From J. K. Maze, Homicide and Mayhem
In this thriller, Dr. Bruce Starkman, Chief E.R resident at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital, learns his Uncle Max is dead. Since Max was an Orthodox Jew, his cremation raises red flags to the doctor. Bruce soon learns a neo-Nazi group is seeking a silver box his uncle made during his incarceration at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1945. After his girlfriend’s murder, Bruce teams up with Miriam, an independent and capable Israeli woman. They must find the silver box before the newly resurgent Nazis in order to avoid the 4th Reich. Their search leads them to Paris and the Czech Republic and into danger due to the dangerous men pursuing them. The action culminates at the burial site of the silver box amid gunfire and death.
The author, Allen Malnak, has crafted a wonderfully poignant yet spine-tingling thriller. The characters are meticulously fashioned and varied. The story starts in the present and goes back, via Uncle’s Max’s memoirs, to his stint in the concentration camp in 1945. Dr. Malnak brought the story of the camp to life, putting the reader right into the scenes. The flights from their pursuers is realistic and frightening, at the same time endearing us to the couple as they race to find the box. This is easily one of the best books I’ve read in recent years and I must commend the author for his care in creating this wonderful work. I had the feeling that, if I traveled to Chicago, I’d find Dr. Starkman in the E.R. and Uncle Max’s bookstore in its place.
— J. K. Maze, Homicide and Mayhem