A Coup' of Sorts

The brevity of the novella as a literary expression in many ways makes it more difficult to achieve the goals of pacing, character development, and suspense than the greater length of the novel. Kudos to Howard Rosenzweig for so adroitly achieving a unique blend of political thriller with strong elements of supernatural horror. This skillful mix of genres creates delighful dividends for the reader. Brad and Sherry Steiger, authors of Real Encounters, Different Dimensions, and Otherworldly Beings. A Coup' of Sorts is a fast paced political thriller with elements of both the supernatural and of horror. It takes place in January 1979 in South America, with flashbacks to the Vietnam War, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and to the Auschwitz death camp in 1944. Les Cohen, a former American assassin during the Vietnam War, now a mercenary, has been enlisted by a Catholic priest to overturn the South American dictatorship he had helped to install. With the help of his wife, he must find the compassion he has so long suppressed, in order to follow through and not betray the priest, who himself has sought supernatural help from a rabbi friend in case the American fails him.