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Chester D. Campbell
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Beware the Jabberwock (Post Cold War Thrillers Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Chester D. Campbell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 247 ratings
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As the Cold War struggles to a close and the Soviet Union disintegrates, rogue elements on both sides of the Iron Curtain join in a deadly plot to maintain their hold on power, codenamed Operation Jabberwock. Telephone intercepts trigger a CIA investigation, but doubters among the higher-ups task a veteran clandestine officer with a drinking problem to track down Jabberwock with only an outsider for help.

Cameron Quinn recruits an old buddy, ex-FBI Agent Burke Hill, whose tarnished career had ended years before. Hill soon finds himself alone in the chase, with enough evidence to convince himself of the plot's potential danger, but shut out by an obsessive bureaucrat. He links up with Quinn's daughter in a race against time to find the shocking answer, a plot to assassinate the American and Russian presidents. Attempting to thwart it could cost both his life and that of the woman he loves.
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  1. Print length
    444 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    April 18, 2012
  5. File size
    1672 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Beware the Jabberwock introduces Burke Hill, the featured character in all three stories that form my Post Cold War Political Thriller Trilogy. A former FBJ agent who was betrayed by J. Edgar Hoover after a risky assignment that ended his career, Burke fled to the Alaska oil fields to escape Bureau harassment. He then roamed the Great Smoky Mountains for five years as a nature photographer until he was routed from chosen anonymity to help an old friend with a surreptitious investigation that changed his life. Burke Hill's background is based on a real ex-FBI agent I met back in the sixties.

About the Author

Chester Campbell is the author of two mystery series featuring private investigators and a trilogy of Post Cold War political thrillers. The Sid Chance series includes THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE MURDEROUS (2011) and THE SUREST POISON (2009). Chester has also written five Greg McKenzie novels featuring a retired Air Force investigator and his wife: A SPORTING MURDER (2010), THE MARATHON MURDERS (2008), DEADLY ILLUSIONS (2005), DESIGNED TO KILL (2004) and SECRET OF THE SCROLL (2002). Political thrillers BEWARE THE JABBERWOCK and THE POKSU CONSPIRACY were published in 2012. The last of the trilogy was OVERTURE TO DISASTER (2013). An old hand at the keyboard, Chester has worked as a newspaper reporter, freelance writer, magazine editor, political speechwriter, advertising copywriter, public relations professional and association executive. An Air Force intelligence officer in the Korean War, he retired from the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel. He is past secretary of the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and immediate past president of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of Sisters in Crime. He lives in Madison, TN with his wife, Sarah.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007VQJ3PY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Night Shadows Press; 1st edition (April 18, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 18, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1672 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 444 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0984604464
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 247 ratings

About the author

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Chester D. Campbell

Chester D. Campbell

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After following a snake-like career path that writhed about from newspapers to magazines to speechwriting to advertising to PR to association management, I settled on novel writing after retirement. I'm having a blast. My PI characters do things I'd never dare attempt. The reviewers love 'em, and so do the fans. Most of my stories are drawn from life, from all the weird and wonderful things that go on around me. Since I've been observing this for the last 90 years, there's no shortage of stuff to draw on. Lately I've finished work on a trilogy of Post Cold War political thrillers. The first, Beware the Jabberwock, and the second, The Poksu Conspiracy, are joined by Book 3, Overture to Disaster. They're set in the early nineties, a time that arrived just after my retirement. My newest novel is Hellbound, a suspense story I practically lived.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
247 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

R Walton
5.0 out of 5 stars Solid, fast-moving story; believable characters
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
Others have summarized the plot far better than I could, so I'll skip that. This book did a wonderful job of holding my attention, the action had a good, steady flow to it. Yes, Burke seemed to be a bit slow to catch on now and then, but I rather enjoy seeing characters who aren't all-seeing and all-knowing. For me, he was very believable.

Others have commented on the descriptions being too much. I rather like being given detail, for me it enhances my mental pictures as I read.

One comment I must add is how few typos & grammatical errors I found. Those will throw me out of the flow of a story very quickly, and I was pleased to find only 2 or 3. I've added Mr. Campbell to my list of authors I follow and I look forward to reading more of his work.
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Lawrence Cisar
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read for fun
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2014
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A very enjoyable story. Yes, it is predictable but the author keeps the pace fast and almost believable so it is enjoyable. It is a light read and one that is just plain fun. Could this happen? Many would say it is possible in this crazy world so that it is realistic enough for most. I liked it.
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Jimmie Bolton
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read!
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2014
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mr. Campbell has an amazing command of the English language. This is one of the few e-books I have read which is not plagued with poor grammar or misspellings - which for me are problematic in that they 'stutter' when read.

The plot is excellent, with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Good suspense novel. This may be the only book I have ever given 5 stars.
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G J
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad read
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2014
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I enjoyed this, it was fairly well written. However, there are some points to the plot that seemed a little odd and unrealistic and it detracted from my enjoyment. It was an interesting premise and it is a shame that it was let down in places - I found myself questioning the credibility of the characters. Overall I am glad I read it, I would happily read another by this author.
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J. W. Thompson
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2014
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The story line was great and the characters well developed. The downside was the description were a bit long and distracted from the action. At times I found myself drifting away and had to go back and read several sections again to get what the author wanted to convey. Sometimes less is more and leaving something to the imagination of the reader is a good thing. All in all I look forward to reading more books from this author.

J.W. Thompson
Author of Rusty Steele
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Nancy Sartor
5.0 out of 5 stars A Gritty Tale Told by a Veteran Writer
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2012
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Beware the Jabberwock is the first in a trilogy of post cold war stories written by veteran reporter and author, Chester D. Campbell. Whereas Campbell's most famous hero, Greg McKenzie operates in a reasonably sane world, Jabberwock is a gritty, hard-hitting tale of international espionage and heart-pounding danger. Jabberwock's hero, Burke Hill is a fifty-five year old ex-FBI `Black Ops' member who once placed his faith in J. Edgar Hoover and then discovered the real meaning behind `out on a limb with a chain saw cutting behind you.' We meet Burke Hill on a twisting trail in the Smoky Mountains that Campbell describes this way, "It writhed into the morning mist like a trapped snake, squeezed at its sides by towering hemlocks." And that's just a taste of Campbell's breathtaking descriptive ability.
What is an ex-FBI operative doing in the Smoky Mountains? Chasing mink. Why? Because it's hard to find and Burke Hill loves a challenge. Burke's solitary life is quickly interrupted by a visit from his old friend and CIA operative, Cameron Hill, who is still working for the Company only because he has a U.S. senator in his pocket. But the senator is retiring soon and Cam knows his days are numbered.
Cam has a job for Burke, one that Burke doesn't want, but he owes Cam in a big way and Cam calls in the marker. Two days later, Burke is in D.C., pining for the tall cedars of East Tennessee. He takes a chill when he realizes that Quinn is operating somewhat outside the complete confidence of the Company, but a debt is a debt, and Burke Hill is an honorable man. Together, the old friends chase Operation Jabberwock until Quinn is killed and Hill is once again staring at an unsanctioned quest much like the one that got him disgraced twenty years ago.
He chooses the honorable path and together with Quinn's lovely and alluring daughter, Lori (Lorelei), an ex-CIA turned travel agent, discovers a plot to assassinate both the Russian and American presidents. Soon after their discovery, they realize they and they alone can stop it.
Campbell's narrative hovers above his characters, swooping into their heads when appropriate, a difficult task for any writer, but he handles it with great skill and the story flows and keeps you in your seat. It moves quickly and expertly from one scene to another until finally resolving in a heart-pounding moment high above the Canadian Capitol.
8 people found this helpful
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Keith L. Zimmerman
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2014
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The cast of charecters was defined to well and then they did not have a active part in the story requiring this definition for some of them ?? Found it interesting that ex employees had the access to CIA/FBI dept heads after employment stopped. The story line was interesting. Would read another from author in future just not this week.
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Prudy
5.0 out of 5 stars Beware the jabberwock
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2014
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I gave this book a five star rating as it was excellent. Anyone who likes political thrillers will enjoy this page turner. I can't wait to read the next post cold war thriller by Chester Campbell.

I gave this book a cover star rating as it was a real page turner. If you enjoy reading political mysteries, this one will definitely be a good read.
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