Novels

novels

The Losing Role (Kaspar Brothers #1)

In late 1944 a failed German actor, Max Kaspar, is forced to join an absurdly desperate secret mission in which he must impersonate an enemy American officer. So Max cooks up his own fanatical plan — he'll use his false identity to escape tyranny and war and flee to the America he'd once abandoned.

Part WWII espionage thriller, part expatriate noir and the first in a series involving the Kaspar brothers, The Losing Role is based on an actual false flag operation that's been made infamous in legend but in reality was a doomed farce. In all the tragic details and with some dark humor, this is the story of an aspiring talent who got in over his head and tried to break free.

Paperback:

Powell's Books | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

E-book:

Amazon Kindle US | iBooks | B & N | Smashwords

Amazon Kindle UK | Scribd | Kobo | Diesel | Sony Reader

Read the first two chapters, or about true story that inspired the novel.

Reviews:

New Podler Review of Books | Man of la Book | Booked Up

Midwest Book Review | Hide and Read | Historical Novel Review

Rose City Reader | Red Adept Reviews

What readers are saying: Amazon | Goodreads

Interviews:

Rose City Reader | Man of la Book | Hide and Read

Scene of the Crime | Russell Phillips

Approved by:

Independent Novel Award, Best of 2010 | The Indie 180 List

2013 B.R.A.G. MedallionTM Honoree

________________________

The Liberator (Kaspar Brothers #2) In the works

In this historical crime thriller set in occupied Germany, American captain Harry Kaspar breaks the rules to solve a torture murder but the clues lead Harry straight to his mentor, a corrupt US colonel who's plundering the war-torn land for all its grim worth. The Liberator is the second in a series involving the brothers Kaspar — Harry is the younger and Americanized brother of Max from The Losing Role. More about the storyline on this page for The Liberator.

I invite you to read the first two chapters.

The Liberator is currently on submission to publishers. For more info, please contact me or my literary agent. You can also join my email list to receive updates on the book's release.

________________________

False Refuge

US Army reservist Alex Swenson has gone AWOL to avoid Iraq duty. He's fled to the Big Island of Hawaii, where he finds himself attracted to cute and wily Kanani, a crime-world survivor searching for a better life. Yet Alex's old army buddy, Jerry, is hot on Alex's trail.

A secretive island haven, Krieger Estates, was supposed to grant Alex a new life and identity, but soon Alex finds that the estates' amoral founders thrive on absolute power, lockstep obedience, and unjust violence. Fleeing's no option this time. Alex refuses to play along and it brings his new overseers' full wrath.

False Refuge mixes mystery, literary and crime noir fiction.

E-book:

Amazon Kindle US | iBooks | B & N | Smashwords

Amazon Kindle UK | Scribd | Kobo | Diesel | Sony Reader

Reviews:

Babs' Book Bistro | LL Book Review | Juniper Grove

Read the first two chapters.

________________________

Besserwisser: A Novel (The Know-It-Alls)

Munich, 1990: American expat slacker Gordy Ford poses as a top Hitler scholar, all to impress a girl. Stuck in his scam, Gordy soon thinks he's stumbled onto a shocking historical discovery that's made him the target of a wannabe neo-Nazi and shady Russian mafia.

Besserwisser (German for "would-be know-it-alls") has dark humor, satire and a rowdy plot. The imposters get exposed despite their best efforts.

***

Besserwisser: A Novel was a quirky endeavor on my part. It mixes the comic and satirical with literary and mystery fiction. I'm offering it as a free download after revising it slightly in July 2011.

I welcome your thoughts. Feel free to contact me and tell me what you think. The book also has a Goodreads page if you'd like to comment there (especially if you enjoyed it!).

You can download Besserwisser: A Novel in ePub, Mobi, and PDF formats. Go to downloads page. It's also available at Smashwords and Feedbooks.

Or, read the first two chapters.

Reviews:

LL Book Review | IndieReader | Books and Pals

Free Fiction Review

Home Bio Novels Writings Contact

The Losing Role

(Kaspar Brothers #1)

> The Liberator

(Kaspar Brothers #2)

Other novels:

> False Refuge

> Besserwisser: A Novel

"A perfect combination of plot-driven action and character study."

— Red Adept Reviews

"A terrific book that deserves a wide audience. It is exciting and funny and keeps you thinking long after the action is over."

— Rose City Reader

"Excellent dialogue, well-crafted characters, and enough dramatic tension to saw a Panzer in half."

— Independent Novel Award, Best of 2010

(The New Podler Review of Books)

"The book does a marvelous job of showing the 'fog of war' wherein no one truly understands what is going on once the attack has begun. Finally, the book is fun."

— Historical Novel Review

"The descriptive details alone make this book a good read but it's balanced out with a great story line as well."

— Juniper Grove Reviews

"A well-composed story with somewhat interesting characters and dramatic possibility amidst a lush setting."

— LL Book Review

"'Fantastic read' ... I wanted to know what Alex was going to do."

— Babs' Book Bistro

"A great story and it's told in a memorable way. At the very least, it'll make you think."

— Chris Truscott, Amazon (US) review

"I particularly liked the deadpan humour but the author also manages to make Gordy sufficiently likeable (despite his many, many faults)."

— Free Fiction Review

"A nifty lesson, delivered in a rousing plot."

— IndieReader

"Confederacy of Dunces but set against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Besserwisser is a comical adventure that will keep you guessing."

— LL Book Review