Dead Letter

by Marc Kuhn

DEAD LETTER is a suspenseful mystery that begins on the Chesapeake Bay’s historic Eastern Shore in the midst of a budding young romance that is disrupted by misguided jealousy and World War II. A "dead letter" is so designated because it is undeliverable. Some or all of the information on the envelope is destroyed or indecipherable. Only authorized postal personnel are permitted to open a dead letter in an attempt to determine to whom, or by whom, the letter is written. This is the story of a dead letter written by a soldier in World War II to his girlfriend back home. Attempts to deliver the letter, and reveal the meaning of its mysterious content, result in a search that consumes the lives of a father and son and spans four decades, all coming together in an incredible surprise ending.

Genres: Romantic Suspense

215 pages, Paperback

First published July 4, 2013

About the author

Marc Kuhn is a former journalist and radio executive whose career spanned over 40 years and included key programming and marketing positions at radio stations in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Miami-Fort Lauderdale.

Since retiring he has become an independent author and has self-published eleven books both for children and adults..

Two of Marc’s children’s books have been honored by the Literary Classics International Book Awards, ABOUT A FARM being selected as “Best First Chapter Book, 2013.

Marc's latest adult novel, AGAIN, won the first-place award in General Fiction, 2019 Independent Book Awards.

Marc lives in South Florida with his wife, Rosemarie. Their son and daughter live nearby along with six grandchildren. More information about Marc along with links to his books can be found at his personal website: website at http://marckuhn.com

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Reviews

[Howard Katzoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!!!

This story is one of the best I've ever read. The characters were unusually interesting. Be prepared to stay awake when you start reading because it's impossible to put down!! Great job!

[Naznin Azeez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started off with high expectations from this book because firstly, I loved The Pope’s Stone, the first book I read of the author and secondly because the summary and title seemed promising. The cover is gorgeous except for the naked lady!. I found that a teeny tiny bit disturbing particularly because I do judge books by their covers (Yep, it’s a sin, I know). However, her being naked and standing there has a significance in the book. So, once I finished reading, I actually found it apt that it made it to the cover!. Saying that, don’t think there is graphic sex or too much nudity involved in this story. It’s a simple historic fiction with some good suspense woven into it.

Marc is the author who introduced me to historic fiction and made me fall in love with it. He successfully does so again with this one!. The story takes place in the year 1943. The pace of the story is relaxing and fluid. The beauty of the lake Corsica, the Chesapeake bay and the surroundings is beautifully described. What I loved the most though is the portrayal of the innocent love between two 17 year olds, Robert and Sandra, the protagonists of this story. You read about them and you simply know that they are made for each other. Their love is sweet, pure and innocent.

So imagine when Robert has to leave his town and go join the Marine Armed services. Sandra is heartbroken, because in those times many were dying at the war and there was no guarantee that she will ever see him again. Many scenes in this book moved me to tears. There is such emotion in the story. I loved all the characters in this book. My favorite though is Sandra. She is so strong in testing times and her character development is very nicely described throughout the book.

Then something happens that makes Robert fill with revenge and sadness. I found myself wondering why, until the very end. The suspense is very well maintained. There is a reference to a ‘treasure’, which I figured out once it was mentioned. But I had to wait till the end to find out why Robert considered ‘it’ Sandra’s treasure. Robert says in a letter that it’s a treasure that Sandra values more than Robert and seriously, those words threw me right off the track. I couldn’t think of anything that was more treasured by Sandra!. But there were certain other wordings / circumstances that lead me to understand what the treasure itself was but how it really related to Sandra, kept me hooked to the very last.

I got to say, I would have liked one more chapter in the end to see how life went on in the town of Centreville after some shocking revelations. The current ending seems abrupt and you sit there wondering what the heck just happened!. Its not like you are left with a lot of questions. Not at all. It’s pretty shocking because you will never see what was coming!.. You really got to read this book to know more. I am not going to reveal any spoilers here!. Oh and the Chesapeake Bay in this story is actually Marc’s favorite place on earth!. It’s nice that he made this story revolve around real places that is close to his heart.

Marc’s writing style is amazing and addictive. Even the Acknowledgement he wrote is so interesting and puts a smile on your face. There is life in his words. I have read acknowledgements of some other books before where it’s just flat, no life at all and you can immediately feel that it was written out of sheer necessity and not from the heart. But that’s not the case with Marc’s acknowledgements. It’s so heartfelt!.

Overall, I give this book 5/5 which by Goodreads standards means ‘it was amazing’. Historic fiction fans, suspense fans and anyone who wants a good relaxing read would absolutely love this!.

[Marc Kuhn]

The following comments were made by the judge who read Dead Letter in the
22nd Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards:
"DEAD LETTER by Marc Kuhn is a story written by an author who seems to possess a sensitive soul that gives him the ability to craft a touching, deeply emotional and satisfying story.
As for production values, I like the title but I wasn't all that crazy about the cover, not because I have an issue with nudity (I don't) but because it was dull. I think a picture of a small town or a letter would have been just as effective, if not more so. Of course, this is a personal opinion from a reader who prefers vibrant colors on book covers. However, the back cover copy was excellent and well written. I think it will spur people to read the book. Nice author bio. It encouraged me to check out the other books, and to visit the web site listed. It was nice to see a picture of the author on the site.
I enjoy books set in small towns and I think other readers will enjoy the setting, too. I think the author also does an excellent job capturing the eras he writes about as well. The opening of the book was amusing, as obviously intended. The feeling the early part of the book generated reminded me of SUMMER OF '42 by Herman Raucher, which is a good thing. The writing style is superb, keeping the story moving at an excellent pace. The author is talented not only as a writer, but at evoking emotions. Readers who love romance and mystery will fall in love with this book."

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a historical fiction book that spans some time starting with the WWII era in a small town in MD along the Chesapeake Bay; following the town teen couple: "most likely to be married when he returns from war"; life is ideal for them until he enlists in the war and until there is a dark secret that is found out, discovered, left untold, and then told in a "dead letter". Will the Dead Letter ever make it into the right hands? Who wrote it? Who is it intended for? Who finds it? How will the dead letter affect everybody who reads it, or will it affect anyone at all? Read this entertaining mystery of the Dead Letter to find out. I am glad that this wasn't too terribly long because the suspense was killing me in this one. Enjoy the read! Thank you Mr. Kuhn for the autographed book, I enjoyed the trip to the Chesapeake Bay...a great place for a great book!

[Heather]

Amazon Freebie
12/19/13

http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-LETTER-Mar...

[Roxanne Sleszynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a turn of events!

This book kept me captivated and interested from beginning to end. Definitely did not see any of what unfolded in the story coming. A very good read!