Koontz, I. Michael 1963-

PERSONAL:

Born 1963; married; children: two. Education: Holds both a B.A. and an M.A. Hobbies and other interests: "Baseball, military and cinema history, the RMS Titanic, Cold War espionage, Belgian beer, and getting a good night's sleep."

CAREER:

Medical professional; writer.

WRITINGS:

(Editor) Hometown Heroes: Dubuque Remembers WW II, Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA), 2001.

Under Cloak of Darkness: The Story of John Apparite (novel), Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2006.

Author of the blog I. Michael Koontz Blog.

SIDELIGHTS:

I. Michael Koontz combined his interest in World War Two and military espionage with his love of spy stories and thrillers when he wrote his novel, Under Cloak of Darkness: The Story of John Apparite, intended as the first in a series. The story takes place in the mid-1950s in Washington, DC, and London, following the adventures of a young man, John Apparite, who has joined a top-secret U.S. espionage agency run by a man known only as the "Director." Because Koontz has invested so much in creating his character, he has gone so far as to focus his Web site on Apparite instead of on himself, providing readers with further insight into the character's life and personality. In writing the book, Koontz set out to include plenty of twists and turns that would also deepen the plot. In an interview for Reader Views Online, Koontz told Juanita Watson: "I hate dull books where nothing ever happens, so I tried to keep things moving with assassinations, tricky escapes, battles for secret fuel formulas, deadly poisons, examples of spy gear, and such, though with some more serious philosophical underpinnings regarding the nature of duty and personal sacrifice included as well." David Pitt, in a review for Booklist, commented that the book includes "so much spyworld information that you'd almost believe Apparite and the Superagent program were real." A contributor for Publishers Weekly wrote: "This fine start bodes well for future entries."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2006, David Pitt, review of Under Cloak of Darkness: The Story of John Apparite, p. 34.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2006, review of Under Cloak of Darkness, p. 498.

Publishers Weekly, June 5, 2006, review of Under Cloak of Darkness, p. 33.

ONLINE

I Love a Mystery Newsletter,http://www.iloveamysterynewsletter.com/ (December 26, 2006), Marion E. Cason, review of Under Cloak of Darkness.

I. Michael Koontz Home Page,http://www.imkoontz.com (December 26, 2006).

Reader Views Online,http://www.readerviews.com/ (December 26, 2006), Kelli Glesige, review of Under Cloak of Darkness, interview with I. Michael Koontz.