Bill Rapp began his professional life as an academic, teaching European History at Iowa State University. A graduate of Notre Dame (B.A.), The University of Toronto (M.A.) and Vanderbilt (Ph. D.), Rapp was intrigued by German history. He has spent the last 25 years working for the U. S. Government, primarily as an intelligence analyst for the C.I.A. His work has taken him around the world, including to Berlin as the wall fell and Germany was reunified. Mr. Rapp's other books include the mystery novels Dark Angel and A Pale Rain, both SterlingHouse titles.