to the core. An ending that you won't expect and two Presidents that have everything to risk but which one prevails and who will America want to run the government? Read Angels Mark: Would you want to be tracked? Would you want this chip inside of you? Decide after you read this novel. An ending that will shake you to the core and make you wonder just what the American people really want and whether Serena will ever be out of danger. Angels Mark: A must read and I can't wait to see what's in store for her in the next book.