Blog Archives
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.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
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
To Tell Their Incredible Story
Enough to make the Angels Weep follows a private detective on a murder case that leads him to a 150-year-old conspiracy. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I was inspired to write the story after seeing the movie One Man’s Hero, set in Mexico during the Mexican-American War. It was about the San Patricios, the St. Patrick’s Battalion, composed of U.S Army soldiers of Irish descent who switched sides at the beginning of the War. I had never heard of this story and wondered why it had been omitted in history books that I’d read about the Mexican-American War. In doing research, I found only a handful of books about the St. Patrick’s Battalion. Most were written within the past twenty to twenty five years. As a writer, I knew that I had to write a novel, to tell their incredible story which has made them heroes in Mexico and Ireland.
Your characters are intriguing and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
First of all, I brought back P.I. Joe Coopersmith, a former FBI investigative assistant, who first appeared in a previous novel, Web of Secrets. Other characters, including the young woman who hired Coopersmith to investigate the murder of her grandmother, were ordinary people whose patience and ideals were tested again and again throughout the novel.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
There were two themes, really. The first was the Mexican-American War and the second was the Irish Famine which forced thousands of Irishmen to come to America in search of a better life. Signs on store windows that said WORKERS NEEDED. IRISH NEED NOT APPLY, made it increasingly difficult to find employment, and so many joined the U.S. Army. Of course the new recruits new little about America or its politics with regard to Mexico.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I just completed a new novel, A Cry for Vengeance. It begins with a deathbed confession of a former Nazi who admits to the killing of thousands of Jews and undesirables at Treblinka Concentration Camp during WWII. He and other Nazis had been recruited by American Intelligence shortly after the war. The book will be released within one to two years.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
Enough to Make the Angels Weep
Enough to Make the Angels Weep by Ernesto Patino is the story of a private detective investigating a murder case that has been cold for four years. Detective Joe Coopersmith follows the trail which leads to several more dead bodies and a conspiracy over 150 years in the making.
A hidden diary recounts the little-known events of Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine, eager to make a new life in America. They joined the US Army for the promise of good pay and found themselves in a war with Mexico which pitted them against members of their own Catholic faith.
This book reads like an old gumshoe novel. I kept picturing Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade in the Maltese Falcon. I heartily enjoyed reading this riveting historical fiction novel. While the bulk of the story is fiction, there really was a St. Patrick’s Battalion made up of Irish soldiers who fought on the side of the Mexicans during the Mexican American War. This is a fascinating true story told in a very interesting way, which kept me turning the pages as I read with great interest to see how the author was going to tie these events to the murder Detective Coopersmith was investigating.
The author remains focused on the Irish soldiers, highlighting their contribution to history throughout the story. This is certainly a fascinating piece of history that I didn’t know about and appreciated learning about. I felt that the mystery driving the story forward could have used a stronger motive to explain the murders, but it serves as a decent vehicle to deliver an intriguing murder mystery in a historical setting.
Enough to Make the Angels Weep is a captivating war fiction novel with fantastic historical elements that color the entire novel. This enthralling murder mystery is filled with compelling characters that will entertain any fans of crime fiction or historical fiction novels grounded in reality.
Pages: 218 | ASIN: B09FJ4Q136
Enough to Make the Angels Weep – Book Trailer
Hired to investigate the murder of an 84-year-old widow, P.I. Joe Coopersmith hits one dead end after another in his search for leads. With few clues and no suspects, he nearly gives up, until he uncovers a connection to a bizarre plot to kill the descendants of Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico during the Mexican-American War. Known as San Patricios, they belonged to the St. Patrick’s Battalion, an elite Mexican unit composed mostly of Irish Immigrants. When someone threatens Coopersmith’s life, he knows he’s on the right track. Undeterred, he digs deeper into the plot, soon learning the identity of the man behind it and his warped motive for the cold-blooded murder of the elderly widow.
LITERARY TITAN 