The Last Apostle Comes to Life

Okay, so maybe this book didn’t technically change our lives in the same way as the others, but make no mistake, it changed our lives. The DeValera Deception is an awesome historical thriller that takes place in the 30’s, features Winston Churchill, the IRA, and one helluva cool female journalist based on Margaret Bourke-White. If you’re hooked on Boardwalk Empire like I am, it’s time to dive into the time period for real with the first in a series of these great books, Winston Churchill Thrillers. There’s just as much action, sex and violence, but the pacing is more akin to The Event or 24.

Disclaimer: Yes our dad and brother wrote it. There’s also a male protagonist whose pretty damn cool too, but since most of our readers are women, we’re skewing in that direction. And if you would like a signed copy and live in or near New York City, come down to Swift Hibernian Lounge Sunday, November 14, 2010, and you’ll get a signature in a familiar scrawl that Kelly and I have slowly learned how to read over the years — and one that always makes us happy.

Dad actually started writing what used to be called The Last Apostle, about 20 years ago when I was still in college. I actually did original source research at the New York Public Library with Bourke Cockran’s personal papers. (The book’s hero is the fictional son of Bourke Cockran, an actual congressman whose amazing oratory skills inspired Winston Churchill. For more on the mentorship between the real Cockran and Churchill, read dad’s groundbreaking historical book, Becoming Winston Churchill.)

Bourke Cockran didn’t have a son, but in Dad & Patrick’s thriller Bourke Cockran Jr. is real, he’s a rich bachelor with a young son and a wife who died tragically at the hands of the IRA. A law professor and former military intelligence agent, Cockran is swept into a conspiracy by Winston Churchill and his goddaughter, Mattie McGary, a journalist for William Randolph Hearst. Attracted to each other, okay, I’m just going to let the publisher finish this:

Cockran and Mattie follow a trail from New York to Los Angeles through Canada to discover who is funding the IRA and where the arms are assembled. But Mattie is also keeping secrets from Cockran, who has an agenda of revenge: to kill the leader of the IRA team who is responsible for the murder of his wife in the Irish Civil War. These plans interfere with foiling the arms shipment and an IRA plot to assassinate Churchill. And time is running out.

Yeah, it’s really good. And yeah, this is what my brother and dad look like! Handsome huh? So go buy it now. Click on the book image or highlighted book title and maybe Amazon will pay us a schilling fee. Dang. This is, um, perfect for ALL personality types. And a GREAT Chanukah or Christmas Gift.

Originally published November 12, 2010