Ross, Joel N. 1968–

PERSONAL: Born 1968; married; wife's name, Lee. Education: Studied history at Hampshire College.

ADDRESSES: Home—ME. Agent—Henry Morrison, Henry Morrison Inc., 105 S. Bedford Rd., 306-A, Mount Kisko, NY 10549.

CAREER: Taught English abroad; writer.

WRITINGS:

Eye for an Eye (novel), Dorchester Publications (New York, NY), 2004.

Double Cross Blind (thriller novel), Doubleday (New York, NY), 2005.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A novel.

SIDELIGHTS: Joel N. Ross based his espionage thriller Double Cross Blind partly upon his family's own experiences in World War II. Set in the weeks just prior to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Double Cross Blind is a complex story of a wounded man seeking personal revenge on his brother, and of the double agents who try to manipulate him to their own ends. American Tom Wall enlisted in the Canadian army in order to fight the Germans, while his brother, Earl, worked in diplomatic circles in London. Recovering in a British hospital after a military fiasco in Crete, Tom seeks out Earl, whom he blames for getting his comrades killed. When British agents enlist Tom to impersonate Earl in order to pry information from a German spy, a series of events unfold that could change the course of America's deployment in the war.

A Publishers Weekly critic deemed the plot of Double Cross Blind to be "by-the-numbers," but other reviewers hailed the work as an exciting addition to the warera espionage genre. In Library Journal Christine Perkins found "plenty of action … that will appeal to fans of espionage thrillers." A Kirkus Reviews critic felt that, in Ross's hands, "the old thriller formulae continue to work brilliantly." The same reviewer concluded that Double Cross Blind is "agreeably tense and complex." On the Curled Up with a Good Book Web site, a contributor noted that Ross "frames his story flawlessly, building the tension with each chapter." Hilary Williamson, writing for the Book Loons Web site, characterized Double Cross Blind as "a brilliant spy story, based on many real events," and added: "Tommy Wall is an appealing damaged hero, who slowly emerges from trauma to sort out his life."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2005, review of Double Cross Blind, p. 502.

Library Journal, June 1, 2005, Christine Perkins, review of Double Cross Blind, p. 122.

Publishers Weekly, May 23, 2005, review of Double Cross Blind, p. 55.

ONLINE

Book Loons, http://www.bookloons.com/ (September 28, 2005), Hilary Williamson, review of Double Cross Blind.

Curled Up with a Good Book, http://www.curledup.com/ (September 28, 2005), review of Double Cross Blind.