About The Author

In his own words about his first novel, Van Fleisher reflects, “After 21 years with an airline, TWA, I left to do my own thing as a management consultant. That’s how it seems to work – if, for whatever reason, someone leaves a real, Monday to Friday, 9-5 job, they become a consultant. So what happens to someone who leaves management consulting after 30 years? “First of all, you keep looking at calendars and dates to see if 30 years could possibly have come and gone that fast. Then, because you’ve been programmed, you sit down at your computer and check your messages. But that’s no fun because there are very few messages from anyone you want to hear from. But, since you’re at your computer, what else can you do? In my case, it was to write a novel.” While this is all true, it’s only half the story. (Van is notoriously modest.) The author was Director of International Marketing with TWA, and then worked as an International Management Consultant – taking him behind the closed doors of boardrooms and executive offices around the world. He knows how business works, which gives the slightly “sci-fi” premise of Final Notice a very realistic feel. Moreover, his two careers led him to live abroad for much of his life. After growing up in New Jersey and Florida, where he never thought much further than the length of a football field, and going to college in New Mexico, he wound up living in England, Scotland and France, travelling frequently to the Middle East and Asia. He even spent a year living in India. And his first-hand experience with – and respect for – other cultures is apparent in this book. “My first advice to aspiring writers,” says Fleisher, “is to get a good assistant. Someone who never rolls their eyes at your attempts to be funny; always gives you a reason to get up and stretch your legs, and most importantly, when you ask him or her what they think about this sentence, they just wag their tail. “Even better advice, once given to me, is to enjoy the process and listen to your heart more than anything or anyone else! “Final Notice is meant to highlight, primarily, my concerns with America’s approach to gun ownership and control. The book won’t fix this issue, but there are a number of great organizations with even greater people working on our behalf to right these wrongs. Proceeds from sales of Final Notice will help support those efforts. Visit my website: www.finalnoticebook.com for additional information.”

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Final Notice

What would you do if you knew – for certain – that you had one week to live?

By Van Fleisher

Overview

EXCERPTS FROM INITIAL REVIEWS

“Van Fleisher could join the ranks of James Patterson and Tom Clancy with the quality of writing ...” Reviewed By S Coville for Readers’ Favorite. Rated 4 stars
“Van Fleisher could join the ranks of James Patterson and Tom Clancy with the quality of writing that I found in Final Notice. More importantly, he took a simple idea and elevated it into a thrilling, fast paced read that never once slackened. Fleisher creates characters that are all at once relatable and scary as they are realistic people that we feel we know but who are driven to extreme extents. And while there is a political agenda woven throughout the story, it's enjoyable no matter how you interpret it. This book does a spectacular job of pushing a message while still being enjoyable as simply fiction.”

“Final Notice is a fascinating, enjoyable read.” Reviewed By C Sia for Readers’ Favorite. Rated 5 stars

“Van Fleisher has crafted a gripping story with a powerful premise. The pacing is fast and Fleisher has the rare gift of grabbing the reader’s attention and sustaining it till the end.”

“Van Fleisher is a master entertainer…” Reviewed By D Zape for Readers’ Favorite. Rated 5 stars

“Final Notice by Van Fleisher is an intelligently imagined and expertly crafted novel with an original concept. Combining dark and biting humor, satire, and suspense, Fleisher creates a story with characters that are sophisticated and that reveal a lot about human nature. There is an unpredictability in the plot that makes it intriguing and exciting, with surprises that readers won’t see coming. I enjoyed the concept — strong and original — behind the plot. The conflict is mostly existential and psychological and the author uses it to drive the plot. Van Fleisher is a master entertainer who knows how to feed the reader’s curiosity. You can’t stop reading this book once you start it.”

“Final Notice by Van Fleisher was an enjoyable and well-edited read that explores a controversial subject.” Reviewed by S Khan for OnlineBookClub.org. Rated 4/4

“Final Notice is a fiction novel that is not that far from reality ... My attention never wavered. The characters are likable and multidimensional ... the plot was perfectly paced ... (and) I kept on turning the pages because I was impatient to see how each character who received a final notice would react. I congratulate the author on the ability to surprise me multiple times throughout the story. This novel proves that we never really know people as well as we think we do.”

“It is original, with biting humor, and well executed; Final Notice is a great read.” Reviewed By R Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite. Rated 5 stars.

“Final Notice by Van Fleisher is a thrilling novel that includes strong elements of sci-fi to provide readers with an awesome reading experience. The reader will be surprised as they follow characters like the senator, the FBI agent, the eighty-something-year-old man, and many more. The story is intelligently plotted, featuring a lot of suspense and grim humor, and forces readers to consider what they would do if they knew when they would die. Fleisher has a powerful sense of setting and readers will feel as though they are navigating the physical and spiritual landscapes of the novel alongside the characters. It is original, with biting humor, and well executed; Final Notice is a great read.”

“If you like thought provoking, exciting and well written novels, then give this one a go!” Reviewed By K Anisi for Readers’ Favorite. Rated 5 stars.

I found the plot of Final Notice by Van Fleisher extremely interesting and well executed and I enjoyed the book because there wasn't a judgmental tone to it. Some sensitive topics like suicide, racism, and how the elderly are treated are talked about in a very appropriate manner, and you get insights into different layers of society. If you like thought provoking, exciting and well-written novels, then give this one a go!

Description

What Would You Do If You Knew – For Certain – That You Had 10 Days To Live? Some would get their legal affairs in order. Others would contact family, friends, lovers, ex-lovers. Some might take a trip or make an exceptional donation. Still others might clean the house and do the laundry. And some…might kill. The year is the very near future. A brilliant young doctor and mathematician, Vijay Patel, has invented a new health/sport watch that monitors blood chemistry so accurately, it can actually predict when someone will die – within 10, 20, or 30 days. The intention of this “Final Notice,” as it is called, is to allow people to get their affairs in order and reach out to loved ones before it’s too late. But when those notified have easy access to a gun, the result is sometimes lethal for more than just the watch-owner. These are the stories of several people who receive their Final Notice and their very different reactions...including a desire to get revenge with impunity. They range from an 89-year-old resident in a retirement home to a U.S. Senator...from a benevolent widow to a crass tycoon to a noted climate change scientist. But in this fresh, fast-paced page-turner, their stories are all set against the all-too-recognizable backdrop of a guns-gone-wild America, and the relentless push by the NRA and their surrogate politicians to make guns even easier to acquire. Their stories are also connected by the involvement of several likeable protagonists. These include: the inventor of the watch ... the FBI agent charged with stopping the killings...and a recently retired, middle-class couple, Vince and Trudi Fuller, with their brave immigrant friends and a very endearing Corgi, Miles. Vince and Trudi live happily in their “California bubble” until Vince is knocked down by a young punk in a parking lot. His sense of shame and rage, resulting from feelings of age-related vulnerability, triggers a first-time interest in guns. Trudi resists, but later, an unprovoked attack on Miles and Vince – and a growing friendship with two courageous Syrian refugees – changes her mind. With very unexpected consequences. There is plenty of dark humor and political satire in FINAL NOTICE, as well as touching scenes and outright suspense. So expect to laugh out loud, dry some tears, and bite your nails (not necessarily in that order). It is, despite the somewhat “sci-fi” premise of the watch, a very realistic reflection of American society and the many problems we face today.

Genre:fiction
Sub-genre:Thrillers / General
Language:English
Pages:352
eBook ISBN:9781543914122
Paperback ISBN:9781543914115

Book Reviews

lilian

Book Review -Final Notice by Van Fleisher A SOLIDLY WRITTEN BOOK THAT JUST WASN'T THRILLING ENOUGH FOR ME 'A new smart watch has ability to predict how long someone has to live,sending them a 'final notice' to get their affairs in order. Everyone reacts differently, but in some cases, getting their affairs in order means picking up a gun and killing other people or themselves. Final notice is billed as a political thriller which is the biggest issue i had with the story.When i hear the descriptions "thriller"i assume edge of the seat,lots of solidly written book but in my opinion definitely not a thriller.Making the company manufacturing the watches cooperative and the good guys really took away a prime opportunity for conflict. there were some nicely written passages and i particularly liked the relationship between Vince and Trudi and really liked the nice little twist from Trudi at the end.How ever there were too many characters introduced ,and most of them were superfluous to the story even the FBI agent seemed to have little to go and didn't add any tension to the plot at all. The author fell right into the trap of telling rather than showing readers, and there was quite a bit of over writing in places. Also the author took readers out of the story at times by adding little notes from the author into the text which were distracting and unnecessary. TO WHATEVER GENRE IT MAY FIT, "FINAL NOTICE"IS A GRAND BOOK Wow! just wow! That was my first thought when i finished this book. Normally i would write a synopsis first but i found this difficult to do, so bear with me. The main story follows the testing stage of the VT2, a new sport watch and i use the term loosely-which monitors your body an blood to the extent that it can accurately predict (within 30 days )when you will die.The watch sends out a final notice giving the wearer the number of days they have left.So what would you do if u knew you left X number of days to live? Would you make sure that your affairs were in order and say goodbyes or would you settle a grievance with a gun, knowing that you would never have to pay for your crimes? This book follows the stories of several final notice recipients who did just that.The FBI becomes, involved when it's realised there is a link between some recent, and perhaps strange murders and the VT2. But there is always the story of Vince (70) and his wife Trudi who rail against the easy availability of guns until an incident that leaves them feeling the frailty of their age. They are truly conflicted. This book is set in the near future and powerfully highlights the political influence of the NRA, but other social issues such as the indifference and lack of respect spot wards the ageing and the growing hatred of foreigners, especially muslims, are also approached within the story. It too me a few pages to understand how this story was put together, but once i did, i was fully engrossed in all of it. It is a complex tale of serious topics but it is tempered by moments of humour and the odd step out of the story by the author. I loved that it made it quite personal,in effect giving you a kind of relationship with the author as well as the main characters. Very brave,Mr Fleisher. The main characters are well developed and the book moves at rollicking pace.i am not sure where it fits in; it's touted as thriller and mildly "sci-fi"of the watch, But i am not sure if it fits either of those well or social commentary perhaps, but where it fits, it,s a grand book and i look forward to the next one. I would recommend this book to my fellow students in the university, since the book is good and they can learn more from if. . Read more