GABRIEL'S REDEMPTIONBook One of the Evan Gabriel Trilogy"A cast of interesting and believable characters and a plot that kept me turning the pages...I enjoyed the author's take on technology and the political landscape of the future. Definitely recommended!" - Michael R. Hicks, bestselling author of the In Her Name science fiction-adventure series and the bestselling thriller Season of the Harvest.----North American Federation Navy Commander Evan Gabriel was dishonorably discharged after a disastrous mission on a far off world called Eden. He's spent the last five years hiding from his past, from those responsible for the failed mission, from those responsible for running him out of the Navy, and from those originally responsible for making him into who he was - a highly-trained, physically and mentally augmented Special Forces soldier.Two mysterious visitors appear unannounced at the door of a Gabriel's seedy hotel room in the slums of Jamaica. His past has finally caught up with him. From the decaying Caribbean to politically-charged South America, from the back alleys of Mars to a tiny colony on a planet six hundred light years from Earth, Gabriel's Redemption is a near-future military science fiction story of a personal journey seen from the perspective of a soldier who has lost everything -- one who desperately needs to redeem himself not only in his government's eyes, but also his own.Interstellar action and political intrigue mix with one-on-one battles on the surface of a frozen planet in Book One of the science fiction-adventure trilogy. Also available: Gabriel's Return (Book 2), Gabriel's Revenge (Book 3), Gabriel's Journey (complete collection) Approximately 66,000 words (270 pages)* Second Round Qualifier in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest!WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GABRIEL'S REDEMPTION~ "If John Scalzi and Tom Clancy got combined in a transporter accident a la The Fly....and I mean that in a good way."~ "This series brings me back to the old days when Sci-Fi was about ass kicking, great friends, loyalty and action."~ "If you enjoy a good dose of military hardware in your SF, well, wait'll you get a load of this book."~ "Umstead has a way of putting you right into the scene, whether it be on a Jamaican beach, a rundown apartment or the icy surface of a distant planet." ~ "The detail of the world-building pulled me in and made everything utterly believable." ~ "Well-thought-out universe with a tightly woven history, timeline, and culture." ~ "The author's imagination is amazing...he has knowledge of combat tactics, both with squads and hand-to-hand." ~ "Umstead's writing is solid, as good as it gets, not only in the genre, but in general." ~ "Umstead deals with issues like honor, responsibility and human nature. While deep in thematic content the forward thrust of the story never stops. "~ "The military fiction of Tom Clancy, the hardware of Heinlein's Starship Troopers, and the intrigue of Dan Brown."