Mere Chance

Author's Summary

We go about life everyday doing mostly what is planned or expected.  Then out of nowhere something good or bad happens that changes one's life in some way, but without being consciously aware of it . . . That is "Mere Chance". 

And that is what happens in Mere Chance to the brilliant, handsome Bryan Ashford in his passionate, relentless drive to succeed . . . starting with his discharge from the U.S. Army Air Corps and release from his role with the top secret Manhattan Project in 1946. 
 
Mere Chance unfolds with a brutal brush with one of the Mafia families headed by the ruthless, deadly Angelo Martino.  This episode in Bryan Ashford's life sets the stage for a subtle but relentless plan by Angelo Martino against the unsuspecting Bryan, who builds his electronics business into a world corporate power.

Intermixed with Bryan's quest for corporate success and the behind the scenes manipulation of Martino is Bryan's recall into government service for national security reasons, giving birth to political intrigue that involves the highest levels. It also adds another element to Martino's cat and mouse game with Bryan's life. 

Other interesting and supporting characters add to the action that grabs the reader from the start, never letting go!

Mere Chance also gives today's younger generations a wonderful glimpse of the dedication, passion, resilience, and the other remarkable qualities of America's greatest generation as exemplified by Bryan Ashford and other characters.

MWSA Review

David G. Bancroft is the founder and owner ofwww.usa-patriotism.com, a web site dedicated to love and pride in all things American, especially our Armed Forces. He is also the author of the novel "Mere Chance," a story about a guy who returns home after WWII to make his way in the competitive world of electronics. Upon discharge from the U.S. Army Air Corps and his involvement in the top secret Manhattan Project, former Lieutenant Bryan Ashford, along with his best friend Craig Desmond, a former Marine injured during the war, set out to become business partners in the growing world of electronic pinball machines. No sooner have the two entrepreneurs established A & D Enterprises, then a past scuffle with a childhood bully named Benny Fatch comes back to haunt them just as they are starting to see success.  Before they know it, the two business partners are caught up in the gripping claws of the powerful and mean-spirited Angelo Martino, a Mafia boss who will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who gets in his way. Throw in a beautiful Hollywood actress, the constant threat of fear and death by intimidation, and political intrigue that involves the highest levels of government.

Note to reader: graphic violence and sexual content throughout text.

Reviewed by: Kathy Rodgers (2010)