Rook
by Stephen Eoannou
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Pub Date Jun 28 2022 | Archive Date Jul 01 2022
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Description
Rook is based on the true story of Al Nussbaum. To his unsuspecting wife, Lolly, Al is a loving, chess playing, family man. To J. Edgar Hoover, he is the most cunning fugitive alive. Al is the mastermind behind a string of east coast robberies that has stumped law enforcement. After his partner, one-eyed Bobby Wilcoxson, kills a bank guard and wounds a New York City patrolman, Al is identified as one of the robbers and lands on top of the FBI’s most wanted list. He is forced to flee his hometown of Buffalo, New York as the FBI closes in and Lolly learns of her husband’s secret life. One million wanted posters are printed and The Reader’s Digest offers a ten-thousand-dollar reward for Al’s capture. While Al assumes another identity and attempts to elude the police, Lolly is left alone to care for their infant daughter and adjust to her new life as ‘The Bank Robber’s Wife’. Friends, family, and federal agents all pressure Lolly to betray Al. While Lolly struggles at home financially, with unrelenting FBI agents, and her conscience, Al and Bobby continue to rob banks, even as Bobby grows more mentally unstable and dangerous. Al has only two goals: avoid capture and steal enough money to start a new life with his family. Returning to gather his wife and baby is suicidal, but as Al said, he’d only stick his neck in the Buffalo noose for Lolly.
Advance Praise
“A terrific Technicolor Noir that lives and breathes in the period. If I hadn't been told, I would've thought I was reading a lost paperback classic from sixty years ago. Clever, literate, and fun, Rook is right down my dark alley.”
- Ace Atkins, New York Times Bestselling author of The Revelators and The Heathens
“If Elmore Leonard wrote the Queen’s Gambit, he’d have written Rook. Set aside some time when you start Eoannou’s true tale of Tommy guns, small-time hoods, and high-stakes chess because you won’t want to put it down until checkmate.”
--Daren Wang , Author of The Hidden Light of Northern Fires.
“Stephen Eoannou has performed a remarkable feat with his novel Rook. First, he has detailed the little-known story of an ingenious bank robber, Al Nussbaum, who FBI director J. Edgar Hoover once called “the most cunning fugitive in the country.” Second, Eoannou has dramatized how Nussbaum’s obsession with bank robbery as an art form trapped him and his family in a downward spiral of shame and frustrated hope. Brilliant.”
—Charles Kelly, author of Gunshots in Another Room: The Forgotten Life of Dan J. Marlowe
Marketing Plan
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBmu8N0uULw
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBmu8N0uULw
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781956692044 |
| PRICE | $21.00 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Doug Y, Educator
(Was finally able to read this using PDF Expert to read on my iPad.) Enjoyed the fictional account of a seemingly normal guy who just happens to make his living by robbing banks. When one robbery goes awry, the FBI catches one member, and the other turns on the leader/protagonist. Meanwhile the leader’s wife discovers what he does for a living, and he must run for everyone’s safety.
Louise G, Reviewer
Based on a true story, this book takes the reader right back to the era in which it was set and paints the setting and characters so clearly in those colours. A bit like a hard boiled detective story in tone and writing style, this book gives weight to the perspective of those impacted by the crimes of a person they love.
Angelia C, Reviewer
This book's cover lured me in and then the book kept me there! I liked this book for many reasons but here are a few. The writing was easy to read and follow. It was easy to invest your time into the characters. This book was written about a actual bank robber so it was easy to picture the plot unfolding. Even though this story was told back in the day as it happened, the author made you believe you were there watching it. I felt the fear and anger that both leading characters had almost the whole time. If you like stories based on true characters and events, then check this book out. You will be taking into the world of bank robbers, Tommy guns and even a game of chess!
I want to thank Net Galley and Unsolicited Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Diem S, Reviewer
This book was well researched and gives a well-detailed fictional account of the notorious bank robber, Al Nussbaum. The suspense kept going as Al hid from the FBI in plain sight. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes true crime, crime fiction, and anyone who are always looking for something new.
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