World War II has always been my passion. As a baby boomer, I grew up with two brothers and four uncles who told me their stories of the war and answered the questions of my inquisitive mind. A love of war history led me to study history at university, but those studies also made me want to look at the history from non-American perspectives. My research into those points of view led me to travel to all theaters of the war, Axis as well as Allies. I encountered fascinating stories from diverse veterans or the memoirs they wrote. In the process, I encountered one story that I decided to write in my novel.
I found this book fascinating for its fresh take on WWII: the experiences of a senior Greek police official amidst a web of spies leading to the Nazi occupation. I was enthralled; the characters and historical detail were exquisite. The struggle of a man against overwhelming evil while risking everything was inspiring.
This book stood out as my favorite from Furst’s Night Soldiers series because of its emotional impact. I was inspired to further research this theater of the war.
Salonika, 1940. To the bustle of tavernas and the smell of hashish, a secret war is taking shape. In the backrooms of barbers, envelopes change hands, and in the Club de Salonique the air is thick with whispers.
Costa Zannis is the city's dashing chief detective - a man with contacts high and low, in the Balkans and beyond. And as unknown ships and British 'travel writers' trickle through the port, he is a man very much in demand. Having helped defeat Italy in the highlands of Macedonia, Zannis returns to a city holding its breath. Mussolini's forces have retreated…
I loved the character of Harald Olufsen, an 18-year-old reluctant spy. The characters' interactions, a blend of cooperation and conflict, created a narrative of brinksmanship that thrilled me. The author's use of suspense in an adventure story held me spellbound.
Among countless war stories, this small one provided a fresh perspective that I found engrossing. Follett is an acknowledged master of historical fiction, but this book is my favorite of all his works.
Ken Follett and the intrigue of World War II-"a winning formula" (Entertainment Weekly) if ever there was one. With his riveting prose and unerring instinct for suspense, the #1 New York Times bestselling author takes to the skies over Europe during the early days of the war in a most extraordinary novel. . . .
It is June 1941, and the war is not going well for England. Somehow, the Germans are anticipating the RAF's flight paths and shooting down British bombers with impunity. Meanwhile, across the North Sea, eighteen-year-old Harald Olufsen takes a shortcut on the German-occupied Danish island…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I loved the intermingling of history and story, research and plot, in this book. The period details were spot on, and I’ve always been fascinated by the Nazi rocketry program. The underlay of how a great scientific idea can be perverted to unintended consequences was intriguing and frightfully realistic for modern times.
The counterplay between the V2 engineer and the British spy trying to stop V2 launches fascinated me. I loved the conflicted morality of the engineer who wanted to shoot the rocket to the moon instead of at people.
Rudi Graf used to dream of sending a rocket to the moon. Instead, he has helped to create the world's most sophisticated weapon: the V2 ballistic missile, capable of delivering a one-ton warhead at three times the speed of sound.
In a desperate gamble to avoid defeat in the winter of 1944, Hitler orders ten thousand to be built. Graf is tasked with firing these lethal 'vengeance weapons' at London.
Kay Caton-Walsh is an officer in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force who joins a unit of WAAFs…
I struggled to grasp life, culture, and thinking in Nazi Germany until I read this book. It helps average Americans, like me, understand the appeal of the Hitler Youth, the Holocaust's acceptance in Germany, and Hitler's messianic allure.
This 16-year-old German's memoir was compelling, engrossing, and a useful reference for me. Because it challenges the conventional American view of World War II, the book will be difficult to find.
Victory of the Allies was no longer in doubt. Russian forces had reached Berlin. Yet, Hitler ordered his troops to keep on fighting. Among the last who defended his headquarters, an underground bunker in the Reich Chancellery garden, were boy soldiers, 13 to 17 years old, members of the Hitler Youth Volkssturm (home defence force). The dictator had reached the point where he wanted the earth scorched. Facing total defeat, he now was willing to sacrifice everything and everybody, including the German people, even the youngest. Lehmann was a witness to what happened in the Fuehrerbunker. He was the runner…
Aury and Scott travel to the Finger Lakes in New York’s wine country to get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings at the Songscape Winery. Disturbed furniture and curious noises are one thing, but when a customer winds up dead, it’s time to dig into the details and see…
I found the main character, a German policeman, enlightening as he must work for the monsters of the Third Reich while struggling to keep his own honor and self-esteem intact. I enjoyed how Kerr depicted a character battling a multitude of internal voices and a deluge of confusing and misleading information.
The book is generally considered crime fiction; however, I found it to be more psychological suspense. The nested narrative of a story-within-a-story also held my interest.
'One of the greatest anti-heroes ever written' LEE CHILD
Berlin, March 1943. The mood in Germany is bleak after their stunning defeat at Stalingrad. Private Investigator Bernie Gunther is at work in the German War Crimes Bureau - weary, cynical but well aware of the value of truth in a world where that's now a rarity.
When human remains are found deep in the Katyn Forest, Bernie is sent to investigate. Rumour has it that this mass grave is full of Polish officers murdered by the Russians. For Josef Goebbels, proof of Russian involvement is sure to destroy the Western…
When freedom's flicker is at risk of being extinguished, one young American embarks on a perilous mission of espionage deep in the heart of Nazi Germany. Fred Brown’s quiet life on a Texas farm takes a dramatic turn when he’s recruited as Frederich “Zelly” Zellner, a perfect Nazi youth. Thrust into the shadows of the Third Reich, Zelly’s task is clear: infiltrate the heart of Hitler's regime and feed crucial intelligence back to the Allies.
From secret diplomatic exchanges aboard luxurious railcars to tense encounters with Gestapo agents, Zelly must constantly balance his survival instincts against his morals. When he’s ordered to commit an unthinkable act, his dual identity teeters on the edge. Can he fulfill his mission without losing himself?
Palmer Lind, recovering from the sudden death of her husband, embarks on a bird-watching trek to the Gulf Coast of Florida. One hot day on Leffis Key, she comes upon—not the life bird she was hoping for—but a floating corpse. The handsome beach bum who appears on the scene at…
Rodney Bradford comes into Lindsay's restaurant, offers to buy her small house for double its value, eats her brownies, and drops dead on the sidewalk in front. Next, her almost-ex-husband offers to sign the divorce papers, but only if she'll give him her small,…
