by Glenn | Oct 7, 2024 | Novels
“When the Violin Weeps” received a 5 Star Review from Readers Favorite. It’s a great review and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did… The book was truly a tough one to write, filled with a spectrum of emotions for me because everything within its pages is based on a horrific true history. The novel is available at all major online booksellers in eBook and print formats.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
When The Violin Weeps by Glenn Starkey is a historical fiction novel that delves into the harrowing events of the Holocaust during World War II and the formation of the State of Israel. The story follows Jacob Liebermann, a former violinist with the Warsaw Philharmonic, as he grapples with the devastating loss of his wife, Hanna, who is murdered in a gas chamber. Forced into the overcrowded Warsaw ghetto and enduring the horrors of the Nazi regime, Jacob vows to survive against all odds, honoring Hanna’s memory amidst the unspeakable atrocities that surround him. The language is both poignant and lyrical, weaving vivid imagery into realistic historical descriptions for maximum emotional impact, drawing readers into the world he has recreated from history’s greatest horrors.
Author Glenn Starkey’s writing gives the reader a presence right on Jacob’s shoulder as they feel every moment of despair and tragedy on his journey to find new strength. Jacob’s grief and determination are challenged constantly by the well-timed events of the plot, and the author’s ability to evoke such intense feelings allows readers to connect deeply with the narrative, making the real historical events all the more impactful. The novel is steeped in meticulous research, providing an authentic portrayal of the Holocaust that honors the memory of those who suffered but also educating readers about this dark chapter in history just as much as offering an engaging story. By highlighting Jacob’s promise to his wife as the driving force of the plot, the importance of hope and survival builds into a powerful message that leaves readers with a conclusion packed with strength in times of darkness. Overall, When The Violin Weeps is a heart-wrenching tale that is sure to engage and impress fans of detailed and emotive historical fiction.
by Glenn | Aug 22, 2024 | Novels
Jack learned early in life how to survive in a cruel world. When five years old, his drug-addicted mother abandoned him to live with the homeless. By age eight, his feral qualities had caught the attention of the Colonel, an enigmatic man who recruited such lost souls into his fold. Through only a verbal contract, binding for life upon penalty of death if broken, the Colonel would care for and train Jack in his academy until accepted into Horus, a mercenary security company. An offer is made, and the boy found a home.
The academy is everything Jack could wish, and the skills he learns come as natural as the beat of his heart. In youth, Harold and Myra are his closest friends, but while one will be a lifelong comrade, the other becomes a rejected lover with a vendetta.
Over the years, the role of an assassin suits Jack well. He’s exceptional in every mission, shining like a favored son in the Colonel’s eyes until the day arrives in Afghanistan where conscience forces Jack to make a dreaded decision. He kills the warlord he’s assigned to protect, and breaking the Colonel’s contract, flees. Now, even his friends will hunt for him.
For years Jack ran, always looking over his shoulder. Then he met Valerie and hoped for a fresh start. Yet peace comes at a price, as Jack finds himself entangled in the web of a ruthless criminal organization and the Colonel, who tracks down his whereabouts. With nowhere to turn, the former assassin must choose between old friends and new, the chance to renew his life, and killing the man that had become like a father to him.
“The Devil’s Contract” is coming soon in eBook and print to all major book sellers.
by Glenn | Mar 10, 2023 | Novels
GREAT NEWS !!! “When the Violin Weeps” is a Book Excellence Award Finalist in the Historical Category!!! It is a great honor for an author to receive an award for their writings. The research performed for this novel was often mentally exhausting due to the traumatic events and its history.
Through life in a Warsaw ghetto and the Treblinka death camp, Jacob Liebermann lives for a day of reckoning with Klaus Hermann, the SS officer that killed his wife. After a harrowing trek to freedom in Palestine and joining Jewish resistance groups to combat a new enemy, Jacob makes the country home. He becomes one of Israel’s first Mossad agents. Then fate brings him face to face with the devil incarnate in South America.
by Glenn | Oct 5, 2022 | Novels
Through life in a Warsaw ghetto and the Treblinka death camp, Jacob Liebermann lives for a day of reckoning with Klaus Hermann, the SS officer that killed his wife. After a harrowing trek to freedom in Palestine and joining Jewish resistance groups to combat a new enemy, Jacob makes the country home. He becomes one of Israel’s first Mossad agents. Then fate brings him face to face with the devil incarnate in South America.
“When the Violin Weeps” is based upon the disturbing true events of the Holocaust in World War II and the struggles to create the State of Israel. It is the story of appalling crimes against humanity. Forcing Warsaw’s massive Jewish population into an overcrowded ghetto to starve was Nazi Germany’s first undertaking after invading Poland. Next came the merciless transports to the Treblinka extermination center. When Jacob Liebermann’s wife Hanna is murdered in a gas chamber, the former Warsaw Philharmonic violinist fell into an abyss of insanity. But he keeps his promise to her to survive the Nazi atrocities at all costs.
Award winning author Glenn Starkey has written another gut-wrenching novel that tears at the hearts of readers and makes them feel every page.
Available at Bookbaby Bookstore https://store.bookbaby.com/book/when-the-violin-weeps and all major booksellers!
by Glenn | Aug 29, 2022 | General, Novels
My Civil War based novel “Into the Cauldron” was awarded a Silver Medal at the 2022 Military Writers Society of America Conference in New Orleans. I’m truly excited about this award, as I am with all awards I’ve won for my writings.
After four cruel years, the Civil War still raged without peace in sight. The Union Army’s manpower was stretched to its limits fighting on two fronts; one on the eastern battlefields against the Confederacy, the other to protect the Santa Fe Trail and western expansion of citizens from marauding Indian tribes and vicious Confederate guerrillas.
Jonah Gustafson’s family was dead, leaving him to aimlessly wander. Rather than wait for the coming draft, he joined the 3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Cavalry, expecting to be sent east into the war between the states. Instead, his regiment went west to ‘Bleeding’ Kansas and war-torn Missouri. There, along the Santa Fe Trail, they fought every major Indian tribe and Quantrill’s Raiders, a roaming, bloodthirsty guerrilla unit. Horrid weather and deplorable living conditions were the lonely troopers’ constant companions. Death always lurked near whether from disease, a bullet, or an arrow. But the cavalry of the frontier fulfilled its duties against all odds.
“Into the Cauldron” is the life of Trooper Jonah Gustafson based upon true events written in the pages of a Civil War diary by a Wisconsin cavalryman that served on the frontier. It is a novel to enjoy and learn from; one that will carry you back in time to feel the joys, heartaches and anguish of those days.
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/Into-the-Cauldron
by Glenn | May 16, 2022 | General, Novels
“Into the Cauldron” received its first award from the Book Excellence Literary contest !!!
1864. After four cruel years, the Civil War still raged without peace in sight. The Union Army’s manpower was stretched to its limits fighting on two fronts; one on the eastern battlefields against the Confederacy, the other to protect the Santa Fe Trail and western expansion of citizens from marauding Indian tribes and vicious Confederate guerrillas.
Jonah Gustafson’s family was dead, leaving him to aimlessly wander. Rather than wait for the coming draft, he joined the 3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Cavalry, expecting to be sent east into the war between the states. Instead, his regiment went west to ‘Bleeding’ Kansas and war-torn Missouri. There, along the Santa Fe Trail, they fought every major Indian tribe and Quantrill’s Raiders, a roaming, bloodthirsty guerrilla unit. Horrid weather and deplorable living conditions were the lonely troopers’ constant companions. Death always lurked near whether from disease, a bullet, or an arrow. But the cavalry of the frontier fulfilled its duties against all odds.
“Into the Cauldron” is the life of Trooper Jonah Gustafson based upon true events written in the pages of a Civil War diary by a Wisconsin cavalryman that served on the frontier. It is a novel to enjoy and learn from; one that will carry you back in time to feel the joys, heartaches and anguish of those days.
Available in eBook and print at all major online booksellers.
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