A Most Unlikely Man
(A Tale of Resistance)
By J.P. Rieger
Isadore Levinsky is a survivor. No stranger to concentration camps, he’s been freighted by boxcar to yet one more, possibly his last, before death by rifle or neglect. He’s survived this far because he’s done what any person would do under the circumstances: everything possible, irrespective of the consequences for others. At the nearly deserted Natzweiler-Struthof camp, Levinsky matches wits with fellow prisoner Otto Beck, a self-proclaimed pacifist, gentile and admitted liar. Beck has decreed that all food and water will be shared equally. He’s rallied the men and challenged his Nazi overseers, willingly taking their beatings and abuse.
But is Beck a charismatic con man or a liberator? Previously convicted for treachery, Beck is architect of an escape plan specifically designed to assist his Nazi captors.
Can Levinsky and the men survive Beck and find their way to freedom?
A Most Unlikely Man: A Tale of Resistance is a story that resonates with our own times. Uplifting and inspiring, the story draws us into a dark past we must never forget, while shining a ray of hope for our future.
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Publisher: Blue Cedar Press
Pages: 107
Genre: Historical Fiction / Magical Realism
Praise
"The story is a very quick, short, easy read. There’s absolutely no indication that any of it has any basis in truth; so it’s merely based on an interesting, theoretical plot, and it is fun to consider."
Marcia C., Amazon 5* Review
An interview with J.P. Rieger.
What inspired you to start writing?
I was probably born a writer. My mother encouraged us kids to read and I’ve loved reading my entire life. Once my formal education was complete and my law career established, I decided to try my hand at writing.
I always loved Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Poe’s detective and mystery stories. I also enjoyed The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes edited by Hugh Greene, which compiled Victorian and Edwardian detective stories featuring sleuths operating during the Sherlock era. These characters, in theory, competed with Sherlock for detective business and are hence referred to as “rivals.” Greene’s book led me to even more Victorian and Edwardian mystery writers like Arthur Morrison, R. Austin Freeman and Guy Boothby.
I decided to create my own puzzle-solving character for my first novel, The Case Files of Roderick Misely, Consultant. My love of mysteries has driven me to write mostly in the mystery, crime and satire veins. A Most Unlikely Man: A Tale of Resistance is my first foray into historical fiction.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
Perhaps the most difficult part was in trying to communicate the gravity of the prisoners’ experiences in a way that would not be too horrifying for the reader. It’s a tough balance. There are some scenes featuring Nazi brutality against the prisoners. Those scenes had to be included. But they are balanced with other scenes that (hopefully) uplift the human spirit. Otherwise, this was a fairly easy book for me to write. I came up with the idea one sleepless night. I lay awake in bed developing the ideas for the characters and plot and then, the next morning, immediately began writing the story. It’s just a novella and it only took a month or so to complete.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
My book features two protagonists who spend most of their time at loggerheads with one another. Both are special to me. Isadore Levinsky is a cynic and pessimist who survives by taking more than his share of the food, even knowing that such is morally wrong and harmful to the fellow prisoners. Otto Beck is a gentile and a pacifist. He’s been inexplicably thrown into the otherwise all-Jewish concentration camp. He is an optimist who constantly feeds hope to the other prisoners. He decrees that all food will be shared equally and declares that he has an as-yet undisclosed plan for their liberation. I relate to both characters, the cynic and the dreamer.
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
Because we writers do enjoy our daydreams, I have pictured the book being made into either a play or a movie. The male actors would mostly range in ages from twenty to fifty-five. I see the production as being more of a film festival-type movie that probably wouldn’t feature (or be able to afford) any celebrities. And that is quite okay. Maybe a low-budget movie production will create a new star? For what it’s worth, one of the reviewers mentioned that a young Frank Sinatra would make a great Otto Beck.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I want the reader to feel encouragement and hope. I want to uplift the reader’s spirit. I want the reader to believe, as I do, that we can survive the harshness of our times by not giving in to hatred and despair. Hang in there with me, readers. Things will get better!
J.P. Rieger
J. Paul (J.P.) Rieger is a mostly retired Maryland attorney and author of five books, The Case Files of Roderick Misely, Consultant, a mystery featuring a wannabe lawyer anti-hero published in April, 2013; Clonk!, a police farce set in Baltimore and published in May, 2023 by Apprentice House Press (Loyola University, Maryland), The Big Comb Over, a slipstream comedy of manners published in April, 2024, Sunscreen Shower, a Clonk! sequel, published by Flock Publishing in October, 2024 and A Most Unlikely Man: A Tale of Resistance, published by Blue Cedar Press in September, 2025.
J. Paul and spouse live in Towson, Maryland.
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