ACT Normal: A Stan Turner Mystery (Paperback)

~ William Manchee (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A highly developed original. Hard hitting fast paced dialogue is filled with compelling nuances...Manchee has managed another great environment filled with forceful characters, dilemma and gaffes... 5 Stars." --Molly Martin, Midwest Book Review

This is a fascinating science fiction legal thriller...." Five Stars. Overcrowding on a planet caused some of the inhabitants to colonize two orbs, Earth and Tarizon. A terrible ecological disaster on Tarizon forced the people to erect and live inside domed cities while women had a difficult time becoming pregnant. The governments of Tarizon and that of the earth s United States signed a treaty allowing a citizen of the former to marry an earthling, have children with them, and after a few years on earth return to their Tarizon with the children leaving behind an abandoned bewildered spouse to explain to her family what happened. Lawyer Stan Turner s son is on Tarizon as a means of controlling the former and having him do what his CIA handlers demand. At present they want Stan to get an acquittal for Charlotte Wenzel whose husband and sons disappeared. Their father was from Tarizon and there is no hard evidence. That changes when the police find the body of one of her children. When the beam bringing him to the ship failed, he fell back to earth. Besides that case, Stan is also working to make sure his friend Ben Stover isn t convicted for money laundering due to the manifestations of a vindictive son-in-law who embezzled from their firm. At the same time Stan s partner Paula is trying to get an innocent man cleared of the murder of Chester Brown and his family. --- This is a fascinating science fiction legal thriller in which the government trades children for advanced technologies. The story is told throughout the book in between believable legal strategy amidst the three cases. The CIA and the American government come across as avaricious turncoats as they manipulate people for personal gain. William Manchee goes into incredible depth with the trials and the missing alien and his half-breed children so that the audience is immersed in a legal procedural in a world somewhat similar to ours, but with a radical ET difference. ACT NORMAL will appeal to science fiction and mystery fans obviously especially those who appreciate the joining of the two genres. --Harriett Klausner Reviews

Product Description

In this 8th episode of the Stan Turner Mystery series Dallas attorney Stan Turner struggles to keep his practice going in the wake of the tragic loss of his son and his rapidly disintegrating marriage. Stan, who has been recruited by the CIA for its ultra top secret Tarizon Repopulation project, gets his first assignment to defend a woman accused of murdering her children and alien husband. The alien husband, however, is not from Mexico but Tarizon, a planet in another solar system. Stan must not only prove his client innocent but also make sure nobody finds out that the government is allowing aliens to live and propagate on Earth. While Stan is busy with his CIA project, Paula is asked to defend the accused in the arson-murder of a prominent scientist and his family. While a bitter feud between neighbors over a barking dog and a chain link fence appears to be the motive for the crime, Paula discovers several others who have benefited from Chester Brown's death. In the midst of the two murder cases Stan is lured into a dangerous relationship with an alien woman assigned to him as a legal assistant. He soon learns that the women of Tarizon are even more mysterious and dangerous than those on Earth.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Top Publications, Ltd. (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929976402
• ISBN-13: 978-1929976409
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,784,514 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A relaxing read with twists and turns, August 31, 2007

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (8/07)

"Act Normal," by William Manchee, starts out with: "....there was nothing normal in my life anymore, not since my son Peter had been abducted by aliens from a planet called Tarizon." Normally, I would have put the book down then; however, the reviews were good, so I read on. I am glad that I did so.

Stan is a lawyer who does not specialize. He has a partner, Paula. Paula's husband, Bart, begins to work with Paula after his job with the district attorney ends. Stan and Paula end up trying an embezzlement case and two murder cases.

Stan has to work with the CIA in order to keep his son Peter alive on Tarizon. The Tarizonian leaders give Stan an alien partner. She is tall, blonde, and thin. I picture Heidi Klum. There is definitely sexual tension between the two of them. Is sex inevitable? Is her anatomy the same as a human? You have to read the book to discover that for yourself.

Though the Tarizonians are involved in this plot, this is not a science-fiction novel. This is a courtroom drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is much more relaxing to read than a John Grisham novel, but it is just as exciting.

Anyone who loves a great battle between lawyers will love this story. Manchee has other novels that I am excited to start reading, such as "Yes, We're Open." "Act Normal" is a book of twists and turns that is a relaxing read. I recommend it.