Scan barcode
books_and_coffee's review against another edition
4.0
Despite the fact that the book hooked me immediately (with protagonist Kurt Muller discovering a suspicious suicide on page one) and progressed decently from there, the plot was kind of slow through the first half of the book. There was still a moderate amount of tension--it’s WW2 Germany; at any time something could be about to happen, so there is a certain amount of inherent tension by nature of the setting--and it kept my interest enough to keep going, but I wouldn’t call those early pages riveting. Still, I think it had its place in building the tension and complex possibilities that made this book a really phenomenal ride.
Part of my difficulty with the first half of this book came from the language difference. It’s written in English, yes, but the names, titles, places, and contextual words are German. (Gunther Bartholomaus von Speddig. Oberfeldwebel. Oberst von Neumann. Heinz Franzelberg.) That was all very foreign and confusing for a while. I had a hard time keeping track of a few of the characters. In large part, this was due to mistakenly thinking there were multiple characters with the first name of “Oberst,” a writing mechanism I could not understand. Why would you give so many characters the same first name? Why?! Oh. Right. Oberst is a military rank. It took me a few confusing chapters to pick up on those essential nuances. I understand if the author didn’t want to detract from the authenticity by inserting explanations into the prose, but at least give me a glossary or reference page! It was a bit of work on my part to get invested in the story.
Nonetheless, I did figure it out, so I guess it wasn’t a big deal (though that’s why it took me so long to really start reading, as my confusion led to waning interest each time I started). And it was absolutely worth the work of sorting out those first few chapters. About half to two-thirds through, mysteries unfolded, the stakes were raised, the tension was nail-bitingly good, and the story really took off. It was the kind of book that kept me up way late into the hours of the night and early morning hours reading, a decision I would regret the next day and then reenact the next night.
The main character, Kurt Muller, reminded me a little bit of Ed from Markus Zusak’s I Am the Messenger. It’s hard to describe it exactly, but Ed’s character was one of my favorite aspects of that story, so it was a good thing. I found Kurt to be a likeable character. His curiosity, investigation, increasing awareness of German ethics, and, to me, was very believable.
The inclusion of two gay characters was interesting, as I’m sure WW2 Germany did not tolerate homosexuality, but I hadn’t thought much about it. It didn’t feel like it was thrown in to be edgy, trendy, or shocking, and it wasn’t overdone or explicit; in fact, it was just a subtle undercurrent in the story. But I thought it was thought-provoking and interesting and added a subtext to the genre that is often overlooked. Only one thing about it made me pause: Kurt was aware but unfazed by his best friend’s homosexuality and I wonder if that would have been the case in real life. It could have been, certainly. But in that time and place, I doubt homosexuality would be something even an unbigoted anti-nazi would feel comfortable with, even if they weren’t hateful about it.
I have to hand it to the author for crafting such an impressively clever story. It was realistic (admittedly I’m no WW2 Germany expert, but I do read in this genre and suffice it to say thought the story was highly plausible). The foreshadowing still left me surprised at the plot and twists. The ending. A very satisfying read, well worth the slower first half, and one that I could even see myself rereading. Definitely recommended to readers who enjoy historical thrillers.
FYI: A few sex scenes. Strong but infrequent profanity. And, of course, war activity and period violence and persecution. Overall, some mature content (mostly relevant to the plot) but nothing highly objectionable.
Thank you to the author and Goodreads First Reads program for a free book in exchange for an honest review.
Part of my difficulty with the first half of this book came from the language difference. It’s written in English, yes, but the names, titles, places, and contextual words are German. (Gunther Bartholomaus von Speddig. Oberfeldwebel. Oberst von Neumann. Heinz Franzelberg.) That was all very foreign and confusing for a while. I had a hard time keeping track of a few of the characters. In large part, this was due to mistakenly thinking there were multiple characters with the first name of “Oberst,” a writing mechanism I could not understand. Why would you give so many characters the same first name? Why?! Oh. Right. Oberst is a military rank. It took me a few confusing chapters to pick up on those essential nuances. I understand if the author didn’t want to detract from the authenticity by inserting explanations into the prose, but at least give me a glossary or reference page! It was a bit of work on my part to get invested in the story.
Nonetheless, I did figure it out, so I guess it wasn’t a big deal (though that’s why it took me so long to really start reading, as my confusion led to waning interest each time I started). And it was absolutely worth the work of sorting out those first few chapters. About half to two-thirds through, mysteries unfolded, the stakes were raised, the tension was nail-bitingly good, and the story really took off. It was the kind of book that kept me up way late into the hours of the night and early morning hours reading, a decision I would regret the next day and then reenact the next night.
The main character, Kurt Muller, reminded me a little bit of Ed from Markus Zusak’s I Am the Messenger. It’s hard to describe it exactly, but Ed’s character was one of my favorite aspects of that story, so it was a good thing. I found Kurt to be a likeable character. His curiosity, investigation, increasing awareness of German ethics, and
Spoiler
transition into spying and fighting against GermanyI have to hand it to the author for crafting such an impressively clever story. It was realistic (admittedly I’m no WW2 Germany expert, but I do read in this genre and suffice it to say thought the story was highly plausible). The foreshadowing still left me surprised at the plot and twists. The ending
Spoiler
was satisfying without things feeling like they conveniently worked outFYI: A few sex scenes. Strong but infrequent profanity. And, of course, war activity and period violence and persecution. Overall, some mature content (mostly relevant to the plot) but nothing highly objectionable.
Thank you to the author and Goodreads First Reads program for a free book in exchange for an honest review.
More...