The Losing Role by Steve AndersonGenre: Historical, Espionage, Mystery, Thriller
Price: $0.99
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In the last winter of WWII 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. Max the performer is hardly a soldier let alone a double-crossing commando, yet in the deadly Battle of the Bulge he has to fool battle-shocked American GIs as well as dodge discovery by his reckless German comrades. Belgium's Ardennes forest becomes a snowbound hell and the magical America he'd loved is lost to him, replaced by a somber invading juggernaut. In the end, Max's gambles will lead him to a grim but honest payoff.
Part espionage thriller, part expatriate noir and the first in a series, 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.
What they're saying about it:
"An excellent WWII espionage thriller that transcends the genre, making it a story that you don't have to be a history buff to enjoy." --The New Podler Review of Books
"This is a well-researched and fascinating book ... with a refreshing twist; it is told from the view point of a German soldier -- and a likable one at that." --Man of la Book: Review
"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
Besserwisser: A Novel by Steve AndersonGenre: Humor, Satire, Mystery, Thriller
Price: $0.99
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American slacker Gordy Ford has finally made it to Munich. It's 1990, the Berlin Wall's fallen, and Gordy hopes for a new life as an expat writer. The problem is, Gordy's also pretending to be a top Hitler scholar.
Looking to win the heart of a mysterious German woman, Jane, Gordy sees no choice but to stick with his half-baked masquerade and soon the fake scholar and his long-lost pal, Tad, stumble onto a shocking historical discovery that seems to make them the target of a wannabe Neo-Nazi and shady Russian mafia. In the end, no one's really who they seem and all have to come clean -- even when the truth wreaks havoc on guarded love and brittle dreams.
Besserwisser (German for "would-be know-it-alls") has dark and dry humor, a rowdy plot, and imposters exposed despite their best efforts.
What they're saying about it:
"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."
--The LL Book Review
False Refuge by Steve AndersonGenre: Crime, Noir, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller
Price: $0.99
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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. To save Alex, Kanani and Jerry join forces with a hard-nosed plan that enlists even the rugged and unforgiving Big Island terrain itself, yet it's Alex who'll find a way free without relying on Kanani's doomed schemes, or Jerry's tragic sense of loyalty, or any savage methods. Alex will do it his way to the bitter end.
What they're saying about it:
"Rico Bocanegra is surely the finest alias for a fictional character in modern literature! Of course, with a name like that, I have to believe that Alex Swenson did not want his lie to go unnoticed. That, on some level, he always wanted to be held accountable for his actions and his point of view. I read Steve Anderson's, False Refuge, in a handful of sittings. It is the engaging and thought- provoking story of an army reservist gone AWOL. Even more, it is a meditation on war, politics, economics and social justice. The ultimate theme, as embodied in Alex Swenson, is personal responsibility and how the individual must take a principled stand, all the while, expecting to be held to account. In the absence of this individual, we get violence, war, injustice and Reacton Uni-Corp. But don't take my word for it. Give this book a read and decide for yourself."--Amazon Reviewer
"Anderson does an amazing job telling a tough story about a 1991 Persian Gulf War veteran who'd rather go AWOL than deploy to Iraq for the continuation of that conflict more than a dozen years later.
In addition to vivid descriptions of Hawaii and his trademark character development, Anderson also articulates a point of view on the current Iraq War that got little airing during the 2002 war debate and the subsequent press coverage of the 2003 invasion.
Even if you don't agree with the political points of view expressed, False Refuge is a great story and it's told in a memorable way. At the very least, it'll make you think--and that's not a bad thing."--Amazon Reviewer
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