A World I Never Made [Hardcover]

James LePore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2009

Pat Nolan, an American man, is summoned to Paris to claim the body of his estranged daughter Megan, who has committed suicide. The body, however, is not Megan's and it becomes instantly clear to Pat that Megan staged this, that she is in serious trouble, and that she is calling to him for help.

This sends Pat on an odyssey that stretches across France and into the Czech Republic and that makes him the target of both the French police and a band of international terrorists. Joining Pat on his search is Catherine Laurence, a beautiful but tormented Paris detective who sees in Pat something she never thought she'd find--genuine passion and desperate need. As they look for Megan, they come closer to each other's souls and discover love when both had long given up on it.

Juxtaposed against this story is Megan's story. A freelance journalist, Megan is in Morocco to do research when she meets Abdel Lahani, a Saudi businessman. They begin a torrid affair, a game Megan has played often and well in her adult life. But what she discovers about Lahani puts her in the center of a different kind of game, one with rules she can barely comprehend. Because of her relationship with Lahani, Megan has made some considerable enemies. And she has put the lives of many--maybe even millions--at risk.

A World I Never Made is an atmospheric novel of suspense with brilliantly drawn characters and back-stories as compelling as the plot itself. It is the kind of novel that resonates deeply and leaves its traces long after you turn the final page.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James LePore is an attorney who has practiced law for more than two decades. He is also an accomplished photographer. He lives in South Salem, NY with his wife, artist Karen Chandler. A World I Never Made is his first novel. He is currently at work on his second, which The Story Plant will publish in spring 2010.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

(From Chapter Two)

Paris, January 2, 2004

Pat arrived at his hotel at a few minutes before noon, which gave him just enough time to put the roses into a vase with water and wash his face and hands before going down to the lobby to meet Officer Laurence. When he unwrapped the roses, a prayer card of some kind fell out; he put this in his pocket without thinking much about it. He told the desk clerk that he was expecting an Officer Laurence of the Paris police and pointed to a stuffed chair in a corner where he would be waiting for her. There he sat and began to ponder his strange meeting with the flower girl, but within seconds, or so it seemed, he was interrupted by a tall angular woman in her mid-thirties dressed in a chic dark blue suit over a white silk blouse. Her nose was on the large side and slightly bumpy, and would have dominated her face except that it was nicely in proportion to her high, wide cheekbones and full-lipped broad mouth. The eyes in this face, forthright eyes that met his squarely, were an arresting shade of gray-green that Pat had never seen before. Her gold bracelets jangled as she extended her hand to him and introduced herself with a half smile and a nod of her head.

“Do you speak French, Monsieur Nolan?”

“Un peu.”

“You prefer English?”

“Yes.”

“Mais oui. Of course. You seem surprised, Monsieur. I am not dressed to chase criminals today.”

“I was expecting someone in a uniform. Inspector LeGrand said you were an officer.”

“I am an officer of the judiciary police. In America I would be a detective.”

Pat was surprised at Laurence’s appearance, but it wasn’t at the way she was dressed. Nor was it solely how lovely she was, although she was quite lovely to look at. It was, he realized, how interesting the look in her beautiful eyes was. There was no French arrogance in them, but its opposite, something akin to humility or a complicated, frustrating sadness not unlike his own. This look, whether imagined or real, and the thought it sparked in his overworked mind, took Pat for a moment—a very brief moment—out of himself, a process that on some wider level he observed with gratitude.

“Shall we go?” Laurence said softly, bringing him swiftly but gently back to the grim task at hand.

The ride to the hospital in Laurence’s black Peugeot station wagon was short and quiet. Once there, Laurence spoke rapidly in French to a desk clerk, then shepherded Pat into an elevator which took them to the basement.

“Wait,” she said when they exited the elevator; then, turning, she walked quickly down a long corridor, her high heels clicking on the tiled floor. She disappeared behind double swinging doors, reemerging a moment later and gesturing to Pat to come. It was a long walk for Pat, longer even than the one he had taken twenty-nine years ago to confirm for himself that his wife of eight months was dead. Laurence held open one of the swinging doors for him and he entered a squarish, harshly lit room with a wall of stainless steel body lockers at one end and an autopsy station at the other, where a lab technician in a white smock stood next to a gurney. Pat took this scene in for a moment and then felt Officer Laurence’s hand on his left forearm. At the gurney, Laurence nodded to the technician, who pulled down gently on the pale green sheet. Pat’s eyes went first to the shaved head, then to the crude sutures at the right temple, and then finally to the face, white and stony in death these last four days. It was not Megan. It was a woman generally of Megan’s age and size and coloring, but it was not her.

“This is your daughter, Monsieur Nolan?”

Pat’s mind had stopped working for a second, but it started again when he heard Officer Laurence’s voice. Other voices then filled his head.

My birthday’s coming up. You can bring me a present.

A quick cremation.

Have faith, Monsieur. You will be led to her.

Megan was alive but wanted the world to think she was dead. The world except for Pat and the flower girl on the Street of Flowers.

“Yes,” he answered, nodding, and at the same time reaching out and placing his right hand over the body’s left hand. He pressed through the sheet to feel for the heavy silver ring that he had bought for Lorrie on their honeymoon and then given to Megan when she turned sixteen. To the best of his knowledge, she had not taken it off since. He confirmed its absence, then stepped away from the gurney, keeping his eyes on the unknown woman who had visited Megan on December 30 and killed herself in furtherance of what dark and strange conspiracy—a conspiracy he had now joined—Pat could not fathom. Why, Megan? And where are you?

“She has lost weight from her cancer,” said Laurence.

“Yes.”

The detective nodded to the technician, who pulled the sheet up and began wheeling the gurney toward the lockers.

“Detective Laurence,” Pat said.

“Yes.”

“I would like to have my daughter cremated today if possible. Can you help me?”

“Yes. Upstairs we will sign papers to release the body. We will call a crematorium from my cell phone.”

“And her personal effects?”

“I have them in my car. I will take you to her room if you like.”

“Yes. I would.”

“Perhaps you would like something to eat first, a drink?”

Yes, I could use a drink, a long night of drinking, Pat thought, realizing, as Laurence stared intently at him that the stunned look on his face was not what she thought it was, sorry that he had had to lie to her.

“No,” he said, thanking her with his eyes for the sympathy in hers. “Let’s get it over with.”

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 262 pages
• Publisher: Story Plant, The (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981608728
• ISBN-13: 978-0981608723
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,569,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In 1999 I sold my law practice to write full time. In 2008, I signed a four-book contract with The Story Plant, a small, agile publisher in Stamford, Connecticut. My first novel, 'A World I Never Made,' was released in April, 2009. The second, 'Blood of My Brother,' came out on December 25, 2010, and the third, 'Sons and Princes,' on April 5, 2011. I have also written six short stories that stand alone as pieces of short fiction, but that are meant to accompany my first two novels. The first three of these was released in February, 2011, under the title, 'Anyone Can Die.'

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Suspense, Stunning Conclusion, April 1, 2009

By 

Edie Dykeman - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A World I Never Made (Hardcover)

Pat Nolan flies to Paris to identify the body of his estranged daughter, Megan. She seemed fine when he spoke to her on Christmas Day, and her suicide several days later does not make sense.

When Pat arrives in Paris, he discovers it is not his daughter's body. Believing she is in danger and the suicide note holds important clues to her whereabouts, he identifies the body as Megan and has it cremated the same day as requested in the note. He then begins a search for his missing daughter that takes him farther, physically and emotionally, than he ever thought possible.

With very few clues, and the help of beautiful French detective Catherine Laurence, Pat travels across France to such places as Marrakech, Casablanca, Tangiers, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Along the way, he becomes a target of the French police and a band of international terrorists.

While the reader follows Pat and Catherine on their increasingly dangerous journey, the author tells Megan's story beginning a year before her alleged suicide. She spent the previous ten years traveling throughout Europe as a writer while meeting men willing to pay for her companionship. Along the way, she meets Abdel Lahani, a Saudi businessman. Lahani, it turns out, is not the typical mark and Megan becomes involved in a game far more dangerous and widespread than she could ever imagine.

A World I Never Made includes an interesting and diverse cast of characters. Besides those already mentioned, others include French Deputy Chief Inspector Genevieve LeGrand; Marie Sancerre, a 14 year-old street flower vendor who keeps popping up in strange places; Daniel Pelletier, Catherine's beloved uncle and retired French gendarme (police officer); Annabella Jeritza, a Gypsy fortuneteller who befriended Megan; Annabella's grandson Doro; Abdullah al-Azim, a Syrian pharmacist who helps Megan when she needs him most; and Max French, an American FBI agent.

LePore has written a fascinating suspense story of power and treachery, broken relationships and redemption. Interweaving the two story lines throughout the book can sometimes cause the reader to lose track of the relationship between characters if one is not paying close attention. However, telling Pat and Megan's stories at the same time adds impact as they head towards a stunning and unexpected conclusion.

An attorney for over twenty years, LePore's first novel is an impressive start to a great second career. I highly recommend the compelling suspense story of vivid characters and haunting storyline that will stay with the reader long after the final page.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The good, the bad and the ugly, April 16, 2011

By 

Park Ave (Near Boardwalk) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A World I Never Made (Kindle Edition)

The Good: In abstract, outline form, this book has a great storyline and potential subplots. A brave, beautiful, cynical young American on the run abroad from shadowy forces fakes her own suicide. Her estranged father must find her before the bad guys do. Along the way, a fascinating subplot of him meeting and falling in love with another wounded soul adds to the novel. These three characters are assisted by the Roma of Europe as they flee from attack by the bad guys, struggle to redeem themselves and each other. There's great potential here.

The Bad: Whatever computer program converts from whatever format to the Kindle needs serious help. Does anyone "beta test" these free books before throwing them up on the site? I understand the principle of "you get what you pay for," but this issue seems to be a systemic problem with this and other free Kindle books. If typos drive you crazy, this isn't the book for you.

The Ugly: Overall execution of the book's outline was just flat and underdeveloped. If half of the available subplots had been decently explored, this book would have been significantly longer and more interesting. As written, the characters are flat and relationships aren't well explored as they develop and change. Some of the police characters could have been very interesting, particularly the American FBI agent. The main villain might as well be a cardboard cut-out named "Ali Charming bin EvilTerrorist" because that name tells you all the information provided by this book about him. His history and motives are totally unexplored. Great stories have interesting, complicated relationships and bad guys. This isn't one.

Secondly in "The Ugly" category is the disaster of an ending. The moment this story enters the Czech Republic, the author seemed to bump up against a page limit. The fate of the main villain was left to the epilogue, with no dramatic final confrontation, just "he was captured." Total letdown. Very little in the ending is surprising.

Overall, this book reads like an attempt at a Hollywood script that can't decide if it wants to be family redemption drama, love story or action thriller. It has elements of all three, but never enough to satisfy the reader or support the plotline. "A world I never made" could be epic, but is instead stunted and malformed.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Along For An Exciting Ride, February 8, 2008

By 

Gregory Ziemak - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I was hooked immediately. Before I knew it I was sitting next to Pat Nolan in Inspector LeGrand's office in Paris stunned about what I had just learned about Megan. Something about this does not feel right. I want to know what Pat Nolan and I are going to do next and I want to know now!