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Cuban Sliders - $0.99 for 24 hours!
Thursday 16th April is Launch Day for Cuban Sliders! I am making the Kindle version available for 24 hours for only $0.99c! But you must buy on Thursday, 16th!Buy it and get your friends and family to buy it as well. Gift it to others, too! I would love Cuban Sliders to become a BESTSELLER! This book is the third installment in the highly acclaimed Bureau Archives Trilogy. Set in 1951 Cuba and the wider Caribbean, with scrupulous detail, this immersive thriller takes you into a world where geopolitical tensions intersect with a dangerous technological breakthrough. Cuban Sliders sets out to be a new addition to contemporary speculative fiction, merging Cold War intrigue with a high-stakes espionage plot. You are plunged into the world of Max Calder, a former intelligence operative drawn back into action after the strange death of a Soviet scientist, which confirms the existence of a long-feared system known as the Mirror, which, of course, as readers of Furniture Sliders and Angus Sliders, you will know all about! The re-emergence of this experimental technology quickly escalates into a full-blown crisis, as it can not only alter the very fabric of time, it can also scarily force consensus by removing dissent. As competing global powers race to seize the technology, Max grapples with the immense responsibility of containing or eliminating the threat, even if doing so rewrites the past entirely. Blending emotionally charged storytelling with speculative science and historical tension, the novel pushes boundaries and raises questions about power, agency, and the fragility of reality. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GJQHPCB7 You can help me by doing the following: On Thursday, April 16, purchase the Kindle version for just $0.99 for 24 hours! Share Thursday's outstanding opportunity with friends on social media using the sample copy below. >>>>>>>> Alexander Bentley's new novel blends Cold War landscapes with speculative science fiction! For 24 hours, only $0.99! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GJQHPCB7 >>>>>>> Alexander Bentley's new novel takes readers on a thrilling journey with Max Calder to 1951 Cuba, where history itself hangs in the balance! Today only $0.99! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GJQHPCB7 >>>>>>> The new novel by Alexander Bentley, set in 1951 Cuba, follows Max Calder, a former intelligence operative, as he races to prevent history from being rewritten! Get your copy today for only $0.99! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GJQHPCB7 >>>>>>>>>>>>>> The Discourse third-party YouTube video book review and discussion on Cuban Sliders has now hit over 17,000 views! See it here: https://youtu.be/8Qj9lvnhRbA or on my website. Enjoy! Please let me know your thoughts about my new book. I would also love it if you could post a glowing review on Amazon! Thank you!
Cuban Sliders - Five Star Gold!
I am very pleased to say that Cuban Sliders has achieved Gold Award status as a result of Literary Titan's review of an advance copy of the book! This means that all three books in the Bureau Archives Trilogy are award-winning novels! Both Furniture Sliders and Cuban Sliders achieved 5-star gold. Angus Sliders achieved the silver award. Cuban Sliders officially launches on April 12th, when the Kindle, paperback, and hardback versions will be available on Amazon.com. The Kindle version is already there for pre-order: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GJQHPCB7The paperback version, along with both the hardback and jacketed hardback, will also be published through Ingram and hence available at bookstores worldwide, including Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. It has been an honor and a privilege to be counted amongst a select group of award-winning authors. Hopefully the success will continue with the next series of novels... watch out for The Consensus Files!
Cuban Sliders Available for Pre-Order!
The Kindle version of the third and final book in the Bureau Archives trilogy, which brings the series to a conclusion and introduces new characters, Cuban Sliders, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com! (Although don't assume that the Mirror or any of its derivative technologies have gone! Yes - derivatives turn up in Cuban Sliders). The formal launch day for Cuban Sliders is 12th April 2026, when the paperback and hardback versions will be available on Amazon. Ingram will publish print copies worldwide in paperback, hardback, and jacketed formats, so you will be able to order Cuban Sliders at Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. Cuban Sliders will take you from London to Havana, Cuba, and into St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The story incorporates the Grenadine islands of Mustique and Bequia, as well as St. Vincent itself. Sandy beaches, spies, and Russians! Kim Philby reappears along with James Angleton of the CIA and even future Cuban dictator Batista.... and watch out for Lucy Howard! And what is hiding under a rum distillery in Cardenas? Look out for more news on the run-up to the launch. In the meantime, you can check out the Cuban Sliders launch video on this website's home page.
It is finally here! Welcome to Angus Sliders! Book 2 in the Bureau Archives trilogy. Now available from Amazon - Kindle, Paperback, and hardback. From Apple Books as an eBook. Ingram is publishing the paperback and hardback (including a jacketed hardback) worldwide through major bookshops, including Barnes and Noble! When doppelgängers of former MI6 operative Max Calder surface along the Scottish coast, the Bureau knows the truth they’ve tried to bury: the Mirror lives. Alongside agent Alicia Rayes, Calder follows the trail through abandoned wartime tunnels, Edinburgh safehouses, Rosyth Naval Dockyard, and MI6’s secret chambers beneath Loch Duich. Someone has rebuilt the Mirror Recursion Core at a black site called ANGUS — and programmed it around Calder himself. With MI6 chasing them, the Bureau wavering, and Soviet mole Kim Philby hiding behind a double game, Max must face the one enemy he never prepared for: another version of himself. Angus Sliders is a lean, high-tension spy-noir where the past doesn’t repeat—it hunts.This website includes a complete story synopsis of Angus Sliders and a summary of the main characters. Plus the video trailer. Check it out!
I am pleased to be able to announce that Angus Sliders has won the prestigious 4 Star Silver Award from Literary Titan! This goes along with the Gold Award that Furniture Sliders has already won. Both books in the Bureau Archives Series have now won awards - the series is now multi-award-winning! As I am, as the author!
The First Angus Sliders Review!
Literary Titan has given Angus Sliders a pre-publication review! It has been awarded four stars! An excellent result for the second book in the Bureau Archives Trilogy. Here is the full review: Angus Sliders drops you straight into a foggy world of spies, memory loss, and shadowy doubles, and it wastes no time setting the stakes. Max Calder is living quietly in Lisbon when a strange broadcast pulls him back toward old secrets, and a long-buried threat named the Mirror starts to stir again. What follows is a chain of chases, coded messages, old flames returning at the wrong time, and a slow unravelling of Max’s own mind. The story moves from Lisbon’s rainy streets to steamers cutting through gray water to intelligence offices and old wartime wounds. It feels like a personal fight as much as a global one, and that tension powers the whole book. I caught myself getting wrapped up in the atmosphere. The writing has this rich, moody quality that made me see the wet stones and dim cafes and flickering lamps. I had a real fondness for how the book blends real historical detail with fiction. It adds weight without dragging things down, and it gave the world a texture that felt lived in. I did feel a little overwhelmed during a couple of the denser spycraft moments. The pace surged forward anyway, so the confusion never lasted long. Even so, I kept reading because Max’s voice added so much color. His wit made even the bleak moments feel sharp instead of heavy. The emotional core of the book worked for me more than I expected. Max’s slipping memory is more than a plot device. It hits like a crack that spreads through everything he touches. Every time he forgot something important, I felt a small sting as if the loss were personal. His scenes with Alicia had that same effect. Their dynamic has this messy, bittersweet edge that kept tugging at me. They know too much about each other and not enough at the same time, and their shared history hangs over every conversation. I liked that the book never tried to make their relationship tidy. It leaned into the chaos of it, and that honesty made it hit harder. This book builds a world that kept pulling me forward, and I enjoyed being lost in it. If you like spy stories that mix real history with strange tech, or if you enjoy mysteries that twist around memory and identity, this one will be a great fit. Readers who want both grit and style in the same breath will probably have as much fun with it as I did. Overall, this is a gripping and memorable read. - Literary Titan ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Angus Sliders Available for Pre-Order!
Angus Sliders Available for Pre-Order! Furniture Sliders has become an award-winning book, and I have become an award-winning author! Thanks to everyone who supported me with excellent reviews of my first Spy-Fi novel, which mixes espionage and speculative science fiction in a 1940s noir world. Now my second book in the Bureau Archives Trilogy, Angus Sliders, is just around the corner! The formal launch for the eBook, paperback, and hardback is on December 15th. But you can pre-order the Kindle version on Amazon NOW! Pre-Order Now! Angus Sliders Synopsis When doppelgängers of former MI6 operative Max Calder surface along the Scottish coast, the Bureau knows the truth they’ve tried to bury: the Mirror lives. Alongside Agent Alicia Rayes, Calder follows the trail through abandoned wartime tunnels, Edinburgh safehouses, Rosyth Naval Dockyard, and MI6’s secret chambers beneath Loch Duich. Someone has rebuilt the Mirror Recursion Core at a black site called ANGUS — and programmed it around Calder himself. With MI6 chasing them, the Bureau wavering, and Kim Philby hiding behind a double game, Max must face the one enemy he never prepared for: another version of himself. Angus Sliders is a lean, high-tension spy-noir where the past doesn’t repeat—it hunts. USA - Pre-Order Now! UK - Pre-Order Now!
Sir William Samuel Stephenson CC MC DFC was a Canadian soldier and spymaster. In WWI he was a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps, bringing down 12 German aircraft. Shot down and captured on a mission, Stephenson managed to escape in October 1918. By the end of World War I, he had already earned the Military Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war ended, Stephenson became an entrepreneur and inventor of communications equipment, but he grew concerned about the growing power of Nazi Germany. He was the senior representative of the British Security Coordination (BSC) for the Western Allies during World War II and is best known by his wartime intelligence code name, Intrepid. As head of the BSC, Stephenson handed British scientific secrets over to Roosevelt and relayed American secrets back to Churchill. In 1940 Churchill sent Stephenson to the United States to covertly establish and run BSC in New York City. It was registered by the State Department as a foreign entity and operated out of Room 3603 at Rockefeller Center. It was officially known as the British Passport Control Office and also acted as the administrative headquarters for MI6. BSC directly affected wartime covert intelligence and propaganda efforts across the entire South American continent. This is how, in Furniture Sliders, a fictionalized Stephenson came across Alicia Rayes (Artemis) and recruited her. One of Stephenson’s real major achievements for the war effort was setting up Camp X. This was the unofficial name of the secret Special Training School No. 103, a Second World War paramilitary installation for training covert agents in the methods required for success in clandestine operations. This is where the fictionalized Stephenson sent Alicia Rayes for her training. For his extraordinary service to the war effort, he was made a Knight Bachelor by King George VI in the 1945 New Year Honors. In recommending Stephenson for the knighthood, Winston Churchill wrote: "This one is dear to my heart." In November 1946 Stephenson received the Medal for Merit from President Harry S. Truman, at that time the highest U.S. civilian award. He was the first non-American to be so honored. OSS chief General Donovan presented the medal with the citation paying tribute to Stephenson's "valuable assistance to America in the fields of intelligence and special operations". Many people consider Stephenson to be one of the real-life inspirations for James Bond. Ian Fleming himself once wrote, "James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is... William Stephenson."
Alan Turing’s involvement in Furniture Sliders and with the Mirror is entirely fictional. Based on this fictional involvement, he does, however, provide a notable storyline thread throughout the book. Turing was one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century and his contributions in so many areas cannot be over-emphasized or over-stated. He was a pioneer in cryptography, computational theory, and artificial intelligence, making him an ideal candidate to have contributed in some way to the development of a fictional time-bending device like the Mirror in the Furniture Sliders universe. While Turing did not work on time manipulation or any similar technologies in his lifetime, his expertise in cryptography, computing, and his groundbreaking ideas on machines and mathematical logic made his involvement with a fictional device like the Mirror plausible in a speculative or alternate-history narrative. Turing’s work on the Turing Machine, a theoretical model for a computer, focused on the idea of algorithmic computation. This was the idea that any complex process can be broken down into simple, definable steps and it was revolutionary. In the fictional context, the Mirror could be conceived as a highly advanced computational device that breaks down and manipulates time, with Turing's concept of a machine capable of performing endless calculations at its core. In Furniture Sliders Turing is portrayed as the theoretical mind that helped Hawthorne in his quest for a time-manipulation device that uses advanced computational principles to "process" time itself as data. His work in computational theories could be extrapolated to posit that time is not a linear progression but rather a calculable system that can be understood and manipulated in a similar way to how he understood and manipulated algorithms. In Furniture Sliders, Turing was a key figure in deciphering and cracking the mechanisms behind the Mirror’s operation, in the same way that he had cracked the Enigma codes to reveal hidden intelligence during the war. This led to his strong fear of what the Mirror was and could achieve, and why he walked away from it giving Hawthorne warnings about what it might be capable of doing. Turing's work on the Turing Test, which involves evaluating whether a machine can exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from human actions, likely contributed to the creation of the artificial intelligence systems within the Mirror. Following the panpsychism theory, the Mirror was described as having its own "consciousness"—an evolving artificial intelligence that is capable of manipulating time and interpreting the effects of time travel or temporal anomalies. Furniture Sliders portrays Turing as trying to determine whether the Mirror’s time-manipulating effects were self-aware or whether it was just an advanced mechanical tool. It added an additional layer of intrigue to the device, making it not just a time-altering mechanism, but also a philosophical puzzle. Turing, in real life, faced the ethical dilemma of being involved in technology that could change the course of history. In the Furniture Sliders fictional narrative, Turing’s involvement with the Mirror raised moral questions about manipulating time, the potential risks of altering reality, and whether such power should ever be placed in the hands of governments, scientists, or individuals. Turing’s own internal conflict about his involvement with such a device added depth to his character and motivations, reflecting his historical conflict over his own government’s treatment of him and his moral compass.
Alicia Rayes has the code name Artemis in Furniture Sliders in recognition and remembrance of a World War 2 heroine, Virginia Hall Goillot (1906 – 1982). She was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), Croix de Guerre, and Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) and used the code names Marie and Diane. She was an American who worked with the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in France during World War II. The objective of SOE and OSS was to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers, especially Nazi Germany. SOE and OSS agents in France allied themselves with resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England. After World War II, Hall worked for the Special Activities Division of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Germans gave her the nickname Artemis (the Greek huntress, goddess of the moon and guardian of secrets), and the Gestapo reportedly considered her "the most dangerous of all Allied spies”. Having lost part of her left leg after a hunting accident, Hall used a prosthesis she named "Cuthbert”. She was also known as "The Limping Lady" by the Germans and as "Marie of Lyon" by many of the SOE agents she assisted. She was a thirty-five-year-old journalist from Baltimore, conspicuous for her reddish hair, a strong American accent, and an imperturbable temper; she often took risks, but intelligently. “I would give anything to get my hands on that limping Canadian [sic] bitch”. Reportedly said by Klaus Barbie, Gestapo chief, “The Butcher of Lyon”. Virginia Hall left no memoir, granted no interviews, and spoke little about her overseas life - even with relatives. She received the USA’s Distinguished Service Cross, the only civilian woman in the Second World War to do so. But she refused all but a private ceremony with OSS chief Major General William J. Donovan—even a presentation by President Truman.
