"Appointment in Berlin," the first in a series of "Lucas Hamilton Spy Novels," combines the best of both historical fiction and contemporary spy drama as it weaves together the crumbling world of the Third Reich in Eastern Europe with the chaos and intrigue of post-World War II Germany. When we first meet Lucas, he is in a U.S. military hospital in West Germany recuperating from beatings sustained while he was a prisoner of the Stasi, the infamous East German secret police. How did this quiet, almost reclusive young man, one of the first selected to represent the U.S. as an Eisenhower Student Ambassador for Peace, wind up in an East German prison accused of spying and murder? It is 1957, the height of the Cold War, and Europe is awash with agents, double agents, spy networks and moles. Where, exactly, does Lucas Hamilton fit in? Is he a patriot? A spy? A sociopath, capable of killing without emotion or remorse? Or is he simply an eager young man caught up in a battle between forces he cannot control? To find the answer, we must turn the clock back to 1944, where 10-year old young Lucas and his family must find a way to survive in Nazi-controlled, war-torn Budapest.
About the Author: Neil Maresca was born and raised in Jersey City and has lived and worked most of his life in the "The Garden State." He is a graduate of Rutgers University, and holds a Master's Degree in British Literature from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He held teaching and administrative positions in several New Jersey public and private school districts before leaving education to work with leading New York City-based public relations firms, eventually leaving them to establish his own advertising and public relations firm in New Jersey. After closing his business, he resumed his teaching career, working as an adjunct instructor of English at numerous New Jersey colleges and universities. At age 73, he retired from teaching and started writing. He and his wife, Judith, have four children and nine grandchildren, and currently reside in Toms River, New Jersey. His first book, "An Italian Journey," a light, humorous, and uplifting story about Nick and Laura Lobono and their fellow tourists, draws upon his personal experience and love of all things Italian. His second book, "Appointment in Berlin," the first in a series of 'Lucas Hamilton Spy Novels, ' follows Lucas' childhood escape from the Nazis and Communist assassins in war-torn Budapest to his adventures in cold war Europe in the mid-1950's. His third book, a noir novella entitled "Angel," is set in Jersey City in the 1950's. It introduces a kind-hearted tough guy named Ox Moran, his sidekick, the dwarf Stumpy, and a string of bad guys and beautiful women. "Angel" is the first in a projected series of 'Barbary Coast' novels. His fourth book, "The Storm," is a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's, "The Tempest." Set in rural Montana in the early 1960's, "The Storm" presents Shakespeare's Prospero, Miranda, Caliban, et al. in a new and different light. In addition to the books mentioned above, he is working on a fantasy saga, "The Book of Well," featuring a young heroine named Cassandra and various other heroic and villainous characters, and has plans for a prequel to Homer's "Odyssey," and an Italian family saga, "La Famiglia." He has also written a few short stories about growing up in Jersey City, which he plans to publish when the collection is complete. For more information on Mr. Maresca and his books, visit: www.neilmaresca.com