He applied the Page 69 Test to his new book, Cutthroat, and reported the following:
From Page 69:Learn more about Steve Brewer and Cutthroat at his website and his blog.
Chapter 11
Michael Sheffield's hangover was easing. Every day he spent in this dusty outpost, he woke with the most excruciating hangovers, the only available remedy liberal application of Bloody Marys.
His host, General Erasmus Goma, Supreme Military Commander of the Republic of Niger, insisted every night on toasting everybody and everything. Some nights, they got all the way down to favorite cows Goma remembered from his youth before the fat general toppled from his chair.
Diplomacy required that Michael match the general drink for drink, and manhood required, apparently, that the drinks be shots of Chivas Regal. Nothing else would do. Michael was more of a wine man, that was one reason he loved Northern California. But Goma had declared, "Wine is for women! Men drink whiskey!" End of discussion.
The protagonist of Cutthroat, corporate troubleshooter Solomon Gage, doesn't appear on page 69, but the page is representative of the book. The point of view shifts from chapter to chapter, and this is the first POV chapter for Michael Sheffield. It's also the first time the reader "visits" Niger, the African country that plays a vital role in the story.
Michael and his brother, Christopher, are the sons of billionaire Dominick Sheffield, Solomon's employer. They're up to no good in Niger, and it falls to Solomon to ferret out their scheme, even though it could cost him his job. On Page 69 and the rest of Chapter 11, the reader learns what an absolute crap-weasel Michael can be.
Page 69 also introduces General Goma, who's bent on taking over the government and lining his own pockets. The dialogue on wine vs. whiskey comes directly from a dinner party I attended with some officials from Nepal. I took the Nepali's drunken opinion and put it right in Goma's mouth. I love it when everyday life helps out like that.
Check out the complete list of books in the Page 69 Test Series.
--Marshal Zeringue
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