Review: Pawn in a Nightmare
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 4, 2013
An online resouce cites that "Paparazza is an Italian term used to refer to photographers who hunt and exploit athletes, celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people. Paparazzi tend to be independent contractors, unaffiliated with any mainstream media organization. They are not journalists and usually do not hold any degree in photography or fine art."Mark Taylor does not seek out celebrity, abhors publicity and is assuredly not paparazzi. His days revolve around his work as a professional photographer, his relationships and his sometimes heroic adventures which are the result of his ownership of a very unusual camera. Having found this ancient camera in a bazaar in Afghanistan, Mark learns that it yields photos of future events which he can sometimes alter to produce a more favorable outcome. Unfortunately, his life become a nightmare when one journalist hounds him for a story which may be his undoing.Denise Jeffries initiates Mark's descent into Hell with a simple telephone call. Asking Mark if he is the Mark Taylor the govenment recently designated as an enemy combatant, and totally disregarding Mark's "no comment" reply, Denise spews out fact after fact regarding Mark's Good Samaritan acts some of which she has researched in newspaper archives and others which she has verified through a source with the police; "incidents" which never made the news. The caller then questions Mark about his religious beliefs. Is he a religious person? Running with her own grandios idea, Denise finally asks, "Mark, do you feel like you have a connection to God?" Finally hanging up the phone Taylor tells his assistant with a chuckle, "that reporter had some crazy notion that I worked miracles."Now the players are in place, the thread of danger has been sewn into the fabric of Mark's daily life. He is ready for his descent into Hell shoved, as it were, by the hands of one unscrupulous journalist, television reporters and the ever present paparazzi, clawing and pushing, hungering for photographs of this unwilling pawn. As the thread unravels, Mark becomes the victim in a power struggle, a struggle that threatens his very life.Over-eager news people, pushing crowds of those who believe he is a miracle worker, and the keen attention of a sinster leader of a religious cult carry the reader along as Mark continues to take photographs with his "magic camera." The camera now produces dark and threatening scenes of robed persons enacting strange rituals, a picture of a young woman with terror in her eyes and the dreams that flesh out what the photos are showing are equally frightening and unreal.M.P. McDonald weaves a brilliant, well researched tale, equally as riveting as her first novel. "March into Hell" will keep you on the edge of your seat rooting for the good guys and hissing at the evil one who is designing a plot to have the power that is inherent in Mark Taylor's unusual camera.  It's a great read and one that lives up to its description, "psychological thriller." Just what we need on a cold winter's evening. Curl up and feel your pulse quicken with the fast paced story line. An exciting suspense filled page turner, two years old this month, "March into Hell" continues to carry the reader into the vivid imagination of the author. It leaves the reader checking book sellers for sequels and wanting more. Makes me ask, "what's next for Mark Taylor". Only his creator knows for sure.