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Demon's Bluff: A World War II Espionage Thriller
In World War II Panama, Rollie Donahue, an agent with the U.S. War Department, is thrust into a desperate chase surrounding the world's deadliest secret...the atomic bomb. Against the steamy Panamanian backdrop, Rollie clashes with a ruthless adversary while negotiating a shadowy assemblage of spies, double agents, and alluring personalities. In a classic race against time, Rollie scrambles to prevent the secret from falling into enemy hands while trying desperately to discern friend from foe. The world, and his life, hangs in the balance.
409 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2013
57 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Driskell
19 books43 followersThe youngest of five children, Chuck’s initial love of fiction was borne out of a lack of money coupled with an overactive childhood imagination. On Sunday afternoons during his childhood, Chuck’s parents would take the entire family to the public library—it was pleasurable and, best of all, free. He credits The Shining, by Stephen King, as being the first novel he ever read.
Following high school, Chuck joined the Army after finding little inspiration (or money) for college. He was stationed stateside at Fort Sill and as a paratrooper at Fort Bragg; but it was Chuck’s two-and-a-half years stationed in Germany that forged many of the memories that fuel his interest today.
Following his honorable discharge from the Army, Chuck endured more schooling before embarking on a career in advertising. In 2001 he co-founded B2B Media, Inc., a company that would go on to be named the second fastest-growing company in South Carolina.
While his career was progressing nicely, an active skydiver, Chuck suffered an accident while BASE jumping from the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia. Although he’s since recovered, the accident took away his ability to compete in numerous sports. It was the accident, and his resulting physical limitations, that would later become the seed for his need to write.
As his career churned on, Chuck married his wife in 2003. Fulfilled personally and professionally, something began to tug at his mind. Before his accident he’d been able to satisfy his inner desires, first with the adrenaline of a soldier’s life, and later as a risk-taking skydiver. When he could no longer be either, he realized something was missing.
Searching for an answer, in 2005 and at the behest of one of his closest friends, Chuck began to write. Claiming he couldn’t write a decent sentence at the time, he started by penning his own experiences. After moving on to short stories for a period, he eventually began to write novel-length stories in earnest. Over time he learned to blend flawed characters with extraordinary situations, creating a hybrid of the classic spy/suspense novel. Chuck’s passion for travel—especially in Europe—helps lend genuine background and texture to his writing.
Now, every day, Chuck awakens before the dawn and writes. He claims his writing is at its best when his mind is a blank slate. Plus, by writing early, he doesn’t miss time with his wife, his daughter, or his son. They live in South Carolina.
Following high school, Chuck joined the Army after finding little inspiration (or money) for college. He was stationed stateside at Fort Sill and as a paratrooper at Fort Bragg; but it was Chuck’s two-and-a-half years stationed in Germany that forged many of the memories that fuel his interest today.
Following his honorable discharge from the Army, Chuck endured more schooling before embarking on a career in advertising. In 2001 he co-founded B2B Media, Inc., a company that would go on to be named the second fastest-growing company in South Carolina.
While his career was progressing nicely, an active skydiver, Chuck suffered an accident while BASE jumping from the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia. Although he’s since recovered, the accident took away his ability to compete in numerous sports. It was the accident, and his resulting physical limitations, that would later become the seed for his need to write.
As his career churned on, Chuck married his wife in 2003. Fulfilled personally and professionally, something began to tug at his mind. Before his accident he’d been able to satisfy his inner desires, first with the adrenaline of a soldier’s life, and later as a risk-taking skydiver. When he could no longer be either, he realized something was missing.
Searching for an answer, in 2005 and at the behest of one of his closest friends, Chuck began to write. Claiming he couldn’t write a decent sentence at the time, he started by penning his own experiences. After moving on to short stories for a period, he eventually began to write novel-length stories in earnest. Over time he learned to blend flawed characters with extraordinary situations, creating a hybrid of the classic spy/suspense novel. Chuck’s passion for travel—especially in Europe—helps lend genuine background and texture to his writing.
Now, every day, Chuck awakens before the dawn and writes. He claims his writing is at its best when his mind is a blank slate. Plus, by writing early, he doesn’t miss time with his wife, his daughter, or his son. They live in South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 27, 2014
Demon's Bluff - A World War II Espionage Thriller is a first rate read. It's a little slow in the beginning but once the action starts you're in for the thrill of your life. It fulfilled all the cliches of spy drama. We'll start with an undercover SSO agent Dollie Donahue tailing a suspected traitor trying to sell military secrets. This guy, Richard Hammond is a higher echelon manager of an aviation engineering company. He also has an eye for the ladies, constantly cheating on his wife. He likes the rich life but is bad at investments. He blew thru his fortune. He made arrangements to meet a Nazi spy in Panama. He has working plans for the atomic bomb. Germany is three years behind the Americans in developing this technology. The agent, Carsten he was to meet, was murdered by his superior in Cuba. Bernd, an evil Nazi pretending to be an Englishman named Lancaster. Meanwhile, the police in Panama are having a bidding war on Richard Hammond using the alias Sam Fielding's where abouts. Hammond's wife Vivien is angry. Hammond pretended a suicide and fled to Panama. After being questioned by Rollie, Vivien decided to follow her husband's trail. Rollie is surprised to find Vivien in Panama. Now, the action gets heated. Spies just missing each other and the police, American MPs rolled in the mix causes a frolicking romp.
August 10, 2015
I got this as a free dowload of the day book and looked forward to a WWII-themed action story. That is sort of what I got, however there are so many errors, poor bits of writing and general lack of believe-ability in this one that I can't recommend it for any purpose other than as a teaching tool for how NOT to write fiction.
First, the characters are all the same: they speak, act and think alike. Since the main characters are from all over the world, this is an annoying trait. Compounding this is the author's many, many mistakes, anachronisms and general lack of research into what Pananma in 1943 was actually like. A few examples are the woman from the jungles of Panama who thinks of the Nazi spy as a 'Prussian'--despite Prussia not existing anymore and certainly not being a part of rural upbringings in Panama. Next is his use of mid-20th century slang by all the characters. Why? Writers such as James Ellroy always employ the slang of the times and it adds to the veracity of the narrative.
Having a Nazi call Panama a 'Third World country' ten years before the term was first used, is irritating and lazy. A character talks about 'New Jersey casinos' not only 35 years before the first one was built, but is himself in Havana which was the casino gaming capital of the Western Hemisphere at the time.
Absurdities like this is what kept me reading during my stationary cycling time, however chuckles and face palms are not really enough to recomment this. Give this one a pass and save your valuable reading time for more worthy efforts.
First, the characters are all the same: they speak, act and think alike. Since the main characters are from all over the world, this is an annoying trait. Compounding this is the author's many, many mistakes, anachronisms and general lack of research into what Pananma in 1943 was actually like. A few examples are the woman from the jungles of Panama who thinks of the Nazi spy as a 'Prussian'--despite Prussia not existing anymore and certainly not being a part of rural upbringings in Panama. Next is his use of mid-20th century slang by all the characters. Why? Writers such as James Ellroy always employ the slang of the times and it adds to the veracity of the narrative.
Having a Nazi call Panama a 'Third World country' ten years before the term was first used, is irritating and lazy. A character talks about 'New Jersey casinos' not only 35 years before the first one was built, but is himself in Havana which was the casino gaming capital of the Western Hemisphere at the time.
Absurdities like this is what kept me reading during my stationary cycling time, however chuckles and face palms are not really enough to recomment this. Give this one a pass and save your valuable reading time for more worthy efforts.
August 27, 2013
An absolutely meticulously researched spy thriller. Set in the early forties this book carries the reader from the US to Panama. With numerous twists and turns and a greatly developed cast of memorable characters, I couldn't put it down. Pretty lengthy book but I read in three nights.
March 17, 2014
I really enjoyed this. It was a nice solid, tight WWII story set around Detroit then Panama. Areas not touched often in war fiction. The detail was great also ranging from street life to uniforms and so on. Would recommend this gladly.
September 15, 2015
Chuck Driskell had a story to tell, and he told it well. Maybe, I found the beginning a bit slow and laboured. But once the theme unfolded, there was no looking back. I enjoyed reading it. Grab it, if you are looking for a good thriller.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews