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      • Gerstenberg Verlag GmbH & Co. KG

        The Publishing House and its History Established in St. Petersburg in 1792, today Gerstenberg is one of Germany’s oldest publishing houses. A family business, the publishing house moved to new headquarters in Hildesheim in 1796 and to this day occupies the same address in the old city marketplace as it did then. The most important branch of the publishing business, however, was the Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, which, incidentally, is the oldest daily newspaper still in existence in Germany. Today, the name of Gerstenberg is synonymous with delightful, innovative books of aesthetic design and high-quality content for children and young adults that compete very successfully also on the international market. An adult range comprising illustrated books, non-fiction and cookery books also forms part of the Gerstenberg portfolio.   Program Gerstenberg publishes board picture books, picture books, children’s and young adult narrative literature and non-fiction. With Eric Carle’s »The Very Hungry Caterpillar« (»Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt«) and Rotraut Susanne Berner’s ›discovery picture books‹ (›Wimmelbücher‹), Gerstenberg became one of the best-known children’s book publishers. In 1999, the anthology of poetry »Dunkel war’s, der Mond schien helle«, came out as the first in Gerstenberg’s series of household compendiums, a segment that has since developed into a main pillar of the program. The publishing house has brought out some highly respected developments of its own in the children’s knowledge-book series ›Abenteuer! Maja Nielsen erzählt‹.

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        Beyond the Sultan's Table: Turkish gastronomy, history, culture and travel

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        IT’S A COOKBOOK … OR IS IT A GUIDEBOOK? … MAYBE IT’S A TRAVEL GUIDE … OR A POCKET HISTORY … AN INTRODUCTION TO A SERIES OF NOVELS ABOUT TURKEY? … A DELICIOUS KEEPSAKE WORK OF ART PRODUCED BY THE INIMITABLE DESIGN PEAKS PRODUCTION? OR … ACTUALLY, BEYOND THE SULTAN’S TABLE IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS. IT’S THE PERFECT HYBRID … AND IT IS THE PERFECT GIFT FOR “SOMEONE WHO HAS EVERYTHING” BUT WANTS A “DIFFERENT” ADVENTURE WITH WHICH TO THRILL THEIR FRIENDS! Hugo N. Gerstl, international bestselling novelist, nationally known trial lawyer, musician, world traveler, actor, journalist, Bon Vivant Wannabe,” and former president and CEO of a mid-sized cookbook company, who has enjoyed his “many lives” immensely, now shares his joys and experiences with you. Unquestionably, this most “unusual” guidebook to many things will leave you wondering: Is he a polymath-genius or simply an oddball with a penchant for bringing a smile to your face and taste sensations to your palate? And of course, he and his beloved wife, Lorraine, an educator and author in her own right – and their five adult children – have shared the greatest happiness any two people have ever had. Enjoy something totally different, enriching, and unique! Expand your own horizon.   An English-language edition was published in Spring 2024. 282  pages, 15x 22.5 cm.

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        Billy Jenkins: Europe's King of the Cowboys

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        illy Jenkins’ career spans the years 1895-1954. He was King of the Cowboys, the most popular act in all Germany, hero of German pulp fiction – the last genuine hero of the “American” Wild West. Yet, like Karl May before him, he never set foot in America...Billy became one of the world’s earliest superstars. He thrilled millions between the two World Wars, built a palatial mansion on the hill in Berlin, complete with a dude ranch in his backyard. In 1932, after joining the Nazi Party, he became their favorite, and soon reached the pinnacle of his success – this, despite the fact that he was half-Jewish! As his star waned, not because he was Jewish but because his name sounded too American as Germany entered World War II, Billy rediscovered his Jewish roots, and… but that’s for the reader to find out.Hugo N. Gerstl, nationally famous American trial lawyer, world traveler and author of the best-sellers Scribe: The Only Female Pope, Amazing Grace: The Woman Pirate, Legacy: The Birth of Modern Turkey, ChildFinders, and Stalemate, which so far have been translated into Portuguese, Czech, and Turkish, lives in Carmel, California with his wife Lorraine, a writer and teacher. Together they have raised five children, now grown. Published By Pangæa Publishing Group,2019.  534 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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        Stalemate: There can be no winners

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        Thirty-five years ago, Libertyville had a population of 2,000. Its citizens thought it would become the next  Atlanta. But it’s now 1989, and the population is down to 278 and falling. The town’s remaining employer, the outdated, money-losing Libertyville Cotton Works, owned by an elderly Holocaust survivor, has been sold to a conglomerate that intends to reap huge tax and political benefits.But two other factions have different ideas. Bishop William Wyatt Walker, spellbinding African-American televangelist whose church takes in $500 million a year in contributions from the poorest of the poor, decides the church has lost touch with the common man and needs a new symbol of salvation – the Libertyville Cotton Works and the 40 acres that surround it. He’ll do whatever it takes to make sure the church gets the property.Meanwhile, a brilliant, Mexican-American lawyer and his militant contingent, faced with “the country’s growing paranoia toward Hispanics,” seeks to create his own Sanctuary Nation. His “army” takes armed control of the cotton works, holding hostages to ensure that the factory and its acreage are deeded to “the first truly Mexican town in the Southeastern U.S.”The stage is set for a Stalemate of epic proportions, a war where there can be no winners. Like James Dickey’s Deliverance, this book is a mixture of a thriller tinged with adventure, camaraderie, dread, and the horror that only an unexpected, unspeakable situation can inflict. Human nature is human nature, and it is impossible to predict how anyone would act if confronted with a similar situation. Powerful and suspenseful, Stalemate explores the best – and the worst – in the human spirit as it thunders toward a spine-chilling climax.International best-selling author Hugo N. Gerstl’s latest work is one you won’t be able to put down – and one you’ll long remember. Published by Pangæa Publishing Group 184 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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        ASSASSIN

        The Ultimate Thriller

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        The ultimate thriller—with a twist. Forty-five years ago, a set of twins was separated at birth when their parents were caught in the crossfire between police and robbers. Flash forward to the present. Five billionaires plot to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei, by hiring the most expensive killer in the world. Iran learns of the plot through a web of sex, lies, and betrayal, but they know they are hopelessly outclassed in counterterrorism. Only one service in the world has the wherewithal to bring down the assassin—Israel, a country Iran refuses to recognize. Nevertheless, Iran finally manages to hire Israel’s best counterterrorist. Unknown to one another, the assassin is one twin and the Israeli counterterrorist is the other. Let the chase begin!If you like a great thriller, such as The Da Vinci Code or The Day of the Jackal, you will certainly love ASSASSIN. It stands apart from other thrillers because it is truly original and goes outside the box to run circles around other books in this genre.Hugo N. Gerstl, famed American trial lawyer and bestselling author of eleven novels that have been translated worldwide, and fifteen works of nonfiction, has been involved in the American entertainment industry for years. Besides his legal career, the author has lived several lives as a musician, pilot, actor, director, and a world-traveler, and has employed them all to write this work. He resides on the Monterey Peninsula with his wife Lorraine. Published By Pangæa Publishing Group, 2019. 560 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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        SKORZENY: Dancing with the Devil

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        The tide of the War has turned against Hitler. Mussolini is deposed, imprisoned, and hidden.  1943: single commando leads gliders to the top of the highest peak in the Apennines to rescue the Duce.October 1944: Hungary’s Admiral Horthy is about to defect to the Soviets. Hitler’s man kidnaps Horthy’s son, and advises him it’s time to “retire” if he ever wants to see his son again .December 1944: The Battle of the Bulge. Hitler’s favorite soldier, using 2,000 stolen American Army uniforms, leads a group of English-speaking Germans behind enemy lines and wreaks havoc throughout the front.That same man helps former SS members get to South America; becomes Juan Péron’s security chief and Eva Péron’s secret lover; trains Arab forces and Yasser Arafat for the next Israeli war; sells arms to both sides of wars throughout Africa; and ultimately, as a Mossad agent, “takes out” the very group of nuclear scientists Egypt recruited to destroy Israel!The same man, Otto Skorzeny, did all these things and more. Unrepentant Nazi, this ultimate predator, the most dangerous man in the world, lived more lives than a dozen James Bonds.International best-selling author Hugo N. Gerstl, brings the life of this amazing hero/villain, now almost forgotten, back onto the world’s stage where, during the time he lived, he made the world a much more exciting – and scary – place. Published by Pangæa Publishing Group  354 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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        The Deathmaster

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        Does the rescue of 1600 men, women, and children justify aiding and abetting the murder of more than half a million others? Under these circumstances, is it morally imperative for one man to bring down an entire government? A young attorney defends an old man accused of criminal libel and must confront these agonizing ethical questions arising from the Holocaust. Jerusalem, 1953-1954. A 72-year-old pensioner, Malchiel Greenwald, publishes a mimeographed newsletter accusing Rudolph Kasztner, Deputy Minister for Trade and a prominent Israeli politician, of being complicit in the deaths of 800,000 Hungarian Jews during 1944, when he was Chairman of the Hungarian Jewish Rescue Committee. Kasztner demands that the State of Israel bring a criminal libel action against the virtually penniless Greenwald for this defamatory publication. Greenwald manages to convince brilliant lawyer and former Irgun “terrorist,” Samuel Tamir, to take on his defense at no cost. On a frigid December day in 1953, Greenwald could not know, nor could he imagine, that he was about to walk into the history of Israel; and that fourteen months later, when the trial concluded and the verdict was announced, the government of Prime Minister Moshe Sharett would be brought down, and the Holy Land would never be the same again. Even today, more than 65 years later, this tale, which has been largely suppressed until now, remains a “hot potato” in Israel. And international bestselling author Hugo N. Gerstl, author of Assassin, The Wrecking Crew, Scribe, and Against All Odds, himself a nationally known trial lawyer, brings the proceedings to the forefront in this riveting historical thriller. Published by Pangæa Publishing Group,2020. 426 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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        The Politics of Insanity

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        America's friends and our enemies alike are scratching their collective heads and thinking, "If you turned the world on its side all of the loose nuts would end up in the United States." The Theater of the Absurd has come to life on every television set, smart phone, and social media outlet around the world. A megawealthy upraised carnival barker, who has systematically alienated every segment of society in the United States, stands poised to become the next president! Candidates deny the signs of global climate change—never mind, God will protect us, and since he's a Christian God, he will help us get rid of the Muslims in the process! Can anyone imagine two serious candidates for the highest office in the United States arguing over the size of their genitals? ("You know what they say about men with small hands...").  Welcome to The Politics of Insanity, a serious look at the newest form of the bizarre "reality TV." Where thoughtful, serious contenders eke out 2% of the vote at best. Where it's acceptable to say, "Would you want to have a president with a face like that?" Where a semi-nude photo of a candidate's gorgeous wife is splashed across a TV ad? But believe it or not, Ecclesiastes 1:9 is accurate: "There is nothing new under the sun." Political insanity did not start in the United States, and even in America we've been down this road before. Hugo N. Gerstl, author of The Politics of Hate (2012), slices into the "American Pie" of 2016 politics with a clear-eyed analytical scalpel, and, despite what appears to be an impenetrable tragicomic maze of craziness, he optimistically concludes, in the words of a former president whose wife is the frontrunner in the race for the White House, "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right with America." An English-language eBook edition was published in fall 2016 by Samuel Wachtman's Sons, Inc., CA. 250 Pages, 15X22.5 cm

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        Arcade

        A Novel

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        In this monumental historical novel of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, Lev Arkady survives the murder of his entire family in the closing days of World War II. Rescued by the ultimate showman and huckster, Old Amos, a character as memorable as Falstaff, Lev survives by becoming the ultimate chameleon.Penny Fullerton lives the good life of a 1950s Los Angeles teenager, experiencing the early death of her parents, sexual awakenings, and young heartbreak. She and Lev meet for one glorious evening in Vienna. They will not see each other again for twenty-seven years.In the interim, Lev befriends Karol Wojtyla, who will eventually succeed to the Papal throne. He succeeds as an international showman. When his life is endangered due to his involvement with anti-communist forces, he is catapulted to England, where he becomes an "American" star of 1960s pirate radio. Later, he participates at the dawn of revolutions that will topple Communism. Meanwhile, Penny achieves unexpected success, rising to the top of a small startup company—FedEx.When they finally meet again, Penny is a widow. Lev has never married. The magic between them ignites anew. They share a dramatic, life-threatening adventure in the Caucasus and, ultimately, a highly satisfying climax when they realize that the meaning of life is getting over fear and making the world a better place for having lived in it.This is Hugo Gerstl, author of ten novels, at his very best. Arcade is guaranteed to cement and increase his worldwide reputation! Published By Pangæa Publishing Group, 2019.  436 Pages, 23 cm x 15 cm

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        LA POLÍTICA DEL ODIO

        by HUGO N. GERSTL

        LA POLÍTICA DEL ODIO  – Una aguda y reveladora visión de la política norteamericana    De cómo obstruccionistas, medios de comunicación e intereses creados están convirtiendo a los Estados Unidos en un país del tercer mundo y CÓMO PODEMOS RECUPERARNOS    por HUGO N. GERSTL Los Estados Unidos están siendo destruidos de manera sistemática, no desde afuera por terroristas, sino desde adentro, por intereses creados. El país está siendo destruido por políticos, por presentadores de programa de entrevistas, magnates mediáticos y demagogos populistas, que procuran conservar su «territorio» a cualquier precio, obstruyendo la aprobación de leyes provechosas, mediante mentiras y acusaciones escandalosas, campañas negativas y agravios injustificados. Estos «redentores» no presentan ninguna idea constructiva que hayan concebido para ayudar a salir del atolladero en el que nuestro país se encuentra. En lo único que piensan los políticos es en ser electos y reelectos. El señuelo de USD 100.000 de honorarios de conferencista es un potente afrodisíaco. El señuelo del poder es un afrodisíaco aún más potente. Políticos, metemiedos, parlanchines y líderes empresariales se deleitan con su fama, su gloria y su autoproclamada sabiduría, en momentos en que el país está más endeudado que cualquier otra nación en la historia y cuando año a año avanzamos cada vez más rápido hacia la posibilidad de convertirnos en un país del tercer mundo. Si el público comienza a sumar dos más dos, la respuesta lógica debe ser cuatro. Pero hasta ahora, aún se puede hacer creer al estadounidense promedio que dos más dos equivale a cualquier número que a los maestros del rollo político se les ocurra. Lo peor es que más del 40% de los estadounidenses aceptan la política de miedo, cizaña y atropello, sin siquiera detenerse un momento a pensar qué es exactamente lo que estos traficantes del odio político ofrecen a cambio de echar a un lado a una facción y asegurarse para ellos mismos las ventajas del poder. Pero independientemente de las querellas políticas internas o externas, lo que hacemos es algo parecido a dos pulgas que se pelean para saber cuál de ellas es la propietaria del perro. Parece que no nos damos cuenta de que el tiempo y el dinero se nos han acabado, que ya no podemos permitirnos el lujo de astutas maniobras políticas y de inútiles y estúpidas reyertas. Aunque este oportuno libro señala a quién es el culpable, va también un poco más allá y cuenta cómo los Estados Unidos, la nación más poderosa del planeta, pueden recuperar el control de su destino y curar su propia enfermedad.    HUGO N. GERSTL obtuvo una licenciatura en ciencias políticas e historia de la Universidad de California en Los Ángeles (UCLA) y después cursó estudios y se graduó en la Facultad de Derecho de la misma universidad. Gerstl rechazó una invitación para postularse para el Congreso por el partido Republicano, ya que eso hubiera significado competir con su amigo y colega, el abogado León Panetta, que acababa de completar su primera cadencia en el Congreso. Gerstl es ampliamente conocido en todo el país hace ya cuarenta y seis años como abogado penalista y sigue siendo eternamente optimista acerca de la capacidad de recuperación del pueblo estadounidense.

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        POLITIK DES HASSES

        by HUGO N. GERSTL

        POLITIK DES HASSES – Ein entlarvender Einblick in die Politik der USA von HUGO N. GERSTL   Wie Quertreiber, Medien und Interessengruppen die USA zu einem Dritte-Welt-Land machen und wie wir diesen Trend umkehren können   Amerika wird systematisch zerstört – nicht von Terroristen von außen, sondern von Interessengruppen von innen. Es wird zerstört von Politikern, Talkshow-Moderatoren, Medienmogulen und populistischen Demagogen, die um jeden Preis ihr Schäfchen ins Trockene bringen wollen, indem sie alle Gesetze verhindern, die der Allgemeinheit nützen würden – durch skandalöse Lügen und Verleumdungen, negative Kampagnen und Beleidigungen der schlimmsten Sorte. Diese selbsternannten „Retter“ haben keinerlei konstruktive Ideen zu bieten, um das Land aus dem Sumpf zu ziehen, in dem es sich gegenwärtig befindet. Diese Politiker denken nicht über den Tellerrand der nächsten Wahl hinaus. Sprecherhonorare von 100.000 USD wirken auf sie wie ein Aphrodisiakum. Doch der Geruch der Macht wirkt noch viel stärker. Politiker, Angstmacher, Fernsehköpfe und Industriekapitäne sonnen sich in ihrem Ruhm, ihrem Glanz und ihrer selbstherrlichen Weisheit, während das Land einen höheren Schuldenberg als je ein Land zuvor in der Geschichte anhäufen und wir von Jahr zu Jahr immer weiter in Richtung Dritte-Welt-Nation abrutschen. Wenn die Öffentlichkeit begänne, eins und eins zusammenzuzählen, sollte die Antwort eigentlich „zwei“ lauten. Doch der Durchschnittsamerikaner lässt sich noch immer weismachen, dass es alles Mögliche ist, wenn es die Spin-Meister ihnen vorgaukeln. Schlimmer noch, über 40 % aller Amerikaner lassen sich von der Politik der Angst, der Zwietracht und der Ausbeutung anstecken, ohne auch nur einen Moment zu überlegen, was diese politischen Hetzer ihnen dafür zu bieten haben, dass sie die andere Fraktion in die Wüste schicken und die Vorzüge der Macht für sich selbst sichern. Trotz der politischen Grabenkämpfe und externen Kriege ist dieser Streit vergleichbar mit dem Streit zweier Flöhe darum, wem der Hund gehört. Wir erkennen scheinbar nicht, dass wir längst keine Zeit und kein Geld mehr haben, dass wir uns den Luxus politischer Spielchen und dümmlicher Streitereien eigentlich längst nicht mehr leisten können. Dieses Buch kommt genau zur rechten Zeit. Es scheut zwar nicht davor zurück, mit dem Finger auf die Schuldigen zu zeigen, doch es geht noch einen Schritt weiter und zeigt auf, wie Amerika, die mächtigste Nation der Erde, sein Schicksal wieder in die Hand nehmen und von innen heraus gesunden kann.   HUGO N. GERSTL hält einen Abschluss in Politikwissenschaften und Geschichten der University of California Los Angeles und absolvierte dann ein Jurastudium an der UCLA School of Law. Er lehnte eine Einladung der Republikanischen Partei ab, für den Kongress zu kandidieren, um nicht gegen seinen Freund und Anwaltskollegen Leon Panetta anzutreten, der gerade seine erste Amtszeit im Kongress abschloss. Hugo N. Gerstl arbeitet seit sechsundvierzig Jahren als Strafverteidiger und ist ein unerschütterlicher Optimist, wenn es um das Durchhaltevermögen des amerikanischen Volkes geht.

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        Against All Odds

        The Magnificent Trio That Built the Israeli Air Force

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        1947 – The UN declares that the British Mandate over Palestine will come to an end. In May 1948 Israel and Arab Palestine will be divided into two independent states. The Arab world reacts immediately: There will be no Jewish state; it will be driven into the sea! Sixty-five million Arabs against six hundred thousand Israeli Jews. Britain has washed its hands of the problem. The United States, under the guise of the Neutrality Act, makes it a felony for any American to supply side with any arms. Americans Al Schwimmer, Hank Greenspun, and Charlie Winters boldly defy the Neutrality Act and risk convictions by purchasing twenty-three former Nazi Messerschmitt Bf-109s in Czechoslovakia, painting out the swastikas on the tails with Jewish stars of David, and smuggling them to Israel; founding a “Panamanian” airline and flying seven large aircraft out of Panama “to do an aerial survey,” but never returning; securing a huge cache of ammunition from a sympathetic junk dealer in Hawaii; smuggling weapons to Mexico on a hijacked yacht, and ultimately shipping them “to Nationalist China” – via Israel. Stripped of most of their rights as US citizens, Schwimmer is recruited to start a small aircraft maintenance plant in Israel, which will become Israel Aircraft Industries, a billion-dollar-a-year operation; Greenspun purchases a defunct newspaper, which he turns into the and is among the first to call witch-hunting Senator Joseph McCarthy to account; Winters returns to importing and exporting fruit and diamonds between Israel and the United States. After the 1967 Six-Day War, when France reneges on its commitment to sell Israel fifty advanced fighter jets, the trio manages to “steal” plans from a friendly engineer in Geneva. Within six months Israel turns out its own homegrown Mach 2 fighter aircraft. And that’s just the beginning. International best-selling author has crafted a tantalizing, rewarding, magnificently readable tour de force based on the true life stories of three of Israel’s most unheralded heroes, cementing and enhancing his reputation as a master storyteller.  Published By Pangæa Publishing Group, 2019. 560 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm , 489 Pages.

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        Amazing Grace

        The Story of Grace O'Malley the Notorious Pirate Woman

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        A WOMAN THAT HATH IMPUDENTLY PASSED THE PART OF WOMANHOOD AND BEEN A GREAT SPOILER AND CHIEF COMMANDER AND DIRECTOR OF THIEVES AND MURDERERS AT SEA … SHE HATH BEEN THE MOTHER OF ALL REBELLIONS FOR FORTY YEARS … , the “Pirate Queen of Connaught,” was thus vilified by those English authorities who tried to bring stubborn, recalcitrant Ireland to its knees in the Sixteenth Century. Twice married, twice widowed, a passionate lover, gambler, pirate, sea captain, politician, mother of heroes, and, above all, a symbol of the indomitable human spirit and Irish independence. She was a force to be reckoned with by anyone – man, woman, even the sovereign of England, who tried to cross her path. AMAZING GRACE swaggered boldly across the world stage for more than seventy years. These were turbulent times of Henry VIII and “Bloody Mary” Tudor, and Queen Elizabeth – the age of discovery when the remnants of the Middle Ages were dying – except in the provinces of Ireland – and the Renaissance was in full flower – the days of the “discovery” of America by Spaniards, the exploration of Africa and India by Portugal, the launching of the Invincible Armada, and the great schism of two contending forces of western Christianity. Armed with courage and daring to match that of any man, AMAZING GRACE lived a life “larger than legend.” More sinner than saint, she is remembered throughout western Ireland more than four hundred years after her death, celebrated in story and song. In a time when women were very much “second class citizens,” GRACE O’MALLEY did not need a women’s rights organization – she was her own force, and if you tried to cross her, you’d best beware. Sir Henry Sidney, the English Lord Deputy of Ireland, said it best: “There came to me a most feminine sea captain called Grace O’Malley, with three galleys and 200 fighting men. She brought a husband with her, and she was, by sea and by land, well more than Mrs. Mate with him. This was a notorious woman in all the coasts of Ireland.” , nationally famous American trial lawyer, world traveler, whose books have been translated into Portuguese, Czech, Turkish, Hebrew, and German, and author of international bestsellers , , , and , lives in Carmel, California with his wife Lorraine, a writer and teacher. Together they have raised five grown children.  Published by Pangæa Publishing Group, 402 Pages, 2019. 23 cm x 15 cm

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        The Wrecking Crew

        by Hugo N. Gerst

        g on for a wild ride! The craziest “coalition” in history is out to destroy ISIS!Forty years ago, Don Tommy Aiello was the most feared mafia leader in the United States. Each week, he counted the number of bodies he was responsible for killing. Each week, he counted the number of women he had slept with. But that was forty years ago. Today, he counts the number of pills he takes and the pennies left over from his small Social Security check so he might buy a cheap set of dentures – not covered by Medicare. Life is pretty awful. Twenty miles away, Pedro Sanchez, twenty, has already done two of his three strikes in prison. He can’t find a job. His seventeen-year-old girlfriend has just told him she’s pregnant. Life is pretty awful.Sister Maureen Richards is about to be dumped from her position as head of a prestigious private girls’ school. And FBI middle-manager Dennis O’Brien, 63, knows he’s on the way out the door. But he’s got an idea, which he shares with Ezra Caen, the hero of Gerstl’s Assassin. Five thousand miles away, a group of malcontents calling themselves the Islamic State (ISIS) is stirring up a worldwide bag of problems. Boots on the ground can’t stop them, aircraft in the air have no effect. The U.S. is spending $14 million a day and going nowhere.What if 15 “retired” Mafia Dons under the leadership of Sister Maureen are tasked with destroying ISIS? In exchange, their criminal records will be erased, and each will get $75,000 tax free a year for the rest of their lives. Their “army” will consist of young Hispanics who aren’t going anywhere except to the bottom … they’ll be given a four-year free college education and guaranteed government employment. Of course, the good, moral U.S. of A. can’t be seen to have a hand in this, so it will all be funded through La Società di Religione – the Vatican Bank.Hugo N. Gerstl, international bestselling author, steps into a wacky world that only his imagination could devise. Beneath the outrageous hilarity lies a much more serious message – how seniors we’ve put out to pasture, and those who are socially disadvantaged, become “invisible” in our world. As this splendidly entertaining novel makes clear, “Old age and treachery will defeat youth and vigor every time.” Published By Pangæa Publishing Group, 2019. 252 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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        THE POLITICS OF HATE – A Piercing Insight into American Politics

        by HUGO N. GERSTL

        America is being systematically destroyed – not by terrorists from without, but by vested interests from within! It’s being destroyed by politicians, talk show hosts, media moguls, and populist rabble rousers who seek to preserve their “territory” at any cost – by obstructing the passage of beneficial laws, by scandalous lies and accusations, by negative campaigning, and by gratuitous insults. These “saviors” pose absolutely no constructive ideas of their own to resolve the morass in which our country now finds itself. The politicians think no further than getting themselves elected or re-elected. The lure of $100,000 in lecture fees is a powerful aphrodisiac. The lure of power is an even greater aphrodisiac. Politicians, fearmongers, “talking heads,” and captains of industry revel in their fame, their glory, and their self-styled wisdom when the country is in greater debt than any other nation in history, and when we are more and more quickly slipping toward becoming a third world nation each year. If the public starts putting two and two together, the answer should come out “four.” But so far, the “average” American can still be led to believe that 2+2 equals whatever number the spin masters want to make it. What is even worse, more than 40% of Americans are buying into the politics of fear, dissension, and abuse without stopping for even a moment to consider exactly what these political hatemongers are offering in exchange for turning one faction out and securing the benefits of power for themselves. But regardless of political infighting or outfighting, what we are doing is akin to two fleas fighting over who owns the dog. We don’t seem to realize that we have run out of time and money; that we no longer have the luxury of political gamesmanship and needless, stupid bickering. While this timely book points the finger at who’s to blame, it also goes one step further and tells how America, the most powerful nation on earth, can take back control of its destiny and cure its own disease!   HUGO N. GERSTL earned a degree in political science and history at UCLA, then went on to graduate from the UCLA School of Law. He turned down an invitation to run for Congress on the Republican ticket as it meant running against his friend and fellow-lawyer, Leon Panetta, who was just finishing his first term in Congress. Gerstl has been a nationally known trial lawyer for forty-six years and remains eternally optimistic about the resilience of the American people. An English eBook Edition was published in fall 2012 by Samuel Wachtman's Sons  INC., C.A. 454 pages, 15x22.5cm

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        The Motherlands Sgaa Vol. II

        VOLUME TWO, EMERGENCE: 1918 – 1938

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        VOLUME TWO, EMERGENCE: 1918 – 1938 In Volume One, LEGACY, we witnessed the death of the Ottoman Empire. The Western Powers, who thought they’d have an easy time dismembering the corpse, somehow never reckoned with the courage and resilience of the Turkish people – or that a leader as great as Kemal Atatürk would grab the Motherland by the scruff of the neck and yank it forward five centuries in the span of fifteen years. The fourth major protagonist in this epic, Nadji Akdemir, scion of generations of military pride, enters the tale when Turkey is at its nadir, and afterward joins Turhan Türkoğlu and Halide Orhan at Turkey’s rebirth and EMERGENCE as the Motherland builds from within. Meanwhile, as the world descends into a nascent holocaust like none other in history, Abbas Hükümdar hitches his yoke to the rising star that is Hitler’s Thousand-Year Reich. Published By Pangæa Publishing Group, 2019. Volume Two - 238 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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        The Motherland Saga Volume III

        VOLUME THREE, COMING OF AGE: 1939 – 1983

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        Nowhere in modern literature has any story exceeded COMING OF AGE in the drama that symbolizes, no matter how large or small a role one plays, how important each human being is in the web of history. The never-ending fight to bring freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom to simply live a life where one can attain peace, without fear of tomorrow, lies at the very core of this monumental tour de force, a gargantuan buffet for those who gorge on historical fiction. Here, the reader endures the agony of shattering defeats, the depths of tragically lost love, and the lowest level to which human depravity can descend, yet ultimately celebrates the triumph of the human spirit as the three protagonists of this epic fight to bring about tikkun olam, the repair of a world in chaos. Above all, this is a COMING OF AGE story: the coming of age of Modern Turkey. If humankind does not learn from the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat them over and over, into eternity. This tale is as ancient as our history, yet as immediate as tomorrow. Like Fiddler on the Roof, its universality crosses every border and is common to every culture. And as you come to the end of this mammoth tale, you find yourself reading slower and slower, hoping it does not come to an end, hoping there will be more to this story. Published By Pangæa Publishing Group,2019. Volume Three - 284 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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        ChildFinders

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        “Melissa, silly little goat, Melissa sta—” Charles Flanders Cunningham III — a name that will rank with Hannibal Lecter as the ultimate evil genius. Charles Flanders Cunningham III — the wealthiest, most influential lawyer in the United States, perhaps the world, trusted counselor to presidents, prime ministers, and world leaders. But Cunningham has a dark side, a very dark side known only to himself and his five accomplices. Cunningham arranges to kidnap children from all over the world, none more than six years old, for a period of two weeks, after which they are returned by a wonderful, charitable organization, ChildFinders, to their despairing parents, safe, secure, and outwardly none the worse for wear … but changed. Changed by chemicals, computer implants, and mind alteration. And they do not know it — until they hear one of a thousand catchphrases. Then they turn into programmed automatons, who will do whatever the next command tells them to do. Afterward, the chip erases all memory of what they have done. By means of this undetectable “army,” Cunningham aims to control the world. Can a team led by Israeli counterterrorist Ezra Caen (Assassin, The Wrecking Crew) stop him before it is too late? In the tradition of The Manchurian Candidate and Telefon, you’d best hold on to your nerves and plan on staying up very, very late to finish this riveting thriller. And be frightened. Be very, very frightened. You never can tell if you will be the next victim … or the next killer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APyyH0hZ488 Published by Pangæa Publishing Group,2020. 300 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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        Motherland Saga - Volume IV

        by Hugo N. Gerstl

        Originally, The Motherland Saga ended in 1983, and what came thereafter was a brief epilogue. However, the past thirty-eight years have witnessed unimaginable changes in the fabric of the people, the culture, and the politics of Turkey. The emerging history of this great land compelled the writing of this fourth volume, THE FOOTSTEPS OF FOREVER. While the period from 2005 to 2020 has witnessed a sea change in the fortunes of this tortured nation and what appears to be a complete reversal in Turkey’s international alliances and its worldview, THE FOOTSTEPS OF FOREVER, Volume Four of the saga, concentrates on the period 1983-2005, which set the scene for what occurred thereafter. While it might be helpful to the reader to read LEGACY, EMERGENCE, and COMING OF AGE first, it is not really necessary, for you are traveling on a time train through the Twentieth and into the Twenty-First Century, and if you choose to get on the train in 1897 or today, your ultimate destination will be the same. Perhaps one day there will be a sequel … and another … and another. Published by Pangæa Publishing Group,2019 Volume Four - 328 pages – 23 cm x 15 cm

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