The Teutonic Cross
A Chinese exchange student dies during a
fraternity prank gone awry, but a young history professor suspects there’s more
to the story.
Available Aug. 1, 2013, from Silver Tongue Press of Milwaukee, Wisc., the Teutonic Cross is an 80,000-word mystery/adventure novel set in a small, Missouri college town on the eve of World War I. The plot centers on Heinrich Kueter, a young history professor, who is of German ancestry and a veteran of the Philippine wars. On the way to solving the murder of the Chinese student, he battles a racist, corrupt local politician and romances the local newspaper editor. Adults who are interested in history and who like mysteries and/or adventure stories will love this book. The story's setting is an interesting time period that is often ignored by history instructors, who tend to jump directly from the Spanish-American War to World War I as if nothing happened during the nearly 20 years in between. The protagonist served in the U.S. Philippine campaigns, which are rarely discussed in history class. In some ways, the setting is much like our world today, when our military finds itself mired in perpetual wars with which much of the general public has little connection. The novel’s main themes are racism, assimilation into the American "melting pot," the prevalence of violence and corruption in American culture, and the transition from our "wild west" culture into the modern world. The story explores cultural assimilation during a time of great change in American society, especially from the German-American viewpoint. As a direct descendant of a prominent historical figure and leader of the Missouri Germans, the author offers a unique perspective on this ethnic group and its assimilation into American life. To purchase the novel, go to Amazon.com or contact Silver Tongue Press of Milwaukee, Wisc. |