A Pure Double Cross by John Knoerle

by john knoerle

I love finding new authors with great books, and this one is at the top of my list today. A Pure Double Cross is the most fun book I have read lately, with colorful language, and non stop action following a character that I just loved.

Set in Cleveland in 1945 OSS spy Hal Schroeder tries to work for the feds and the mob at the same time. He plans a pure double cross, but will he succeed? There in lies the rub.

author photo

About the Author:

John Knoerle’s first novel, “Crystal Meth Cowboys,” was optioned by Fox for a TV series. His second novel, “The Violin Player,” won the Mayhaven Award for Fiction. His new novel, “A Pure Double Cross,” is Book One of the American Spy Trilogy. John lives with his wife in Chicago. You can learn more about John Knoerle at http://www.bluesteelpress.com.

About the Book:

Cleveland, Ohio, 1945. Hal Schroeder returns from a two-year stint behind German lines as an undercover agent for the OSS. The horrors of war have left him bitter and cynical. He is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate a local mob that is pulling bank heists. The feds have concocted a sting operation to capture the head of the gang and they want Hal to execute it. He agrees. But Hal Schroeder is no longer interested in being a hero. Hal Schroeder is interested in a fat payday.

INTERVIEW:

THANK YOU, JOHN, FOR BEING ON BOOK MADNESS.

Tell us about yourself. Please share a short bio with us.

John Knoerle wrote the screenplay Quiet Fire, which starred Karen Black and Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, and the stage play The He-Man Woman Hater’s Club, an LA Time’s Critic’s Choice. He also worked as a staff writer for Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion.

Knoerle moved to Chicago in 1996 with his wife Judie. His first novel, “Crystal Meth Cowboys,” was optioned by Fox TV. His second novel, “The Violin Player,” won the Mayhaven Award for Fiction.

www.bluesteelpress.com

Tell us about your book and where it can be found.

“A Pure Double Cross” is book one of the American Spy Trilogy, which follows the adventures of former OSS spy Hal Schroeder. In this book Hal is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the Cleveland mob.

What age did you discover writing? What is your earliest work about?

About 20 or so. I worked as a deejay in college and got involved with a comedy troupe, the DeLuxe Radio Theatre. My first scribblings were radio skits.

Who has inspired you as an author?

Raymond Chandler primarily. I also greatly admire John Cheever, Walker Percy and the Rabbit books by John Updike.

What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?

Hmmm, that’s a tough one. One editor said my books have “a great sense of place.” I consider that a great compliment.

Do you have a specific time or place that you write?

Not morning, that’s for sure, even though it seems that many great writers prefer the early hours. And not at night, though Michael Chabon wrote about ‘the midnight disease.’ I’m an afternoon writer.

What’s next for you?

“A Despicable Profession: Book Two of the American Spy Trilogy” will be published sometime in the next year.