Douglas Jacobson Explores WWII Polish Resistance

Recently Night of Flames author Douglas W. Jacobson delved into the real history of the WWII Polish Resistance organization Home Army (Armia Krajowa) for the Polish-American newspaper the Am-Pol Eagle.

Poland's Armia Krajowa and German V-2 Rockets in WW2

Part One of Two

Buried deep in a mountainside in the small town of Peenemunde on the Baltic Sea, German scientists were hard at work on the most secret and insidious weapons known to mankind during the dark years of World War Two – the V-1 and V-2 rockets. While rumors of these developments had been floating around Allied intelligence circles, it was not until the winter of 1942 that they were taken seriously. This occurred following a secret report dispatched to London from the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa or AK). The report included information gathered by an AK agent working at the Czech steelworks plant in Witowice who had learned of top secret tests being conducted by the Germans utilizing very special steel alloys and advanced manufacturing techniques to produce large steel cylinders.

Further undercover espionage activities by AK agents revealed the secret testing facility at Peenemunde. In the summer of 1943, one particular agent, posing as a forced laborer, was able to create sketches of the testing facility, which was now close to producing V-1 rockets, or “flying bombs” in large-scale quantities. Through a complex network of secret agents and safe-houses his report and sketches made their way to the AK commanders in Warsaw and then to Allied intelligence authorities in London. (Read the full WWII Polish Resistance article.)

Purchase Night of Flames: A Novel of WWII, by Douglas W. Jacobson at mcbooks.com

Four Kings: 2008 Best Holiday Reading according to SecondsOut.com

Thomas Hauser, writing on SecondsOut.com, named his favorite boxing books for holiday reading and included George Kimball’s Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing.

Here’s what Hauser had to say:

Each year during the holiday season, I publish a “top forty” list of what I consider to be the best books on boxing. That list, updated to accommodate recently published titles, follows . . .

Four Kings by George Kimball (McBooks Press) – Kimball recounts the epic nine battles contested among Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran between 1980 and 1989. It was a special time for boxing fans and more special for those who, like Kimball, experienced the drama firsthand from the inside. The bigger the fight, the better Kimball tells it. (Read the full boxing column.)

Purchase Four Kings, by George Kimball, at McBooks.com

The Book of Matthew chosen a 2008 Great Debut by Rocky Mountain News

Denver’s Rocky Mountain News came out with its choices for Best Debut Novels of the year and gave an enthusiastic nod to The Book of Matthew, by Thomas White.

In praising the novel, Justin Matott says, “There are many bland — been-there-done-that — kind of serial killer books out there. White’s literary style is fresh, inventive, engrossing and truly macabre.” (Read the full Great Debuts article.)

Purchase The Book of Matthew from McBooks.com

The Book of Matthew, by Thomas White, a pick of the year by Shelf Awareness

Calling The Book of Matthew a “superb, adrenaline-laced thriller,” Shelf Awareness has chosen White’s debut novel as a pick of the year. The crime thriller follows the macabre plans of a twisted serial killer with a very personal grudge, and the increasingly desperate attempts by San Francisco detectives to stop him from committing his brutal crimes. The novel came out in August and has garnered an enthusiastic fan base. (See full Shelf Awareness pick of the year list.)

Purchase The Book of Matthew at McBooks.com

Museum of Human Beings: Historical novel is “rich with unusual historical detail”

In a November 28, 2008 review, the Denver Post lauds Colin Sargent’s new novel:

Using Lewis and Clark's amazing trek as its springboard, Colin Sargent centers on Sacagawea, the journey's guide. Actually, it focuses on Sacagawea's son, Jean Baptiste, who began his life on that fateful voyage.

Jean Baptiste's mother had told Pomp — her nickname for him — that the Indian must be helpful but not too smart because, "It makes a bad impression." But, upon her death, Clark sends the boy to a Catholic school until, on the threshold of manhood, he becomes the traveling companion of Friedrich Wilhem, Prince of Wurttemberg. (Read the full review.)

Purchase Museum of Human Beings, by Colin Sargent at McBooks.com

George Kimball on NPR's "Only a Game"

Bill Littlefield, host of NPR's "Only a Game," interviews George Kimball about his new book Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing. George and Bill discuss the fights, the fighters, and the golden days of middleweight boxing. (Listen to the show.)

Purchase Four Kings, by George Kimball, at McBooks.com