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NOEL CARROLL, a husband and wife writing team, have enjoyed many five-star reviews. After a successful career in business, followed by a dozen years of sailing the Caribbean, they directed their energies toward co-authoring stories. Their published works include novels, short stories, satiric essays and opinion editorials.

REVIEWS

STARVE THE DEVIL ISBN# 0-9658702-7-8

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.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS

I understand Noel Carroll is a husband/wife writing team. How do you divide up the writing?

I (Noel) write (build it up), Carol critiques (tears it down), then we rebuild it together. (In spite of that, we have an excellent marriage.)

2. Your latest, STARVE THE DEVIL, tackles an interesting concept. > How did the premise for this novel come about?

Our plots are suggested by odd moments, such as walking the beach, seeing a passing Coast Guard cutter and being reminded of our difficult times. I must admit, as in the case of many Americans, frustration over the very serious attacks on civilization prompted some defensive thinking.

3. You've tackled numerous genres with your writing. Are there > others you would like to try your hand at?

The subjects reflect practicality and mood swings. Science fiction was our first love, but it is not so popular. We switched to thrillers, then wrote short sci fi stories between novels--it was fun and was well received on science fiction e-zines, both here and in the UK. The humor/satire is also fun, and, like Starve The Devil, is generally triggered by a moment of passion. That is a long-winded way of saying that there may be other genres that come to mind that might, for that moment in time, seem like the thing to do.

4. What are you working on next?

Another thriller, probably to be titled The Exclusion Zone. It takes place on the Antilles island of Montserrat, specifically in the southern two-thirds of the island (referred to by government authorities as the Exclusion Zone) where a volcano has blown for the last ten years. A young couple is forced onto the island when their sailing vessel is damaged. The plot rapidly becomes more complicated, but I had better hold the why of that for now.

5. When you are not writing, do you have and/or share any hobbies?

We used to sail; indeed, we have taken our sailboat as far as South America. After nineteen winters of this, we have come ashore to a place on the ocean. Not as much fun, but safer. We also enjoy photography and astronomy.

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CIRCLE OF DISTRUST ISBN# 0-9658702-0-0

Circle of Distrust A.A. Showcase, 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.

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BROKEN ODYSSEY ISBN# 0-9658702-3-5

Broken Odyssey Reviewer: 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..."

A. A. SHOWCASE

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

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

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NEVER BY BLOOD ISBN# 0-9658702-5-1

Never By Blood Reviewer: 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 Reviewer: 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: 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 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.

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Hey, God; Got A Minute? ISBN# 0-9658702-2-7

Hey, God: Got A Minute? Reviewer: 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..."

Hey. God: Got A Minute? Reviewer: 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 anyone who muses about the deeper issues of life..."

STEELCAVES (U.K.) -- "...Brilliant..."

BLOSM.com "...A humorous quick read..." "...Interesting approach..."

"...Amusing and thought provoking..." "...Andy Rooney could have performed this..."

APHELION E-ZINE - "...I fell in love with it from the first paragraph..."

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ACCIDENTAL ENCOUNTER ISBN# 0-9658702-1-9

APHELION

Dan L. Hollifield, Publisher and Senior Editor

"...grabbed my interest from the first pages...held it to the conclusion...a very enjoyable book..."

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CARROLL'S SHORTS

"Good stories: up past midnight reading them!"

"Grabs one's attention and refuses to let go."

"Easy to identify with the characters."

"Excellent use of descriptive language without being stuffy."

"...looking forward to reading more!"

SLIPPING AWAY: Published on four webzines: Aphelion, Dementia, The Outpost and WritersHood AND in the magazine Lost Worlds. [sample]

…I think it is a wonderful story. I found it engrossing and moving.

I hated that your astronaut played such a cruel trick on his comrades, but

it provides your story with a real kick in the end.

Short Story Editor, Aphelion.

THE GALAPAGOS INCIDENT: Published on Dementia webzine . [sample]

...I really liked your story, I would even say that it is my favorite in the issue.

…I'm sure your talents would be appreciated in any of [our] genres.

Science Fiction Editor, WritersHood

…Basically, this is a very good story, well plotted, and solidly told.

Short Story Editor, Aphelion

SILENT OBSESSION: Semi-Finalist in Tom Howard Short Story Contest. Published on two U.S. webzines: WritersHood and Aphelion , and on the British e-zine, Steelcaves. [sample]

…You’ve maintained your high standard of quality.

Science Fiction Editor, WritersHood

…This is another enjoyable and thoughtful story by Noel Carroll—may the

husband and wife duo keep coming back with more cool tales.

Editorial, WritersHood

…Silent Obsession is a real killer story. …You broke several rules, but the content

is so appealing that the reader who is just looking for an enjoyable read

is not going to complain. It works and it is highly original.

Short Story Editor, Aphelion

…I felt the authors did an excellent job on the whole of

presenting the mind of a young girl…

Editorial, Aphelion

RECYCLED: Published on two U.S. webzines: WritersHood and Aphelion , and on the British e-zine, Steelcaves.[sample]

…Noel Carroll did a good job: the ending surprises, but it is a fair ending. The reader has

a sporting chance of figuring it out. …It is one of those [stories] that

gets even better upon a second reading.

Editorial, Aphelion

...a story that is an exercise in irony.

Short Story Editor, WritersHood

THE COLLECTION: Published on two U.S. webzines: WritersHood and Aphelion , and on the British e-zine, Steelcaves.[sample]

…Noel Carroll did an excellent job of building suspense and horror

without revealing any antagonist.

Editorial, WritersHood

...The Collection is well done. I could easily visualize the protagonist on the glacier

and I could feel the horror of the trap he fell into.

Short Story Editor, Aphelion

...The Collection is a well-written and haunting story, telling us how

the greed of humanity seldom wins out over the raw power of nature.

Aphelion Letter to the Editor

BUTTERFLIES: Published on Aphelion. Also published in audiobook format by AudioRealms. [sample]

I have to compliment Mr. Carroll on his vision.

Aphelion Letter to the Editor

STAIRWAY THROUGH AGONY: Published on Aphelion. [sample]

…I loved the story. Very original and emotional. You are very good

at conveying the emotions of the people involved...

Aphelion Letter to the Editor

BEYOND SAPIENS Published on Aphelion. [sample]

… Courageous diary-like recounting of a classic "what goes around comes around”...

… Good irony. Good tale”...

…You really get a sense of the personality of the character...

Aphelion Letters To The Editor

…very original and interesting plot…

ZEOTROPE Stories

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