"The future is no place to
place your better days."
-- Dave Matthews
James O'NealBooks
Police thrillers set in the
Near future
The Human Disguise
The world has been shattered. Disease and war have ravaged the Earth. A resurgent Germany once again threatens Europe, and the United States is engaged in the Middle-East while New York sits, an empty, radioactive ruin. The city of Miami has become a virtual prison, home to the worst life has to offer. Detective Tom Wilner lives on the outskirts of this forsaken realm. With his family slipping away from him, Wilner is just a pale version of the war hero he once was. When a chance encounter in a rundown roadhouse erupts in violence, Wilner is forced to step in. His exploration into the violence of that evening leads him to a terrifying truth: We are not alone. There are other, ancient, warring races on the planet. They have been manipulating power and control on Earth for centuries, and are about to enter into a battle for ultimate supremacy. Our world, their war. Unless Tom Wilner can summon the courage he once had and stop them.
Publisher's Weekley (4/27/2009) review of The Human Disguise
(Starred Review) The Human Disguise James O'Neal. Tor, $15.95 (368p) ISBN 978-0-7653-2014-8 This near-future page-turner debut amalgamates apocalyptic science fiction, police procedural and thematic dashes of alien invasion and vampire mythos. Fighting wars in Syria, Iraq and the Balkans, the U.S. is on the precipice of anarchy. Manhattan is a radioactive wasteland, sprawling plague quarantine zones are commonplace and lawlessness is rampant. When Tom Wilner, a detective with Florida's underfunded Unified Police Force, witnesses a bloody shootout at a roadhouse, he becomes entangled in a vast conspiracy involving his estranged wife and her crime lord lover, a terrorist plot to detonate a dirty bomb in Florida and speculation about a race of godlike hominids and a looming alien invasion. O'Neal provides the postapocalyptic genre with few innovations, but his self-assured, hard-edged writing style, solid characters and wildly entertaining thriller plot will keep readers enthralled. (June)
“One helluva
story from one helluva writer! Only a cop like James O’Neal could
create futuristic bad guys like those in The Human Disguise.
And only O’Neal could weave them into such a slick, fast-paced
story--one you’re convinced is the real world. This is a ride--and a writer--you’re
long going to remember.” --W.E.B. Griffin, Bestselling author
"Newcomer
James O'Neal presents a gritty, down-and-dirty vision of the near future
with plenty of action and suspense that keeps the story moving from page
one to the end."
--Ben Bova,
Hugo award-winning author of The Immortality Factor
"Aliens, a rotten future, civilization on the ropes...James
O’Neal writes like an old, twisted, wigged-out Hunter S. Thompson. Al
Gore, save us, please!" --Stephen Coonts, New York Times bestselling author of The Assassin
"As soon
as I began reading The Human Disguise I was immediately
reminded--strongly--of Orwell's 1984. Jim's vision of a new
future, in which ordinary life has taken a surreally dark turn, bears a
more than superficial resemblance to Orwell's vision. Only in Disguise,
Jim has thrown in two even more ominous wrinkles: Aliens already
living amongst us, and the presence of a space ship from another solar
system making its way towards earth." --David Hagberg, USA Today bestselling author of Dance with the
Dragon
"James O'Neal puts the ultimate twist on the modern
crime tale."- Paul Levine, Bestselling author
MAY, 28, 2009 at 7:00PM, first signing at the Vero Beach Book Center , 2145 Indian River Blvd, Vero Beach, 772-569-2050
MAY 29, 2009 at 7:00PM, Book Launch Party at Murder on the Beach Mystery Book store 273 Pineapple Grove Way,
Delray Beach, FL 33444.
(561) 279-7790
Join Jim and friends as they celebrate the launch of The Human Disguise with snacks, beer, wine and a few laughs..
JUNE 4, at 4:00PM , Haslem's Bookstore ,2025 Central Ave., St. Pete, FL, 33712 (727) 822-8616
JUNE 5 & 6, Mystery Florida conference, Sarasota, Florida (Attending as James O. Born) . A fun fast weekend of publishing, writing and mystery discussions.
October 15-16 2009, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW) Colorado Gold Conference. RMFW's theme this year is "Growing Writers" and the conference will include both short and longer in-depth sessions designed to grow writers at every stage of their development.
October 16, 2009, The Florida College English Association Conference. Jim is the main lunch speaker.
Jay Lake http://www.jlake.comOne of the brightest, most interesting fantasy authors around
today. Pick up Mainspring and Escapement for some great reading.
Jeff VanderMeer http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/Ecstatic Days is a snap shot of this insightful, intelligent and
entertaining writer. His Ambergris series is intense, mind-bending fun. His anthology of Fantasy edited with his wife Ann (Fiction editor
of Weird Tales Magazine) is a must read.
James O. Born http://www.jamesoborn.com/The alter ego of James O’Neal. James O. Born books are realistic police stories drawing on the
author’s real career in law enforcement.
