The Coin Store: A True Story of Drug Cartels, Mobsters, Cops and Agents


Patrick Burns , Special Agent (Ret.) - 2016
    He was the King of Cocaine, the wealthiest and most violent criminal in the world. By the 1980s his Medellin Drug Cartel was responsible for smuggling several tons of cocaine into America each and every day, killing thousands of people along the way. The end result was hundreds of millions of dollars in cash profits. In response, and as part of President Reagan’s War on Drugs, Congress created the Money Laundering Act of 1986. The goal was to take the profit out of Escobar’s business. And the plan was working. Drug Money seizures went up. But as U.S. Agents became more and more efficient at finding the dirty cash, stashed inside ship bellies and truck beds at America’s ports and land borders, Pablo and other Cartel leaders sought a more efficient method to get their money back to Colombia. They found the solution in an unlikely place, a dusty back room of a tiny, rare coin shop in the small town of Cranston, Rhode Island. The shop owner was a young, local mobster who had already been laundering much of the Mob's stolen gold. With a few minor adjustments, his coin shop evolved into a springboard for a new venture, a billion dollar money laundering scheme. The Italian Mafia's stolen gold was used to dispose of the Colombian Cartel's dirty cash. It was the perfect scheme, brilliant. As his customer base grew, the young mobster, known as Fat Man, a.k.a. Mr. Cash, set up a string of phony gold shops crisscrossing America. The end result was one of the world's largest, most efficient money laundering networks. By some accounts, Fat Man laundered more than a billion dollars of drug profits for Pablo Escobar and the other Cartel leaders. This is the true story of how it all happened. It is a step –by- step view of how the scheme worked and how it was ultimately uncovered. This story reveals conventional and at times unconventional tactics used by the government in its three-year, worldwide investigation. It is also a behind-the-scenes look at Fat Man himself and his crew, as well as the agents and cops who pursued them. It was unlikely that Fat Man, a small town gangster, would ever become an international money launderer for the Colombian Drug Lords. But what was more unlikely was the fact that it took a rookie agent to finally uncover the scheme. And more unlikely than that was the fact that the rookie agent was Fat Man’s neighbor. Both were born within just a few days from each other, grew up just a few miles from each other, lived in similar blue-collar neighborhoods and even lived in all but identical homes. And both were influenced, in very different ways, by the New England Mob, which was headquartered nearby on Federal Hill in Providence, RI. While Fat Man relished a life of crime, I dreamed of becoming an agent. In 1987, while his scheme originally went unnoticed, I was at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy in southern Georgia. One year after the new Money Laundering Law was created, I began work as a new U.S. Treasury Agent. My first post of duty was Providence, RI. My first assignment was to follow a lead, a suspicious cash deposit at a local bank. It was originally considered to be a dead end, “keep busy” work for a new, inexperienced agent with little to do. But that changed when I followed the lead to Fat Man’s Coin Store. This is how it all happened.

The End of Russia’s War in Ukraine (The Russian Agents Book 4)


Ted Halstead - 2020
    

Notorious Nazi Women (The Eclectic Collection Book 1)


Stewart Anděl - 2017
    The fact that there were ruthless, vicious and vindictive female Nazi guards is one of them. This new title from author Stewart Andel hopes to address that issue and open up the stories behind the evil Nazi plague that were the "Notorious Nazi Women." Hear the stories of "The Bitch of Buchenwald," or the "Beautiful Beast" inside this first chapter of; The Eclectic Collection.

Pistolero: The Prequel (Widowmaker Book 3)


William McClintock - 2016
    the days just prior to the events depicted in the opening pages of ‘Widowmaker.’ A “prequel,” and the final installment of the Cole Matthews Trilogy, finds the wandering, gambling gunfighter besieged by bandits and troubled by dangerous ladies, taking on the Mexican Army, and thrown into a hole and buried alive...

Brutal Enemy (Sgt. Dunn Novels Book 3)


Ronn Munsterman - 2014
    Dunn World War II action thriller series picks up right where book two, Behind German Lines, left off.Colonel Frank Rogers, an American intelligence officer on the planning staff for the impending invasion of southern France, goes missing in northwest Italy. Sgt. Tom Dunn, recalled from his honeymoon, and his squad of lethal U. S. Army Rangers are tasked with the impossible: find and rescue the missing colonel before he is captured and gives up vital invasion intelligence. Meanwhile, British Sergeant Malcolm Saunders and his Commandos parachute into Italy north of the impenetrable Gothic Line in an attempt to deliver a crushing blow to the German supply line.While Dunn and his men race across Italy in search of Rogers, the rescue operation takes an unexpected direction. Suddenly, Dunn comes face-to-face with the brutal evil permeating the Nazis from Berlin to the occupied countries. In Brutal Enemy, Munsterman takes the reader on a terrifying journey into Nazi occupied Italy with his trademark page-turner pace.

A Lancaster Amish Storm - Book 3


Ruth Price - 2014
    After a year of courtship, Katie is ready to settle down and start her life as an Amish wife, but Zach finds himself longing for a wider world than his childhood home of Faith's Landing. Caught between love and possibility, societal expectations and the temptations of the flesh, will Zach and Katie's love be strong enough to survive the oncoming storm? This is Book 3 of 3 of the A Lancaster Amish Storm (Amish Faith Through Fire) serial. IF YOU LOVE CHRISTIAN BOOKS, SCROLL UP AND GRAB YOUR COPY NOW!

A Land of Peril and Deceit


Austin Grayson - 2020
    Thanks to his diligence and determination, the Flying G ranch has rapidly flourished, and he finally lives the life he has always dreamt of. Little does he know that everything will be turned upside down when his devious competitor sets his sight on his ranch. From that moment on, Bronco will do whatever it takes to stand up for his land and escape an evil scheme against him. Will he manage to save his ranch from the greedy cattle baron? How far will he go to prove his worth to the man who has stood by him like a real father?While Bronco is starting a wild range war to capture a bloodthirsty rival, a brilliant woman comes into his life and sweeps him off his feet. The moment Bronco lays eyes on Carrie Thompson, he realizes she is everything he has always been looking for. However, the clock is ticking, and Bronco cannot dive into a romance until he brings down the person who is determined to completely ruin his life. To make matters worse, danger spirals out of control when his new love is caught into a devilish trap. Bronco knows that there is no room for mistakes and that he has to play all his cards right, otherwise he might lose her forever. Will he manage to rescue the only woman who has managed to touch his heart, before it's too late? Will he be courageous enough to put evil behind bars once and for all?The bullets are already flying, and only one man will be left standing when the smoke clears. Will Bronco survive the greatest challenge of his life and protect the people he loves? Will he ride out the storm and make a new beginning by Carrie's side, οr will overpowering forces wipe the smile off his face once and for all?A pulse-pounding drama, which will make you turn the pages with bated breath until the very last word. A must-read for fans of Western action and romance."A Land of Peril and Deceit" is a historical adventure novel of approximately 60,000 words. No cliffhangers, only pure unadulterated action.

Rebel / Copperhead (The Starbuck Chronicles, #1, #2)


Bernard Cornwell - 1993
    Books Sold by IBX

First Across the Continent: The Story of the Exploring Expedition of Lewis and Clark in 1804-5-6


Noah Brooks - 1901
    

Dove Descending: A Journey into T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets


Thomas Howard - 2006
    Eliot to be the most important and influential poet of the 20th century, and Four Quartets to be his finest poem and greatest literary achievement. Dove Descending is a journey into the beauties and depths of Eliot's masterpiece written by Thomas Howard, bestselling author, professor and critic. In this line-by-line commentary, Howard unravels the complexities of the sublime poem with such adept adroitness that even its most difficult passages spring to life. During his many years as a professor of English and Literature, Howard taught this poem often, and developed what he calls "a reading" approach to its concepts that render their meaning more lucid for the reader. Dove Descending reunites the brilliant insights of a master teacher whose understanding and love of Eliot's writings are shared here for the great benefit of the reader.Dove Descending is:The first in-depth exposition of Eliot's masterwork ever publishedThe fruit of Howard's many years of teaching Eliot and his unique understanding of the complexities of the great poemA must-have book for fans of T. S Eliot, and anyone who wants to understand his greatest work.

As if it were yesterday: An old fat man remembers his youth as a Marine in Vietnam


Lee Suydam - 2017
    I try to tell what it was like for me and my brother Marines without fanfare or bravado and give the reader a vivid description of my 13 months.

The Husband's Secret: by Liane Moriarty -- Sidekick


Samantha C. Allen - 2015
    If you have not yet bought Liane Moriarty’s novel, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial Sidekick.Opening with the myth of Pandora’s Box, this is a tale of lies and secrets—and the ways that people are rarely what they appear. Cecilia has the perfect life: successful career, devoted husband, loving children . . . but when she reads a letter her husband intended her to find only after his death, it changes her world forever.After The Husband's Secret amassed critical acclaim and took off in 2013, Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies debuted at the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list—making her the first Australian author to claim that honor. She has written six novels, as well as a series of three books for children.With this Sidekick, you’ll:• Learn what you might have missed on your first read of Moriarty’s novel• Discover some of the book’s secret gems and underlying themes• Explore possible alternate endings and imagine ideas for a sequel• Spend some more time with the characters you’ve come to know and love, delving deep into their psyches and hidden motives• Get a chance to discuss The Husband’s Secret with other savvy readersSidekicks are entertaining and insightful reading companions, filled with delightful commentary and thought-provoking questions. Readers have raved that they "really put you in touch with the many layers of the novel," "keep you entertained even longer," and are "perfect if you want a vivid understanding of the story." Designed to be read side by side with the novels they complement, they’ll give you even more reasons to love some of today’s best books.

Prisoner in the mud: A young German's diary from 1945


Herwarth Metzel - 2020
    The front lines are collapsing all around, bombs are falling. On Thuringia too, a state in the centre-east of Germany. The Second World War is nearing its end. Boys of fifteen and sixteen from the Jungvolk and Hitler Youth movements set off in the belief that they can still save the fatherland – they are determined to defend it, bravely and loyally. Inadequately armed, however, they are forced to retreat from the advancing enemy in an entirely pointless march. They are taken prisoner and transferred to one of the infamous camps near Bad Kreuznach. Conditions in the camp are tough. The diarist is fortunate enough to survive and to be released relatively early, at the end of June 1945. Germany, spring 2005. The fatherland too has survived and has been reunified. It is a year of commemoration days, of monuments and memorials, and in the run-up to the sixtieth anniversary it is already being declared by all the media as a year of remembrance of the downfall of the ‘Third Reich’. Inspired by this, the diarist, now seventy-five years old, remembers the notes and diary entries kept at that time by his fifteen-year-old self. Originally written on scraps of toilet paper, he copied them out after his fortunate return in July 1945, and has not looked at them since. The notes are very personal and honest and, above all, authentic. They give an insight into the experiences and the thoughts of a young boy who by his own admission left as a ‘proud soldier’ and returned home as a ‘pitiful vagabond’. It is a historical document. It is not the story of an individual fate. Thousands had the same experiences. That is why the diarist decided, with some hesitation, to publish his diary as a part of the historical truth, even if there already existed numerous reports and publications about the camps in Bad Kreuznach, Bretzenheim, Dietersheim, Bingen, Heidesheim and the other ‘Rhine Meadows camps’. All these records are testament to the fact that tyranny often abounds when one group of people is given unchecked power over another. According to Livy, as many as 2400 years ago the Gaulish king Brennus called to the defeated Romans: ‘Vae victis!’ – woe to the vanquished! Herwarth Metzel

Painted Lies


Sham - 2014
    Nala suffered abuse verbally, mentally, and physically at the hands of Trina and her perverted boyfriend Dwayne that made Nala very naive and thought the worst of herself. As if that wasn't enough, she forced her to drop out of school, sending her to work in her friend's boutique. There Nala met Tracy a beautiful, fun, wild, and out spoken girl who possessed everything Nala was not. Eventually Nala met Kaylin, a handsome, sexy, and very rich guy, who played on her naivety to fulfill his own selfish desire of having a male child. Kaylin lied and deceived his way into Nala's heart. Nala being so innocent and naive believed every word that Kaylin told her. She just wanted to be happy and with Kaylin saying and doing all the right things she fell deep, only to find out everything was a lie when she got pregnant. Take this journey with Nala as she finds out the hard way that every girl has to get their heart broken. And how she deals with the abuse and pain from Trina as well as the lies, deceit, and betrayal from Kaylin

Sold into Slavery: The Story of Adaku, A Black Slave Woman


Mary Devey - 2011
    Nestled in her little village in inland Africa, this young pregnant mother of two boys already had the hopes and dreams which any Igbo woman her age would want of her time. And her joy was furthered with the impending birth of their third child, a child whom they were hoping would be the girl her husband wanted. But she was captured against her will and helpless at that point because of her pregnancy, she yielded to her assailants without question. What happens next is a terrible ordeal for this young woman who learns about the savagery of life's sharp ends and about where betrayals begin - on the very soil that is Africa. Along the way, Adaku meets people like her who were kidnapped against their will and soon she forges friendship with women across all tribes, all in search of a common cause to escape from the brutal trade and greed of certain nations of the coastal blacks and those of the northern African landscape who know nothing but of selling human flesh for the gratification of what the white men could offer them.In Part I of The Story of Adaku, Adaku encounters treachery and hopelessness of being branded a slave. Already, she learns the dangers of running and in the early times of her capture, her determination for escape eventually materializes towards acceptance when she realizes the trade for human flesh is far too robust for one single person to fight.I hope you find this story a beautiful one and one that will eventually spur you on towards the reading of my next story which covers Adaku's journey into The Middle Passage. This will be Part II, now available on Amazon.com.There is no excuse for slavery and there is no excuse to what has been done but gradually, the healing should give way to a better hope for tomorrow.