Background
Shepard, William Seth was born on June 7, 1935 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Robinson and Myra Ellen (Foster) Shepard.
(This is the third novel in the Robbie Cutler Diplomatic M...)
This is the third novel in the Robbie Cutler Diplomatic Mystery series. In “Vintage Murder,” Robbie Cutler, American Consul at Bordeaux, France, uncovers a blackmail plot against the great wine property owners. His girl friend Sylvie Marceau helps him in the investigation, which takes them throughout the famous wine country, and also to Lascaux, Montségur, and Biarritz. The visit by a United States Senator, in line for the vice presidential nomination, triggers an assassination attempt. In “Murder On The Danube,” Robbie is reassigned to the American Embassy in Budapest, where a murderer tries to prevent the truth from emerging about a small group of Freedom Fighters in the revolution against the Soviet Union. He and Sylvie become engaged during a trip to Prague, just before the Russian Mafia appears with other plans for the diplomatic couple. In “Murder In Dordogne,” Diplomat Robbie Cutler and Sylvie are newlyweds, on their honeymoon in the scenic Dordogne region of southwestern France. The scenery and good food were expected—the murders were not! They discover the Château de Rastignac, the French White House, and its secrets. It was in this historic château that the French owners tried to hide priceless Impressionist paintings by Van Gogh and Cezanne from the Nazis during World War Two. But the paintings disappeared, and have not been seen since that time. The Cutler honeymoon is abruptly interrupted by the discovery of a murder victim, a young woman who served with the French Resistance, the fiancée of Robbie’s Uncle Seth Cutler, an intelligence operative during the war. Solving the mystery of her death—and the possible fate of the missing paintings—takes some sleuthing through Resistance history. They explore the French Resistance, how it worked, how couriers and radio operators were supplied from London, and then, the groups on the ground were joined by Jedburgh teams from the American, British and French armed forces, as the resistance groups harrassed the Nazi forces, to prevent them from reaching the Normandy beachhead. Robbie solves the sinuous mystery, with the help of survivors from the period – on both sides. But there is a further surprise in store. The Cutlers discover that the dangers they sense are not all history, when a vicious killer tries to murder the newlyweds. There is a new motive for murder. And then it is a race against time, before the killer strikes once again. Here’s an early 5 Star Review: “A well written page turner mystery revolves around factual history of WWII Vichy and French Resistance with an up to date discovery of a past crime along with a picturesque mosaic of SW France yesterday and today. Characters are unique, interesting and believable. Writing flows and weaves history and fiction seamlessly. Exciting twists!”
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(William S. Shepard always wanted to join the career Ameri...)
William S. Shepard always wanted to join the career American Foreign Service. Years later, a law school classmate remembered Shepard’s career choice. Why not join a Wall Street law firm? "I wanted to know what it was like to wake up and see the sun rise in Singapore," Shepard had said in law school. He got that chance in Singapore, and lots of consular action besides, from dealing with sailors to repatriating the down and out and conducting security investigations. The local color was intriguing, as Shepard found out the local importance of ghosts, appeasing tree spirits, and keeping one’s back to the wall when pursuing drunken sailors in the downtown dock area. Saigon during the Viet-Nam War is shown through a Consul’s unique perspective. Shepard discovers the way that the Viet Cong shipped guns into Saigon during the Tet Offensive in coffins, and describes the painstaking work of a consular office in facilitating adoptions of Vietnamese children. In Budapest during the Cold War, security shadowing was a normal part of the everyday diplomatic experience. So was Shepard’s friendship with His Eminence Jozsef Cardinal Mindszenty, then in refuge at the American Embassy on Freedom Square. Shepard describes his walks with Cardinal Mindszenty, as Hungarian security police strained to take pictures of them and record their conversations. Shepard also takes us on a journey to eastern Hungary to visit a very old woman, whose Social Security claim needed verification. Her view of the United States and what our country could be was a highpoint of the author’s diplomatic service. Shepard knows from experience that a Consul’s day doesn’t quite end at a predictable hour. He also shows us that the next problem that a Consul faces could affect the security of the United States, or the outcome of a presidential election, citing the attempted renunciation of his American citizenship by Lee Harvey Oswald at the American Embassy in Moscow, and the mishandling of the passport files of Bill Clinton when he was a student in England during the 1992 presidential election. From Vice Consul to the highest consular official, the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, the work requires dedication, competence and common sense. As Shepard tells us, "It matters, it matters greatly, and it cannot be done by telegram, from somewhere else." Consular Tales was inspired by the closing of the American Consulate General in Bordeaux, as a budgetary decision by the Clinton Administration in 1996. This was our oldest American Consulate General, opened by President George Washington in 1790. The mission was only closed briefly twice in its long history, when war between France and the United States seemed possible at the end of the eighteenth century, and then again during the Second World War, during the Nazi Occupation. Shepard hopes that by demonstrating what consular work actually is done at a Consulate General, that more young Americans will be inspired to choose this work as their career. And now that national budgetary pressures have eased, the reopening of the most historic American Consulate General should follow. If it does, Consular Tales will have served its larger purpose, and an important chapter of American consular history will be preserved and extended.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401018807/?tag=2022091-20
(Diplomatic Tales tells the story of how American diplomac...)
Diplomatic Tales tells the story of how American diplomacy works overseas. Career diplomat William S. Shepard first guides us through the practical side of diplomatic experience in Part One, Consular Tales, a record of his actual experiences in five missions overseas, and in the Department of State in Washington. In Part Two, Foreign Service Tales, we explore through fiction every part of an American Embassy, from the glamorous Ambassadorial suite to the General Services Office where essential security and other administrative functions are performed. Along the way, jealousy, love lost and gained, murder and hauntings can be expected!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595391001/?tag=2022091-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KL0IGE6/?tag=2022091-20
(In Embassy Tales, we explore through fiction every part o...)
In Embassy Tales, we explore through fiction every part of an American Embassy, from the glamorous Ambassadorial suite to the Consular office, where fledgling diplomats on the visa line face their own challenges – and meet more local citizens than most political officers! As the reader gains familiarity with how an Embassy comes together, there will be no surprise to find also jealousy, love lost and gained, perhaps a murder or two – they happen in the best of families – and even occasional hauntings may be expected. So, welcome to the Embassy. Your personal invitation to my final official Fourth of July Reception is enclosed. Here is a recent assessment of this book. “Retired diplomats, prime ministers, politicians and generals turned writers produce in their golden years credible pieces of literature. William S. Shepard, a retired senior diplomat, joins them with Embassy Tales, the second volume of stories close to his heart about the light and hilarious, as well the dark side of life of American diplomats serving their country abroad. And Shepard has a lot of fascinating experience to write from, having served in many countries in Europe and Asia. His first collection, entitled Sunsets In Singapore: A Foreign Service Memoir, was published last year. The present anthology gives us twenty enchanting short stories with intricately developed plots which are drawing not only upon the best, honest and most endearing aspects of human nature but also upon professional jealousy, greed, envy and its other less attractive sides. They are told with vigor, imagination and a superb sense for drama, suspense and timing. Here the author displays an array of literary ploys to achieve his desired effect with the skill and imagination of a seasoned novelist. Shepard writes not only for pleasure and to entertain a general reader with his stories of glamorous parties, receptions and other perks of diplomatic life, like tax free champagne, caviar and single malt scotch. He also writes to inspire a new generation of young Americans, as a fire-tested old hand who had been "there", to join the Foreign Service for other goodies in that basket as well, like the drama, the adventure and the thrill of it all, so well lived through, enjoyed and depicted by him. Here the anthology of his tales will, undoubtedly, do its share.”
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ASCTK1A/?tag=2022091-20
(Robbie Cutler, American Embassy political officer in Buda...)
Robbie Cutler, American Embassy political officer in Budapest, must solve a ghastly sabre murder before the Mafia murders him. The clue lies in finding out which person betrayed his group of Freedom Fighters in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. But they were all patriots, weren't they? The answer involves sorting through the past, finding the traitor, and unearthing a special love story, deepened by conflict against hopeless odds.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595207405/?tag=2022091-20
(This post 9/11 thriller raises questions about terrorism ...)
This post 9/11 thriller raises questions about terrorism and the American reaction to it. Can and should the CIA ever deal with terrorists? In the first of a new series of "diplomatic mysteries," set in American diplomatic missions overseas, career American diplomat Robbie Cutler faces this issue. Cutler, American Consul in Bordeaux, witnesses the murder of America's leading wine critic at a Wine Vintage Dinner at the Willard Hotel in Washington. Returning to Bordeaux, Cutler finds himself threatened by the Basque ETA, "the last active terrorist network in Western Europe." Helped by the lovely Sylvie Marceau, a French journalist, Cutler discovers that the Washington murder is linked with a blackmail scheme against Bordeaux's famous vineyards. Cutler and Marceau must stop the ETA killers before they succeed in terrorizing the region, and making good their threat to kill Cutler. In the meantime, the famous Bordeaux vineyards, and the scenic glories of France provide the background for their unfolding romance. The visit of a prominent United States Senator of Basque origin then raises the stakes, as the ETA targets the Senator as well as Cutler for assassination.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/059522413X/?tag=2022091-20
(Diplomat Robbie Cutler and his bride Sylvie have spent an...)
Diplomat Robbie Cutler and his bride Sylvie have spent an adventurous honeymoon in the scenic Dordogne region of France. The scenery and good food were expected-the murders were not!They discover the Chateau de Rastignac, the French White House, and its secrets. It was in this historic chateau that the French owners tried to hide priceless paintings from the Nazis during World War Two. But the paintings disappeared, and have not been seen since that time.The Cutler honeymoon is abruptly interrupted by the discovery of a murder victim, a young woman who served with the French Resistance. Solving the mystery of her death-and the possible fate of the missing paintings-takes some sleuthing through Resistance history.History ends when a vicious killer tries to murder the newlyweds. Then it is a race against time, before the killer strikes once again.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/059535081X/?tag=2022091-20
Diplomat government official writer
Shepard, William Seth was born on June 7, 1935 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Robinson and Myra Ellen (Foster) Shepard.
AB cum laude, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 1957. Juris Doctor, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1961.
Aide to ambassadors Henry Cabot Lodge and Ellsworth Bunker, American embassy, Saigon, Vietnam, 1966-1967. Staff officer Executive Secretariat Department of State, Washington, 1967-1969. Consul, political officer American Embassy, Budapest, Hungary, 1970-1973.
Desk officer Hungarian and Baltic affairs Department State, Washington, 1973—1975. Desk officer Singapore and Malaysian affairs Department of State, 1975-1977. Deputy political counselor American embassy, Athens, Greece, 1978-1980.
Consul general American Consulate General, Bordeaux, France, 1983-1985. Director Office Congressional Affairs, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Washington, 1987-1989. Consultant to general counsel United States Department of Agriculture, 1991-1992.
Lecturer international law University Singapore, 1965—1966. Lecturer Chesapeake College, since 2006. Chief Executive Officer The Shepard International Group, Inc., 1994—2009.
(In Embassy Tales, we explore through fiction every part o...)
(Foreign Service Tales, a collection of twenty short stori...)
(Robbie Cutler, American Embassy political officer in Buda...)
(Diplomat Robbie Cutler and his bride Sylvie have spent an...)
(This post 9/11 thriller raises questions about terrorism ...)
(Diplomatic Tales tells the story of how American diplomac...)
(This is the third novel in the Robbie Cutler Diplomatic M...)
(William S. Shepard always wanted to join the career Ameri...)
Candidate for Republican nomination 8th Maryland Congressional District, 1985—1986. Republican nominee for Governor of Maryland, 1990. Republican candidate for Governor of Maryland, 1994.
Delegate Republican National Convention, 1992. Maryland co-chairman Dole Presidential Campaign, 1996. Appointed member citizens advisory committee Chesapeake Executive Council, by Governor of Maryland, 2004—2007.
Member Society Mayflower Descendant, Governor Bradford Compact, Society Descendant Colonial Governors (chancellor general 1993-1995), Society Descendant Colonial Wars, Montesquieu Academy France (correspondent), City Tavern Club (Washington), Flagon and Trencher (Trencher award 2003), Les Chevaliers de Bretvin, Ordre des Compagnons de Bordeaux, Connetablie de Guyenne, La Jurade de St. Emilion, Bontemps Medoc et des Graves, Tred Avon Players.
Married Lois Rosalie Burke, June 25, 1960. Children— Stephanie Lee, Cynthia Robin, Warren Burke (deceased).