A novel traces the life of a World War II German soldier who escapes from a prisoner-of-war camp on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, eventually assuming an alias and becoming a career officer in the American military.
McEvilla’s prologue lays out the key elements of the plotline, telling readers up front where the story will go and signaling that a secret remains after the final page is read. The narrative then details the strange adventures of a man trying to blend into a country and culture he had once vowed to defeat. In January 1945, 20-something Lothar Laumer, a former paratrooper with sworn allegiance to Hitler, has one goal—to get out of a Michigan POW camp and reach his half brother in Milwaukee. He and two camp mates escape via a tunnel and begin trudging through subzero temperatures and a snowstorm. Laumer spots a service station manned by an attendant refueling a car. Leaving his two compatriots on the road, Laumer kills the attendant by smashing his head with a rock, steals the car, and leaves his fellow escapees to fend for themselves. He is now not only a runaway POW, but also a murderer. During the next two days, Laumer acquires a gun, loses his car in a landslide, and winds up traveling miles on a pair of skis. At a highway intersection, he is struck by a car driven by Emma, a blond woman who brings him back to her isolated cabin in the woods. McEvilla has assigned himself the task of keeping readers interested in an unlikable protagonist who is excited by violence and danger. The author succeeds by burdening Laumer with an obsessive fear of being caught, challenging him with the difficulties of learning American colloquialisms (most of which amusingly involve baseball), and placing him in a situation in which he is totally dominated by a powerful, fiercely independent, and eccentric woman. Their ensuing relationship is the most tender part of the novel and results in the gradual conversion of Laumer into Sgt. Vincent Vanderjack, aka “The Dutchman,” who serves in the American military.
An engaging, unusual fugitive tale mixing bloodshed and quirky humor with a provocative ending.Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-95-480402-9
Page Count: 301
Publisher: Global Publishing Group LLC
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: HISTORICAL FICTION | THRILLER | POLITICAL, MILITARY & TERRORISM
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An aimless young musician meets the girl of his dreams only to have his newfound happiness threatened by several inexplicable—and possibly supernatural—events.
The story opens as Leeds Gabriel meets with a detective while his girlfriend, Layla, is restrained in a room one flight above them. Through the interview, readers learn that Leeds was wasting both his time and his musical talent playing backup for a small-town wedding troupe called Garrett’s Band when he spied Layla dancing her heart out to their mediocre music at a wedding. When Leeds approaches Layla, their connection is both instant and intense. A blissful courtship follows, but then Leeds makes the mistake of posting a picture of himself with Layla on social media. A former girlfriend–turned-stalker wastes no time in finding and attacking Layla. Layla spends months recovering in a hospital, and it seems the girl Leeds fell for might be forever changed. Gone is her special spark, her quirkiness, and the connection that had entranced Leeds months before. In a last-ditch effort to save their relationship, he brings Layla back to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. When they get there, though, Leeds meets Willow, another guest, and finds himself drawn to her in spite of himself. As events unfold, it becomes clear that Willow will either be the key to saving Leeds’ relationship with Layla or the catalyst that finally extinguishes the last shreds of their epic romance. Told entirely from Leeds’ point of view, the author’s first foray into paranormal romance does not disappoint. Peppered with elements of mystery, psychological thriller, and contemporary romance, the novel explores questions about how quickly true love can develop, as well as the conflicts that can imperil even the strongest connections. Despite a limited cast of characters and very few setting changes, the narrative manages to remain both fast-paced and engaging. The conclusion leaves a few too many loose ends, but the chemistry between the characters and unexpected twists throughout make for a satisfying read.
A unique story of transcendent love.Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-0017-8
Page Count: 301
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
Categories: PARANORMAL FICTION | ROMANCE | SUPERNATURAL THRILLER | THRILLER | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE
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An old-fashioned gumshoe yarn about Hollywood dreams and dead bodies.
Private investigator Aloysius Archer celebrates New Year’s Eve 1952 in LA with his gorgeous lady friend and aspiring actress Liberty Callahan. Screenwriter Eleanor Lamb shows up and offers to hire him because “someone might be trying to kill me.” “I’m fifty a day plus expenses,” he replies, but money’s no obstacle. Later, he sneaks into Lamb’s house and stumbles upon a body, then gets knocked out by an unseen assailant. Archer takes plenty of physical abuse in the story, but at least he doesn’t get a bullet between the eyes like the guy he trips over. A 30-year-old World War II combat veteran, Archer is a righteous and brave hero. Luck and grit keep him alive in both Vegas and the City of Angels, which is rife with gangsters and crooked cops. Not rich at all, his one luxury is the blood-red 1939 Delahaye he likes to drive with the top down. He’d bought it with his gambling winnings in Reno, and only a bullet hole in the windscreen post mars its perfection. Liberty loves Archer, but will she put up with the daily danger of losing him? Why doesn’t he get a safe job, maybe playing one of LA’s finest on the hit TV show Dragnet? Instead, he’s a tough and principled idealist who wants to make the world a better place. Either that or he’s simply a “pavement-pounding PI on a slow dance to maybe nowhere.” And if some goon doesn’t do him in sooner, his Lucky Strikes will probably do him in later. Baldacci paints a vivid picture of the not-so-distant era when everybody smoked, Joe McCarthy hunted commies, and Marilyn Monroe stirred men’s loins. The 1950s weren’t the fabled good old days, but they’re fodder for gritty crime stories of high ideals and lowlifes, of longing and disappointment, and all the trouble a PI can handle.
Well-done crime fiction. Baldacci nails the noir.Pub Date: April 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5387-1977-0
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
Categories: SUSPENSE | THRILLER | SUSPENSE | HISTORICAL THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE
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