The Reunion - Hardcover

Autry, Curt

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 159058015X ISBN 13: 9781590580158

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2002

Synopsis

"[An] intriguing tale of espionage, murder and suspense"―Publishers Weekly

Nine surviving members of a U-boat crew captured during World War II gather in North Carolina for their 60th reunion, only to find themselves targets for a group kill.

Meanwhile, after scouring hospital records to find her biological parents, a 36-year-old unwed mother from Oklahoma stumbles upon an obscure family connection to the murders. Carolyn Baker unknowingly holds the clue that could solve the crime, explain her own past, and expose long-concealed secrets. As she thrusts herself into the FBI investigation, the killer's plan shifts....

About this title

About the Author

Curt Autry is an award-winning journalist, with more than twenty years experience in television news. He currently lives in Richmond, Virginia where he anchors the evening news. This is his first novel.

Reviews

TV journalist Autry weaves an unlikely, but intriguing, tale of espionage, murder and suspense in this enjoyable first novel centering on the crew members of a German U-boat sunk off the North Carolina coast in 1942 who were interned at a camp in Oklahoma. The publication of a book about the sinking and crew's capture leads the few survivors to plan a reunion some 60 years later, but the surrounding publicity has an unnerving side effect when someone starts bumping the old men off. A discredited FBI agent, Martin Dunlevy, and Carolyn Baker, a young mother in search of her biological parents, form an odd couple seeking to uncover the long-hidden secret that makes these aged seamen a killer's target. The author introduces his ruthless assassin in the book's opening pages, but manages to keep the reason for the murders concealed while Baker's personal search and Dunlevy's professional one begin to merge. There are perhaps too many stories here the fate of the U-boat's crew, the assassin's trail of death, a current political campaign involving a prominent Rhode Island family, and more. A 10-month-old baby is just so much excess baggage in the plot, while in the end Autry fails to establish a convincing motive for the killer. These relatively minor flaws, however, don't detract from the strong suspense and action elements, which make this mystery debut a natural candidate for film treatment.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Survivors of a German U-boat sunk off the coast of North Carolina and the men who captured them hold an unlikely reunion 60 years later in the town of Beaufort, NC. For some unfathomable reason, however, someone is trying to kill them all. The author/professor responsible for the meeting may hold the clues police and the FBI need in his voluminous notes - but then he, too, dies. Luckily, coded messages discovered by the grown illegitimate daughter of a survivor prove crucial. Sturdy prose, rising tension, and plausible plotting recommend this title to readers who enjoy spy stories, historical fiction, or just a good mystery. First-time author Autry is an award-winning broadcast journalist.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 159058015X
• ISBN 13: 9781590580158
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 283