Unveiling the Captivating Spy Thriller Series
Written by Ben Lattimore, a developer of numerous successful programs and a staunch advocate for education, this series is a testament to his storytelling prowess.
Introducing a Tale of Intrigue and Imagination
hell, hell, the gang’s all here!
the ‘idiot spy’ series,
book one of fourteen
Book one of the ‘idiot spy’ series, features an unlikely protagonist, Zanthius De Lombardo—a womanizing, self-absorbed, inconsiderate screwup. After a failed marriage and a suicidal bout with alcoholism, he becomes the HR director for a government-run energy company. He expects nothing more than watercooler gossip and an occasional office romance. Instead, Zanthius discovers that the business trip he is sent on is a one-way journey, and that the company is a front for a consortium of off-book assassins and spies.
Zanthius is caught up in a world of international espionage as governments race to acquire the secret formula for a powerful, cheap, dirty bomb. Zanthius’s once lackluster life is suddenly filled with spies, unscrupulous politicians, terrorists, secret societies, mercenaries, and the threat of death. His mother reveals information about his father, who, along with eleven of his friends, comes to his rescue. Little by little, the ‘idiot spy’ becomes the man he is meant to be. But is it enough to save the world?
conjured and distorted truths
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book two of fourteen
In book two of the ‘idiot spy’ series, confrontations continue at every turn, emanating from Zanthius swallowing a capsule that allegedly contained information about a dirty bomb. The group is hunted by mercs, double-crossed by a family member, and a loved one is dastardly dispatched. Their leader sanctions an unspeakable and horrific death for a nemesis. The group’s Virginia hideout is obliterated. They venture to a ranch in the Midwest, where they root out carpetbaggers preying on ranchers. They begin to prepare for imminent attacks!
The group encounters low-level government employees who freely operate clandestine programs without checks and balances. They interrupt a so-called détente meeting about an island in the Pacific, but it is actually a drug deal. They recover millions of dollars in payments intended for mercs. The capsule is retrieved and surrendered to a devious government officials. Inadvertently, an important property is returned to Zanthius that is fundamental to locating the formula.
the chameleon
the secret connection to the 'idiot spy' series
It introduces Ben Beckmire’s unknown son, Zanthius De Lombardo, who eventually becomes ‘the idiot spy’. The Chameleon is a story about Zanthius, who adores and has his way with women. He is loathed by men but admired by women because he is gorgeous, over six feet tall, and has the body of a gladiator. Zanthius is a married philanderer whose playground is the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is a womanizing, home-wrecking, self-absorbed, inconsiderate screwup. After being terminated from his job and simultaneously divorced, he is at his wits’ end. Zanthius, with help from his constant friend, the bottle, contemplates suicide.
marco, marco, marco polo
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book three of fourteen
In book three of the ‘idiot spy’ series, the landscape changes, the intensity of conflict exponentially increases, and the body count continues to proliferate. The group ventures far, far away from the sanctuaries of their farm, hotel, and ranch to places where the language is different, but the quest for the Carbon Factor remains the same. Key components thought to be informational in the search for the Carbon Factor turn out to be a guise. The real information was left in a wallet in St. Moritz and that was unwittingly returned to its owner.
the ‘idiot spy’ is hospitalized, and unbelievable information is gathered from his body, which was used as a message board. As the team believes it is closer to solving the mystery of the Carbon Factor, foreign nationals arrive on the scene with the intent of delivering a lethal and bloody message to the group and members of their families for disrupting a drug scheme in Los Angeles. Agents from another country intervene, and members of the team begin to show dedicated interest in this new cast of characters. It will be a glorious day for the group when the factual or fictional formula is in their hands—or not!
helping friends & chasing diablo
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book four of fourteen
In book four of the ‘idiot spy’ series, the adventure continues as the group expands and travels overseas to help the new members of its team combat threats to their nation, their families, and possibly humanity itself. What was initially a convenient opportunity to avoid an impending battle by leaving the country became a tactical decision necessary to escape Walter, aka Diablo, who vowed to stop at nothing short of the group’s complete annihilation. Under the stalwart leadership of Benjamin “The Sarge” Beckmire, the group must once again band together to protect the Carbon Factor and each other, all while being stalked by an international caucus of assassins, terrorists, and crooked politicians. The squad must deftly evade their enemies—foes who are happy to conclude the existence of old Vietnam vets and their families for a lucrative payday, while reminding them that collecting that ransom has been a reward that few have enjoyed.
mechanized mayhem
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book five of fourteen
In book five of the ‘idiot spy’ series, mayhem becomes the operative word of the group as they continue to witness the wrath of their enemies, both foreign and domestic. In this book, a former adversary, now a valuable informant, is murdered at one of the group’s getaways, for reasons unrelated to the Carbon Factor formula. As usual, the group is under extreme pressure to turn over the remaining aspects of the Carbon Factor formula or suffer the consequences. Money continues to flow into their coffers from a lack of payment to those who were unsuccessful in terminating them. New additions to the group occur—death still plagues and pursues them—the former extractionist delivers a baby boy in the mysterious outback. And, the stork continues to fly to another awfully familiar place. A distant family member is appointed to upgrade their defenses. The resultant changes yield a weapons system of apocalyptic proportions—mechanized mayhem!
the sanctuary
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book six of fourteen
In book six of the ‘idiot spy’ series, the group travels to Valencia, Spain, to investigate rumors that the ‘idiot spy’ had fathered a child that is being kept in a convent. The group encounters a wannabe gangster who watched two opposing gangs destroy each other. He takes advantage of the moment and, by default, becomes the new mob boss. The boss, much like Ben Beckmire, is a silver-tongued rogue. He is easily dominated by Beckmire in his illegally acquired restaurant. Through détente, amazingly, he becomes the key to answering the question about the whereabouts of the alleged child. The mobster becomes an ally and, eventually, is instrumental in helping the group pull off capers. Two sitting and crooked US Senators die trying to surreptitiously annihilate the group. The Sanctuary—the group’s place for rest, relaxation, communion, and healing- is seemingly off-limits to mayhem, but acceptable to love, passion, and friendship.
deific intermediation
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book seven of fourteen
In book seven of the ‘idiot spy’ series, there is the usual—good news and bad news! The good news is that there would be no further legal actions to surreptitiously defraud the Aborigines of lands that are rich in natural resources. The bad news is that the group remains in danger because of the Carbon Factor formula and Sarge’s cousin, Walter. Walter is the source of evil that is attempting to annihilate everyone allied with the Sarge. Only divine intervention can help the group. The choices for consideration are epic in that there is no good resolution—should they sell the formula to a country that hates America for billons, and subsequently be without a country—or turn it over to their government and politicians and watch the creation of another weapon in its arsenal to wage wars? Or perhaps they should attempt to destroy the very essence of the formula, publicly, once again! No matter the selection, many will die, but new alliances will be formed.
the carbon factor unleashed
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book nine of fourteen
In book nine of the ‘idiot spy’ series, and at one of the most prestigious and elite sporting events ever held, a device is detonated that will attract the attention of the entire world. At the National Basketball Association’s Hall of Fame (NBA-HOF) inductions in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Carbon Factor, or some derivative of it, is unleashed upon the innocent attendees and the community. Thousands of unsuspecting people are consumed by this new monstrous and deadly weapon, the same weapon that the ‘idiot spy’ allegedly had in his possession at one point in time. With the expiration of old handlers, new ones arise and attempt to manage and direct the group to targets that are more personal than professional. The gold and diamond mines become magnets for marauding mercenaries, some of whom will get a chance to see and touch the booty, but never live to enjoy it.
diamonds + gold divided by cash = treachery
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book eight of fourteen
In book eight of the series, the group continues to expand as a result of the single men earnestly seeking meaningful relationships. A few of the guys find unadulterated love and passion, and others find abject betrayal. The group plays a significant role in managing, monitoring, securing, and organizing the diamond and gold mines discovered on historically Aboriginal land and designated as such after a series of long court battles. This soon makes all Aboriginal people in Australia rich. As word spreads around the world that a bunch of Aboriginal people own the rights to land that has diamonds lying around for the picking, unsavory characters start looking for an easy payday to arrive. Through legal manipulations, intimidation, beatings, and murder, group after group makes this one-way venture to take what belongs to the Aboriginal people. Ben Beckmire’s group won’t accept any of those machinations and, therefore, as a result of their mindset, the number of bodies waiting for them in Hades grows incrementally. Diamonds, plus gold, divided by cash, truly equals treachery.
between heaven & hell
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book ten of fourteen
In book ten of ‘the idiot spy’ series, the group realizes that its new handler may exist between two worlds and is prepared to do reprehensible things to any country that attempts to forcefully occupy peaceful non-aligned nations. A variation on the theme of the Carbon Factor is strategically placed throughout the United States by two affiliated nations. The new handler and his organization have been around for thousands of years, and he as the leader is prepared to erase aggressive nations off the map. A member of the group is possessed and threatens to behead his best mate, all while being used as a ruse to distract the group away from the real target of a conscription. The group, as usual, is under attack, and unfortunately, this time, several members of the clan will be impacted.
us against the world
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book eleven of fourteen
In book eleven of the ‘idiot spy’ series, us against the world continues the good work of the Beckmire group as they attempt to discern why mercs continue to be assembled to discontinue the lives of every member of their group. Some members of the group think that it is a tontine being implemented by a member of the clan. Beckmire has convinced his people that it is not necessary to kill everyone who tries to kill them and, therefore, spares the lives of two pirates, and eventually, two bow-toting sisters whose purpose was to eliminate two key members of the group. A big bundle of joy awaits the Sarge and Mrs. Beckmire in Switzerland, as their pretentious son creates a life, but wants nothing to do with his creation. A new member is introduced to the group whose grandmother was the mother of Sister Mary, otherwise known as Helga Spengatsenburg, who bore a child that was fathered by a priest, who became a cardinal, who beyond his wildest imagination became a bishop, and rose to become the Holy Father of the Roman Catholic Church. More importantly, it appears that the Sarge and Mrs. Beckmire’s emancipated son may be the architect of the design to kill the entire group including the children! us against the world calls on past enemies who became friends to help assist the group against the likes of a battalion-sized assemblage of fortune hunters. us against the world is book eleven of what was supposed to be a ten-book series. An exceptional and exciting read.
all about the trillions
the ‘idiot spy’ series
book twelve of fourteen
About the Book
Ben Lattimore enjoys authoring stories and creating adventures for his protagonist, Sargent Benjamin Beckmire, and his ten enlisted men and one non-commissioned officer. A few of them were middle class, but the majority of them were dirt poor when they entered the "Maiden From Hell's Kitchen"-Vietnam. After the police action was concluded, they drifted apart until they got a call from the Sarge soliciting their help in rescuing a son that he didn't know he had. That son was called the 'idiot spy', for many different reasons, but one of his naive encounters put him on the map when he swallowed a capsule that contained the formula for a new dirty bomb. From that point forward, the group were engaged on behalf of governments, both foreign and domestic, the Roman Catholic Church, and they helped people help themselves, along the way. Ironically, it would be those same institutions that would come after them for one reason or another. However, in each case the group earned net new dollars. Eventually, the combined worth of the group grew to in excess of a trillion dollars. The undervalued bonds from a dictator, the innocent purchase of land for a sibling, and before you know it-multiple trillion-dollar assets were up for grab by anyone with the muscle and determination to take on a bunch of old Vietnam vets.
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