Release date: June 28, 2022
Subgenre: True Crime, Historical Thriller
About The Rook:
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.
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 conscious, 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.
Excerpt:
"Al picked up the military-grade walkie-talkie from his lap and pressed the button. “Street clear. Green light.”
Bobby slid on a pair of
Ray-Bans, pulled his hat even lower to his brow, and then sauntered to the
bank’s main entrance. Curry, carrying an army duffle bag, made his way toward
the Utica Avenue door. Al leaned back in his seat and continued humming.
Bobby strode into the bank. Al watched the street but
was envisioning what was happening inside. He pictured Bobby letting the raincoat fall, revealing the Tommy gun, then pushing
open the double-glass doors leading into the bank with his shoulder. He’d yell, “This is a hold
up! I don’t want no trouble, just the money,” exactly as Al had made him
practice. The sight of that machine
gun would drain courage from anyone thinking about being a hero. Everything
inside a person stops—their thinking, their ability
to run or scream, their
bravery—when that black
barrel is pointed
at them.
They’re left with a pounding
heart and a pair of struggling lungs trying to find air. That’s why Al had Bobby bring the
Thompson.
Curry would glide through
the Utica entrance
then, not saying
a word, a .22 in one hand and the duffle bag in the other. He’d jump the counter and hustle from
teller-to-teller, cleaning out cash drawers. Bobby would cover whoever was in
the bank with the machine
gun, moving the muzzle from side-to-side, person-to-person, face-to-face. Al was counting on at least fifty
grand, a nice early Christmas present for them all.
Then he heard it."
About Stephen G. Eoannou:
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Photo by Marcus DeVoe |
Stephen G. Eoannou holds an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte and an MA from Miami University. His award-winning short story collection, Muscle Cars, was published by the Santa Fe Writers Project. He has been awarded an Honor Certificate from The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and won the Best Short Screenplay Award at the 36th Starz Denver Film Festival. He lives and writes in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, the setting and inspiration for much of his work. Rook is his first novel.
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