ALLEN-AYERS BOOKS

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POLITICAL SCIENCE

The Arrogance and Cost of Convenient Assumption

(non-fiction)

WE ARE ABOUT TO AWAKE FROM THE AMERICAN DREAM -  This book is about the loss of a good thing, our country. It addresses the poor care we give to maintaining it, how we fail to appreciate the economic, social and even military “monsters” that collectively embody a crushing burden we are less and less able to bear. It does not blame Republicans or Democrats or even politicians per se--politicians are prostitutes who will assume any position we require of them. It also does not blame the courts for being too lax (or too harsh), or the oil companies for their vigorous pursuit of profits and their resistance to energy alternatives. There is only one entity deserving of blame, and it lies closer to home.  As said by Walt Kelly’s cartoon character, Pogo:  “We have met the enemy and them is us.”

Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.  Arnold Toynbee, (1889 - 1975)

Read a sample of If You Can Keep It

IF YOU CAN KEEP IT is available through all major book retailers.

BOOKSELLER INFORMATION:

ISBN: 0-9658702-8-6. ISBN-13: 978-0-9658702-8-3

Library of Congress # 2008900204

260 pages; 80,000 words; 5.8 x 8.5 Paperback

Suggested retail price: U.S. $14.55 (Canada: $14.55; U.K.: 9.99E)

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Published by Allen-Ayers Books

Distributed by Ingram Book Company

SUSPENSE - THRILLER

A wisp of steam, lightly dusted with ash, trickled upward from the northwest crater of

Soufrière Hills. The volcano had officially awakened.

An unlikely chain of events work their way into a plot against the Queen of England: A wayward satellite ending its life in a dramatic way, A young couple in the satellite’s path sailing too close to an angry volcano, Terrorists hiding out in the volcano’s Exclusion Zone readying themselves to strike.

Read a sample of The Exclusion Zone

The Exclusion Zone, EBooksNBytes, Michael L. Thal

The writing team of Noel Carroll knit these characters and scenarios expertly together into a woven tapestry of an international political thriller. The Exclusion Zone is a fast paced thriller with a mesmerizing arc. The plot is fluid, and the scene settings are cinemascopic. Anyone drawn into the political maelstrom of today’s war on terrorism will be riveted to The Exclusion Zone.

THE EXCLUSION ZONE is available through all major book retailers.

BOOKSELLER INFORMATION:

ISBN: 0-9658702-6-x. ISBN-13: 9780965870269

Library of Congress # 2006908398.

328 pages; 120,000 words; 5 x 8 Paperback

Suggested retail price: U.S. $8.99 (Canada: $9.99; U.K.: 5.99GBP)

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Published by Allen-Ayers Books

Distributed by Ingram Book Company

SUSPENSE - THRILLER

A defeated president obsessed with the thought that only he can save humanity.

The subject of terrorism by Islamic extremists looms large in the thoughts of us all. This novel presents in a very believable way a president’s secret plan to attack the problem at its source. It is a powerful tale that will stir emotions then long linger in the mind. The opinion expressed within the ROUNDTABLE review (below) will likely be shared by most readers:

President of the United States William Morrison is sitting in the Oval Office awaiting the ceremony that will remove him from power. He is bitter but accepting. He has set in motion a desperate plan that, although no longer his prerogative, will be impossible to defeat.

Carl McCormic is a troubled new addition to the CIA. He is also bitter, but for a different reason. A misadventure in Cuba cost him his lover and five months of his life. Now he discovers he has participated in what he believes to be a government-sponsored atrocity.

Read a sample of Starve The Devil

Starve The Devil, EBooksNBytes, Michael L. Thal

President William Andrews Morrison is alone in the Oval Office for the last time before turning over the reigns of power to his successor. He’s about to do something that will alter the course of history.

Carl McClure is released from a Cuban cell. Tomas, the head of the DGI believes the United States is testing a horrible new poison on a rural Ethiopian community. Women fall ill losing their unborn children. Tomas encourages the American to investigate.

Starve the Devil is an action adventure thriller. The writing team of Noel Carroll paints a beautiful setting around the Peruvian jungle, Alaltopec, Mexico, and Vail, Colorado. We are introduced to a list of formidable characters. There’s the alluring Santina Cortez, a Mexican beauty who is also a presidential mistress. She is the recipient of a CIA package that will kill innocent babies. Carl McClure is the unwitting courier.

There is the snake, Carter Brennan, a presidential assistant who enjoys his work—terminating anyone getting too close to the conspiracy he has vowed to protect with his life.

The attractive Denny is torn by her love for her “Poppy” and the undercover CIA agent who intrudes into her life.

My favorite character is Carl McClure. Here’s a guy with more lives than a Maine coon cat. He’s a CIA agent who uncovers an American plot of genocide. As McClure follows the trail from the rain forests of South America to the concrete jungles of Boston and Washington, DC, the reader is mesmerized by a quick witted writing style that keeps nails short and the edges of seats warm.

Starve the Devil is a must read for Noel Carroll fans and anyone who loves a good thriller.

Starve The Devil, ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS, Tracy Farnsworth

CIA Agent Carl McClure has suffered plenty in his time on the job. A recent discovery may be enough to put him over the top. Carl learns that the CIA has been unknowingly involved in the plot of a madman. A “New World Order” plans to eliminate members of the human race that they feel are not worthy of living. The problem is the President of the United States is the man responsible. Will Carl be able to stop a plan that’s already in motion?

STARVE THE DEVIL hooks you from the start and keeps you glued to the pages. There is a little flipping back and forth between characters that may throw the pace off with some, but once I had the key players’ roles down, I found it a lot easier to read.

Husband and wife team Noel Carroll pen an intriguing thriller. I am not sure what worries me more – that I can actually see something like this happening in the world today, or that I understand the president’s actions and partially agree.

STARVE THE DEVIL is available through all major book retailers.

BOOKSELLER INFORMATION:

ISBN: 0-9658702-7-8. Library of Congress # 2004104016.

251 pages; 112,000 words; 5 x 8 Paperback

Suggested retail price: U.S. $7.99 (Canada: $11.25; U.K.: 4.75GBP)

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Published by Allen-Ayers Books

Distributed by Ingram Book Company

SUSPENSE - THRILLER

...Two young people, bonded by tragedy...

"I worry that I won't get all this down, that before I'm able to do so I'll run out of either paper or life. In my current state of mind, I view the former with as much tragedy as I do the latter, since there would then be no way of telling the why of what happened, what it was that led Nicola and me to this. You see, we were driven by separate demons."

THE STORY: Carl McCormic longs to see Cuba, the land of his late mother's birth. Opportunity arrives in a beautiful young woman who only recently fled the island. Anger smoldering within her, she wants him to smuggle her back in - to destroy what she left behind.

Read a sample of Broken Odyssey

REVIEWS

Broken Odyssey: SIME~GEN, Linda Nelson

Pat McCormick and his son Carl were more like good buddies, out looking for a lark, than a father and son who were desperately trying to shake off the grief of loving and losing someone close to them.

Enjoying some quality time sailing the Mary Lou and matching their strengths and wits in friendly competition with nature in tropical waters off Florida's Gold Coast was both a distraction and good clean fun. Or so they thought until they saw two large men trying to bully a young lady into a car.

It didn't take Carl or retired cop Pat McCormic long to make the decision to become involved. Manhandling lovely young ladies was not something they could just stand there and allow. After all we are talking about a beautiful damsel in obvious distress, two obviously strong man types with the will and the strength to help, and two large dangerous bullies just asking for a fist in the face.

The local police came just in time to rescue the bullies from being seriously injured. After playing the usual question and answer game with the local authorities, the two thoughtful men took the lady out to dinner.

It was at this dinner that they learned that this small child-like girl was in real deep trouble. It was at this time that they took on a dangerous passenger, a passenger named death, in the form of a tiny woman.

This book is excellently crafted. The relationship between the two men, father and son, is believable. The conflict of adding one little woman with a big problem to solve kept you on the edge of your seat in breathless anticipation. Using both setting and dialogue, we get stirred into some serious political games that is bound to upset anyone's digestion. Mix it all up with a well-known political figure in history and you get just enough spice to make very tasty soup in this suspense-filled mystery.

The husband and wife team that makes up Noel Carroll has a winner here with this one. I suggest you wear loose-fitting clothes when you come to this feast. You will leave the table satisfied.

Broken Odyssey Reviewer: EBooksNBytes, Michael L. Thal

I doubt I’ll ever take a trip to Cuba, but the author team of Noel Carroll made me feel I was there in their thrilling new novel, Broken Odyssey.

Carl McCormic, recent college grad, and his father, Pat, a retired Philadelphia police captain, decide to take a year off and go sailing. Both men needed time to mend. Carl’s mother, a Cuban immigrant, had recently passed away.

Broken Odyssey is told in a first person narrative through Carl’s diary, written as he drifted alone at sea. He writes about the events that led to meeting Nicola, how he and Pat rescued her from Cuban thugs, and his unplanned trip into his mother’s homeland. He would help Nicola rescue her mother from her politically connected father.

Carl is the reason I enjoyed this book. His voice makes me see and feel an island nation Americans are banned to visit. I got a flavor of Cuban life, its vibrant people, and the poverty so many of them endure as a backdrop to this political thriller.

The novel is filled with interesting characters. Alex, the CIA agent is in charge of the McCormic case. His comments throughout the book give us some insight into the cat and mouse game Americans play with our Cuban neighbors. His Cuban counterpart, Tomas, shows us a man respectful of power while avoiding the trappings of abuse. Then there’s the enchantress. The author writes, “Nicola has had a difficult life, not in a material sense, but emotionally.” She’s beautiful on the surface, but beneath the beauty bubbled a troubled soul.

Broken Odyssey is a page-turner. The author team goes to great lengths to delve into the minds of their characters and describe a Cuba most of us will never see. Like their previous book, Never by Blood, the reader is blessed with a thriller that can’t be resisted. I highly recommend Broken Odyssey.

Broken Odyssey Reviewer: Book Pleasures Reviews, Molly Martin

Pat McCormick is retired following years as a Philadelphia police captain, his son Carl has just graduated from college. The pair decide to take a year to do little but come to grips with the recent death of Carl's Cuban emigrant mother. A forty one foot Morgan sloop and plans to sail down the Eastern Sea Coast toward Florida and then on to Venezuela seem to be the perfect solution for Father and son as they deal with their loss. A bloody diary, chance meeting with Nicola, a beautiful young woman in Nassau and a tangled web filled with jeopardy, conspiracy and death were not foreseen when the pair picked up the sail boat in Annapolis. Nicola tells the pair she is the unacknowledged child of an unmarried mother and an important member of the Cuban government. Nicola says her father is a member of the executive council. It has long been Nicola's wish to be acknowledged by her father. Rescuing Nicola from the thugs trying to force her into a car, Pat and Carl know they will help Nicola realize her plan to go to Cuba. That plan, however, does not include any of them being shot, swamped at sea, or taken onboard a Cuban Patrol Boat.

Broken Odyssey is a masterfully crafted work. The narrative is told in the first person through Carl's diary. The relationship between the two men, Pat and his son Carl is plausible. Discord resulting from the addition of Nicola is ample The conflict is resolved in satisfactory, if not completely agreeable manner. The writers Noel Carroll mix a well known political figure, political games, gritty dialogue and enough descriptive prose to bring the story alive. Carl's diary written as he is adrift at sea tells of the meeting with Nicola, and his unplanned trip to Cuba, his mother's homeland. The book is filled with exciting characters. CIA agent Alex' comments sprinkled throughout the book prove a glimpse into the games played between America and Cuba.

From the opening lines Broken Odyssey is a fast paced page turner carrying the reader on a blasting adventure filled with mystery, intrigue and machination. Bloody fingerprints catches reader interest. A keenly focused tale captured with wit and style carries the reader forward in this masterfully engineered tale. Voices of the principal characters are natural, believable, and well thought out.

First class dialogue, spine tingling action and pleasantly puzzling incertitude Broken Odyssey has it all. Excellent book for a long evening spent in front of the fire while a storm rages outside. Enjoyed the read. Recommended.

BLOSM.com

"...Reader engaged from opening lines..."

"...Startling and compelling plot."

"...A well-written, mainstream story..."

"...Strong characters..."

"...Good dialogue, gripping tale..."

A. A. SHOWCASE

"...This is quality writing..."

"...You could see something like this happening..."

BROKEN ODYSSEY is available through all major book retailers.

BOOKSELLER INFORMATION:

ISBN: 0-9658702-3-5. Library of Congress # 2002092588.

248 pages; 113,000 words; 5 x 8 Paperback

Suggested retail price: U.S. $7.99 (Canada: $12.75; U.K.: 5.25GBP)

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Published by Allen-Ayers Books

Distributed by Ingram Book Company

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SUSPENSE - THRILLER

...A terrorist with a hidden cause; a woman's desperate attempt to keep him from destroying her world...

THE STORY: We all suffer nightmares and, for the most part, dismiss them as such. But for Therese Elliott, young, attractive and highly respected in her position at Villanova University, it has gone beyond dream to gruesome reality.

Therese is desperate in her need to know, not only what triggered the dream but why she finds it so impossible to let it go. And why she knows with a fatal certainty that, if it is not quickly sorted out, the shuttle Atlantis with her astronaut husband aboard will be sent crashing into the International Space Station.

Allies come in surprising form, and Therese sees opportunity in a disturbingly handsome priest with a shaky hold on his halo. Father John Cortise has been sent by the Vatican to investigate a series of religious murders, the details of which appear to have been plucked from her nightmare. She enlists his aid and together they pursue the truth to London, to Beirut, then finally to Florida, aware that the clock is ticking and that, unless they succeed, Atlantis and whatever evil rides within her will take off as scheduled.

Read a sample of Never By Blood

REVIEWS

Never By Blood: SCRIBES WORLD, Michael L. Thal

Therese Elliott wakes up from a horrible nightmare. She was in the body of her husband, Mike Elliott, who in twenty-eight days will be aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, planned to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). The dream revealed Mike to be the sole survivor of the mass slaughter of everyone on board. And the shuttle was heading for its inevitable collision with the ISS.

Strap on your shoulder harness and get ready for a non-stop thriller that will keep you guessing until its final pages. Husband and wife team, Noel Carroll, has a descriptive style and fluid pace that opens windows from the suburbs of Philadelphia, to the wet streets of London, and the poverty of war torn Beirut.

Therese Elliott suspects that her dream is the key to unraveling an international mystery that jettisons the reader around the world. With the aid of a Catholic priest, Father John Cortise, she has little time to prevent the disaster she knows will come. The newly formed team follow-up hunches and leads that the FBI and Interpol have ignored. Only Therese knows the truth. Will she be able to supply the evidence she needs to postpone Atlantis' launch date and stop the nightmare she's sure will happen?

I highly recommend Never By Blood to all readers who enjoy fast paced action, international intrigue and suspense, with a dash of romance.

Never By Blood: MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, Shelley Glodowski

Plumb full of action, Never By Blood has all the hallmarks of a great whodunit, international thriller style. The Noel Carroll team does a bang-up job of secreting the murderer among a fairly small list of potentials and completely faking out the reader in the most delightful way. Shuttle/NASA details are complex enough to satisfy the biggest techno-nut. The power is in the details, and Never by Blood spares none. It is a multi-layered exercise in what excellent writing is all about. There is never a dull moment, and characterization is top-notch. A most amazing read. Please keep writing more of these...they're great!

Never By Blood: SIME~GEN, Linda Nelson

Living here in Florida where seeing the shuttle go up is as easy as walking out into our backyards and looking up, I was glad for this new perspective. It was a treat to read … about the preparations and the planning involved in sending men and woman off into space without being overwhelmed with too much of the science detail … just enough to give us some of the wonder and excitement of it all.

I was especially impressed with the dialog between the characters in this book. I found myself chuckling at the repartee while I still felt the shivers of drama.

…Taken together as a whole this was an excellent out of this world romp. Chillingly believable, contemporary and very closely tied to what is happening in our world today. Taken from the daily news, the possibility of an accident out there in space, and the treatment of men and woman in our society whatever their profession or beliefs may be, gives this skeleton some meat that most mysteries I have read don't usually take on.

Never By Blood Reviewer: AA SHOWCASE, Janet Miller

"Never by Blood" is a nicely paced, well written tale, with just enough fact about the actual launching of a space shuttle to ground the story without overwhelming the reader. The characters were well drawn including some of the minor characters. The main characters, Therese, John, Therese's husband, Mike Elliot, and "Jimenez" the killer were very believable. The identity of the killer was obscured enough to keep the reader guessing as to who it was, a nice trick when you consider that a shuttle crew only provides a limited number of candidates.

Overall, "Never by Blood" is a very interesting book, entertaining, and well worth reading.

NEVER BY BLOOD is available through all major book retailers.

BOOKSELLER INFORMATION:

ISBN: 0-9658702-5-1. Library of Congress # 2002091649.

228 pages; 112,000 words; 5.5 x 8.5 Paperback

Suggested retail price: U.S. $8.99 (Canada: $14.50; U.K.: 6.25GBP)

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Published by Allen-Ayers Books

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HUMOR - SATIRE

To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions;

both dispense with the necessity of reflection....POINCARE

"I tried to lighten up the conversation by talking about the Big Bang, the thing that got the whole universe going. But when I said, 'It must've scared the hell out of you when it happened,' God stared at me for a long time then woke me up."

Harold is a simple man long troubled by doubts about what he should or should not believe. He fears the loss of his soul if he does not soon discover which of the world's "indisputable truths" are truly indisputable. One night, alone and distraught, he falls asleep to the most realistic dream he has ever had, a dream in which he is approached by the "Big Guy" come in person to address his pain. Not one to waste an opportunity, Harold hails him down then begins a nightly grilling.

Read a sample of Hey, God; Got a Minute?

REVIEWS

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, Paul Vogel

"…a sometimes lighthearted, sometimes introspective, always thought-provoking and attention engaging discourse of one man's conversations with God. Offering a series of thought-provoking questions, universal dilemmas, and unique insights worthy of contemplation, Hey God; Got A Minute? is an eminently accessible and enthusiastically recommended reading -- the kind that lingers in the heart and mind long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf."

SCRIBES WORLD, Michael L. Thal

"…an amusing, thought provoking narrative between a man and a deity who has more questions than answers. Just under 150 pages, this is the perfect gift for any one who muses about the deeper issues of life."

STEELCAVES (U.K.)

Brilliant

BLOSM.com

"Quite amusing."

"A humorous Quick Read"

"Interesting approach, amusing and thought provoking"

"Andy Rooney could have performed this."

APHELION

"I fell in love with it from the first paragraph."

"An interesting discourse."

HEY, GOD; GOT A MINUTE? is available through all major book retailers.

BOOKSELLER INFORMATION:

ISBN: 0-9658702-2-7. Library of Congress # 2002107836.

148 pages; 36,000 words; 5 x 8 Paperback

Suggested retail price: U.S. $9.75 (Canada: $15.50; U.K.: 6.75GBP)

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Published by Allen-Ayers Books

Distributed by Ingram Book Company

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SUSPENSE - THRILLER

...Death and destruction followed them everywhere. They were major players in an unfolding apocalypse and there was little they could do to escape it...

THE TENSE AND GRIPPING TALE of Clay Iverson, a brilliant young engineer who takes his company's top secret listening device out for a little fun, a lark that plummets him into the midst of a conspiracy that threatens, not only his life, but that of his lover, Shelly. Overhearing two men in a blimp testing mind-numbing electronics on an unsuspecting crowd of revelers, he turns to Shelly for help. But their inquiries bring swift and terrible retribution, and they soon find themselves fleeing from Clay's unscrupulous company, from the FBI, and from a murderous Black Moslem group.

Read a sample of Circle of Distrust

REVIEWS

A. A. SHOWCASE REVIEWS, Michael Anka

This novel, with its intriguing opening scene triggered my interest from the first page. The two main characters, young professionals in a secretive and challenging field get tangled almost inadvertently in a complicated charade that suddenly places their careers and very lives on the line.

The author's keen sense of pacing and careful control of the language, using fresh dialogue throughout the book, weaved a compelling and gradually increasing web of danger for the characters, making you participate in the story, join them in their analytical strategy for defense.

Noel Carroll brings us into the cold corporate world with a new approach-even the hard-nosed villain characters are filtered through the author's sensitive soul painting a vivid human portrayal which manages to keep the reader in the 'loop,' helping him or her play a part in this multilevel, at times frightening, conflict.

The two young characters, with their fresh minds and rushed mistakes in their pursuit for survival bring us in a real and complicated world of cat and mouse chase which climaxes in a daring but intriguing scene, completing the full circle of distrust in a dramatic but fulfilling way.

I place this author high in the techno-thriller category and I'm looking forward to reading more books written by this compassionate and crafted pen.

CIRCLE OF DISTRUST is available through all major book retailers.

BOOKSELLER INFORMATION:

ISBN: 0-9658702-0-0. Library of Congress # 2002091863.

324 pages; 140,000 words; 5 x 8 Paperback

Suggested retail price: U.S. $11.95 (Canada: $18.50; U.K.: 8.25GBP)

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Originally Published in hardcover by Hollis Books

Published in paperback by Allen-Ayers Books

Distributed by Ingram Book Company

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SCIENCE FICTION

.....An extraterrestrial mistake, a controlled space warp left open a fraction too long, a Wyoming hiker unknowingly walks into another world. His surprised and reluctant hosts not only have him to contend with, but they must also head off a potential disaster on Earth as his lover pushes local authorities into a desperate search.....

Read a sample of Accidental Encounter

REVIEWS

APHELION, Dan L. Hollifield, Publisher and Senior Editor

"It grabbed my interest from the first few pages and held it all the way to the conclusion. Very well done.

I found this to be a very enjoyable book to read. The characters were real enough for me to start caring about them early on in the story. Noel and Carol have crafted an engaging adventure for their heroes. The aliens were just as well written as the human characters, so no part of the novel was slighted. The writers can feel justified in being proud of this novel.

I particularly enjoyed the aliens and their technology. Carol and Noel came up with a wonderful concept for their aliens and didn't stint in developing their associated technology and society. The interaction between the alien and human characters is very well done. As is the human to human and alien to alien dialogues.

All in all, a very fun read."

ACCIDENTAL ENCOUNTER is available through all major book retailers.

BOOKSELLER INFORMATION:

ISBN: 0-9658702-1-9. Library of Congress # 2002091864.

316 pages; 142,000 words; 5 x 8 Paperback

Suggested retail price: U.S. $11.95 (Canada: $18.50; U.K.: 8.25GBP)

Standard Industry Discounts

Originally Published by Hollis Books

Published by Allen-Ayers Books

Distributed by Ingram Book Company

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ABOUT US

ALLEN-AYERS BOOKS opened its doors at the start of the new century and has published in the genres of thriller, mystery thriller, humor/satire and "soft" science fiction. The emphasis in each is on a well told story. We are not interested in "blow up the world" fiction or nightmarish monsters.

SUBMISSIONS

PLEASE NOTE

We are not accepting submissions at this time. Our intention is to invite only those whom we consider to be gifted story tellers. Should this policy change, submission guidelines will appear in this spot, but until then, please do not submit any material. Our time limitations will prevent it from being examined or returned.

CONTACT US

E-mail: allen-ayers@cfl.rr.com

Contact: Publisher; Allen-Ayers Books

Allen-Ayers Books: Listed in Literary Market Place; Dun & Bradstreet # 119313034; NAICS code 51130

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