Distant Cousin: Reincarnation [Paperback]

Al Past (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2007

Who is trying to kill an ordinary New Mexican housewife? It’s true that Ana Darcy Méndez has secrets even her husband and adorable twins don’t know. One is that her countrymen have accidentally given terrorists a deadly new weapon which they are about to use.

As she risks her life to prevent a massacre, the Russian Mafia, the American Mafia, the U.S. Special Forces, the F.B.I., and the C.I.A. learn one more of her secrets: she is no ordinary housewife!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Al Past lives on a ranch in south Texas with his wife, a college Spanish professor, of almost 40 years and a menagerie of animals. He is a retired college English professor, linguist, and lover of rollicking good tales.

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (June 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595453112
• ISBN-13: 978-0595453115
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,822,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Al Past became an author after a life as a husband and father, a musician, a Naval officer, and a professor of English for 30 years. His first book is still selling: a collection of arrangements of baroque masterpieces for two treble clef instruments (Charles Colin Publications). He has also collaborated with author Barry Yelton, providing the photographs to accompany Mr. Yelton's lovely poetry in On Wings of Gentle Power (Strider Nolan Media).

After concluding his teaching career, he wrote the first volume of the popular Distant Cousin series, the highly readable and original tale of Ana Darcy, the young woman who returned to Earth. Readers who fell in love with Ana have enjoyed following her adventures through the years in the four companion volumes to date: Distant Cousin: Repatriation, Distant Cousin: Reincarnation, Distant Cousin: Regeneration, and Distant Cousin: Recirculation.

Dr. Past has become a devoted owner of a Kindle 2, and is delighted that so many others have been able to become acquainted with Ana Darcy in this modern, convenient, and affordable format.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Distant Cousin #3 - Darcy gets Mad..., June 17, 2009

By 

James P. Morgan "jp49" (Joliet, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Distant Cousin: Reincarnation (Kindle Edition)

This is third in the Al Past series, Distant Cousin. I really enjoyed #1 & #2 but was really surprised with Reincarnation. Reincarnation is filled with adventure, suspense, and action. Character developement continues in this book bringing you closer to the ever growing Darcy. A new character is introduced in this novel, Rob Combs. Rob is an ex-Navy SEAL. Darcy hires Rob to help her with a little problem, the rest is all action. This is an excellent read for you science fiction, action fans.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What happens when Darcy gets mad? You gotta see it to believe it!, August 20, 2008

By 

D. Salerni (Chester County, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Distant Cousin: Reincarnation (Paperback)

Well, we knew it was going to happen. There were hints in the second novel of the Distant Cousin series, and so it is no surprise that in the third novel, Darcy's greatest fears are realized. Her cold and greedy brother-in-law, Herecyn Cymred, has sold the wrong sort of Thoman technology to the wrong sort of person and a weapon of devastating destruction has resulted. Herecyn denies it, of course, but when the Russian mafia tries to eliminate Ana Darcy, the only person who has made the connection, the truth of the matter is obvious.

Author Al Past revs up the action in this third installment of the Distant Cousin series. After seven years of quiet family bliss on the secluded Mendez homestead, hidden in the heart of New Mexico, Darcy once again sacrifices her retirement from public life in order to guard against disaster. As the very first representative from another planet on Earth, Darcy takes it personally to think that technology from her homeworld might be used against mankind. While dodging assassination attempts from hired mercenaries, Darcy plies a little detective work to identify the source of the threat: A Russian oligarch has developed the Thoman technology into a weapon which was promptly tested on remote villages in the tiny territory of Sedlakia, with horrifying results. The US government is loath to interfere, but that doesn't stop one little firebrand of a woman from planning a 2-man mission to save Sedlakia--and possibly the world.

Reincarnation reprises a multitude of characters from the first two books, including government agents, high-powered lawyers, an investigative reporter, and a certain Sicilian "businessman" who once saved Darcy's life. It also introduces a few new characters, such as the Navy SEAL recruited by Darcy for the Sedlaki mission and her own precocious twins, Clio and Julio. Readers get a glimpse inside the personal relationships of the Thoman delegation, which include Darcy's sister and uncle, as well as a thrilling and dangerous adventure in the frozen wilds of Russia. Interspersed with the fast-paced action, we find Darcy's husband Matt holding down the fort at home, supervising the education of his amazing, half-Thoman children, and working out wily plans to preserve their anonymity in the face of Darcy's increasingly public image. And if this is not enough, readers can ponder the significance of the close connection between the Thoman and Sedlaki languages, as well as a certain Sedlaki legend of an ancient queen named Anina Khralovna, who left her people long ago with the promise to return when she was needed ... Highly recommended, but you need to start with Book One!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Down-to-Earth Science Fiction, September 12, 2007

By 

James Wolf "Brother James" (El Paso, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Distant Cousin: Reincarnation (Paperback)

In this latest installment of Al Past's Distant Cousin saga, Ana Darcy's greed-driven uncle brings about a deplorable international situation that only she can set aright. To do so, she must make use of all her unique talents and abilities while placing her life in great peril. To aid her on her mission, she enlists the support of individuals from varied backgrounds, and as usual, brings out the best in all concerned. Her character is so dynamic as to cause her to be mistaken for the reincarnation of an ancient queen, sent to save the people of Sedlakia from impending destruction."

This isn't just another action novel. By now Ana is married, and the author cleverly juxtapositions her Thoman adventures with the family life she longs to share with her husband, Matt Mendez, and their twins. He and the kids manage to find a little adventure of their own, which regularly serves as a refreshing aside from the main story line. As usual, Past serves up delectable portraits of the cuisine in the various parts of the country where Ana finds herself, and his depiction of the landscape in diverse regions of the world gives the reader a genuine sense of presence. Flashbacks and unnecessary references to the two preceding Distant Cousin novels are kept to a minimum; thus, even readers who are unfamiliar with those works will find Distant Cousin: Reincarnation to be intriguing and captivating. Whether you are new to the universe of Ana Darcy and her friends, or are fortunate enough to have read Distant Cousin and Distant Cousin: Repatriation, this work holds a great deal of enjoyment in store for you.