Showing results by author "Charles Ray" in All Categories

Captured by pirates at the age of eight when her parents were murdered, Elizabeth Parker has forgotten her past and become one of the most feared pirates in the Caribbean. She and her vessel, The Vixen, prey on all ships, American and British, who sail those treacherous waters. Colin Worth, son of a Boston merchant, ran away to sea, and ended up in the young American navy, the executive officer aboard the frigate, U.S. S. Intrepid. After a confrontation with his tyrannical captain, he is marooned in a ship’s boat—left to die at sea. When Elizabeth and her crew, being pursued by Intrepid...

Who killed Henry Hawkins? Everyone would like to know.Henry Hawkins was an annoying, bullying man, who had confrontations with just about everyone, so when he turned up dead on the Potomac Valley Community golf course, with his head bashed in, just about everyone was suspect. Ed Lazenby, who barely knew the man, is drawn into the case when Hawkins’ widow, Virginia, asks for his help to prove to the police that, despite statistics that show the murderer is usually someone close to the victim, she is innocent. Matters become complicated when Ed finds himself developing feelings for the ...

This is not your ordinary memoir. The author looks at his life through the lens of stories he's told his children and grandchildren for years. Over seven decades of life, not in a recitation of things he did or people he met but of incidents that left a lasting impact on him in the form of stories that hopefully transport the reader back in time. These are not stories of the authors life, but stories from that life. Tales that tell of a journey from a place of deprivation and outhouses to privilege and state houses. One man's journey to realize the American dream.

In 1875, Indian Territory, in what is now the state of Oklahoma, was a haven for thieves, swindlers, and murderers, all trying to escape the reach of the law. When President U.S. Grant appointed Judge Isaac Parker judge of the Western District of Arkansas, which included the territory, Parker was intent upon bringing fugitives to justice. He authorized U.S. Marshal James Fagan to hire 200 deputy marshals to help police the 4,500 square mile lawless territory. Among those deputies was Bass Reeves. Born a slave in 1838, Reeves had spent the Civil War as a runaway in Indian Territory, and ...

Africa is on the threshold of a changing global environment, with intense competition between those who are part of the so-called Western, liberal, American-led global order and a range of states, illiberal to autocratic, who wish to supplant that order that has been in place since the end of World War II with one that is more to their liking. Living on the youngest continent, Africans find themselves courted by representatives of both blocs. Few understand the significance of this competition or, for that matter, Africa itself. Few know what to do with Africa’s abundant resources, human ...

Thanks in large part to the support of a powerful U.S. Senator with ties to a shadowy group of politicians and bureaucrats, David Morgan’s career survived the debacle that was Dagastan, and three years later he is posted to the West African country of Naganda as the American ambassador. As bad as Dagastan had been, Morgan finds that it was a cake walk compared to the quagmire that is Naganda. Having recently undergone a military coup, and with its economy in shambles, Naganda is now in the throes of a vicious internal power struggle, with China and the Soviet Union manipulating the ...

INTRODUCING HARRY HOOKER! Harry Hooker is a great private investigator—when he’s sober, but when he’s hired to find a man’s missing fiancée, he finds himself immersed in an environment that taxes his self-discipline in ways it has never been tested before. A crooked banker, cozy with an enigmatic and secretive Russian, seems to be the key to finding the missing woman, but Harry has a problem; how to get past a team of hard-core Russian toughs armed with assault rifles. All of this he has to do with no backup beyond an eager motel owner who thinks it’s all a great game.

Former US Navy officer Colin Worth and pirate captain Elizabeth Parker, after a grueling campaign in the Caribbean against the English forces fighting the Americans during the War of 1812, have sailed around the southern tip of South America, seeking a peaceful home somewhere in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. They quickly discover, though, that life in the 'peaceful' ocean is just as chaotic and dangerous as it had been in the islands. From Tahiti to Australia, and then on to China, which is suffering under the heels of western forces who have brought the dreaded drug opium to the ...

American navy captain, Colin Worth, at the outbreak of the War of 1812, is sent back to the Caribbean to link up with pirate captain, Elizabeth Parker, and the crew of The Vixen. His mission is to create havoc for the British in the region to disrupt a suspected British plan to invade America from the south. Outnumbered and outgunned, and with a bloodthirsty British agent and his former captain both looking for his head on a pike, Colin must use his wits to survive. Even more important, he must protect his new family, and his only love.

Private Investigator Harry Hooker is hired by a little old lady to track down her adult son who she fears has fallen in with the wrong company. Calvin Muldoon is a nerdy social misfit who has no friends and despite his high IQ works in the warehouse of a farm supply store. When Harry finally tracks him down he finds himself embroiled in a situation that’s far more than a simple case of an adult child finally cutting the apron strings. Muldoon has gotten himself caught up in some seriously deadly intrigue with people who play for keeps. Harry finds that its more than Muldoon’s life at ...

After assassinations and a coup in the country of Dagastan plunge State Department officials David Morgan, Alison Chambers and Lee Kennedy into the midst of a morass of intrigue, double-dealing and murder, things only get worse when Soviet forces move into the country to ‘stabilize’ the situation. Morgan finds himself the target of a witch hunt as bureaucrats look for a scape goat to blame for the unfortunate death of his former ambassador. When he’s called back to Washington to ‘assist’ the bureaucrats in their inquiry, things really heat up as the mysterious figures who have ...

The first volume in a series giving a fictionalized account of the life of Bass Reeves, a feared lawman in Indian Territory in the late 1800s. Included in this volume are 'Bass and the Preacher,' The Marshal and the Madam,' and 'Renegade Roundup.'

https://youtu.be/brFvdYqU2Og We are living in a time where people are drowning in information yet starving for wisdom and knowledge. So often we reach for answers, searching for what we don't have and overlook what is right in front or inside of us. The book title echoes the words of both Theodore Roosevelt and Muhammad Ali, respectively. "Enough IS Enough" is reminiscent of the words, "Do what you can with what you have right where you are." The Subtitle, "What's In Your S.H.O.E.?" is symbolic of the champ's famous quote, "It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wears you out; it's the ...

There are very few people you will run into in the US (or the world) who have never heard of Oprah Winfrey or Bill Gates. However very few would be able to tell you who their go-to person is in making things happen (whatever "it" is). This "it factor" is what this book is all about - The Second Man

With nothing on their plate, Harry Hooker and his partner, Linda Beckham are ripe for the picking, when a friend of Linda’s who works for a big insurance company offers them what seems like an easy to make some big bucks. Look into a half-million dollar claim to see if it’s legit. From there, things start to go south. Nothing about the claim seems valid but for the life of them they can’t figure out what’s going on—and at a point, their life just might depend on it.

A brief look at the impact of climate change on the African continent with a discussion of some things that could be done to alleviate the situation.

There’s a reason they call it Dead Man’s Cove - - - Al’s best friend, Quincy Chang invites him and all his friends to join him on his new yacht for a Chesapeake Bay cruise. Not thrilled at the prospect of a week-long boat ride, Al is nonetheless duty bound to accept the invitation, to make up for the fact that his first honeymoon was a total bust. When they accidentally witness a drug smuggling operation, things turn deadly, as the smugglers try to eliminate them as witnesses. As if all this wasn’t enough to upset him, in their flight to elude their would-be killers, they end up in ...

When residents of Potomac Valley Community fall prey to an on-line scam, Ed and his posse spring into action to find the thief who has taken their life savings. Federal authorities, who have investigative jurisdiction, want Ed and his friends to stay out of the way, but these determined amateur sleuths will not be swayed until the thief is caught. A game of cat and mouse ensues, and Ed is never sure if he’s the cat or the mouse.

Another in the Al Pennyback mystery series. When a Chinese gangster that Al helped imprison escapes and returns to DC looking for revenge, Al finds his friends under threat as well.

Why This Free Guide Matters Now More Than Ever Most people understand the value of being proactive about their health. We eat better, exercise, and take steps to prepare for what we know might happen — like putting salt on the driveway before a forecasted snowstorm. But what happens when there’s no forecast? When the future is unclear, but something in you says, “Prepare anyway”? That’s where preemptive living comes in. Preemptive action isn’t about reacting to what’s already visible — it’s about discerning what may be forming ahead, and adjusting now. This guide is ...