What If There Was A 3rd Option...
... A secret that can change life's choices
... A power-hungry man determined to stop it
... A desperate man running for his life
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Allan Chappel enrolled in seminary to change the world. But people lied and people died and he turned in his clerical collar for an office cubicle.
When an old college friend invites him to apply for a job with a new medical think tank called Inc.Ubator, Allan seizes the opportunity. But, after the office is destroyed in a fiery blast, Allan finds himself the target of an international manhunt as an Eric Rudolf-style domestic terrorist and abortion clinic bomber. He hides out with an old seminary friend, Wesley Blake, searching to find the reason someone might destroy Inc.Ubator. His investigations take him to the former Soviet Union where he meets Dr. Carole Phillips who reveals the radical medical process destined to shake the world. They return to the states to discover who has twisted the truth about Inc.Ubator in an effort to prove his innocence. However, the forces opposing him will stop at nothing to prevent the release of the 3rd Option. Check out the book trailer video
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Science Meets Fiction
Plastic bag' womb could help keep premature babies alive
Readers' Favorite
The 3rd Option won the gold award in the Readers' Favorite (Action category) annual contest. It also placed in the Suspense and Thriller categories.
Reviewers Choice
The 3rd Option has won the Reviewer's Choice award for the South East Region in 2014.
Chanticleer Reviews
The 3rd Option has also won the Urban/Edgy category of the Paranormal Book Contest for Chanticleer Reviews.
More...The 3rd Option has been named a finalist in the following international writing contests:
ForeWord Reviews
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Reviews and Comments
This is the kind of rare thriller that I love--one that grabs you on page one and won't let you go until the satisfying conclusion. The Third Option is smart and fresh, combining timely issues with thoughtful insights, relatable characters, and shocking twists. It makes you think while it makes your heart race. Bravo, Ben Sharpton...more please!
--Peter Wallace, author of The Passionate Jesus: What We Can Learn from Jesus about Love, Fear, Grief, Joy, and Living Authentically
With so many literary themes being currently repeated seemingly ad infinitum, it is a pleasure to read a book that introduces new and stimulating ideas. This is especially true when such a work deals with current issues of vital importance both to spiritually-oriented persons and secularists alike. Ben Sharpton’s The 3rd Option introduces a new way of approaching the abortion debate in the context of a suspense-filled mystery novel that draws the reader in from the very first pages. The book provides many excellent points for discussion that bring balance to such works as Michael Crichton’s A Case of Need. Highly recommended for small group discussions and for college classes.
--Dr. Larry Poston, Professor, Nyack College
The 3rd Option by Ben Sharpton opens with Allan Chappel arriving at Inc. Ubator for a job interview with a long-time friend. All he knows about the company is that it is a medical think-tank that is doing cutting-edge research that promises to change the medical landscape. Allan tried the seminary as a young man but was disillusioned and left the ministry before taking his vows. He sees this potential job as a way to escape from a life that does not have much to offer him. As Allan arrives for his interview, the building is destroyed by a blast that kills everyone inside the building. Allan awakens in the hospital with a police inspector standing by his bed asking him why he was at the family planning clinic that day. As they talk, Allan begins to understand that he is a prime suspect in the bombing. After the inspector leaves, Allan runs, knowing that he must leave in order to clear his name. So begins a suspenseful tale that becomes an international event as Allan follows the minimal clues he has.
In The 3rd Option, Sharpton creates an intricate story that examines what might happen if the pro-life/pro-choice debate really did have a third option that might be agreeable to both parties. The characters in this fictional work are very well-developed and each one has their own motivation for the actions they take. As Allan uncovers more of the story, he is pursued by the law and a large, bald, goateed man who is intent on killing him. As he runs, his psychic Aunt Julia sends text messages that keep Allan one step ahead of his pursuers. A well-written thriller that explores the possibility of a 3rd option, this novel is a wonderful read!
--Eileen Johnson for Readers' Favorite
When I began reading The 3rd Option by Ben A. Sharpton, I really wasn’t sure how the story would unfold to reveal exactly what the third option was. Right off the bat, this novel is full of attention-getting activity and it didn’t stop until it was over. Sharpton has written a no-nonsense book and takes no time jumping into the story. It was all written at a pace that I found out what I needed to know when I needed to know it.
The 3rd Option is Allan’s story of finding the truth – finding the truth about his old friend who dies in the explosion and his think tank business, Inc.Ubator, before it is too late. The story begins with Allan Chappel, a former seminary student. He is on his way to an interview at the Inc.Ubator. As Allan proceeds to the building for his interview, the building is bombed. All the sudden Allan is the prime suspect in the bombing and has to go on the run. Allan has to fight to prove his innocence.
Since the main character, Allan, had high hopes in being a minister, the story does have notes of religion and politics. Not so much as a focus of which side to choose, but to give the reader an idea on how the characters’ minds work. I found the religious parts of the book to be in flashback dialog with old college friends and the politics inserted as information that directly relates to the plot.
I have to say that the book took no time to read. I read it in two sittings stopping at chapter 10 in the first sitting. In the first chapter I met Allan and bam, the explosion, bam, right along to the thrilling ride of Allan on the run. Excellent flow!
I was glad to have taken this book for review because I don’t think I have read a mystery novel yet that has been so clear cut, leaving behind all that extra that the reader may find unnecessary. Kudos to Sharpton! I really, really hope he has another book in the works. Not only do I highly recommend The 3rd Option by Ben A. Sharpton, but I would buy it for all my mystery-loving friends.
--Jennifer Haas, Readers Views & Blog Critics
Sharpton did it again with this fast-paced "who done it" mystery- thriller-love story. For being just his second novel, he's hit that spot in all readers' desire with the same "can't stop" and "page-turning" method that Flynn used, and DeMille, Child and Baldacci continue to use in their writing styles, making their books a fast and easy read. I know you'll enjoy Ben's latest, and hang-on for a surprising ending...
--Dan Edwards
Belle Isle Books
