Scan barcode
lady_weatherby's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
4.0
In Andrew Gross’s latest historical thriller, complicated sociopolitical dynamics from the late 1930s surround a conspiracy uncovered involving the U.S. government and a secret fifth column of German spies living on US soil. The Fifth Column is particularly fascinating because it is set in a time period that I don’t often see explored in fiction, particularly in the thriller genre. Intricately plotted and so entertaining!
Columbia graduate student Charles Mossman is drinking at a bar in Manhattan, mourning the loss of his twin brother. His brother was killed in Spain not long before and Charles recently lost his job. Now, drowning his woes in a bar in Hell’s Kitchen seems to be the only reprieve. He is Jewish and living in New York in 1939, after all, a time when it was hard to be Jewish given the support for Nazi sentiments among many.
When a group of Nazi sympathizers who attended a large pro-Hitler rally in Madison Square Garden earlier that evening get into a brawl at the bar, Charlie takes a swing that changes his life. His drunken punch ends up accidentally killing an innocent teenager, and Charlie is arrested for manslaughter.
Two years later, Charlie has finished serving his sentence for manslaughter. America is on the cusp of entering the war. Returning home to his estranged wife and now six-year-old daughter Emma, Charlie realizes how much he has missed. They live in a brownstone in a German-speaking part of New York City. Support for Hitler isn’t uncommon in this neighborhood.. And his daughter has taken to spending quite a bit of time with the Bauers, a Swiss couple who live nearby.
The Bauers have taken a liking to Emma. At first all seems well, but soon after arriving home, Emma reveals that she has heard the Bauers—an allegedly ant-Nazi couple—praise some of the practices the Nazis support. As Charlie becomes more suspicious about who they truly are and where the Bauers’ loyalties lie, he starts to investigate deeper. And soon he realizes a horrifying truth—the Bauers are part of a conspiracy that goes all the way to the heart of the U.S. government.
A “fifth column” comes to light, German spies embedded in every day life in America. As tensions in the war escalate and Pearl Harbor is attached, the conspiracy turns deadly and Charlie must uncover it to save his daughter.
One thing I enjoyed about the way Andrew Gross wrote this novel, was that it was set during WWII and was heavily influenced by the events unfolding in the world, and yet it also had very little to do with any specifics of being at war itself. It really was about the tone at the time, the conflicts and political undercurrents that were effecting Americans and especially Jewish-Americans. Brilliant and unique!
I mentioned up front that this is a time period we don’t often see as a context for thrillers. Andrew Gross took a bold risk setting a conspiracy plot during such a dark and painful point in history, but it was handled with tact and an impressive weaving of fact and fiction.
Charlie struggled a lot with who to trust and who to confide in during this book. He was such a damaged character but so root-able. I really wanted him to be ok. I loved his daughter Emma and how much he loved her. Flawed characters are so much more interesting in my opinion, I don’t want to read about someone who is perfect and just suffering misfortune at the hands of others. I want to read about someone who is imperfect but also tries to be better. Charlie was such a great character!
A wonderfully-written historical thriller!
Thank you Minotaur for my copy. Opinions are my own.
Columbia graduate student Charles Mossman is drinking at a bar in Manhattan, mourning the loss of his twin brother. His brother was killed in Spain not long before and Charles recently lost his job. Now, drowning his woes in a bar in Hell’s Kitchen seems to be the only reprieve. He is Jewish and living in New York in 1939, after all, a time when it was hard to be Jewish given the support for Nazi sentiments among many.
When a group of Nazi sympathizers who attended a large pro-Hitler rally in Madison Square Garden earlier that evening get into a brawl at the bar, Charlie takes a swing that changes his life. His drunken punch ends up accidentally killing an innocent teenager, and Charlie is arrested for manslaughter.
Two years later, Charlie has finished serving his sentence for manslaughter. America is on the cusp of entering the war. Returning home to his estranged wife and now six-year-old daughter Emma, Charlie realizes how much he has missed. They live in a brownstone in a German-speaking part of New York City. Support for Hitler isn’t uncommon in this neighborhood.. And his daughter has taken to spending quite a bit of time with the Bauers, a Swiss couple who live nearby.
The Bauers have taken a liking to Emma. At first all seems well, but soon after arriving home, Emma reveals that she has heard the Bauers—an allegedly ant-Nazi couple—praise some of the practices the Nazis support. As Charlie becomes more suspicious about who they truly are and where the Bauers’ loyalties lie, he starts to investigate deeper. And soon he realizes a horrifying truth—the Bauers are part of a conspiracy that goes all the way to the heart of the U.S. government.
A “fifth column” comes to light, German spies embedded in every day life in America. As tensions in the war escalate and Pearl Harbor is attached, the conspiracy turns deadly and Charlie must uncover it to save his daughter.
One thing I enjoyed about the way Andrew Gross wrote this novel, was that it was set during WWII and was heavily influenced by the events unfolding in the world, and yet it also had very little to do with any specifics of being at war itself. It really was about the tone at the time, the conflicts and political undercurrents that were effecting Americans and especially Jewish-Americans. Brilliant and unique!
I mentioned up front that this is a time period we don’t often see as a context for thrillers. Andrew Gross took a bold risk setting a conspiracy plot during such a dark and painful point in history, but it was handled with tact and an impressive weaving of fact and fiction.
Charlie struggled a lot with who to trust and who to confide in during this book. He was such a damaged character but so root-able. I really wanted him to be ok. I loved his daughter Emma and how much he loved her. Flawed characters are so much more interesting in my opinion, I don’t want to read about someone who is perfect and just suffering misfortune at the hands of others. I want to read about someone who is imperfect but also tries to be better. Charlie was such a great character!
A wonderfully-written historical thriller!
Thank you Minotaur for my copy. Opinions are my own.
alliekurd's review against another edition
5.0
A bit slow to get in to in the beginning, but if you stick it out through the whole book, its a very good read!
yoteach87's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good story with a tense plot, believable characters and a satisfying conclusion. This is my third Andrew Gross book and I have been smartly impressed with each of those works. My only gripe is the repetition of reminding the reader about certain looming events (e.g. Something is set to go off at 3 pm, the narrator would stress "He had only three hours left" then "Two hours remained until his life would change" and finally "In just one hour, he would find out what he was really made of.") Gross should give his readers fewer signposts and recognize that we like a little mystery if need be.
sci_mom's review against another edition
2.0
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. I am usually a fan of this author and enjoy reading his books, but this one just didn't do it for me. It felt like Mr. Gross was trying to write historical fiction mixed with romance wrapped in suspense/mystery...and he mostly failed at all three. While the premise is interesting, the characters all felt like caricatures and the execution suffered as a result. If you want to read something by this author, pick a different book.
lvl52_grant's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While a fun and quick read, the first hundred pages felt oddly repetitive. I noticed that two sections were almost identical, as the protagonist told his theory to multiple people, only 10 pages apart. There were other times where it seemed like the editor missed stuff, like using "she" instead of "her" or the protagonist knowing that a person they just heard called Freddy was actually Friedrich, without having met them. It was just odd, and would detract from the immersion. The story itself was interesting, just probably needed a little more work done.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism and Sexual content
Minor: Gun violence
markazarnie's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not usually a fan of first person stories, but I enjoyed this one.
janez4catz's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up. Kind of a slow start but there were some nail biting moments so overall I really enjoyed the story.
cleap1967's review against another edition
5.0
Reviewers always like to call books a roller-coaster ride. This one is more like ski jumping.