The Black Tea Experiments [Perfect Paperback]

Ray Atkinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 2007

Logan Bauer, a brilliant college student, has a promising future. However, when his girlfriend is accused of murdering fellow student Brent Johnson, Logan must go on a quest to discover the truth that will set her free. Logan's journey soon takes him to the former Soviet Union and into the hands of the infamous Dr. Vladimir Rostov, a former scientist who worked on several top-secret medical projects during the Cold War, including the Black Tea Experiments, a drug that would enhance the learning ability of children and ultimately increase the intelligence level of future Soviet generations. But everything isn't as it seems. The two worlds of the former Soviet Union and the quaint college town of Crandon, Illinois, soon collide, forcing Logan to uncover the pieces of Rostov's twenty-five-year-old secret in this exciting murder mystery

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ray Atkinson weaves a detailed mystery around a palatable plot that will leave you hungry for more. All of the essential ingredients for a good thriller are here, and the ending is a well-prepared dessert worthy of four stars. I am looking forward to whatever mystery Atkinson cooks up next." --Cory Sekine-Pettite

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: American Book Publishing (March 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589823702
• ISBN-13: 978-1589823709
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,027,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well done!, October 5, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Black Tea Experiments (Perfect Paperback)

Ray Atkinson is a St. Louis native and was raised in Ohio. He holds an MBA from Thomas More College and is now also a lawyer, after graduating in May of 2007 (having gone into Law School at the age of 40). He has invented what he calls the "airplane novel," which is a small book that can be read on a trip from point A to point B.

Logan Bauer is a student at a small university in Crandon, Illinois. He got there via an impoverished childhood; a deceased mother; and a foster home. He is a brilliant math student and part-time astronomer. But when his telescope delivers pictures of a brutal murder by a group of Russian mafiosos his life takes on a bizarre turn as he and his childhood friend, Eddie, tear around the South looking for answers to why his sleepy college town has suddenly erupted in murder:

"Later that evening they packed a few things in Eddie's Ford Escort, then drove through the night. Their route took them through Saint Louis, Memphis, Jackson, and straight into LaPlace-thirteen hours including stops for gas and cigarettes. The air was warmer down in the South, and more humid. The air conditioner in the Escort did not work, so somewhere around Jackson they opted to roll down the windows. Once in Louisiana, they drove down I-55, and then they cut over to Airline Highway. From there they headed west straight into downtown LaPlace."

Ray Atkinson has produced a new and unique genre: the exquisite little murder mystery which he calls "airplane novel." His plot moves quickly as in a short story, but he takes his time winding out the real story. He gives his character, Logan Bauer, enough time to grow into a promising young man suddenly beset by problems that eventually lead him to re-evaluate his life and make drastic changes.

THE BLACK TEA EXPERIMENTS is a world-wise and yet small town mystery that is sensitive and tragic. It's not really a whodunit, but there is definite mystery and secrets that keep the reader glued to the story. It is indeed an "airplane mystery," and hopefully there will be more to come from this ingenious author. Well done!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Terse and Fascinating Little Intrigue Tale, March 21, 2007

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Black Tea Experiments (Perfect Paperback)

This very brief (142 page) first novel by Ray Atkinson is being marketed as `an airplane novel', meaning it is a short but involving book that can be read during the course of a single travel flight, keeping the reader fascinated by this little page turner to make the time fly.

Actually, THE BLACK TEA EXPERIMENTS stands well enough on its own merits to do without the label! New novelist Ray Atkinson has created what feels like it may be an ongoing series of stories that involve young people discovering the intricacies of the crass adult world bruised by history and experimentation and following clues that result in global travel and political and scientific intrigue. And while Atkinson's first book doesn't have the polish and perceptive ideals of pacing and character development that novels of longer scope enjoy, he does show all the right indications that he may join the genre of thriller writers that keep the book selling charts high.

The title of the book is the name of an experimental venture carried out in the Cold War period Soviet Union - a plan to inject a group of children with a new drug (called `black tea') `that would enhance the learning ability of children and ultimately increase the intelligence level of future Soviet generations...If successful, the Soviets would gain huge advantages in the Olympics, politics, global trade, and warfare, and therefore become the world's greatest superpower'. Problem: the injected children underwent a blood type change that permanently altered their bodies preventing them from receiving blood products from anyone other than fellow injected patients.

Move to the American Midwestern college where a young lad Brent travels to the Ukraine, only to be murdered on return. A smart lad Logan in the college has developed a fancy telescope with `binary refraction' that is far more sensitive to surveying space than any other telescope. His telescope falters one night, falling to aim at the streets below the building on which it is mounted and just happens to capture images that show the murder of Brent. Logan's girlfriend Tia departs on a little trip and Logan is faced with whether he should share the images captured on disc with the police. But strange things begin to happen upon Tia's return and Russians appear in the town leaving evidence that the murder has more significance than previously known: Brent was shot in the head twice but also one of his kidneys was surgically extricated - leaving the idea that it was used as a transplant donor. The quiet little college town reacts in panic, and from there the mystery becomes complex as to the discovery that Brent was one of the Black Tea Experiment kids, a fact that opens Pandora's box for increased intrigue and trips to the Ukraine and to the little towns of Louisiana where the crime and mystery are resolved.

All of this, mind you, is contained in 142 pages - and begs for further elucidation in future books. Many questions Atkinson raises are left unresolved, many characters are but outlines begging for more background, and there are too many hastily resolved issues and not enough editing of the extended episodes that barely enhance the plot. For this reader these are indications that THE BLACK TEA EXPERIMENTS have just begun. And if Atkinson pursues this series with books as well written as this one, then we have a treat (and most likely a film) in store. This is a fine first novel and a guaranteed `gripper' for any airplane ride! Grady Harp, March 07

4.0 out of 5 stars A Short Story with a Great Plot, July 20, 2007

By 

Stephanie Toland "stephlee77" (Peoria, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Black Tea Experiments (Perfect Paperback)

As the book opens, we meet Brent Johnson. He seems like an average college student, except he is on his way to the Ukraine for 10 days. And he is fluent in Russian. He is searching for the infamous Dr. Rostov, a mysterious man with known Russian mafia connections and for his involvement with something known as the "Black Tea Experiments". Although everyone in the city of Sevastopal KNOWS of Dr. Rostov, no one can tell Brent where he is. The trail is cold and he has to go back to the US without any answers.

Logan Bauer is also a college student at the University of Central Illinois. Logan is on scholarship to the university, having won a science fair when he was in high school. With a little hard work and an incredibly brilliant scientific mind, Logan designed and created a digital imagining telescope that uses a new technology that he calls binary refraction. It is such an impressive feat, that scientists from NASA have traveled to Iowa just to see it. And it was Logan's ticket to college. He now has it mounted on a building near his dorm so he can scan the heavens for new images.

But one day, he goes to retrieve the images and notices the telescope had slipped out of position and was pointing at the street. A waste of imaging, he's afraid, until he hears the news. The body of college student Brent Johnson has been found along the same street his telescope was recording images. Brent was shot twice in the head and his kidney was removed. What if Logan has recorded the murder on his telescope??

Let me just begin by saying I don't generally like short stories or "Novellas". I prefer novels because it seems like the character development is much better, as is the plot. And I have to admit, I would have liked "more" with this book. The plot was fantastic, and the idea of "The Black Tea Experiments" is a really interesting one. I was fascinated by the concept. Although Atkinson did a good job with a complete story, I still would have liked more. It was sparsely written, but not in a bad way. Atkinson knew what he wanted to get across to the readers. And he did that. He created a nifty little thriller in a very small package. If you like shorter tales, this one is definitely for you. Personally, I would have liked to see more, but that's just my opinion.