Rene Natan

Welcome to Rene Natan's Webpage

Rene Natan is a pen name for Irene Gargantini, a professor of computer science who, close to her retirement, decided to revert to the passion of her youth: story telling. She took several e-courses on fiction writing and then jumped into writing with the enthusiasm of a novice, She has about a hundred scientific or technical papers to her credit and has received four awards in science; two from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (25 Years of Excellence in Research and Recognition to Contributing to Canadian Research) and two from the IBM Centre for Advanced Studies: Contributing to Canadian Research and Pioneer of Computing in Canada. She has authored seven novels, four short stories and co-authored a novella. Her genres vary from romantic suspense to thrillers with romantic interludes. Here are a few snapshots of her tales.
   Novels — The Collage, a 2004-best seller of Creative Guy Publishing, is a story of a young heiress caught in a web of lies and violence; Operation Woman in Black, a release dedicated to all parents of disabled children, portraits the struggle of a man who has to share every minute of his day between police work and the parenting of a handicapped teenage daughter. Cross of Sapphires describes the inner turmoil of a man of the law in love with a fugitive accused of a horrendous crime. Mountains of Dawn brings to life the distress of an orphan with no roots and no place to go. The protagonist of The Jungfrau Watch (a political thriller) has the tormented soul of a man whose political belief has been destroyed, and whose motherland, Russia, has been precipitated into chaos while his life floats in an absolute vacuum. The Red Manor is about family bonds that stretch over two continents and where love overcomes both greed and cleverly engineered criminal plots. Natan's recent release (2010), The Blackpox Threat, was a finalist in the 2011 National Indie Eccellence Awards. Her country threatened by a deadly epidemic, Tamara Smith moves from her comfort zone to a world filled with deception, treachery and life-threatening danger.
       Short Stories — In "Killing on Mount Yula" a hearing-impaired teenager struggles as he tries to escape his pursuers on skis. In "A Pair of Wings for Christmas," (a celebration of the centennial of the first powered flight) science is embedded in a framework of fantasy. In "The Black Notebook," ghost detective Denys Bellami solves a complicated case with the help of a 13-year-old girl. In the true story, "He Was One Of Eight," eight young orphans leave their native Holland to settle in Canada.
    Rene Natan makes her home in Strathroy, Ontario.
      Contact her at renenatan@aol.com     Blog her at http://natan-new-release.blogspot.com
      From the Social Media "Life Matters with Larry Bofman":
     http://www.prlog.org/11729039-1-radio-show- life-matters-focus-passion-the-key-to-reinventing-yourself.html
      From the Press: http://newsblaze.com/story/20110320075530zzzz.nb/topstory.html
      http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=18849
     From the Frankie Boyer BLOG: http://frankieboyer.typepad.com/blog/2011/07/ frankie-boyers-guest-line-up-for-wednesday-7611.html
     From Strathroy-Caradoc Radio Station: http://www.strathroytoday.ca/default.asp?pid=69639&wireid=Local_Author_Wins
     From KEMW-FM radio station Dr. Jim Lee presents Rene Natan: Interview

New: The Blackpox Threat

The Blackpox Threat A deadly virus is on its way to Canada--from Ukraine via Italy. Can thirty-two-year-old Tamara Smith help in the covert operation that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service has carefully orchestrated? Ship Me Safely, the European and Canadian-based company Tamara works for, is the suspected carrier of a newly engineered virus. The daughter of two political refugees, Tamara doesn’t know anything about viruses or spying as she is still mourning the loss of her parents, found dead with their throats slashed in the family house. But when the only friend she has on earth – a Ukrainian Embassy diplomat – is murdered, she hesitates no more. She confronts Nekton, the mysterious man in possession of a virus that combines the deadly properties of smallpox with those of Ebola. Betrayed by a fellow agent, she is kidnapped at gun point. Warned not to trust anybody, especially Justin Devry, the twenty-three-year-old son of a suspect who professes his love to her, Tamara risks her life for the cause and, against her beliefs, shoots to kill.

http://www.oldlinepublishingllc.com

The Blackpox Threat is available on Smashwords for a variety of eReader formats, on Barnes & Noble for Nook and on Amazon for Kindle.
Chapter 1    Review1
  Review From Blogger News Network: http://http://www.bloggernews.net/127177l
  From Dad of Divas' Reviews http://www.dadofdivas-reviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-review-blackpox-threat.html
      From Bookpleasures.com: http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher/articles/3417/1/Rene-Natans-The-Blackpox-Threat

Fire Underneath the Ice, a novella co-authored by Sharon Crawford

Fire Underneath the Ice In Fire Underneath the Ice (co-authored by Sharon Langevin Crawford under the pen name R. S. Natanevin) stockbroker Michael Hamming wants to revenge against the daughter of his nemesis, but ends up falling in love with her. Set during the financial crisis of 2008, Michael Hamming neglects to take care of his company in order to save his kidnapped love.
An Excerpt:
Light filtered through the porthole and shone onto Michael’s berth. He looked for Karyn. She wasn’t in bed. He called her name and then walked into the bathroom. No Karyn. He stepped up on deck. The yacht swayed left and right, hardly protected by the stony walls surrounding the marina. The skipper and the only sailor of the rented boat were busy gathering tables and chairs and stowing them away.
“The wind came up strong just half an hour ago,” said Vincent, the skipper. “This is a nice location, ideal for snorkeling, but not the best to shelter us from the wind. Look at the tension on the rope holding the anchor. It might break.” Vincent’s voice carried plenty of worry, as he owned the vessel.
“Did you see Ms. McDonnell?” Michael asked.
“No.” Vincent rushed to the prow and fastened the down riggings used for deep-sea fishing. Then he picked up the pillows and blankets that were sprawled on the floor and carried them down the stairs. Michael descended after him and searched the rooms and all the cabins, closets, and boat entrances he could spot. Karyn was missing.
“Vincent!” he called out.
“Yes, Mr. Hamming?”
“Stop working on the boat. Ms. McDonnell is missing.”
Vincent stood in front of him. “Not much I can do,” he said. “Let me call for help.”

The Red Manor

The Red Manor The Red Manor
Lucio Maria de’ Vigentini, Lord of the Red Manor, is loaded with years, money, memories and regrets—the ancient curse cast upon his family weighing heavily on his soul. He lost his son, Rick, at sea and his wife left him, taking Rick’s twin, Chris Sandcroft, to Canada. Lucio, lonely and ailing, is tortured by the prophesy predicting the extinction of the Red Manor and its occupants at the turn of the millennium. When Chris asks his father to live with him, he accepts, in the hope of escaping the curse. Despite Chris’ loving care, sudden immersion in a different culture and a modern household taxes Lucio’s spirit. The unearthing of two precious cups, once Red Manor possessions, brings much excitement to the blue-collar city of Harrisville, Ontario, and with it, crime. Then the malefic prophesy of the Red Manor seems to take its inexorable course, as shadows of the past occur with menacing consistency.

http://www.PublishAmerica.com/books
Chapter 1 Review1

The Jungfrau Watch

The Jungfrau Watch The Jungfrau Watch
The collapse of the Soviet Union leaves two prominent members of the Red Brigades without funds, without a job and without a cause. They both find asylum, under false identities, in Canada. One continues in his criminal activities, the other wants to make a clear break from his past. Fifteen years later, in 2003, their paths cross again. Meanwhile industrial espionage plagues several Ontarian companies, prompting the intervention of Invicta, a prestigious investigating agency. When the prototype of the Jungfrau Watch—a masterpiece of technology and art—is stolen, Alesh Stefanich is hired to establish a fake laboratory based on the production of highly efficient fuel cells. Soon after a project is stolen from the lab, providing Alesh Sinkovich and Invicta with the much wanted breakthrough. However, the Red Brigades aren’t dead. Their means of corrupting and luring, coupled with their expertise in kidnapping and killing, infiltrate the peaceful town of Vermeil. Alesh Stefanich will have no choice but adopting drastic measures to save what’s very dear to him.

http://www.PublishAmerica.com/books
Prologue Chapter 1 Review1 Review2 Review3

The Collage

The Collage The Collage
A cleverly masterminded plot entraps young heiress Allison Summer in a web of deceit and violence--slowly and without mercy. Although surrounded by a multitude of people, beautiful Allison is alone in her struggle, not knowing whom to trust: not her father, not her husband, not even the handsome man who pledges his love to her... A nosy reporter makes Allison’s life difficult, a mysterious fire destroys her home, a killer seemingly coming from nowhere knocks on her door, while an accusation of murder hangs over her head. Surmounted by guilt and disheartened by the loss of loved ones, Allison suffers in solitude, hoping for better times. But when the life of the man she loves becomes at stake, Allison musters her strength and takes control of her destiny. And she will not stop until the innocent is free and the guilty secured behind bars.

Prologue Chapter 1 Reviews

Operation Woman in Black

Operation Woman
in Black Operation Woman in Black
Nothing and nobody seem to penetrate the criminal ring that plagues the town of Varlee, Ontario. When Varlee’s Chief of Police, frustrated by five years of unsuccessful attempts, resigns, Conrad Miguel Tormez becomes in charge of the investigation. Aware of the po-tential that Pappa-Pappa, a new speech emulation system, offers, Conrad Tormez engi-neers a daring operation: he’ll replace the Woman in Black, a recently deceased member of the criminal ring, with Savina Thompson, an ex-agent and amateur performer. But Operation Woman in Black isn’t the only challenge Conrad Tormez has to face. For the last year he has been searching for Isabel, his teenage mentally impaired daughter. Then one day he finds her—living in a log cabin in the Rocky Mountains, together with a baby and a wolf. A loving father yet a cunning detective, Conrad Tormez has to balance every minute of the day between parenting and police work. As Operation Woman in Black progresses Conrad Tormez realizes that the master-mind of the criminal ring is a formidable opponent—his deadly tentacles can reach any-body, anywhere, anytime.

http://www.PublishAmerica.com
Chapter 1 Reviews

Cross of Sapphires Chief Steve Carlton seems to have successfully carried out his mission--he has finally managed to take fugitive Livia White aboard his aircraft. Shortly after take off, however, Steve’s plane crashes in the wildest region of Venezuela. Severely injured, he is nursed back to health by an attentive and caring Livia. For five long weeks Steve tries to picture her as a killer. To no avail. Her limpid blue eyes, her rare but genuine smile, and her kindness capture his heart. But when Steve returns to New Brunswick he discovers that the evidence accumulated against Livia is staggering. The law being his one and only creed, Steve battles his feelings as the life of accused Livia White unfolds before his eyes. Follow Steve in his struggle and his adventures, where the stakes are high and the rewards none too sure.
Mountains of Dawn “Pack and leave” are the words that Tanya Caldwell, orphaned at the age of six, heard many times as she wandered from foster home to foster home. After she narrowly escapes two murder attempts, she hears them again from Malcolm Clark, the head of Invicta--the prestigious agency in charge of providing personal protection, including security systems and bodyguards. On Malcolm’s advice, she retires to the hills of the Italian Riviera. The Mediterranean shores offer endless inspiration to Tanya the artist. Here she meets Kevin Matwin, a publisher of arts books, and a friend of his, Luigi Amedeo, Count of Monteturro. The count’s dignified manners and daredevil enterprises hide more than one secret. Accidents similar to Tanya’s also occur to Brian Miller, Malcolm’s step-brother. As Malcolm starts an investigation of his own, he finds that Tanya’s and Brian’s misfortunes have a common denominator in a well-known association thought by everybody to be above suspicion.

Short stories: free download!

Killing on Mount Yula, A Pair of Wings for Christmas and He Was One of Eight

Hearing impaired Chris Valoir has a clever plan to escape his pursuers: crossing the Alps on skis. But midway through his journey a blizzard forces him to stop at Yula Station, full of stranded people. Frightened and alone, 15-year old Chris hopes for the storm to end, and daylight to come. But when they do, his pursuers close in.
A Pair of Wings for Christmas is a small tribute to the celebration of the first powered flight. It blends fantasy and science, as one angel explains to a would-be angel what he has to do to gain a pair of wings before Christmas.