Gary Sorkin for Pacific Book Review
End Game: Irrational Acts, Tragic Consequences, is Book III of the Antarctic Murders Trilogy. In many ways, it brings to an end three things: the sagas of Captain Roberto Muñoz of the Lientur, the hunt for the millions of dollars in U.S. and British cash, negotiable securities, gold coins, and jewelry stolen from the Banco Central de Chile following the Chilean Earthquake of May, 1960, and the murders that followed the robbery. Book I: Frozen in Time: Murder at the Bottom of the World, introduced American scientists Ted Stone and Grant Morris, who, while performing geological and geophysical field work with the assistance of Captain Roberto Muñoz of the Chilean auxiliary tug Lientur, were caught up in the hunt for the robbers and the spoils from the robbery, and murder. Unfinished Business: Pursuit of an Antarctic Killer, introduced Captain Mateo Valderas and Lieutenant-Commander Antonio Del Río of the Chilean Navy's Office of Internal Affairs. Initially assigned to solve a murder in Arica, they soon found themselves facing perhaps the most vicious, cunning thief and murderer they ever encountered. The return of American scientists Ted Stone and Grant Morris to Santiago for the purpose of helping personnel of the University of Chile prepare for the 20th Chilean Expedition to the Antarctic, beginning in December 1965, jeopardizes the lives of both scientists. What irrational acts will elicit the tragic consequences that finally bring everything to an end? For the answer, read Book III: End Game: Irrational Acts, Tragic Consequences.
"Cutting-edge drama and suspense, revealing characters through convincing dialog, provides the Antarctic Murders Trilogy with all the elements of award-winning, best-selling novels."
Richard Blake for Readers Views
trekie83
Posted January 17, 2011
Naval Internal Affairs officers Mateo Valderas and Lt. Commander Antonio Del Rio are determined to get to the bottom of the Chilean Bank heist and the Antarctic Expedition murders of a few years before. They are convinced that Capt. Robert Munoz is the key to solving both cases. Munoz had come from humble means and risen quickly through the ranks. He was very close to Commander Barbudos, one of the men lost on the Antarctic Expedition. As Valderas conducted interviews with expedition's medical officer and Ted Stone, one of the American scientists on the expedition, he began to realize that some facts didn't add up. Stone states that when he and Barbudos were trapped in the ice crevasse, Barbudos revealed that he was undercover as part of an Internal Affairs investigation of the two officers later found dead. When Stone reveals that he will h returning to Chile soon to help with another expedition, Valderas realizes that his life could be in danger once back in Chile. The case comes to a head when Munoz realizes that Stone has information that could end his plan to escape with the proceeds from the bank theft. He decides that Stone must be eliminated. Valderas must discover what Munoz's next move is and stop him before it's too late. End Game: Irrational Acts, Tragic Consequences by Theodore J. Cohen is the concluding novel of the Antarctic Murders trilogy. I had waited anxiously for this novel to come out and it didn't disappoint. Cohen has created in Valderas and Del Rio a pair of investigators worthy of comparison to Holmes and Watson, with Munoz as their Moriarty. The plot moves swiftly without lagging and is definitely a page-turner. End Game continues the twists and turns of its two predecessors. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a thriller that breaks the mold and I give it 5 stars.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Eduardo Bellolio smiled to himself as he leaned over the edge of a crevasse and saw Cristian Barbudo and Ted Stone. One man lay dying while the other, though seriously injured, would ultimately survive the Antarctic cold. Cristian, who knew Eduardo had rifled the safety deposit boxes in the Banco Central vault, would not live to tell any secrets. Ted, a young American grad student, would soon be holding his friend's corpse on a frozen ledge. He was going to be a very rich one, but he never could have known that Captain Roberto Munoz would be forced to return from the treacherous waters to save Barbudo and Stone. Muñoz would become a reluctant hero, but because Cristian was a friend, Muñoz would quickly become a vengeful murderer.
It had been more than three years since Ted had been rescued, but the painful memories had been etched into his brain and a six-inch scar on his leg would always remind him of the unforgiving North Antarctic Peninsula. Chilean Corvette Captain Mateo Valderas was beginning to unravel the mystery behind the strange deaths that were somehow connected with the Banco Central incident that had happened during the great Chilean earthquake in 1962. Six men and a woman, Angelica, who had been pushed down a flight of stairs, had died, all of whom were somehow connected to Muñoz, but how could he prove it? Ted Stone had no idea that when he had decided to return to participate in the 20th Chilean Expedition to the Antarctic that his life, as well as that of his companion Grant, would be in jeopardy. Valderas had to pull out all stops and enlisted the help of Captain Elias Candía, a "forensic financial analyst." Elias took one look at the evidence and said, "This is like trying to unravel a large recluse spider's web..." Murder, money, Munoz. They all fit together like one of those 1,500 piece jigsaw puzzles, but the pieces had been thrown to the winds and Valderas had to gather them up again and piece them together. He could almost hear the evil gears churning in Munoz's mind, but would he be able to stop him before he struck again? This finale to the Antarctic Murders Trilogy is akin to the ending of a fine meal ... you simply sit back and exclaim, "My, wasn't that good!" And it was. I certainly enjoyed reading this trilogy, never quite knowing what was coming next or, should I say, who was going to be the next victim of Munoz's. This book, as can all three in the series, stand alone, but in order to get the most enjoyment, as with any trilogy, it's best to start at the beginning and savor them all. The leisurely pace of the first in the trilogy, Frozen in Time: Murder at the Bottom of the World, is soon set aside and a more urgent pace is adopted when the full extent of an evil murderer's vengeful wrath is exposed. The reader, who knows who the culprit is from the beginning, will sit on the sidelines cheering on the Naval Intelligence force. The key is not who did it, but how he did it, and how he could have fooled them. Quill says: If you want an enigmatic, exciting, yet somehow relaxing mystery, End Game will take you from the depths of an Antarctic crevasse to the top of the steeple of the Church of Saint Francisco-La Iglesia de San Francisco-in search of the evil secrets of Captain Roberto Munoz ... a man who cut his teeth at the feet of the insidious Larenas cartel!
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (09/10)
"End Game" is the third and final book in Theodore Jerome Cohen's series the "Antarctic Murders Trilogy." The fictional story is based on actual events which took place in history.
Earlier books in the series describe in detail a robbery from the vault of the Banco Central de Chile in Talcahuano. Millions of dollars in cash, negotiable securities, gold coins, and jewelry were stolen. The incident involves members of the crew of the Chilean auxiliary fleet tug Lientur. The Trilogy takes place over a five-year period following the Chilean Earthquake of May, 1960, while the third book takes place only in 1965.
Dr. Grant Morris and Ted Stone, from the University of Wisconsin, members of the 16th Chilean Expedition to the Antarctic, played an intricate role in "Frozen in Time: Murder at the Bottom of the World." They now return in this final installment of the series. In an ambitious attempt by Captain Roberto Muñoz of the Lientur to cover up earlier crimes of theft, murder, and deception, Morris and Stone suddenly find their lives are in jeopardy.
Captain Mateo Valderas and his associate, Lieutenant-Commander Antonio De Rio, both of the Chilean Navy's Office of Internal Affairs, have met their match in Captain Muñoz, the Number One suspect of the Banco Central de Chile robbery. He is also the major suspect in a series of related murders. In a masterful technique of plotting, Cohen conveys a tension building drama of international intrigue.
The accompanying maps of Chilean Antarctic bases found on the North Antarctic Peninsula, the country of Chile, and France as well as a striking collection of photos of Iglesia de San Francisco, and the Teatro Municipal of Santiago, Chile, add another dimension to the reader's enjoyment of a complex plot that involves action on three continents.
As in his first book, "Full Circle," Ted takes the reader on an amazing journey through the world of orchestral music. "End Game" will awaken a latent gift for music appreciation in fans of the genre of mystery and suspense while adding a whole new world of drama and adventure to the music lover.
Theodore Jerome Cohen utilizes a style of suspense writing which builds anticipation and tension in the reader that calls for interaction, involvement, and emotional response. There is something unique and unexplainable in his writing style that becomes addictive, and is certain to attract an ever increasing base of Cohen fans.
"End Game: Irrational Acts, Tragic Consequences" is informative and entertaining. Cutting-edge drama and suspense, revealing characters and convincing dialog provide "The Antarctic Murders Trilogy" with all the elements of a cutting-edge, award-winning, best-selling novel.
Pacificbookreview
Posted November 12, 2010
"End Game: Irrational Acts, Tragic Consequences," by Theodore Jerome Cohen is analogous to walking into a movie during its last 30 minutes; meaning because it is the third of three books in a trilogy, in order to grasp the full impact of the people, events and storyline, you need to have read the two prequels. This book is definitely worth waiting for. Once the reader finishes the first book, "Frozen in Time: Murder at the Bottom of the World;" then goes on to "Unfinished Business: Pursuit of an Antarctic Killer," he or she is poised at the edge of a frozen crevasse (that's a "cliff hanger" in Antarctic terms). Theodore Cohen has mastered his writing style, taking total control of the knowledge base of the reader, and manipulates the suspense to an enjoyment factor emanating a "Best Choice" recommendation. He manipulates an intelligent volley of investigators and thieves, bystanders and stooges, opportunists and victims into an unforgettable tale of fiction; uniquely a "Theodore Jerome Cohen Fiction," one based upon fact.
Theodore Cohen uses his own character named Ted Stone within his trilogy, to immerse himself into the factual articulation of details described as real events albeit with fictional ramifications. His use of occasional footnotes, a collection of photographs, simple maps and diagrams within his novel further attest to the authenticity of much of the material. As mentioned in other reviews, it is the juxtaposition of factual and imaginary detail, real and fictitious characters, each underscored by footnotes or website research which gives Theodore Cohen's work a "signature style" quite unique, enjoyable and thoroughly ingenious.
It is difficult to encapsulate or recapitulate the events with regard to the characters in the "End Game: Irrational Acts, Tragic Consequences" without revealing the significance relevant to the two prior books. The reader's intellectual curiosity is satisfied regarding the whereabouts of the stolen wealth, and the fate of Captain Roberto Muñoz of the Chilean Navy, commander of the Lientur; a vessel personified with a life of its own due to the cargo hold and documentation of freight waybills effecting the possession of the stolen property. Consequently, to preserve the integrity of the suspense, I will simply say I was very impressed with the plot twists, especially the one which involved the Roman Catholic Church. I should have guessed somehow these characters would be seeking a higher power to engage into their illegalities!
As "Birds of a feather flock together," these three books by Theodore Jerome Cohen should be packaged in a jacket and sold as a set because I certainly believe anyone hooked by the first chapter in the first novel will not be able to put this series down until all three books are finished.
Overview
Gary Sorkin for Pacific Book Review
End Game: Irrational Acts, Tragic Consequences, is Book III of the Antarctic Murders Trilogy. In many ways, it brings to an end three things: the sagas of Captain Roberto Muñoz of the ...