Kenneth Czech

Ken Czech has been teaching and writing about history since the 1970s, and has taught in both secondary schools and in higher education. The author of numerous magazine and scholarly journal articles, his books have won the Minnesota Book Award and the Chicago Public Library Reading Round Table Award. But his love of history has shifted his focus from non-fiction to writing historical novels. BEYOND THE RIVER OF SHAME, his debut novel, is the fictionalized story of a real Victorian-era hero, Sir Samuel White Baker, and the woman he saves from slavery during his quest to discover the source of the Nile River.

Reviews of BEYOND THE RIVER OF SHAME:

"Fans of ... the Victorian era will find the book a gem." -- HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW

"I read it in one sitting and recommend in highly!" -- Ross, Seyfried, THE DOUBLE GUN JOURNAL

"It's a rollicking read ..." -- Dr. Jim Casada, SPORTING CLASSICS MAGAZINE

Here's a snippet from his second historical novel LAST DANCE IN KABUL (published by Fireship Press): When his superiors ignore his warnings of an impending Afghan insurrection in 1841, Reeve Waterton vows never to return to Kabul. Let the British army of occupation stew in its gruel! But then the ex-army captain rescues strong-willed Sarah Kane from an ambush, and his plans for civilian life and self-preservation unravel around him.

At first Reeve dislikes Sarah as much as she loathes him. She's as impudent and disdainful of authority as he, plus she's betrothed to his bitterest rival. Her flair for getting into trouble confounds him. It's only after Reeve's closest friend is brutally murdered and the Afghan tribes explode in revolt that he and Sarah discover their desperate need for each other.

Winter strikes early. Heavy snows blanket the mountain passes outside Kabul. Blizzards howl and temperatures plummet as tens of thousands of vengeful tribesmen gather to pounce on the retreating British force. Caught in that unfolding crucible of destruction, Reeve and Sarah must rely on their skills, courage, and incipient love just to survive.