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Americans and Ex-Nazis Working Together
A Cry for Vengeance follows a professor and writer investigating war criminals who learns of ex-Nazis living in hiding who were recruited as Cold War spies, and now he faces a moral dilemma with deadly consequences. What was the inspiration for your story?
I was inspired to write my novel after reading a non-fiction book titled, The Spy Next door. The author provided detailed accounts of ex-Nazis living in this country under the protection of the U.S. Government. For years I had believed that most ex-Nazis had fled to South America, and so I was shocked to learn that many had come to the United States under a secret government program that allowed them to live and work as free men. The unbelievable story of Americans and ex-Nazis working together intrigued me, and so I decided to write a fictional account based on facts and revelations that have come to light since the end of the Cold War.
What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?
Over a period of months I read numerous accounts, not only about the recruitment of ex-Nazis, but also about their victims, living and deceased. Much of what I wrote, especially about the Holocaust survivors is based on true stories published in various books and journals.
I find that authors sometimes ask themselves questions and let their characters answer them. Do you think this is true for your characters?
This is true. The protagonist in my novel is faced with a moral dilemma that blurs the line between good and evil, causing him to ask if he should seek justice or revenge. The question will nag him throughout the entire story, leaving me to wonder what I would do if I were in his shoes.
What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’ve just completed another thriller titled A Rush to Judgment. The plot centers around two women: an exotic dancer who had been unjustly charged with a crime and sent to prison where she died from Covid. The other, a Native American woman, serving in the Army in Afghanistan, where she was brutally raped by her fellow soldiers. Shortly after her return to the U.S., she committed suicide. The two women did not know each other but they had something in common that is revealed halfway into the story. The novel will be published sometime next year.
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Moments before his death, Karl Muller, a terminally ill patient, makes a chilling confession to nurse Helen Darby: he’s a former Nazi guard responsible for thousands of deaths at Treblinka concentration camp. Shocked but determind, Helen enlists the help of Bryan De Luca, a professor experienced in investigating war criminals.
Their search leads to disturbing revelations–Muller, along with numerous ex-Nazis, was secretly recruited by American intelligence as Cold War spies. Soon, De Luca finds himself trapped between ruthless contractors protecting Nazis and the militant group Jews for Justice, seeking vengeance. When violence erupts, and De Luca is thrust into mortal danger, he faces an impossible choice: protect killers or unleash vengeance.
A powerful tale of secrets, betrayal, and moral reckoning. Buy now to uncover the hidden truths of a chilling conspiracy and its deadly consequences.
A Cry for Vengeance
The story begins in Tucson in 1968 with a hospice nurse who records a dying man’s confession. He reveals that his true identity is Franz Dietrich, a Nazi officer who escaped justice and lived under an alias in the United States. What follows is a tense unraveling of secrets. A writer, Bryan De Luca, is drawn into the mystery and begins tracing the threads of Nazi war criminals who were protected after the war. Along the way, he uncovers government complicity, survivor testimonies, and chilling reminders of how the past refuses to stay buried. The novel blends history, moral questions, and suspense into a gripping narrative that moves across personal stories and larger political shadows.
I easily sank into the flow of the writing. The conversations feel natural, almost like eavesdropping on people with something heavy on their hearts. There is a rawness in the way guilt, regret, and fear are drawn out, yet it never tips into melodrama. At times, the pacing slows, almost deliberately, as if to make me sit with the weight of what is being revealed. That worked for me. It made the moments of tension sharper and more unsettling. I’ll admit, though, there were times I wanted things to move a little quicker, but then I’d be pulled right back in by a revelation or a moral dilemma that felt too real to ignore.
I felt anger at the injustice, sadness at the lives lost or scarred, and frustration at the bureaucratic indifference that let murderers live quietly in suburbia. There’s a thread of hope in the survivors’ voices, but also a deep weariness. I appreciated how the author didn’t try to tie everything neatly with a bow. Life, especially life touched by atrocity, rarely allows that. At times, I found myself thinking not just about the characters but about my own willingness to look away from uncomfortable truths. That kind of reflection is what makes this story powerful.
I’d recommend A Cry for Vengeance to anyone who likes a blend of history and thriller, but also to readers who don’t mind being left with hard questions. It’s not just about chasing old ghosts. It’s about the cost of silence, the burden of memory, and the uneasy choices people make in the name of survival or justice.
Pages: 191 | ASIN : B0FJ5257B6
LITERARY TITAN 