The Mandylion – Chapter 5
The Mandylion
Featuring Valentina Esposito
and Other Intriguing Tales
After two-thousand years, the Mandylion, a priceless, lost ancient image of Jesus, has resurfaced. To authenticate and secure the piece, Anthony Provati and his sister Valentina Esposito are lured to Paris, France by Sophia, Anthony’s notorious ex-lover. Upon arrival, they’re plunged into a murderous pursuit for the icon threatened by Russian spies and Arab terrorists who also seek the art.
The collection includes five Detective Bragg mysteries. A gold shield homicide detective out of Brooklyn South, Bragg tackles a set of tangled murder cases that sometimes frustrate his sense of justice.
The final two short stories in the collection, “A Second Shot” and “What Value to Profit the World” draw the reader into the speculative realm.
The Art of Revenge
An Anthony Provati Thriller Book 3
The Art of Revenge, an Anthony Provati Thriller is a riveting chase around the world that will have gritty thriller lovers salivating for more. Action-packed, suspenseful and at times terrifying, a must read for those who like hanging on the edge of the cliff by only their fingers. The Art of Revenge features two unlikely heroes. Anthony Provati is a jazz pianist, art gallery owner, and sailor, who has a mob boss uncle. Valentina Esposito was orphaned at birth but is rewriting her destiny by becoming a brilliant computer programmer. They undertake a global pursuit of murderous Russian and North Korean operatives to foil a terrorist plot funded by forgeries and the ransom of stolen paintings
Stories and Places I Remember:
A Collection of Short Stories
“From the innocence of youth to the adventures of adulthood, from the streets of New York to the heat of Texas and beyond our borders, Joe Giordano’s Stories and Places I Remember is more than just a collection of short stories defining different times, places and some pretty quirky events.” – Five Stars, Dianne Beth Bylo, Tome Tender blog
“Joe Giordano is a powerhouse talent whose writing skills span genres and continents. Fresh off publishing three excellent novels and a ton of short fiction, he has now treated us in his anthology, Stories and Places I Remember – shimmering glimpses of the world as he has seen it, from the Middle East to Mediterranean countries to Brooklyn to Texas. He shifts easily from mystery to straightforward observational memoir to the surreal to 20th century immigrant cultures to Texas barroom. His voice moves without missing a beat among all those settings, and his characters stay with us long after the last story.” – Five Stars, Dan VanTassel, publisher The Zodiac Review
Drone Strike
An Anthony Provati Thriller
Karim’s family is killed by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, collateral damage. The Islamic State in the Levant exploits his rage, recruiting him for a terrorist attack on the U.S., and only Anthony Provati can stop him. Drone Strike takes you on a fast-paced adventure across the Mediterranean, into Mexico, finally arriving in the States. Drone Strike explores the psychological realities that seduce Karim to commit an act of terror, includes a love story between Moslem Karim and Miriam, a Christian woman he defends in Turkey, and highlights the plight of Middle Eastern and Central American refugees.
“Joe Giordano’s latest book, Drone Strike, is his best to date as measured on a scale of importance. It’s also a darn good thriller. Couldn’t put it down.” —Daniel VanTassel, Publisher, The Zodiac Review literary magazine
Appointment with ISIL
An Anthony Provati Thriller
Appointment with ISIL, an Anthony Provati Thriller. This time, Anthony’s libido threatens his life. He flirts with Russian mob boss, Gorgon Malakhov’s mistress. The Russian deals in death. ISIL, the Islamic State in the Levant, wants the product. Russian Intelligence supplies the means, and an art theft funds the scheme. ISIL’s targets are chilling. The chase across the Mediterranean is on. Can Anthony thwart ISIL? Will he survive?
“A roller-coaster ride to the finish, this book confirms Giordano as a writer to eagerly watch.” —Kirkus Reviews Featured Review
“Appointment with ISIL is a home run by Giordano. PRIMO highly recommends.” —Five Stars. Truby Chiaviello, Editor, PRIMO magazine
Birds of Passage
An Italian Immigrant Coming of Age Story
What turns the gentle mean and the mean brutal? The thirst for wealth? The demand for respect? Vying for a woman? Birds of Passage recalls the Italian immigration experience at the turn of the twentieth-century when New York’s streets were paved with violence and disappointment.
Leonardo Robustelli leaves Naples in 1905 to seek his fortune. Carlo Mazzi committed murder and escaped. Azzura Medina is an American of Italian parents. She’s ambitious but strictly controlled by her mother. Leonardo and Carlo vie for her affection.
Azzura, Leonardo, and Carlo confront con men, Tammany Hall politicians, the longshoreman’s union, Camorra clans, Black Hand extortion, and the Tombs prison.
Drone Strike
An Anthony Provati Thriller
Karim’s family is killed by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, collateral damage. The Islamic State in the Levant exploits his rage, recruiting him for a terrorist attack on the U.S., and only Anthony Provati can stop him. Drone Strike takes you on a fast-paced adventure across the Mediterranean, into Mexico, finally arriving in the States. Drone Strike explores the psychological realities that seduce Karim to commit an act of terror, includes a love story between Moslem Karim and Miriam, a Christian woman he defends in Turkey, and highlights the plight of Middle Eastern and Central American refugees.
“Joe Giordano’s latest book, Drone Strike, is his best to date as measured on a scale of importance. It’s also a darn good thriller. Couldn’t put it down.” —Daniel VanTassel, Publisher, The Zodiac Review literary magazine
Appointment with ISIL
An Anthony Provati Thriller
Appointment with ISIL, an Anthony Provati Thriller. This time, Anthony’s libido threatens his life. He flirts with Russian mob boss, Gorgon Malakhov’s mistress. The Russian deals in death. ISIL, the Islamic State in the Levant, wants the product. Russian Intelligence supplies the means, and an art theft funds the scheme. ISIL’s targets are chilling. The chase across the Mediterranean is on. Can Anthony thwart ISIL? Will he survive?
“A roller-coaster ride to the finish, this book confirms Giordano as a writer to eagerly watch.” —Kirkus Reviews Featured Review
“Appointment with ISIL is a home run by Giordano. PRIMO highly recommends.” —Five Stars. Truby Chiaviello, Editor, PRIMO magazine
Birds of Passage
An Italian Immigrant Coming of Age Story
What turns the gentle mean and the mean brutal? The thirst for wealth? The demand for respect? Vying for a woman? Birds of Passage recalls the Italian immigration experience at the turn of the twentieth-century when New York’s streets were paved with violence and disappointment.
Leonardo Robustelli leaves Naples in 1905 to seek his fortune. Carlo Mazzi committed murder and escaped. Azzura Medina is an American of Italian parents. She’s ambitious but strictly controlled by her mother. Leonardo and Carlo vie for her affection.
Azzura, Leonardo, and Carlo confront con men, Tammany Hall politicians, the longshoreman’s union, Camorra clans, Black Hand extortion, and the Tombs prison.
"With Birds of Passage, Joe Giordano delivers a rollicking, wholly entertaining take on the Italian immigrant story. His rich cast of characters arrives seeking the usual: Money, honor, love, respect, a decent shot at the pursuit of happiness. But things get complicated fast as they plunge into the rough-and-tumble world of rackets, scams, and politics of early 20th-century New York City. Giordano serves up a thick, satisfying slice of the entire era in all its raw and brutal glory."
Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, soon to be a major motion picture directed by Ang Lee
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