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Inseparable by David KruhInseparable: An Alcatraz Escape Adventure by David Kruh

Publisher: DX Varos Publishing (June 21, 2022)
Category: Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure
Tour dates: July 6- 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1955065504
Available in Print and ebook, 325 pages

 Inseparable

Description Inseparable by David Kruh


Tommy knew the right thing to do was turn them in to the cops. But that wasn’t the adventurous thing to do!

What happened to the three men who escaped from Alcatraz prison in June, 1962? Did they meet the same watery fate as dozens who preceded them into the cold San Francisco Bay? There is credible evidence two of them – brothers John and Clarence Anglin – not only survived but lived for years in South America. Inseparable is a fictional account of how a 13-year-old boy named Tommy helped them to freedom.

Tommy O’Conner was an only child whose mother, a widow of the Korean Conflict, had been left to make it on her own. She passed her independent, sometimes lonely spirit, to her son. But Tommy was also, in many ways, no different than other boys his age who dreamed of adventure. Then, one June day in 1962, his daydreams were interrupted by the real thing when he came face to face with John and Clarence Anglin – two of the Alcatraz escapees – and made the decision which would change all their lives.

My Thoughts Inseparable by David Kruh


A late-night escape from what was said to be one of the most inescapable prisons in the world, is the subject of this historical fiction novel by author David Kruh.

On a summer night in 1962, three prisoners escaped from their cells in Alcatraz with the help of some papier-mâché heads, convincing enough to make guards think the men were sleeping and raft the men fashioned out of raincoats that had been sewn together.

Kruh’s novel, ‘Inseparable: An Alcatraz Escape Adventure,’ explores what may have happened to the prisoners during, and after, their daring escape. Initially, a fourth prisoner, a man named Allen West, was supposed to escape with the others, but he was unable to remove the vent cover in his cell that he was supposed to escape from. With his encouragement, the others left without him, but they soon figure out that their raft does not row the same without him.

The three men end up off course from where they intended to go, and when the raft begins leaking, they are thrown into the freezing waters of the bay. Struggling to swim for their lives, two of the men, Clarence and John Anglin, manage to make it to a beach in Sausalito where they are found by a young boy named Tommy O’Conner.

Tommy agrees to help the men get to somewhere safer and less visible, but after bringing them to a disused fort he soon begins facing questions from his mother and the local police chief. Meanwhile, the other prisoner, a man named Frank Morris, washes up on a jetty underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. On his own, he manages to find warmth and some old army rations inside of a lighthouse. But Frank has a long way to go if he intends to fully realize his plan of stealing a car and heading out of town altogether.

A fantastic look at what might have been on the night of one of history’s greatest mysteries! I could not put the book down and I did not want it to end!  Kruh has an amazing talent for pulling the reader in.  He captures the island and sea beautifully and he is an excellent character builder.  He took from his research what was known as fact and wove a believable and captivating novel of what may have happened to the escapees. This should be optioned for a major motion picture! Bravo! 5/5 stars!

I received the eBook for my honest opinion.

View Trailer Inseparable by David Kruh



About David KruhInseparable by David Kruh


David is the published author of several books on Boston history and the co-author, with his father Louis, on a book about presidential homes and landmarks.

A frequent contributor to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald and History Magazine, David is also a published and produced playwright, and a popular lecturer on a variety of historical subjects. ‘Inseparable’ is his debut novel.

Website: http://https//inseparablealcatraznovel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.kruh

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Inseparable by David Kruh

Evita and Me by Erika RummelEvita and Me by Erika Rummel

Publisher:  DX Varos Publishing (May 24, 2022)
Category: Historical Fiction, Crime, Women’s Literature
Tour Dates June 21-July 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-1955065320
Available in Print and ebook, 384 pages

Evita and Me

Description Evita and Me by Erika Rummel


Evita Peron’s jewels are missing. Only three people know that they are in a vault in the Swiss Alps; Evita’s corrupt and brutal brother Juan, her bodyguard Pierre, and a teenaged girl Mona, her newest protegee. What happens if two of them team up?

Like Eva herself, Mona comes from a broken family and has to make her own way. Perhaps that’s why the two women feel close. Evita is at the pinnacle of success but already in the grip of a fatal illness. We see her life through the eyes of Mona and Pierre, two people she trusts — and who betray her in the end. Or can theft and murder be justified?

A story of love, adventure, and murder.

My Thoughts Evita and Me by Erika Rummel


It is 1947 and 16-year-old Mona is living in Canada with her mother.  She sees her mother as irresponsible, to say the least.  One day her mother tells Mona that she is invited by a family friend, Liliana to visit her in Argentina. Mona very much doubts that she was invited and that her mother orchestrated the whole thing to get Mona way for a couple weeks. Mona doesn’t really want to go know that Liliana was most likely roped into it but agrees, if only to get away from her mother’s newest boyfriend.

When Mona arrives, a chauffeur picks her up and brings her to Liliana’s glamourous house.  She is told that Liliana is at work but will see her at dinner.  Mona soon discovers that her hunch is correct and she was not invited.  Liliana seems less than thrilled to see her. However, she makes the best out of the situation.

The next day Liliana suggests that Mona go shopping and her chauffeur drops her off at a high-end shopping district.  She will be meeting Liliana’s boss, Evita Peron at dinner that night. She has no money so she buys a dress and charges it to Liliana. Liliana later questions her about this but drops it knowing she cannot be a poor hostess.

To put this review in perspective, I need to mention that Mona herself, declares herself an unreliable narrator of her own story.

At dinner, that night, Mona falls in love with Evita.  Luckily, Evita is fond of Mona as well and invites her over the next evening. The friendship blossoms from their and before long, Evita invites Mona to go to Europe with her, where she is going on business.  Evita sends Mona an entire new wardrobe for the trip.

Of course, once the trip is coming to it’s conclusion, Evita asked Mona for a very special and very secret favor.  She asks her to go to Zurich with Evita’s brother, Juan and most trusted security guy, Pierre to deposit her most prized jewels into a security box.  Mona will keep one of only 3 keys and goes back to Canada.

Flash forward to 1952. Mona is in an unhappy marriage and learns that Evita has passed away.  Now she is worried that Juan will come after her for her key.  He needs all three to get the jewels.

Action packed with beautiful historical detail and amazing writing, ‘Evita and Me’ is not to be missed.  This is the fourth book by Ericka Rummel that I have read and I have enjoyed them all.  However, this novel is my favorite. Rummel has written over a dozen non-fiction books so she knows how to do her research.  That is not enough for a novel like this though.  She seamlessly writes with the use of the research, plot, characters, and places with precision.

‘Evita and Me’ captured my full attention from page one and I could not put it down. I read all night and didn’t want it to end!  Mona and Evita will stay in my mind for a very long time.  I rarely read the same book twice since there are so many, I want to read but I am sure I will read ‘Evita and Me’ again! 5/5

I received the eBook for my honest opinion.

About Erika RummelEvita and Me by Erika Rummel


Award winning author, Erika Rummel is the author of more than a dozen non-fiction books and seven novels. Her seventh novel, ‘Evita and Me’ is being published on May 24, 2022.

She won the Random House Creative Writing Award (2011) for a chapter from ‘The Effects of Isolation on the Brain’ and The Colorado Independent Publishers’ Association’ Award for Best Historical Novel, in 2018. She is the recipient of a Getty Fellowship and the Killam Award.

Erika grew up in Vienna, emigrated to Canada and obtained a PhD from the University of Toronto. She taught at Wilfrid Laurier and U of Toronto.  She divides her time between Toronto and Los Angeles and has lived in Argentina, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Erika’s Website: http://www.erikarummel.com/
Erika’s Blog: http://rummelsincrediblestories.blogspot.ca/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/historycracks


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Evita and Me by Erika Rummel

Home So Far Away by Judith BerlowitzHome So Far Away by Judith Berlowitz

Publisher: She Writes Press (June 21, 2022)
Category: Historical Fiction; Jewish Identity, Wartime Diary, Spanish Civil War
Tour dates: June 14-June 30, 2022
ISBN: 978-1647423759
Available in Print and ebook, 345 pages
Home So Far Away

Description Home So Far Away by Judith Berlowitz


A fictional diary set in interwar Germany and Spain allows us to peek into the life of Klara Philipsborn, the only Communist in her merchant-class, German-Jewish family.

Klara’s first visit to Seville in 1925 opens her eyes and her spirit to an era in which Spain’s major religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, shared deep cultural connections. At the same time, she is made aware of the harsh injustices that persist in Spanish society. By 1930, she has landed a position with the medical school in Madrid. Though she feels compelled to hide her Jewish identity in her predominantly Christian new home, she finds that she feels less “different” in Spain than she did in Germany, especially as she learns new ways of expressing her opinions and desires. And when the Spanish Civil War erupts in 1936, Klara (now “Clara”) enlists in the Fifth Regiment, a step that transports her across the geography of the embattled peninsula and ultimately endangers a promising relationship and even Clara’s life itself.

A blending of thoroughly researched history and engrossing fiction, Home So Far Away is an epic tale that will sweep readers away.

My Thoughts Home So Far Away by Judith Berlowitz


Klara (Clara) Philipsborn is a German of Jewish decent.  It is 1925 and she travels to Seville, Spain with her two sisters and mother.  They are going to stay with her Onkel (Uncle) Julius and her mother informs her and her sister that his family does not know that he or his family are Jewish.  It’s a bit strange, hiding her faith but she loves living in Spain and all of it’s history and culture. So much so that sometime after returning to Germany, she decides to go back.

She lands a job in a medical school in Madrid. As much as she loves Spain, she has become well aware of the severe injustices in the country, not so different from the ones she has witnessed in Germany. Once civil war breaks out, she provides medical aide to the injured. She shares all in her diary.

The book is written in the form of Clara’s diary.  It is fiction but based on a forgotten relative of Berlowitz that she discovered in some documents.  She writes a compelling narrative that whisks the reader away to 1920’s-30’s Germany and Spain.  I felt like I was there with Clara.  It is very clear to this history lover that Berlowitz did a very through job in her research for the book.  Spain, Germany, and the well-crafted characters come to life, thanks to a very creative author!  ‘Home So Far Away’ is historical fiction at it’s finest!

About Judith BerlowitzHome So Far Away by Judith Berlowitz


Los Angeles-born Judith Berlowitz holds a PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures and is a federally-certified translator. She is a former professor of Spanish and Cultural Studies and has published works in ethnomusicology, oral history, and Jewish identity.

Judith has played classical guitar and oboe and has sung with the Stanford Early Music Singers and the Oakland Symphony Chorus. She currently is a volunteer Curator with the genealogical website, Geni.com, and sings with the San Francisco Bach Choir. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, not far from her three daughters and three grandsons.

Website: https://judithberlowitzauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jberlowitzauthor

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Giveaway Home So Far Away by Judith Berlowitz


This giveaway is for 3 print copies and is open to Canada and the U.S. only. This giveaway ends on July 1, 2022 midnight, pacific time.  Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Home So Far Away by Judith Berlowitz