Hal Schroeder, recently discharged from the OSS had been a spy behind the lines in Germany during all of World War II. He returned without fanfare and without any medals. In fact he couldn’t even talk to anyone about what he did.
Hal was recruited by the FBI to go undercover in Cleveland, Ohio. His task was to get into the good graces of the local mob leaders by setting up a couple of successful robberies. Once he had their trust he would set up a really big heist during which the FBI would spring their trap and nab “Mr. Big” the kingpin of the mob in Cleveland.
But, the FBI did not use real money in the setup robberies leaving Hal hanging in the wind. Hal improvises throughout the rest of the story. He double crosses both the Mob and the FBI helping Mr. Big to complete the most daring and dangerous robbery of all time; the theft of a million dollars from the Federal Bank where the money is printed.
Along the way Hal comes up against one big obstacle after another but just manages to get past each of them through his wit and cunning. Written in the style of the early gangster movies, “A Pure Double Cross” is a finely crafted story that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat all the way to the end. I give it a 7 of 10 on the Weaver meter and strongly recommend it.
