| Title | : | Perimeter (Levi Yoder, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published September 5, 2018 |
here.
Levi Yoder is a member of the Mafia and a fixer of people's problems.
Unfortunately, Levi can't fix the problem he's facing.
Having been diagnosed with a terminal case of cancer, Levi readies himself for death, but what he didn't prepare himself for was waking up one morning and learning that he's in complete remission.
PERIMETER is a story of a man thrust back into a life he'd assumed was over.
When he finds that he and the rest of his family are targets of what the CIA claims are elements of the Russian mob, Levi reluctantly agrees to help in whatever way he can.
As Levi immerses himself in the seedy underbelly of international organized crime and politics, he learns that he's being targeted for something his now-dead wife did.
It's quickly evident that the people he knows can't be trusted and the problems he needs to fix may be beyond his substantial skills.
Perimeter (Levi Yoder, #1) Reviews
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This thriller pushes several of my “hot buttons”. Levi Yoder is a “fixer” for the New York mob. After being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, he finds an Ankh his wife had placed in the safe deposit box. And the story moves on from there.
The story has him learning several disciplines of hand to hand self defense. He travels the world learning meditation from various gurus. When he returns to the U.S. he finds bad actors out to kill him. Of course, as with any thriller novel, Yoder has a high tech savant supplying him, a grandmother who is also an arms dealer, and of course his mob connections. Then there’s the ever present CIA and the missing nukes.
I think the author has borrowed story lines from several different thriller and science fiction authors. Several sub plots are very familiar to me. Also, I really felt the author tried to do too much in the first of a series. At least he didn’t end it with a cliff hanger. He did, however, set up the next in the series..
Rounded this one up to 4 stars.
Kindle Unlimited. -
Levi Yoder is a walking miracle. He discovers he has incurable cancer, three days later his cancerous lumps have disappeared as if they were never there. This was the same day his wife died. M. A. Rothman takes the reader on a fast pace race as Levi transitions from accepting his death to facing a life without Mary. This emptiness pushes him to enter a life of purging where he finds himself under the tutorship of Master Oyama. Perimeter tells the story of this “fixer” who after a decade of wandering comes home to the Amish community he came from. But perimeter ends up being a code name for a secret mission which will involve Levi.
I found Perimeter intriguing as M. A. Rothman opens a world of mobsters and their connections. The author includes a wide variety of skills with Levi Yoder, making him a well-developed character. This novel is one you will not want to put down. -
“Glowing like many stars in the night, his breath was like a crocodile.”
Author M.A (Michael) Rothman is the first member of his family to be born in the United States. His Hungarian grandfather was a WW II refugee and his family fled the Nazi occupation. Michael is an engineer who focuses on computer technology – system software design – and his designs are embedded in all modern computers distributed be the major companies in the world. He has stated ‘Whether it is deeply embedded devices such as missile guidance systems or vehicle navigation systems or general-purpose PCs such as laptops or even gaming consoles, I’ve worked with just about all types of “computers” throughout my career’. As for his writing, he has published two books to date – PRIMORDIAL THREAT and now PERIMETER – both with themes of technology and international intrigue. .
The polished skill with which Michael relates his intriguing and immensely involving story showcases both his mastery of technology as well as his obvious travels and knowledge of global intrigue. But he steps further into the spotlight with his introduction of chief character Levi Yoder by not only making him a brilliant ‘fixer’ but one coping with personal trauma, well defined in his opening paragraphs – ‘“Mr. Yoder, I’m sorry to have to tell you this.” Dr. Cohen looked concerned, hesitant, but he spoke quickly, as if to get it over with. “You have stage-4 pancreatic cancer.” That was certainly not how Levi had expected his nine a.m. follow-up visit to go. A chill spread through his chest and sent a shiver down the middle of his back. The gray-haired doctor sat across the table from Levi and nudged a box of tissues in his direction. As if tissues could help anything. “How can I possibly have cancer?” Levi’s fingers dug tightly into the arms of the padded red leather chair as he leaned forward. “I’m only thirty, and I’ve lived a clean life. I don’t drink alcohol or do drugs. Are you sure?” He realized it sounded like denial. Dr. Cohen stood, walked around his large mahogany desk, and put a wrinkled hand on Levi’s shoulder. “Son, I’m genuinely sorry.” He sighed, his breath smelling of peppermint tea. “Unfortunately, the early stages of pancreatic cancer have almost no symptoms. I sent the biopsy samples to two different labs, and they both came back with the same results. The radiology scans we took last week also confirmed the level of metastasis. The cancer has spread into your lymphatic system.” Levi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The tautness of his muscles dissipated as a feeling of resignation came over him. “Stage 4? What does that mean? How do we treat this? What’s the next step?” Pulling a chair closer, the doctor sat across from Levi, their knees practically touching. “Stage 4 simply means the cancer has spread to other organs. In your case, we’ve detected the cancer in your pancreas as well as your lymph nodes. As to treatment, Sloane-Kettering and a few other research hospitals conducted clinical trials in 2005 that dealt with this type of cancer. Nowadays there are experimental radiation treatments that we could try, coupled with multiple rounds of chemotherapy, but at this stage of your disease, I’m afraid the odds aren’t good.”
It is this quality of prose that carries his novel to success. The plot is well outlined in the synopsis – ‘Levi is a "fixer" in a fix. The CIA needs his help. The Russian mob wants him dead. With enemies closing in and nowhere to turn, he learns that the one person who may hold all the answers ... is his dead wife. Levi Yoder is a member of the Mafia and a fixer of people's problems. He takes on issues where the law is otherwise unable to help. Unfortunately, Levi can't fix the problem he's facing. Having been diagnosed with a terminal case of cancer, Levi readies himself for death, but what he didn't prepare himself for was waking up one morning and learning that he's in complete remission. PERIMETER is a story of a man thrust back into a life he'd assumed was over. When he finds that he and the rest of his family are targets of what the CIA claims are elements of the Russian mob, Levi reluctantly agrees to help in whatever way he can. As Levi immerses himself in the seedy underbelly of international organized crime and politics, he learns that he's being targeted for something his now-dead wife did. It's quickly evident that the people he knows can't be trusted and the problems he needs to fix may be beyond his substantial skills.’
At the end of the novel Michael offers some scientific factual information that heightens the readers interest not only in this novel but also in the series. Writing of this caliber, having created a mesmerizing lead character whose skills as a human being are staggering, suggests that this book could easily be adapted as a screenplay for a fine motion picture. This is a series – the Levi Yoder Thrillers - and seems to be bound to be a very popular success. Highly Recommended. -
Levi Yoder was raised in Amish country, but he grew up on the street of New York. Levi is known as a fixer for one of the mafia families. He is good at what he does. Unfortunately at the tender age of thirty he is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Levi is dredging telling the love of his life that he is dying. He had promised her he would be with her forever. Levi places everything he owns in a trust for Mary his wife. Mary would want for nothing after his death. He places the trust papers in his safety deposit box at the bank. Levi finds a package addressed to Mary in the deposit box. Curious he opens the package and finds what looks like a brightly shining ankh. His life will be forever changed. Mary dies in a car accident under unusual circumstances. Levi’s cancer is in remission; his body healing but is heart no longer cares. Levi tries to find himself by going on a walk-about which takes him to several continents and different cultures. He learns martial arts, survival skills, and meditation. After ten years on the road it is time for Levi to return home to his routes. He is welcomed back to the Amish community. Unfortunately someone wants Levi dead and in order for that to happen two of the Amish children are sacrificed. The deaths are blamed on Levi. Levi is carted off to jail. While incarcerated the first of many attempts on his life is made by the Russians no less. But they don’t know what Levi is capable of. Levi survives and is released. He can’t go back to the Amish community; his only other choice is to back to New York.
Well that is all I am going to tell you. This is an exciting complex story filled with history, dynamic characters, love interests, thrills; everything you would want in a great read. I hope there is another Levi Yonder story in the making.
I won this e-book on Goodreads.com -
Levi Yoder is a different and great protagonist. He deals with many issues as he recovers from the death of his wife and is forced to track down an assassin who is trying to kill him. The story itself is a thrilling mystery that mixes a little fantasy into the plot. It is well-written and completely different from other books in this genre. The style of writing makes for easy reading, but conveys much information. Levi travels the world, becomes a self defense master and goes back to his original job as a fixer for the New York mob. Action takes place in exotic locales as well as Amish farmland and the city. An astonishing amount of information is contained within this book.
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Book 1 of a new series featuring Levi Yoder, a man whose life has enough twists and turns to qualify as the local soap opera while he tries to do the right thing for the right reason for the wrong people. Throw in the fact that he's retired from life to wait for death then learns that he's going to live a little longer than predicted and you've got an original story line that works to keep readers, especially, this one, reading instead of doing chores. I loved Levi's dilemmas as he works to fix the problems of the good guys and the bad guys without getting killed for his trouble. Make sure Perimeter is on your TBR list!
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Letto per lavoro e super contenta. Di solito non leggo tanti thriller, soprattutto non thriller americani, ma questo mi è piaciuto particolarmente. Mi ha tenuta incollata alle pagine e non vedevo l'ora di sapere come continuasse. Avrei solo un appunto da fare su un colpo di scena troppo veloce, ma per il resto è davvero godibile. Poi, con quel pizzico di mistero egizio in sottofondo, mi ha conquistata subito.
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If you like Reacher, The Sopranos, Bruce Lee, or National Treasure, you will love Levi Yoder, the Amish "fixer" for the mob. He’s a high-functioning mixed martial artist, with a little supernatural element to him, and is working with the CIA. I was trying to explain this book to my husband, and it sounds extremely far fetched, but somehow it works and is awesome.
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This was a rousing good story which needed a rigorous edit. Covering at least four continents and a dozen cultures including urban America and the Pennsylvania Amish, the book featured the intersecting points of view of Levi, an unlikely mob fixer, and Madison, a Navy officer turned CIA operative.
The science and technology in the narrative seemed solid, but other procedural points showed lapses that a strong editor would have caught. Levi is arrested by the county sheriff's department, and would have been taken to a county jail -- but Rothman describes a high-security prison setting, with indeed, a "prison guard" telling him he'd go to intake in the morning.
Early on, cliched descriptions made frequent appearances ("The moment he first saw her, it was like he'd been struck by lightning. His skin had tingled and he'd barely managed to catch his breath" and “He felt the gamut of human emotions”). In several places, a repeated adverb shows up carelessly, two and three times, on the same page.
The story was strong enough for me to carry on reading, but the niggling irritations really damaged the writer's credibility. Also, the dialogue was inconsistent, with each character's conversational patterns slipping in and out of formality, slang, fluency, etc.
The story arc was powerful, but the narrative didn't hold up its end. I read in the afterword that the writer decided to self-publish, and it explained a lot -- most publishing houses have an editorial team that would have magnified the punch of this book. -
Given the book's premise, I expected this to be a little hokey. But it surpassed hokey rather quickly and soon collapsed into utter absurdity. The main character, Levi Yoder, was essentially a parody of human perfection. Through his backstory we learn that he was a perfect person long before he received his special ankh-powers.
Why do I say this? Well, as a teenager he left his pacifistic, deeply religious Amish community and moved to New York. Upon arriving in NY city, he immediately struck up deep and meaningful friendships with hardened mafia men (who of course loved him instantly and quickly brought him into "the family"). Also, fresh off the commune, he somehow knew how to streetfight like a demon. As such, by the age of 20 he was appointed as a FIXER for the mob. Fixer, meaning he was both a "consultant" and a "spy" for his mobster bosses. (His words, not mine.) So, um, the character realism was lacking.
Ankh or no ankh, by the end of the book I had already had too much of this. That said, the plot was clever enough that I did finish the story. Unfortunately, the ending was as trite as the rest of it. -
Not my usual type of book and not really very good. Story was silly and a bit disjointed. Not sure why the lead had to have 'magical' powers or why he was working for the mob in the first place? Will not be reading the next chapter.
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Levi Yoder, a mob fixer, experiences personal tragedies before stumbling upon an ancient Egyptian artifact in his safe deposit box. This discovery transforms him into a combination of Superman, 007, and various other heroes. We might as well call him Yoda, although he lacks the characteristics of a short green alien with a lightsaber. Enlightened is he. Despite lacking those traits, he becomes enlightened.
Yoder then decides to seek further enlightenment in the eastern hemisphere, embarking on a journey that takes him to Japan, China, India, and Australia. During his travels, he learns various skills from masters in their respective crafts, including fighting and languages.
After his walkabout, Yoder returns home only to find himself entangled in a conspiracy. He becomes determined to track down a femme fatale—a Russian assassin who wronged him. When he finally locates the assassin, he is compelled to confront her, driven by her striking resemblance to his deceased wife they engage in making the beast with two backs. Highlighting the one skill his masters failed to impart: common sense. This emphasizes once again that when a man's phallus is engorged, his hypothalamus turns to putty.
Despite the poetic licence, the story is an overall entertaining and enjoyable read. -
A fun action mystery with a surprise or two along the way
Levi Yoder, with a name like that he must be a mafia trouble shooter. Levi fixed things for his boss when nobody else can fix them. When Levi discovers he has terminal cancer he prepares to atone for his life. As the story develops we followed Levi on a 10 year trek across the world trying to deal with his wife's death. When his own death seems to be approaching he has accepted it only to discover the mafia and several others are out to kill him. The journey takes a surprise twist as Levi follows his destiny. Will he succumb to cancer or will be survive the odds only to be snuffed out by the mafia? The story is fast paced and filled with twists and turns along the way. Good characters and development of the story. I recommend this as a must read for everyone who is looking for a good read and a great distraction. -
Perimeter is a book that will make you feel divided about what you feel about it. I’ve read M. Rothman before and I know he has a tremendous talent for telling a story and giving you a shady character that you will end up cheering for.
I’m not one of those readers that need everything to be believable in a book or that everything is explained, but in Perimeter there are a lot of loose ends. And a lot of side stories that don’t add anything to the characters’ building or relevant to the plot. It’s almost like they are there just to fill up pages or give the reader another action sequence. Some editing would be good, because in this case less really is more. The main story about a mob fixer that doesn’t break the law and gets involved with the CIA is really interesting and more than enough to catch the readers’ attention. I enjoyed the book, but I’m a big fan of the genre. I’m guessing others will feel lost and/or exhausted with the avalanche of information and details given. -
Levi is just too much. He is diagnosed with terminal cancer but recovers mysteriously. His wife dies and he fears she has committed suicide. He later learns she died due to harassment from a lackey of Vladimir. Glad appears to be a Russian thug with a vendetta against Levi.
The reason for that is convoluted. Hell most of the story is convoluted. But it is just too unbelievable. He goes walk-about for about one dozen years picking up foreign languages and skills in fighting.
I am not exactly sure when he loses his respect for life but he sure doesn’t have any problems killing people who interfere with his life.
After his walk about he finds out his money has been stolen so he contacts the mafia with whom he used o work for assistance. No problem, welcome back Levi, su e we will help you get your money back.
I liked some of the characters and some of the situations he finds himself in but i have to suspend belief in a lot of other things to enjoy the story. -
When I saw the name "Perimeter" I wanted to find out what the book was about and was surprised how well the name blends with the context and meaning.
Perimeter - this is the border that limits something, so in this story, the main character, first , had one barrier - this is his illness, which was incurable. Levi Yoder was beginning to prepare for death, but his desire to continue to help people with their problems did not allow him to give up. He worked in the CIA and helped police to find criminals.
The second "perimeter" or test for Levi that after the disclosure of one case, he realized that he can not even trust the nearest ones, that he always have to be careful.
In my opinion, this novel tells us about how to overcome some "perimeters" and live freely without fears and secrets - to be honest with yourself. -
This novel by M.A. Rothman tells the story of Levi Yoder, a man belonging to the Mafia who is on the run from a Russian mob. The CIA is also looking for him as they believe Yoder could provide valuable help to them. He also has been diagnosed with a terminal case of cancer which only adds to his woes. As he tries to escape from his problems, he suddenly finds that he has recovered from his illness completely. Eventually, he agrees to help the CIA by finding out secrets from the mob chasing him and soon discovers that it’s not necessarily him they’re after, but the secrets his dead wife once had.
If you’re looking for a thrilling novel to read, definitely check this one out. It’s action-packed and filled with twists which will leave you on the edge of your seat. The novel runs at about 358 pages, so it will take some time to read, but it’s certainly worth doing. -
A GREAT read. And I so very glad to have discovered a new-to-me action-thriller author while I am waiting for the next books of my favorite authors, including Jason Kasper, Tim Tigner, and Brad Thor. Rothman has created some very interesting characters - not the least being the "hero" of this thriller, a mafia "fixer", Levi Yoder. After a decade of wandering the Orient, after losing his wife, being diagnosed with cancer, Levi returns to his Amish community. The plot moves quickly along. The action/fight scene are memorable. And Levi, although flawed, is very likeable. He is recruited to assist the feds deal with rogue nukes in terrorist hands. I read this after DARWIN'S CIPHER. I have already ordered the next 2 books in the Levi Yoder series. Recommend for those reader who like Brad Thor, Lee Childs, Tim Tigner, and Jason Kasper.
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Because these types of books are my favourite, I try not to continually read them so that I fully appreciate them when I do. Perimeter has really surprised me, in a really good way. It delivered much more than what I expected and has left me craving more. If that was M.A Rothman’s plan, then it well and truly succeeded. Starting with the main character Levi riddled with cancer and facing death having accepted his fate, he’s prepared for the end. That’s when he becomes the receiver of a true miracle. Cancer free with a life still to lead. All in the same breath his wife is now dead, the CIA are in need of his expertise, and the answers he seeks, lie with the one whose blood is now cold. A brilliant book with an intriguing plot.
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This was a GoodReads giveaway win of a Kindle Edition ebook. A good presentation of technical facts, but not quite the smooth introduction of those facts for my taste.
Just a bit too much fantasy for me. Okay, the author explained it away as nanite technology that was really decades old by the time our hero was infected. That was just a bit out there for my taste. There is some good science in this fiction, but the overall presentation and our hero turned the entire reading into a fantasy for myself. Even worst, the female characters in this story kept making me think this was all a setup for a porn flick. Not really what I was expecting.
Have a GoodReads. -
Interesting Main Character
I think Levi Yoder is a fascinating character. He grew up Amish, but traveled the world and took something valuable from many different cultures. Now he works for the mob, kind of. He's unique character. I like him.
The plot adds some other interesting folks as well. There are the mob guys, of course. There is the technical guy that can make/do most anything. The beautiful women are CIA agents.
The action has Levi and the women saving the world from a nuclear disaster.
I am looking forward to the next Levi Yoder book. -
Parts of this story were exciting and kept me hooked on reading to the end of the book quickly. Other parts were ridiculous; firstly, our hero touches an ancient artifact and is immediately given the power of nanites which make him nearly immortal. Secondly, one of the female CIA agents sent undercover to Russia on a critical mission is portrayed as a brainless bimbo, which would be preposterous if it happened in real life. While I liked the protagonist, Levi Yoder, and I enjoyed the action, the story had too many holes to recommend. I won't be in a hurry to read more in the series.
