Atomic Affairs – forbidden love, desperate scientists, personal tragedies, plus a rogue spy and saboteur. This novel plunges you into the desperate wartime rush to create an atomic bomb before Hitler and the Nazis could make one.
As a member of the elite team responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb, nuclear physicist David Maine works at a secret laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he and his colleagues live in isolation from the rest of the world, striving day and night to beat the Germans. Watching over them all is the enigmatic J. Robert Oppenheimer. When married British chemist Lois Madrigal arrives to join the effort, David almost immediately decides that they’re destined for each other. However, their passionate affair is overshadowed by a mysterious death that David is convinced wasn’t an accident. If he’s right, there’s a killer in Los Alamos who’ll do anything to keep his or her identity secret. The central conceit of this espionage thriller is certainly an intriguing one. History fans may be interested in the book’s brief glimpses of daily life at Los Alamos.
– Kirkus Reviews
Atmospheric historical novel brings you inside the race to develop the atomic bomb at the end of WWII. Great characters.
This is a period in history that I had not read much on, despite my love of historical novels. Atomic Affairs is a slow building historical spy novel that takes place at the end of WWII during the race to produce the first nuclear weapons. Henry and Lois Madrigal are two scientists on loan from England to work at the Los Alamos laboratory on the Manhattan Project. The fictional characters are blended in with real members of the program, such as Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, Leo Slizard, George Kistiakowsky and others.
Von Dare’s writing does a great job at bringing this time period to life. I loved how he wove in the music of the time into the storyline and I ended up making a playlist to listen to while reading with the songs mentioned in the book (e.g., Tangerine by Tommy Dorsey, Stardust by Benny Goodman, and In the Mood and Tuxedo Junction by Glenn Miller).
It’s a great mix of historical fix and spy thriller, which results in a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Reviewed by MJ Campbell / Reedsy Discovery
Noah Blunt, a cynical crime reporter, and his best friend, wise-cracking surfer Sam Hokua, join up as business partners in Blunt Force a unique “Criminal Research Agency” on the Big Island of Hawaii. Noah and Sam do everything private detectives do, except carry guns. The truth is, our guys refuse to pay the State of Hawaii it’s $5,000 each for a P.I. license! You’ll delight as our intrepid team waltzes in and out of trouble while they solve one puzzling crime after another.
“Endless Evil” – a novelette – Available at Amazon
Is a rich, sophisticated Egyptian really a deadly, ancient Pharaoh?
Two American archaeologists chase the mystery of a mass grave to ancient Egypt. When they fly to Cairo, they encounter angry militants, plots within plots and a monster unlike anything ever known. If they get out of this alive, maybe they will fall in love. This modern take on the “Mummy” myth will keep you guessing, and turning pages.