PRAISE FOR CHICAGO ‘63
“This is historical fiction at its best. Equal parts gripping, gritty, heartbreaking and revelatory. You’ll be turning pages and thinking about ‘what-ifs’ deep into the night.”
- I.S. Berry, author of THE PEACOCK AND THE SPARROW, A NPR and A New Yorker Book of the Year 2023
“McCauley’s writing is gritty, suspenseful and expertly captures the times of a nation in turmoil. CHICAGO ‘63 is the breakout hit of 2024!”
- Matt Coyle, author of the Rick Cahill crime series and Lefty Award Winner
“Secret Service Agent Abe Golden’s wit, grit, and loyalty kept me turning the pages and rooting for his success.”
- Cheryl Head, award-winning author of the Charlie Mack series and TIME’S UNDOING
“Conspiracy theorists, consider yourselves warned - CHICAGO ‘63 will pull you down a mesmerizing rabbit hole with no guaranteed escape.”
- C.E. Albanese, Co-host of The Crew Reviews Podcast & Grandmaster Winner of the 2021 Clive Cussler Adventure Writers Competition
“Excellent writing, richly developed characters and tight, propulsive action drive this story forward.”
- Steve Stratton, Award winning author of the Lance Bear Wolf series
“Razor-sharp writing catapults readers into the intense fray of complex alliances and buried investigations.”
- Kashif Hussain, reviewer, Best Thriller Books
About the Novella
Before Dealey Plaza. Before Oswald.
The road to conspiracy started in Chicago '63.
Homer Echevarria is a Cuban exile committed to freeing his homeland from Fidel Castro and the evils of Communism. Thomas Vallee is a mercenary who helped Echevarria and the US government train Cuban refugees to fight Castro. Both men blame President Kennedy for the humiliation they suffered during The Bay of Pigs invasion. Echevarria and Vallee once again join forces when fate allows them to avenge their fallen comrades. To strike a blow for freedom. Their allies in the federal government and the Chicago Police Department have arranged for President Kennedy to come to Chicago, thus setting the stage for them to deliver their own brand of justice. The plot: four U.S.-trained Cuban assassins and Vallee will ambush the president on his way to attend the Army-Air Force football game the following month. Each group of sharpshooters will operate independently of the other, thus assuring at least one bullet will find its mark.
Due to President Kennedy's insistence, Abraham Golden is the first African American Secret Service agent assigned to a presidential protection detail. Having since transferred to the Chicago Field Office, he sees two glaring problems with the president's visit in two days. The first is the amount of chatter he detects among the Windy City's many hate groups. The second is a slow turn off the Jackson Exit that will force the motorcade to a crawl, thus making President Kennedy an easy target.
After his concerns fall on deaf ears, Golden must use his skill and cunning to fight adverse influences both inside and outside his own government to uncover the plot against the president. His renegade investigation soon uncovers an international plan so broad that it spans from the halls of power in Washington to the mean streets of Chicago. Golden risks everything he holds dear to stop the plot and save the man he'd once swore to protect. Even if it means his career...and his life.