I'm a lawyer and a veteran of the United States Navy. I live on Long Island, New York, with my wife and editor, Lynda, a Shih-Tzu named Sammie, and a Golden Retriever named Maggie, who often makes cameo appearances in my books.
Published Works:
Together We Win: Book Three of the Detectiving Series
Detectives First Grade with the NYPD, Bobbie Nelson and Bob Lawton are husband and wife, professional partners, and lovers. Bobbie often says that they're also best friends. Bobbie was hired away from the Chicago Police Department and they were partnered, causing Bobbie to say, "I'm the luckiest cop in the world."
Bobbie is shot and seriously wounded with a non-life-threatening brain injury, the most trying event either of them had ever faced. She fully recovers and she and Bob continue their work as the greatest detectives in the country.
Their friend and boss, NYPD Commissioner Ralph Norquist, nicknamed them the BBs. The New York Times dubs them "New York's Dynamic Detective Duo." They embark on some of the toughest assignments in the NYPD, including bombings of NYC subway trains, terrorist drone attacks on football stadiums, a fraud ring that zeroes on elderly people's bank accounts, a child kidnapping plot, and a serial killer who specialized in murdering young couples.
Commissioner Norquist never hesitates to assign the most difficult cases in the department to the BBs. He even refers to them as NYPD Royalty.
The Streets of Terror: Book Two of the Detectiving Series
The further adventures of Bobbie Nelson and Bob Lawton, now married. NYPD Detectives First Grade Bobbie Nelson and Bob Layton are partners, husband and wife, and, as Bobbie loves to say, best friends. They both agree that the day they were partnered was the luckiest day of their lives. Police Commissioner Ralph Norquist is their boss and also their good friend. He nicknames them, "the BBs."
Norquist discovers that he can assign the most difficult cases to them and they will get the job done. It's almost routine the way they solve child kidnapping cases, serial killer murders, attacks on subway trains, a huge case of drone attacks on football stadiums, and Internet fraud attacks on senior citizens.
But what never becomes routine is their love for each other. When they get to their office in the morning, they begin the day with a hug and a kiss. Their partnership almost ended when Bobbie was shot in the head at a crime scene.
She spent six long weeks in a semi-comatose state. Bob said it was the worst six weeks of his life, not knowing if Bobbie would fully recover. Fortunately, the bullet wound did no permanent brain damage, and Bobbie came back to her old self, including her photographic memory.
Besides being famous detectives, they're also talented writers. Bob had written a best-selling crime novel before they met, and they both collaborated on a nonfiction book on the art of being a detective—'Detectiving'. That book became a runaway best seller and the royalties poured in. Their book profits, combined with a generous inheritance from Bob's uncle, as well as their combined salaries, made them more than comfortable financially.
They renovated their apartment near police headquarters. Bob had bought the building before they met. After a neighboring tenant moved out. They knocked down a wall and created a 3,000 square foot apartment, a three-block walk from One Police Plaza.
Realizing that they need to get away from their hectic work occasionally, they bought a beautiful mansion in East Hampton, and they love to spend weekends there with friends and family—until they discover they are being stalked by a serial killer.
Until You Came Along: Book One of the Detectiving Series
Veteran police detectives Bobbie Nelson and Bob Lawton are partnered. They're both concerned that they may not get along. They're both highly skilled and love their work‐they love to solve puzzles. They love what they call, 'Detectiving'.
NYPD police commissioner Ralph Norquist nicknames them the BBs and refers to them as NYPD Royalty. They are the best detectives he's ever worked with. He learns that he can assign his toughest cases to them‐and The BBs will handle them.
They soon learn that they don't just love their jobs, they love each other. Detectives Bobbie and Bob are two of the most exciting and likeable characters you will find in modern literature.
The Wormhole Crisis: Book Two of the Wormhole Adventures
Admiral Ashley Patterson and her husband, famous publisher Jack Thurber, have done it again, not that they were planning on it. They crossed a wormhole, a portal in time, a gateway to a different world. They had done it before, but this one was different—this wormhole was man-made.
President Matt Blake realized that the country was in the grips of a crisis, one which he dubbed The Wormhole Crisis. Recognizing Admiral Patterson's talent for fearless leadership, he promoted her to Fleet Admiral, the highest rank in the Navy. At the same time, he appointed her Chairwoman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest position in the American military.
The President knew he had a horrifying crisis to solve, and who better to lead the effort than Admiral Patterson. He put her in charge of Operation Wormhole Kill, along with her close husband, Jack. Together they embarked on a terrifying attempt to save the world from man-made time travel.
A rogue nation had manufactured a wormhole-creating satellite, one which can inflict a wormhole anywhere on earth. The problem got worse when that nation created an instrument on the satellite that can detonate a bomb on earth—from space.
The only way to deal with a wormhole is to recross it to find your way back to the time you came from. But the rogue nation created a new type of wormhole—one that didn't enable you to recross it.
One horrifying night, the evening of the annual State of the Union Address, saw the ultimate result of the terrifying satellite, one that could spell the end of the world. Instantly the fate of the world changed, especially for Admiral Patterson. It was a new world—a world Ashley could never have imagined. The fate of mankind was now in Admiral Patterson's hands.
The Wormhole Gang: Book One of the Wormhole Adventures
"Jack, where the hell are we?"
Admiral Ashley Patterson, the Navy's youngest admiral at age 39, was with her husband, famous publisher Jack Thurber. Jack is a commander in the Naval Reserve, and often accompanies Ashley on assignments. They were on their most enjoyable deployment to date. Ashley had been given command of the famous USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier that had become a museum, a three-month post that was largely ceremonial. The Navy's thinking was that Ashley's new command would be an excellent way to promote the museum, as well as a great public relations stunt for the Navy.
Both history lovers, they were enjoying Ashley's latest assignment—until they came to face with the most horrifying situation they ever encountered. One early morning they awoke, expecting to see themselves alongside Pier 86. Instead, they were shocked to see that they were in the middle of the ocean. While they slept, the ship, without an engine or other discernible source of power, suddenly left its dock on the West Side of Manhattan—with nobody at the controls.
They realized that the ship had gone through a time portal, a wormhole. They were lost at sea—and lost in time. Along with two other crew members, they formed a group to discover what had happened to them. Admiral Ashley named the group The Wormhole Gang.
"This book takes time travel to a wild new level. I feel like I know the characters personally." – JC Prince.
Regulations frown upon a military doctor being romantically involved with a patient. But Lieutenant Rebecca Lang, a Navy physician, frowned upon the regulations. She fell madly in love with Captain Jack Parker, a wounded Marine officer under her care at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan.
Doctor Rebecca, or Becca as she prefers to be called, felt that she had a rare bond with Captain Jack. It began as a simple doctor-patient relationship, then developed into a friendship, then, after constant flirting, it became a serious love affair.
Captain Jack was happy that Becca ignored the regulations, and so was she. When they were discharged from the military within two weeks of each other, they looked forward to making their relationship permanent, and planned to marry.
But, on the day Jack returned to the States, he was mugged, and suffered a multi-year mental blackout from amnesia. Becca didn't know where he was, and she assumed he was dead after such a long absence.
Becca sees Jack interviewed on TV, although the man doesn't think he's Jack because he suffers from severe amnesia. When they meet, Jack comes out of his amnesia and his mind remembers the woman his heart had never forgotten. They resume their love and their lives together.
Becca, widely recognized as the nation's expert on infectious diseases, is tapped by the White House to combat a deadly virus that has been set loose on the world. Jack, who by now has become an FBI Agent, joins his wife Becca in the most terrifying struggle they ever experienced—the fight to save humanity.
Former federal prosecutor, Janey Drake, has resigned her legal job because she could no longer put up with the stress of prosecuting drug dealers and the frustrating meanderings of the criminal justice system. She decides to resign after an ironclad case was dismissed by a "caring" judge.
She takes on a new life that she loves, chartering her 60-foot yacht that was a gift from her wealthy father. An experienced large boat captain, Janey has found a cure for the high stress work of her former occupation. She also found a cure for her loneliness when she met the man of her dreams by a chance encounter in a diner.
Jack Fleming is a famous novelist and loves his work, and soon finds out that he loves Janey, his accidental friend from the diner. He and Janey fall impossibly in love with each other and found a way to blend their lives—cruising the high seas and writing about it.
Janey has taken on the role as Jack's editor and she couldn't be happier. But suddenly their happy lives together take on a frightening new dimension. While cruising off New London, Connecticut, their boat encounters a wormhole or time portal, and they find themselves two years into the future, a horrifying future that had seen a nuclear war.
They find out that their apartment building in Manhattan was the target for one of the bombs. Yes, they discover that they had been killed, two years ago. But yet, they're alive.
Time travel is a strange phenomenon, and sometimes a scary one. They realize that they have no choice. They must return to the past and warn the government about the coming horror. They begin the most terrifying experience of their lives—how to go back in time and prevent your own death, and the deaths of millions of others.
Author Melanie Pierce is widely acknowledged to be the country's greatest novelist. Suddenly she faces the worst form of censorship imaginable—Editorial Terrorism. Her words are no longer her own. Before she can publish a book, she, and her fellow authors, must submit the manuscript to a shadowy group of terrorists. Failure to do so will result in the death of one of her loved ones.
Melanie's husband, Max Wakefield, is an FBI agent, and has been assigned to lead what had become known as The Silent Author Case. His dedication as an FBI agent, as well as his deep love for his wife, Melanie, launched Max into the most dangerous assignment of his career.
"A thrilling plot shifting page turner about a page turning author." – LK
The Long Island Project: Book Four of the Detectiving Series
"Another winner!"
Our old friends, Detectives Bobbie Nelson and Bob Lawton, "the BBs," are engaged in the most frightening case of their career, an armed quarantine of Long Island by a sinister group. To find the answer to the problem, they travel through time to 1942, and discover the problem is larger than they had thought. The third novel in Russell's Patterns Series, we meet up again with the infamous detectives, Bobbie Nelson and Bob Lawson as they're called upon to solve another problem. Why is Long Island under quarantine, and who is behind it? Before long, they uncover a conspiracy, which could lead a takeover through mind control and time travel.
"As with all of Moran's novels, the characters adapt to the situations they find themselves in and their interactions bring the best out in the 'good guys and gals' and will turn readers against those behind the conspiracy. There's plenty of intrigue for everyone as the 'BBs' solve their latest puzzle. I look forward to their next adventure!" – RK
NYPD Detectives First Grade Bobbie Nelson and Bob Layton are partners, husband and wife, and, as Bobbie loves to say, best friends. They both agree that the day they were partnered was the luckiest day of their lives. Police Commissioner Ralph Norquist is their boss and also their good friend. He nicknames them, "the BBs."
Norquist discovers that he can assign the most difficult cases to them and they will get the job done. It's almost routine the way they solve child kidnapping cases, serial killer murders, attacks on subway trains, a huge case of drone attacks on football stadiums, and Internet fraud attacks on senior citizens.
But what never becomes routine is their love for each other. When they get to their office in the morning, they begin the day with a hug and a kiss.Their partnership almost ended when Bobbie was shot in the head at a crime scene. She spent six long weeks in a semi-comatose state. Bob said it was the worst six weeks of his life, not knowing if Bobbie would fully recover. Fortunately, the bullet wound did no permanent brain damage, and Bobbie came back to her old self, including her photographic memory.
Besides being famous detectives, they're also talented writers. Bob had written a best-selling crime novel before they met, and they both collaborated on a nonfiction book on the art of being a detective. That book became a runaway best seller and the royalties poured in. Their book profits, combined with a generous inheritance from Bob's uncle, as well as their combined salaries, made them more than comfortable financially.
They renovated their apartment near police headquarters. Bob had bought the building before they met. After a neighboring tenant moved out. They knocked down a wall and created a 3,000 square foot apartment, a three-block walk from One Police Plaza.
Realizing that they need to get away from their hectic work occasionally, they bought a beautiful mansion in East Hampton, and they love to spend weekends there with friends and family—until they discover they are being stalked by a serial killer.
Chicago police detective Bobbie Nelson is hired by the New York Police Department during a massive scandal. The mayor of New York City, in an unprecedented move, begins to hire detectives from across the country. He dispatches NYPD Commissioner Ralph Norquist to fly to Chicago to recruit the famous Detective Nelson, whom the Chicago Tribune said is "a real life Sherlock Holmes."
Bobbie is partnered with NYPD Detective Bob Lawton. At first, they don't know what to make of each other. At first. Gradually they adjust, and then they find that they're more than okay with each other—quite okay. They become the talk of the NYPD. Commissioner Norquist finds that he can rely on them to crack the most difficult cases in the department, cases that would stump even the most experienced detective. He realizes that the "BBs" (the nickname he gives them) are a team he can count on.
He also notices that Bob and Bobbie hold hands a lot. They are, as he puts it, becoming "an item."
Bob originally feared that his new partner just may be an obnoxious, overbearing woman, given her notoriety. On their first day together as partners, they are assigned to a mass shooting, one that includes 85 dead bodies. That was when Bob discovers that his new partner has amazing skills as a detective. He also notices that she's polite and respectful, not the difficult person he expected. He also realized that she's the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on.
Besides their growing affection for each other, Bob and Bobbie also know that they love what they do—they solve puzzles. Commissioner Norquist routinely assigns the BBs the most difficult cases in the NYPD. After the mass murder case, they take on the kidnapping of the New York City mayor and his wife. After they solve that case, they are assigned to a matter involving the assassination of police officers.
Bobbie theorizes, correctly, that the killings are a new form of terrorism. The police murders are not limited to the NYPD but are a countrywide problem.
Bob and Bobbie are deputized as provisional FBI agents by the Direct of the FBI and are given command of the cases across the nation. Commissioner Ralph knows that there is no case too difficult for them. He regularly assigns them serial-killer murders, including a man who kills his victims with a screwdriver to the head. After they solve that in a month, they take on a case of multiple serial killers who are murdering schoolteachers across the country.
After the BBs handle that case, Commissioner Ralph, who now sees them as friends, refers to them as 'NYPD Royalty."
Next, they are assigned to a crack horrible ring that kills young people and harvests their internal organs for a profit. After that case, The New York Times published an article about them entitled, "The BBs—New York's Dynamic Detective Duo."
Then, they take on the Mob. The Mafia has undergone a huge resurgence. As provisional FBI agents, Bob and Bobbie are sent to Bobbie's old haunts in Chicago to spy on the new Mafia, and there they encounter the most dangerous case they ever handled.
But nothing can compare to a massive conspiracy that sees the nation's colleges and universities being attacked by a shadowy group called "The End of America." Using their amazing skills as interrogators, Bob and Bobbie uncover the leadership of the group. As Bobbie put it, "First they have to come through the BBs."
Bobbie Nelson and Bob Lawton are two of the most exciting and likeable characters you will find in all of literature.
The Pineaire Incident: Book Four of the Harry and Meg Series
One hundred gigantic fast submarines suddenly appear in the ocean. President Harry Fenton and his First Lady, Meg are shocked by the event, as are all the leaders of the world. Where are the submarines from? What do they want? What are their intentions?
Six Russian submarines attack one of the mystery subs. All six Russian subs are destroyed in two minutes. President Fenton, along with Meg, reaches out to contact the leader of the strange fleet. They are amazed to discover that the subs are from another planet, Planet Pineaire.
But they're pleased to find out that the Pinearians came in peace, and bring with them an amazing gift, a new type of fuel that can revolutionize life on earth. Get ready for an interplanetary thrill ride.
A Sea of Fear--A Novel of Time Travel: Book Three of the Harry and Meg Series
You're Five-Star Admiral Harry Fenton, whom President Blake calls the greatest fighting admiral in American history. Along with your Navy Commander wife, Meg, you lead your carrier strike group against the worst enemy the country has faced since World War II, a small nation that is intent on destroying the world's shipping industry. The seas of the world have become scenes of plunder, pillage, and mass murder.
The President of the United States has convinced you to come out of retirement and put an end to the looming crisis. He promotes you to Fleet Admiral, the highest-ranking officer since Admiral Chester Nimitz.
You and Meg were having a pleasant retirement, running a world-class resort that you bought in Rhode Island. But when the president pleads you to "Give 'em Hell, Harry," you know that you can't ignore his call to duty.
As people who have time traveled in the past, you come up with an idea to travel three years into the future. With President Blake's blessing, you and Meg lead a group of officers into the future. What you find is horrifying, an America taken over by a totalitarian dictator.
You return to the past and report your findings. President Blake, hearing your terrifying story, convinces you that you have an even bigger call to duty, the greatest challenge of your life. You take on the challenge for one reason—Meg will be at your side.
As in the first two books of the Harry and Meg Series, The Maltese Incident and The Violent Sea, A Sea of Fear is a sweet romance between two of literature's most exciting and likable characters, Harry and Meg Fenton. A Sea of Fear is a story of war, politics, time travel, and love.
You just launched a satellite into space without a rocket. You invented a computer algorithm that writes novels. You just entered Harvard University on a full scholarship after completing high school in two years. Not bad for a 12-year-old kid.
Leonardo changed his name from William to Leonardo to honor his hero, Leonardo da Vinci. Young Leonardo Murphy has the second highest IQ ever recorded. Now 25, he met a beautiful young woman named Janice, and fell madly in love. They married a year later.
Janice and Leonardo, whom she calls "Lee," collaborate on various projects with the CIA and FBI. But their intelligence activities put a target on their backs. They narrowly escape four assassination attempts.
Leonardo Murphy is a breathtakingly fast coming-of-age thriller about one of the most fascinating characters you will ever meet in literature. Instantly, you are shoulder to shoulder with the world's most amazing genius.
"Finally, a believable super hero comes to life! Peaks and valleys of horrific actions are neatly juxtaposed against comic relief. The humor, ranging between the poles of mild to downright hysterical, will surely tickle your funny bone. The frequent use of the protagonist's favorite word (26 matches found throughout), which I won't divulge, would ordinarily belabor one's prose, save when Leonardo employs the term. As a matter of fact, the story concludes with that very word, but rather endearingly. No, I did not ruin the ending for you folks. You'll see." – Robert Banfelder
The Violent Sea--A Story of Time Travel: Book Two of the Harry and Meg Series, the sequel to The Maltese Incident
The Violent Sea is a novel of war, time travel, military history. It's the second book in the Harry and Meg Series. It's also a sweet romance between Harry and his wife, Meg. Rear Admiral Harry Fenton has done it again.
He's traveled through time to a different era. He finds himself, with a serious head injury from a fall, at Pearl Harbor Base Hospital on May 16, 1942, three weeks before the Battle of Midway. His wife and aide, Lieutenant Meg Fenton, is worried sick, and waits for him—in 2018. Admiral Harry is the commanding officer of Carrier Strike Group 14 in 2018, but the people in 1942 think he's a busted-up hallucinating sailor who imagines himself an admiral.
Admiral Raymond Spruance is commanding officer of Carrier Task Force 16. After hearing about Harry's time travel stories, Spruance orders him brought to his flagship, the USS Enterprise. After Harry tells him about his time travel experiences, Spruance is convinced the man is insane. But after speaking to him at length, Spruance is amazed at Harry's knowledge of naval tactics and strategy.
He calls Harry's bluff and orders him to stay aboard the Enterprise for her upcoming engagement at the Battle of Midway. By the end of the battle, Spruance is convinced Harry is an admiral, and thinks of him as a friend.
Now Harry needs to figure out how to travel back to 2018, to his carrier command, but most importantly, to the love of his life, Lieutenant Meg.
After Harry returns to the present, the Fentons are deployed on Harry's flagship, the USS Gerald R. Ford. The ship encounters another wormhole, this one in the ocean. They are transported to 1944 and participate in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
The book took me 10 months to write. It went through 20 drafts and three rounds with my editors. I did copious research for the book to ensure its historical accuracy. If you enjoy the genre of time travel, I think you will love this book. I got to know my two main characters in the prequel, The Maltese Incident. Harry and Meg are deeply in love but enjoy constant banter and wisecracks. One of my favorite characters, Admiral Ashley Patterson of The Gray Ship, makes an important cameo appearance in The Violent Sea. I'm a fan of surprise endings and I believe The Violent Sea delivers. It's available on both Kindle and paperback. – RFM
The Novel: Writer's Guide: Discover the Joy of Writing Fiction
This book will help you unlock the story that's within you. How often have you asked yourself when you are getting around to writing that novel? Maybe you'll start after dinner, or maybe after a long walk, or maybe Saturday morning,or maybe tomorrow—or the day after.What are you missing, and why isn't your book available for readers to enjoy?
You're about to start a journey, and a journey requires a guide, someone who will make sure you don't fall off a cliff, and who makes sure you get to your destination. Once you've finished this book, you will no longer have an excuse, no longer think about it, no longer put it off.
When you're done you will realize the time to start is NOW. In a light and friendly tone, laced with a good dose of humor, award winning, best-selling author Russ Moran is your guide to finally starting your novel, and equally important, he guides you to finishing it. From character development, to a strong opening scene, to strengthening the plot, to crossing the finish line with a great ending, this book is your key to making it happen. It's your guide, your coach, and your cheerleader.It's time to stop dreaming about it, and time to start your book.
The Maltese Incident--A Story of Time Travel: Book One of the Harry and Meg Series, the prequel to The Violent Sea
You're on a beautiful cruise ship. The April sky is full of stars. Suddenly, the ship rumbles, and instantly the stars disappear.
"What the hell was that?" Captain Fenton yelled.
"Beats me, captain. I've never seen anything like it," the first officer said.
They would soon discover that the ship, The Maltese, had just traveled through time—millions of years to the past.
The captain, Harry Fenton, a highly decorated naval war hero, realizes the greatest battle of his life lay ahead of him. Captain Harry, a widow, falls in love with a beautiful passenger, Meg Johnson, an executive with the company that owns the ship. After a whirlwind romance, they marry—in the ship's ballroom—100 million years in the past. Captain Harry convinces the passengers and crew that they must move ashore to a tropical island because the ship is running out of fuel and supplies.
He organizes a group to go ashore and inspect the island. An ancient forest inhabited by dinosaurs awaits them. Meg wants to go with them. Harry, fearing for her safety, tries to convince her to stay on the ship. Meg demonstrates that she is proficient with a gun by taking apart a rifle and reassembling it—in 15 seconds. Harry marvels that he's never seen such an expert gun handler—or accurate shooter. So, AR-15 in hand, Meg joins the inspection party. Charging dinosaurs are no match for Meg Fenton's firepower.
Will the 1,000 souls ever make it back to the time they came from, or will they remain stranded in the distant past?
A scientist aboard theorizes that, to return to their present time, they need to go back to the time portal, or wormhole, that brought them to the past. But the ship doesn't have enough fuel for the journey.
Realizing that their lives have hit the reset button, the crew and passengers construct a community in the forest—Malta Town. Under Harry and Meg's leadership, they create a court system, a legislature, and all the elements of a small budding democracy. Meg figures out a way to harness hydroelectric power from a nearby waterfall. Everybody thinks of Harry and Meg as the heart and soul of Malta Town. They begin their new lives—among the dinosaurs. The Maltese Incident is a riveting tale of time travel, love, courage, and horror. Get this page turner now and prepare for the ride of your life.
A Climate of Doubt: Book Four of The Matt Blake Mysteries
Forget what you ever heard about climate change. Forget your preconceived notions about reality itself. Instantly, you are in a new world, a horrifying world, a world you don't understand. On a hot summer day, Homeland Security Secretary, Rick Bellamy, and his wife Ellen, a famous TV talk show host, walked along the ocean front trying to escape the heat. Suddenly the temperature dropped from the high 90s to below freezing in a matter of minutes. It began to snow—on July 16. The temperatures across the country and the world plummeted, creating winter in summer.
Bellamy and the rest of the government struggled to cope with the suddenly new climate, but to cope, they first had to find out what happened. Scientists from academia blamed the weather on a sudden acceleration of climate change, but they were unable to explain a 60-degree temperature drop in a matter of minutes. Two astronauts in an American space station realized that the sudden weather calamity coincided with a test of the 20 satellites that the space station controlled.
Attention focused on a huge American corporation that owned the space station and the satellites. Could there be a connection between the satellite tests and the radical drop in temperature? As the deaths piled up and the world economy tilted toward disaster because of gigantic summer blizzards, Rick Bellamy and his team struggled to find answers before it was too late. Was it a sudden shift in climate change or did it have something to do with the satellites? The biggest question remained—was the catastrophe an accident, or was somebody controlling the weather? Was it terror?
Bundle up and get this page-turning thriller. You' re in for a wild ride. It's Book Four of the Matt Blake Series. Matt and Dee Blake take on their biggest challenge to date, along with our old friends, Rick and Ellen Bellamy.
Robot Depot is a book about our automated present—and future.
Mike Bateman is a visionary businessman, the creator, and CEO of the fabulously successful chain of stores, Robot Depot, a company dedicated to selling robots and Artificial Intelligence machines for a variety of uses. One of Robot Depot's engineers invented the world's first sentient robot, one that is aware of its own existence. That robot's name is Angus, named after a famous inventor. Angus invents an algorithm that revolutionizes medical science, a program that accurately diagnoses an illness and recommends a treatment, within 15 seconds.
Whether it's a floor cleaner, a window washer, an intelligent drone, or a medical diagnosis algorithm, Robot Depot has a device for you. The company is a darling of Wall Street and is the most popular destination for consumers and businesses looking for labor saving devices. But the company has caught the eye of ISIS, the terrorist Islamic State. They discover a great way to deliver bombs—using the products of Robot Depot to kill people.
Within a matter of days, a skyscraper is destroyed, houses are burned to the ground, a cruise ship is disabled, Yankee Stadium is attacked, and a children's sailing regatta is bombed. Overnight, Robot Depot changed from being a popular company to an object of fear because of the tampered products it sells. Mike Bateman and his wife Jenny discover the true horror of terrorism one frightening summer morning.
"I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crisp writing, thought-provoking topics, and colorful characters. Well-done Mr. Moran." - Amazon verified review
The President is Missing: Book Three of the Matt Blake Mysteries
While he was addressing the nation from a submerged nuclear submarine, President Blake's message is suddenly cut off. Anyone listening heard an explosion. The explosion was followed by floating debris five minutes later.
First Lady Dee Blake has doubts, which she shares with naval high command and the new president. She thinks the explosion and the debris were a ruse to make people think the sub was destroyed, and her husband with it.
Could the sub have been hijacked and the president kidnapped? But who would commit such an act? What is its purpose? Was it Russia, China, Iran, or a shadowy group of freelance terrorists? The new president appoints Dee as his Chief of Staff, with explicit instructions to find the missing submarine—and President Matt Blake.
Her life, and the life of the nation, suddenly take a horrifying turn.
The Keepers of Time: Book Five of the Time Magnet Series
Admiral Ashley Patterson and her husband Jack have done it again. They've traveled through time, 200 years into the future—aboard a nuclear aircraft carrier, Ashley's flagship. They discover a new world, a strange new world—a post-nuclear war world—one that is both a beacon of hope, and a cry of despair.
They meet a group of people who call themselves The Keepers of Time, an organization dedicated to preserving history and culture. But the world around them has harkened back to a primitive and savage past, one that includes human sacrifice.
Ashley knows they have to have to get back to the present to warn the government of the unspeakable horrors that await. But finding the way back to the present is their greatest challenge, an almost insurmountable one.
"A wild time travel yarn that starts fast and doesn't slow down until the end."
A Reunion in Time: Book Three of the Patterns Series
What if a 37-year-old adult travels back 20 years in time and finds himself in high school, followed by his 36-year-old wife?
They're now teenagers, 17 and 16. Adults in teenage bodies, they struggle to convince the people from their past that they are real, not apparitions. With the benefit of hindsight, they know the history of the past 20 years, and it isn't pretty. Rick and Ellen are married, and now have to adjust to married life as teenagers in 2001. Rick is a senior FBI official and Ellen is a famous architect. But everybody sees them as kids. Nobody believes that they're married, and nobody believes their stories—until Rick and Ellen predict 9/11.
How do they find their way back to the year they came from? How do they warn the authorities of the cataclysm that will occur in the future? The answer is to find the time portal—the wormhole—that brought them to 2001. But the site has changed. It's no longer the place where they crossed the wormhole. Will they live out the balance of their lives beginning as teenagers?
"We've all wish we could go back to earlier times with the mind we have now. This Russell Moran book takes you there and it is a fun creative romp well worth reading. A Reunion in Time is highly recommend!" - Kindle Customer
The Reformers: Book Two of the Matt Blake Series of Legal Thrillers, the sequel to Sideswiped
The forces of radical Islam are on the run.
Their leadership has been decimated, their ranks thinned, their power disappearing by the week. Their recruiting efforts have been cut off, the radical websites shut down, and the attraction of jihad is losing its appeal among the young. With targeted assassinations, military strikes, as well as the loss of oil fields and gold mines, radical Islam is fast losing power.
But who is responsible? It isn't the United States Government.
It's a new force the world has never seen before. Lawyer Matt Blake and his wife Diana find themselves in the middle of the most gigantic plot the world has ever seen, a conspiracy that's only begun to grow.
"I've been a fan of the author, Russell Moran, since reading Sideswiped a few months ago, so I admittedly went into this book with quite high expectations. That being said, I had no idea that The Reformers was going to play out in the way that it does and I can see myself giving this book a re-read in the future. In fact, I am even more impressed by the storyline of this read than the last and it has left me excited to see more." - Lucidity.
Sideswiped: Book One in the Matt Blake Series of legal thrillers
Trial lawyer Matt Blake took on a perfect case…
It involved a sideswipe collision in which his client's husband, an investigative reporter, was killed. The evidence of negligence was overwhelming. Eyewitnesses testified that defendant was talking on his cell phone when he hit the other car.
But was it negligence? Was it an accident? Or was it murder?
Matt uncovers evidence that the act may have been intentional. Somebody wanted the man silenced. Somebody wanted the man dead. Somebody had a lot to hide.
The signs started to point to the highest levels of government. An open-and-shut personal injury case suddenly became a vast conspiracy of terror.
"This book hooks you in from the first line. Sideswiped draws you into the world of Matt Blake and you become emotionally attached to him and his journey. The story itself is so well-written and moves quickly so there is never a dull moment." - Sarah Elle
"Moran demonstrates the depth of his writing talent by developing a new genre with Sideswiped, a legal thriller. Branching out from his previous novels dealing with time travel, Moran goes in a whole new direction with Book One in the Matt Blake series. He creates a wild but totally believable story of modern day intrigue and suspense. Moran also deftly weaves into this book some of my favorite characters from his prior novels. I am looking forward to starting Book #2 - The Reformers - Frank from Lynbrook on August 16, 2016
The Scent of Revenge: Book Two in the Patterns Series
The world is at war—World War III. FBI Agent Rick Bellamy and his wife, Ellen, find themselves in the middle of a sinister terror plot. Someone is attacking young prominent women, inflicting a horrible disease. Nobody knows its origin, nobody knows how to stop it, nobody knows how to cure it. Rick Bellamy and a team of scientists want to go on offense. But how? Will the lives of the women be changed forever? When will the attacks stop?
"Heart pounding, can't put down thriller that will force you to look at terrorism in different light. Life in America will never be the same." - Cold Coffee Café
The Shadows of Terror: Book One of the Patterns Series
Terrorism now has a new face, a face that's obscured in the shadows. The radical forces of destruction have learned to make themselves invisible to the West, and preventing a terrorist attack has become almost impossible.
A new war has begun, World War III.
Rick Bellamy, an FBI agent who specializes in counterterrorism, is engaged in his own war, a war with no end. Bellamy's wife, Ellen, a prominent architect, discovers that she's in the middle of the greatest terror plot to date.
To defeat the enemy, Bellamy first has to uncover the clues, to shine a light on the shadows. He has to find patterns—before it's too late.
"Move over James Patterson and Mary Higgins Clark. There's a new guy in town. Russ Moran's new book—The Shadows of Terror." - Frank from Lynbrook
The Skies of Time: Book Four of the Time Magnet Series
In The Skies of Time, you will recognize the two main characters, Ashley Patterson, now an admiral, and her husband, Jack Thurber. They met and fell in love in The Gray Ship, and now they're in for the adventure of their lives in The Skies of Time.
Ashley and Jack have been such prominent characters in all four books of The Time Magnet Series that I feel like they're old friends. You will also recognize some of the other characters. But if I told you who they are, it would ruin the fun.
"I'm big fan of this series and this one may be the best. I hope there is another book to this series since it keeps getting better. There are a few questions I have about certain events that makes the next one even more suspenseful. These are great books to binge read one after the other." - Time Travel Fan
A Time of Fear: Book Three of the Time Magnet Series
"His story is fascinating, and adds even more depth to this already cavernously deep novel. Amazingly unique, chilling and well written, Moran weaves a future that is both desperate and hopeful. Blending modern fears with science fiction results in a tale that will keep you reading long into the night. Five stars!" - Heather
The Thanksgiving Gang: Book Two of the Time Magnet Series
"I had never read a book before written in an efficient, minimalistic prose… Instead of writing what most readers want to read, he gives voice to life-like characters, with their flaws and prejudices. They are not infallible superheroes. It's always nice to find a new voice in fiction and to enjoy creativity at its best." - C. Ludewig
"Breakneck pacing and virtually nonstop action." - Kirkus Reviews
"This provocative, intensely powerful novel is a must-read for sci-fi fans and Civil War aficionados, though mainstream fiction readers will find it heart-rending and inspiring as well. A rare read that's not only wildly entertaining, but also profoundly moving." - Kirkus Reviews
The APT Principle: The Business Plan That You Carry in Your Head
How to diagnose any business issue with one of three words: Attitude, Practices or Technology.
To start or run a business without a business plan is like taking a ship to sea without plotting a course: either one can end in disaster. The APT Principle: The Business Plan That You Carry in Your Head plots your course for a safe and successful voyage. It is a diagnostic toolbox that enables you to conceive, write, and most important, to stick to a business plan.
Too many business owners put off writing a plan because they think the process is too complicated. Even those who have written a plan often file it, never to be seen again. This is the phenomenon of business plan avoidance and it leads to the sorry spectacle of an organization that lurches from one crisis to another.
The APT Principle tackles this problem—ack of a plan or ignoring a plan—and inserts into the process the most important missing element: a paperless set of guidelines that you always carry with you—in your head. It is a set of tools that breathes life into your business plan.
Conversational in tone and laced with humor, The APT Principle is written by a businessman and lawyer, who has started and sold successful businesses. APT stands for Attitudes, Practices, and Technology. According to Moran, everything—EVERYTHING—that happens to a business, both good and bad, is a function of one of these three things.
Published, July 16, 2012.
Justice in America: How it Works, How it Fails
A review of the American legal system written for the layperson.
From Kirkus Reviews:
The goddess of justice is blind—and deaf and very often dumb—according to this savvy critique of the American legal system.
Moran, a lawyer, journalist and founding editor of The New York Jury Verdict Reporter, knows firsthand the problems that plague American jurisprudence, and isn't afraid to point fingers. Topping his rogue's gallery are "incompetent idiots" on the bench, including justices of the peace who don't even need a high-school diploma to throw people in jail and trial judges who fall asleep during testimony. (And no, that won't get your conviction overturned, Moran notes, unless you can prove the judge slept through something important.)
Then there are the personal injury lawyers who cast about for deep pockets to sue no matter how dubious the liability, the attorneys who rake in millions from class-action suits that net their "clients" a few dollars each, the jurors&mdashlike Moran's uncle—who base verdicts on off-the-wall theories instead of the evidence, the legislators who craft stupid laws and Supreme Court justices who uphold them based on tortured readings of the Interstate Commerce Clause. (Not always in contempt of court, Moran does allow that, often enough, judges are underpaid and conscientious, lawyers careful and upright, and malpractice suits well-founded.)
The author sets his indictment against a lucid outline of basic legal concepts and court procedures and nuanced discussions of everything from the propriety of electing judges to the mortgage-foreclosure robo-signing scandals. Moran writes in an entertaining, wised-up style, his punchy prose laced with black humor and an inexhaustible supply of anecdotes. His free-wheeling arguments shade from law into politics and beyond, as he enters a sweeping condemnation of a litigious society bound up in red tape because of liability fears, takes swipes at the New Deal regulatory state and even throws soup at snooty French waiters.
It's a bit over-stuffed, but Moran's street-cred, irreverent wit and gift for translating legal arcana into laymen's terms make for a persuasive brief. A lively, brash, illuminating insider's look at the law, by a compelling expert witness.
Boating Basics: The Boattalk Book of Boating Tips
Boating adventures can be fun or a disaster. You need to know the boating basics, including navigation and seamanship. This book covers just that, the basics. A fun and easy read, you will want to keep it handy on your kindle.
Published, October 20, 2013.
If You're Injured: A Consumer Guide to Personal Injury Law; How to Create More Time
A personal injury can be a devastating experience. If you were injured because of another person's negligence, you may be legally entitled to a money award, either by verdict or settlement.
The law is complicated, and this book will guide you through every part of a personal injury lawsuit, including the steps you should take to hire the right lawyer, and the ways to communicate with the lawyer once you have hired one.
The book is written for the layperson in easy to understand terms, and covers every aspect of a personal injury lawsuit.