The Zodiak Assassins: A Futuristic Thriller

By Antony Sulayman

A high-flying executive and single mother of an autistic son leaves her career behind to embark on a transformative journey. Seeking a simpler life, she moves to a quaint village in Crete, where she joins the Animal Welfare movement, a cause close to her heart. Yet she soon finds that attitudes toward animals in her new home are more complex than she expected. European vets make periodic visits, attempting to control the burgeoning population of ownerless animals. As her son discovers a newfound passion for their cause, they adopt a dog once trained for fighting.

But life in Greece takes a darker turn when the far-right party, ‘The Golden Dawn,’ rises to power. The government harnesses an experimental ‘Superdog’ program, envisioning dogs not just as pets but as the new workforce, replacing human salaries. However, the unintended consequences of tampering with animal DNA pose a grave threat to the world at large. As the situation spirals out of control, it’s the mother and son who find themselves at the heart of this unfolding crisis, and it’s her autistic son who emerges as an unexpected beacon of hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035817689

Antony Sulayman

For over 15 years, Antony Sulayman was employed by Bradford Council and then the National Health Service in Yorkshire to work in drama, speech and language with autistic people and those with learning difficulties. Antony toured with learning disabled actors to schools and national health properties as a way of educating the public about the problems facing those with the condition, as much as it being a tool to allow the individuals themselves to find their way of communicating, and building self-confidence. He met many parents who came up afterwards, having seen a performance, with thanks and the information that the work improved communication within the structure of the family. Following privatisation of the service, Antony came to Greece to focus on writing and to find his ‘own’ voice through novels. He has now been living and working in Crete for the last six years. Zodiak Assassins is his first novel and draws on his past experience and the rich history of the country he has adopted to live in.

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About the Author

For over 15 years, Antony Sulayman was employed by Bradford Council and then the National Health Service in Yorkshire to work in drama, speech and language with autistic people and those with learning difficulties. Antony toured with learning disabled actors to schools and national health properties as a way of educating the public about the problems facing those with the condition, as much as it being a tool to allow the individuals themselves to find their way of communicating, and building self-confidence. He met many parents who came up afterwards, having seen a performance, with thanks and the information that the work improved communication within the structure of the family. Following privatisation of the service, Antony came to Greece to focus on writing and to find his ‘own’ voice through novels. He has now been living and working in Crete for the last six years. Zodiak Assassins is his first novel and draws on his past experience and the rich history of the country he has adopted to live in.

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this to the owner and staff of Migomis, Cafe Bar in Aghios Nicholas, who have allowed me to work there. The view from the cafe is one of the best you will see in Crete, and the coffee is not bad either.

Copyright Information ©

Anthony Sulayman 2024

The right of Anthony Sulayman to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035817665 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035817672 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781035817689 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

My thanks to the two downstairs gentlemen who work at Grafi Books in Agios Nicholas for their support, courtesy and patience in putting this book together using technology I don’t understand. Their bookshop is well worth a visit.

Preface

The Fight

If you have just joined us for our live streaming, ‘welcome’. Welcome to the fight of the century. I am Harry Webb of ‘Channel 54’, and I have to tell you that the atmosphere here at the arena at Dubai is electric. As you can see, there are no seats. Standing room only! Everybody stands, like for the Queen because the fight is not what you call, a static event. It is not restricted to a ‘ring’ because there is no ring! Odd that, isn’t it, to call it a ring when it is square, enough of that; you will have a front row seat here at Channel 54, wherever the action happens to be? When the initial announcement was made, and tickets went on sale, they were sold out within minutes, and we are talking big numbers folks, like with the prices! So, if you didn’t manage to get a slice of the live action by being here, ‘Don’t panic. Don’t panic’, as a character from one of England’s best loved ‘sit coms’ used to say, Corporal Jones, at least according to my old dad. Hi, Dad, if you’re watching? There were three terrestrial television channels then! Three? Bit different now, isn’t it? Neither of tonight’s contenders have been beaten.

So, we have no ring, no referee, no rules and no hiding place for the loser. The loser will never fight again, never walk again and most likely never breathe again! This is not a ‘rumble in the jungle’, as a once famous fight was called; this will be ‘blood and sand’ after a silent movie in the thirties with Rudolph Valintino. My, we are getting our dose of culture, aren’t we? Not to worry. If you have no idea what I am talking about, just find a movie buff to fill you in later? There is some movement on the other side of the arena; I think the contestants have arrived? The light has gone now, so all I can see is floodlights and dust. Whilst they are getting to where it is all due to start, let me fill you in on the fighters. One comes from the east and the other the west. Nowadays they represent continents, not countries. ‘Rasputin’ is