Friday, September 14, 2012

Roll Call, A Shocking True Prison Story. A 5 Star Review

Title: Roll Call A True Prison Story
Author: Glenn Langohr
Publisher: Lockdown Publishing
Genre: Mystery, Thriller Inspirational
Length: 727 Pages

Available at
Amazon USAmazon UK

Blurp:
Roll Call is a story with a cast of characters that include Mexican drug cartels, southern California street gangs and Hell's Angels all fighting for their piece of the drug culture. In the middle of it all, B.J. is hell bent for destruction until he realizes his destiny in the nick of time. Add a good detective squeezed out of the loop by an overzealous narcotic detective; a robust prison union trying to call the shots; a handful of drug criminals trying to find their conscience and you have the perfect recipe for a revolutionary uprising, bound by blood, all leaving the reader wondering, who are the real criminals? "A harrowing, down-and-dirty depiction--sometimes reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh's Traffic--of America's war on drugs, by former dealer and California artist Langohr. Locked up for a decade on drugs charges and immersed in both philosophical tomes and modern pulp thrillers, Langohr penned Roll Call..." Kirkus Discoveries, Nielsen Business Media, 770 Broadway, N.Y Yk




About the Author 
Glenn Langohr resides in Southern California where he spends his time doing what he loves best, reading and writing. He started writing from prison on drug charges and hasn't stopped since. He is an usher at his church and loves to reach out to other prisoners to help them turn their lives around. Glenn is married to his dream girl, Sanette, who plays Annette in one of his novels.
The author will gift his books FREE from the Kindle store to those who can't afford it...
Contact:

An Interview was held on August 27, 2012.
Good to listen to just hear what he has to say. Honest and to the point giving his account of the path God has set. His path on writing and the people that helped him.


Expert #1
In the morning Vince woke up just before Damon and wondered, what’s our program going to be like today? I should have asked Bird if we have yard or showers today. Damon heard Vince get up, got up, and stood next to the toilet to take a piss. He thought about it and imagined himself standing there peeing into the toilet and some of it splashing onto the rim of the toilet, along with the noise of it hitting the water in a stream. He decided to sit down. While Damon sat there, Vince heard some commotion on the tier and stood almost leg to leg with Damon to see what was going on. From the cell door Bird could be seen walking down the tier with some Mexicans. He walked up to Vince and said, “We’re getting cell fed this morning because of an incident in the chow hall while we were setting up to feed. A couple of Mexicans had an insane knife fight that was off the hook. We still might get showers in the afternoon though.” While Bird walked to his cell, Damon and Vince listened to one of the Mexicans explaining what happened a few cells down. “Hey hommie, the hommie Bat blasted Chinto in the back of the head with a fucking sword!” The Mexican in the cell said, “Chinto did Bat’s issue of dope in the shower yesterday. He deserved it. Did Chinto fight back?” The Mexican on the tier said, “Hell yeah he did. Somehow he produced a piece of glass and went right to Bat’s neck with it. There’s blood and pepper spray all over the place in the kitchen.” The Mexican in the cell said, “This is stickamore… I bet we still get our showers and walk to chow tonight though.” The Mexican on the tier said, “This is the wild, wild west side of stickamore!” As he walked away. For the next half hour Damon and Vince listened to Mexicans conversation about the incident. “Hey holmes, Bat’s lucky he didn’t use my ice pick. He’d be fighting a murder beef right now ‘cause my poker would have went halfway inside the brain.” Another older Mexican responded, “Hey hommie, keep that telling on yourself stuff off the tier, you make yourself look like a youngster… Besides, those swords aren’t meant to kill, they’re used to leave a lifelong deep and puckered scar. Bat should tell Chinto to tattoo Bat above it so everyone can see what happens when someone steals Bat’s issue of dope.” Half an hour later the trays of food were passed out. Vince watched how the cells around him slid the empty trays back on the tier when they were done. When the trays got picked up, Mad Dog’s voice made his presence felt and thundered authoritatively. “EXCUSE ME ON THE TIER!! ALL WHITES ON THE TIER, WE HAVE A MANDATORY WORK OUT POLICY YOU AND YOUR CELLIE MUST PARTICIPATE IN!! WE WORK OUT WITH THE MEXICANS IN TWO GROUPS AND AT THE END OF THE ROUTINE WE DO 123 BURPIES FOR THE MEXICANS FOR A TRIBUTE!! THIS IS YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTE WARNING!! NOW I HAVE TO RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT ALL RACES ON THE WEST SIDE OF SYCAMORE PUT OUT ALL CIGARETTES AND WICKS IN RESPECT OF OUR ROUTINE!! THANK YOU!!” “THANK YOU!!!!” A Mexican’s voice repeated the same thing Mad Dog had in Espanol.” Fifteen minutes later Mad Dog’s voice yelled, “TODAY WE ARE DOING THE SHORT LIST!! IS EVERYBODY READY!!!” “READY!!!!” A Mexican yelled, “LISTO!!” “LISTO!!!!!” Mad Dog yelled, “FIRST GROUP, READY, 150 JUMPING JACKS!! BEGIN!!” Vince asked Damon, “Do you want to go with the first group or the second group?” Damon said, “I’ll go with the second group so I can see what the routine is like.” Vince did his set of jumping jacks and sat on the bunk when he was done and said, “Now I see why everyone rolls that mattress up and puts it at the end of the bunk. It’s so we don’t sit on the mattress and sweat all over it.” A Mexican yelled out to the second group. “LISTO!! VAMANOS!!” Vince and Damon went through the list of pushups, arm rotations, squats, lunges, knees to chest and then back over the same exercises. At about the halfway point Mad Dog yelled, “WOODPILE, HOW DO YOU FEEL?” Every white on the west side yelled, “ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!!!!!” Mad Dog asked again to build the crescendo, “HOW???” Every white on the west side, “ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!!!!!” Mad Dog, “THAT’S WHITE!!!” The Mexican calling their cadence, “MEXICANOS, COMO SE SIENTE???” All of the Mexicans yelled, “DAKAIUS!!!!!!” Vince and Damon worked out inspired by the growing crescendo of energy. At the end they were both near exhaustion. Damon said, “Squeeze your stomach muscles when you exhale and you’ll get your second wind back faster.” Vince tried it and Damon couldn’t help but notice how shredded he was. “Vince you don’t have an ounce of fat on you.” Vince said, “Yeah but I can’t seem to ever get much bigger either… Do you mind if I take a cell shower first?” Damon shook his head that he didn’t mind and watched Vince tear off a piece of paper and put it in the sink. He held it down until enough of the hot water from the sink held it in place for him. Damon followed suit and showered after Vince and when he was finished cleaning up he asked Vince something he’d been wondering about. “Vince… Are you scared of dying in here?” Damon watched Vince think about it with his back to him standing at the bars looking out. After a minute he turned. “I’m not scared of dying; I’m scared of living… When my mind asks me questions I don’t want to answer like, why did that happen? Or how should I feel about it? I get scared to answer my own questions. I have to live in the Moment and look for excitement so I don’t have time to answer.” Right then a visitor showed up and got Both Vince and Damon’s attention. The visitor set the broom he was using on the bars and then grabbed two handfuls of them like they were his. Vince studied the thirty something year old white guy hanging on their cell. He had his shirt off and his head cocked impossibly far back. Vince discerned he was doing it to show them the tattoo he had on his neck better. It was a three letter tattoo in old English that spoke of his gang affiliation. On his stomach he had another old English tattoo of where he was from, ANAHEIM. The rest of his tattoos on his chest, shoulders and arms were a jumble of evil looking artwork to complete the picture. Vince thought, he sure is trying to get a lot of mileage out of those tattoos. Damon stared at the 5’8 inch, out of shape looking visitor and thought, now that’s gang banging with your eyes! The visitor seemed to decide it was time to start the introduction. “Hey youngsters, check this out. I’m Mikey and the shot caller of the gang you see tattooed on my neck. Now who in the hell are you? What do they call you? What do you claim? Where are you from? Do you have your paperwork? I’ve got to get your name to put on the roll call. When do you go to store? You know about our white kitty right? That means you tell me when you’re going to store and for how much and then I give you a list of items to buy for the kitty. It’s 30%!” Damon stood up and grabbed the bars a couple feet higher than Mikey. From 6’3 he towered over him and looked down at him for at least a minute before asking, “What?” Downstairs at Mad Dog’s cell, Mad Dog said, “Okay Irish that’s enough time. Go up there and rescue those youngsters and get them to handle that business during showers!” Vince heard the running feet and watched a red headed husky white man approach. Damon looked his way and saw him ask Mikey, “What are you doing over here on the west side Mikey? Take your gang banging ass back to your side and get off our youngster’s over here!” Mikey grabbed his broom and scurried off down the tier. The big red head looked into Vince and Damon’s cell and said, “I’m Irish, Mad Dog’s cellie. Excuse our little pocket pinball. Mikey is alright but he has some severe A.D.H.D… He straight bounces off the walls. What was he saying anyway?” Vince said, “He was trying to pressure us into joining his gang.” Vince noticed Irish look confused, but cover it up by talking, “I thought he was hitting you up for our white kitty. He runs the east side of sycamore’s kitty. The kitty is for those of us with money. If you go to store with more than ten bucks then we appreciate it if you contribute some cosmetics. We stock soap, shower shoes, shampoo, lotion and even some coffee to give out to those without so nobody is forgotten about and everyone is cared for… That leads me to the next item of business. Here take this and read it.” Irish handed Vince a little note. Vince and Damon read the note… If you lived next to a couple of child molesters would you be okay with it? They both looked into Irish’s eyes and shook their heads that no, they wouldn’t be alright with that. Irish handed over another note. Vince opened it up and he and Damon read… We’ve got a couple of hi-profile child molesters in the cell next to you! One of them made the news for molesting nine different little girls and the other one molested his own daughter! We’ve got the paper work to bona-fi it in our cell.” Irish handed over a third note. “We want you two to handle it when they run showers. Make sure you get to the bottom showers first so the child molesters have to go to the showers above your cell on the third tier. Get over there and use those utensils my cellie gave you, one in each hand alright… You’re doing your race a service, youngsters.” With that un- said Damon and Vince watched Irish walk away and ask over his shoulder from a couple cells down, “Hey Vince and Damon, we’re you able to handle that workout routine?” Vince and Damon responded at the same time, “It was no problem.” Vince went to the trash bag and pulled out two of the weapons. Damon watched him manipulate different ways to grip the handles like it was completely foreign to him. He practiced throwing upper cutting swipes, then tried side cutting swipes and then tried another grip He stuck the back of the two weapons against his palms and made a fist over them so that each fist had a four inch point sticking out the end of each fist. Then he switched the grip again so he was holding the weapons like a hammer. He practiced with a downward hammer chop and looked up and said, “I like this grip best!” Damon felt the chaos of the situation closing in on him and focused on viewing the problem as clearly as possible. “Vince. We are being hung out to dry. There has to be a better way to do this mission. Like when we are coming back from chow…” Vince stopped practicing his hammer chop and said, “I thought about that. We’re not in a position to barter how this gets done. We have choice A., follow orders and get the child molesters or choice B., get Mad Dog, Mikey or Sandman for the disrespect… I like choice A.” Damon responded, “You’re forgetting about the other 24 letters in the alphabet.”
Langohr, Glenn (2012-07-26). Roll Call, A SHOCKING True Prison Story ( Prison Killers ) (Prison Killers- Book 1) (pp. 191-192). LOCKDOWNPUBLISHING. Kindle Edition. 
Expert #2
The first round with Paul was purely an investment; a study of the playing field. Paul claimed to do his business with a few rules he never broke, according to him. I could respect his integrity but found a flaw. His rules were: He didn’t deal with anyone he didn’t know, he didn’t deal with anyone under 21 and he didn’t turn people on to the drug who hadn’t already had experience with drugs. His other famous saying was, “Money talks, and bull shit walks.” I hit him up over a pool game. “Paul, you have some good rules… but you broke half of them dealing with me.” Paul racked the balls and I could tell he’d already thought about it. “Those rules are rarely broken, if ever… on general principles… You might be the first.” There was no way Paul could make me over 21 but he gave it his best. “The most important rule I mentioned was not to deal with people you don’t know. You’re probably thinking that I don’t know you. Let me ask you something, how can you really know anyone? You can’t. You can only take what you can see and learn from it. People will always say, Oh, I know him or her… they would never do that! But have they seen that person they think they know really pushed under extreme circumstances? Do they just talk a good game, or have they proved it in dire circumstances? Most people don’t even know what dire circumstances are! So all you can do is study the situation and do your homework carefully and you’ll have a better shot at predicting right. If you do this assiduously, you’ll hone your instincts into a sharp tool that can penetrate into the truth and separate any exterior fraudulence. I’m doing this with you. I’d already heard about you and your brother before I met you. Your specialty is moving high and low grade marijuana in big and small sizes. That means you have the skills to develop deep networks with the potential to earn. Then you got busted… You didn’t rat. Then, when I met you I saw how relentless you are and thought to myself, that guy would make a good business partner! Once we started talking I saw even more—that you have a family first mentality and I could see how loyal you are. That’s rare these days. You told me your Dad comes from a few generations of iron fisted discipline. I also learned from you that your Mom’s side of the family has their roots in Sicily. They are passionate people and I think you’ve got a lot of that in your genes. You told me how your grandfather took good care of your Mom in New Orleans while owning a bar. Then, through prohibition. Is that enough homework, or what?” I realized a few things. Paul could probably sell ice to an Eskimo, and that I had done a lot of talking since my introduction to speed. I had armed him with too much information and knew I had to start guarding my tongue. I filtered through Paul’s speech and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt as to why he was doing business with me. Or maybe… it was more about the money, contacts and potential I had? What can you expect? Another thing I studied about Paul was his business philosophy. Instead of stacking his cash to get better and better wholesale prices on quantity, he spent his profits on toys. He had the Saleen Mustang, a boat, tons of fishing gear and a garage full of other things. He seemed to be comfortable renting his apartment and staying in the same rat race. I hit him up on it and ran down my plan to own a house first, and then acquire the toys when there was enough capital to keep everything rolling right. Paul told me, “You don’t want to get that big for a couple of reasons. You’d have a greater chance of landing on the law’s radar and catching a bigger chunk of time, and the saying, “easy come, easy goes” is true. Because of these two things, I buy toys.” The more I saw of Paul’s business network the more I realized he was true to his word about the rules he lived by. All of his business was with people he’d known for years and they were all over 21. Except for me, and a girl named Natasha. It also turned out that Paul was as competitive as I and we went at it in darts, pool and even bowling. He couldn’t hang in some of the other sports like basketball, baseball and football but was down to give it his best shot. I found that Paul’s specialty other than the speed business was fixing things with his hands. He was an amazing auto mechanic. Almost all of the shops around town were his playground and network. A seed was planted in my head on how to go legal. If I could manage my money well enough maybe I could start a mechanic shop for Paul to run. I brought it up and Paul liked the idea but thought it was too far reaching at this point. He offered an idea of how to help us get there. He’d always imagined buying cars from auctions, fixing them up and selling them at a profit.
Langohr, Glenn (2012-07-26). Roll Call, A SHOCKING True Prison Story ( Prison Killers ) (Prison Killers- Book 1) (p. 221). LOCKDOWNPUBLISHING. Kindle Edition. 
Expert #3
“Argenta. What are you so worried about? This little man isn’t going to last on the streets long. I’ve tried to find out his real name and couldn’t, but trust me; I’ve seen his kind over and over. All you have to do is think about what they call themselves. Some of them call themselves Puppet. So you figure out how to be their puppet master. Pull their strings. This little man sounds like he grew up too young. Like he started using drugs and gang banging for his streets before he ever matured. Those kind of people die young or end up doing life in prison by the time they’re 25 years old. You just have to be patient. Bide your time and look for opportunities to steer your enemies into trouble from a distance. You’ll last, they won’t.”
“But El Diablo, what if little man dies, or goes to prison, and the streets just replace him with someone else?” Argenta watched El Diablo slam his fist against the table in anger. “They will try to replace him! But you’re not seeing the big picture. They are fighting a losing battle. California is locking them all up. That’s why there are 36 prisons with over a quarter million in population. You have to think like I think. Satan is using them to hold down a street. Satan is using us to strangle the world! As long as drugs are illegal and we control the demand for them, and, we stay alive and free, we win. Right now I have a relative who I sent to California to work as a prison guard a few years ago. He’s creating a prison mafia of prison guards as we speak. Whose winning, me or little man? Argenta! Are you forgetting what we did in Tennessee? Do the same thing in your area. Remember the diabolical plan I mentioned to you last time? I brought you an arsenal of weapons from Mexico that have hundreds of murders on their firing pins and barrels. Get those weapons in the hands of your enemies. Let them take the fall for those murders…The other part of my diabolical plan is shrouded in legitimacy. If you pass it on to drug dealers, you can attach your tentacles to their networks. It’s a multi level marketing plan that is in combination with a telephone service provider by the name MLM. You sell it as a legal business that you can retire on because the income is residual. Drug dealers have networks they sell their drugs to so it will attract them because they already know enough people to earn what looks like easy money. They will get all of their clients to switch services and take on a level of the marketing where they repeat the same process again and again. You and I keep all of the money from it and we see a clear picture of their drug networks. Argenta, you have to think like an insidious spirit to serve Satan at the level I do. I’ve also brought you the best speed on the planet to manipulate with. You saw how it worked in Tennessee. Go with Satan.”
Langohr, Glenn (2012-07-26). Roll Call, A SHOCKING True Prison Story ( Prison Killers ) (Prison Killers- Book 1) (p. 409). LOCKDOWNPUBLISHING. Kindle Edition.  

My review 5 Stars

So much to say about this book. Where to start and to finish with all the information pressed into the volume of pages but yet I believe Glenn Langohr tells it the best. His openness, honesty and search for truth jumps from page to page and some times I had to take a breather, make coffee, go for a walk just to filter through the story. This is not a story for leisure, lying on the bed and lazily leave from page to page. This book grasp you attention and holds it until the end.
Reading this thought provoking true story based on his own life you could not help but feel helpless at times for the young man that craved to walk a righteous walk but was steam rolled in the world of drugs, violence, lies, deceit etc. People with ordinary lives, doing what is expected from us like myself can not phantom this but yet it happens. It is part of a system that failed many. Of this helplessness I can relate isolated from everything you know and thrusted in an unknown world finding your feet or you will loose. This can make you or brake you. The only person that could help you is yourself and God.
He started to write in the prison confined to a cell everyday. This kept him sane and positive, focused. Again I can relate with this since I started in the same place. Isolated from all your old believes and comforts. Isolation is only for the brave at heart when your back is against the wall and only a simmer of light filters through your circumstances.
His struggle with God in the midst of all this turmoil around him send one clear message. "Everything Happens for a reason. God will never give you more than you can carry" When God the Father has a plan you can do what ever you want but His Grace will protect you and help you. Warning you of dangers, of wrong paths taken. He will never leave you nor forsake you even when every one else thought you are the biggest looser and left. He will send people on your path to fight for you, help you give you direction and if you are open to hear your life can have meaning. You can become the light house for those who are in darkness. Glenn Langohr story gives you direction if you are on the wrong side of the track, his life a testimony that you can be redeemed no matter how deep in you are. God has not given up on you.
Proverbs 4: 20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
In his life he had a mother who taught him from a young age about God that kept him from many wrong turns. Mothers I urge you keep on praying for your sons they are precious and dear to Father's heart. 

All the characters was drawn from his years in his life and prison bringing you a story waking your understanding and broaden your knowledge. Each playing a roll to color the story and making it believable and real. B.J was a strategist, strong, perceptive, seeing the full picture quickly and lover. Some one who cared deeply for women and children. Being the self appointed guardian. Through all this you see his struggle with speed, as one character put it to eloquently "Speed is Satan's dandruff" staying awake for long periods of time. Thinking you are in control and chasing the illusive dream of self righteousness. There were many characters that stood out, who had a great respect for B.J. Some helped him others tried to bring him down. Detective Pincher was the personification of evil with a badge. I did not like him at all. But yet his character kept the story flowing making it realistic.
Another point that stood out was as I call it the shift between being outside the prison and inside. Attention shifted from dealing, staying awake, running, covering, hardly trusting anyone on the outside to knowing who is your enemy and friend straight out in prison. Knowing the political set up and who would cover your back. Sticking with your morals and be honest and trustworthy. Racism the ever present evil between people. The ring leader "Valdez" making money out of this. Sickening.
All of this components making it a great read, a book I would recommend.  

1 comment:

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