Scan barcode
tonyriver's review
4.0
A truly gripping read. Well written and suspenseful I was unsure of the outcome throughout. Some threads of the story are essentially unresolved leaving the, for a sequel. Prince as the hero is a rounded characters and several others are both believable and interesting.
Worth reading
Worth reading
abibliofob's review
3.0
First of all I have to thank Sophie at Canelo for asking me if I felt like reading this spy story set in World war 2 by Alex Gerlis. I also have to thank Netgalley. I was a little bit sceptical because it has been a long time since I found that period interesting. Since I live in Scandinavia and part of the book is set in Denmark I thought that was intruiging enough and it was a great book not only about the war but also about relationships and parenting. Of course its main story is espionage and it looks like there will be another one about Richard Prince in the making. This book was good enough that I will look into the others by this author.
chanvey99's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
ja_hopkins's review
4.0
Richard Prince is a young, highly rated police detective with a tragic past. When he manages to track down a German spy coming ashore, he comes to the attention of the secret service.
Disconcerting reports are coming out of Denmark that Germany are developing super-weapons, and they need to know more. Prince is asked to travel to Denmark and work with the local intelligence officers to learn more. He must avoid the Gestapo, the SS and figure out who is really helping him.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, especially as someone with an interested WW2. The characters and locations are engaging, and as the author notes there are significant elements of fact entwined in the fiction. The main elements are good. The initial section about how Prince is recruited is fine, but does not feel a real part of the story, but is more an introduction. The end feels a bit contrived to set up the next book. I would have purchased the second book without the last 2/3 chapters - I don't want to say too much more as it may be considered a spoiler.
Disconcerting reports are coming out of Denmark that Germany are developing super-weapons, and they need to know more. Prince is asked to travel to Denmark and work with the local intelligence officers to learn more. He must avoid the Gestapo, the SS and figure out who is really helping him.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, especially as someone with an interested WW2. The characters and locations are engaging, and as the author notes there are significant elements of fact entwined in the fiction. The main elements are good. The initial section about how Prince is recruited is fine, but does not feel a real part of the story, but is more an introduction. The end feels a bit contrived to set up the next book. I would have purchased the second book without the last 2/3 chapters - I don't want to say too much more as it may be considered a spoiler.
achoward's review
5.0
An outstanding addition to the spy/espionage genre.
In 1942, deep into WWII, Richard Prince is working as a detective in an English town when he is tapped by MI6 for a mission. His goal is to rendezvous with agents in Denmark and to determine if information received from a salesman about the German V1/V2 rocket programs is legitimate, and if so, gather intelligence about rocket programs. After a nerve-wracking crossing, he lands in Denmark, makes his way to a meeting, and finally lands in an apartment near the heart of Copenhagen. His next step is to meet with another agent - the salesman - and winds up flying to Berlin in order to meet an engineer and a young Luftwaffe officer.
Multiple encounters with the Gestapo, constant worry about the various people in the chain of handling him being moles or double agents, and the fate of those who have assisted him makes for a claustrophobic and stressful world in this book. The tension is very real, and the writing flows so well that I could literally feel my heart pounding during some scenes: will this be the point Prince's cover will be blown? Will this be the moment the Gestapo hauls him away for brutal interrogation? And what of those assisting him, both civilian and otherwise?
I won't go into detail about the second half of the book, as the stakes become even higher, and saying almost anything about it would count as a spoiler - and you should read it yourself to become immersed in the world of the book, which is, relatively speaking, just a very small corner of a very large war, but no less important than any other.
One caveat: the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger note, and not everything is wrapped up by the end of the book. I did not ding the book for this; after all, it's hard to wrap up everything that occurs in a sprawling war in a single book. However, I would recommend that even if you don't like cliffhangers that you still read this.
This is the kind of book for which you will happily forfeit sleeping hours and read into the wee hours. That it is the first in a series bodes well for any reader interested in espionage during WWII.
Highly recommended, and I look forward to further books in this series.
Five out of five stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the advance copy.
In 1942, deep into WWII, Richard Prince is working as a detective in an English town when he is tapped by MI6 for a mission. His goal is to rendezvous with agents in Denmark and to determine if information received from a salesman about the German V1/V2 rocket programs is legitimate, and if so, gather intelligence about rocket programs. After a nerve-wracking crossing, he lands in Denmark, makes his way to a meeting, and finally lands in an apartment near the heart of Copenhagen. His next step is to meet with another agent - the salesman - and winds up flying to Berlin in order to meet an engineer and a young Luftwaffe officer.
Multiple encounters with the Gestapo, constant worry about the various people in the chain of handling him being moles or double agents, and the fate of those who have assisted him makes for a claustrophobic and stressful world in this book. The tension is very real, and the writing flows so well that I could literally feel my heart pounding during some scenes: will this be the point Prince's cover will be blown? Will this be the moment the Gestapo hauls him away for brutal interrogation? And what of those assisting him, both civilian and otherwise?
I won't go into detail about the second half of the book, as the stakes become even higher, and saying almost anything about it would count as a spoiler - and you should read it yourself to become immersed in the world of the book, which is, relatively speaking, just a very small corner of a very large war, but no less important than any other.
One caveat: the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger note, and not everything is wrapped up by the end of the book. I did not ding the book for this; after all, it's hard to wrap up everything that occurs in a sprawling war in a single book. However, I would recommend that even if you don't like cliffhangers that you still read this.
This is the kind of book for which you will happily forfeit sleeping hours and read into the wee hours. That it is the first in a series bodes well for any reader interested in espionage during WWII.
Highly recommended, and I look forward to further books in this series.
Five out of five stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the advance copy.
usbsticky's review
5.0
Spoilers ahead.
Fantastic! One of the better books I've read in a while. The last time I gave a fully deserved 5 stars was probably 20-25 books ago. This is a WW2 spy story and I haven't read one of those in a while too.
The story is a bit non-linear. It starts off with a German spy being caught in England which introduces us to a police superintendent named Prince. To be honest, this whole section wasn't needed at all. It was just a few chapters but the author could just have introduced us to Price directly.
The main story is about the German V-1 and V-2 rockets being developed at Peenemünde. Prince is sent undercover to Denmark where he meets a Danish businessman who has information about the rockets. He got the information from a German Luftwaffe Oberst who was secretly hoping the Allies would bomb and kill the project because he thought the rocket program was a waste of time and taking valuable resources from the production of airplanes.
But Prince's confirmation wasn't enough and they ended up sending him to Berlin and then eventually to Peenemünde to verify the information and the effects of the subsequent bombing raid.
I gave the book 5 stars because the author did a great job, which the authors of the previous 20-25 books I read didn't do. Firstly the writing was easy to read and follow. Secondly he did a good job of creating and maintaining the characters so that I was vested in them and cared about what happened to them in the book. Thirdly he did a good job of writing the WW2 setting, so that it felt realistic and accurate. Fourthly the action was fast and there were no long boring parts. Every piece of text moved the reader towards the end quickly (with the exception of the cut-outs).
The main storyline (that of Prince) was fairly linear and easy to follow. However the author did insert other POVs, like from the German, the Danish or the Gestapo POVs. Some of them started abruptly and I had to reread them after a few pages to figure out whose POV they were. I felt these cut-outs were rather unnecessary. They took time away from the main plot and didn't really add to the story. I think the book would have been better off without them.
Still overall, this was one of the proverbial couldn't put down books and I have immediately ordered the next ones in the series. Highly recommended for anyone interested in WW2 and spy books.
PS. In very good books there are sometimes intangibles which I think of as like finding hidden pieces of gold. In this book the author talks about the will to live in a labor camp. I don't have a page number but it was at 81% of the book.
Oh and this book doesn't finish, it continues in book 2.
Fantastic! One of the better books I've read in a while. The last time I gave a fully deserved 5 stars was probably 20-25 books ago. This is a WW2 spy story and I haven't read one of those in a while too.
The story is a bit non-linear. It starts off with a German spy being caught in England which introduces us to a police superintendent named Prince. To be honest, this whole section wasn't needed at all. It was just a few chapters but the author could just have introduced us to Price directly.
The main story is about the German V-1 and V-2 rockets being developed at Peenemünde. Prince is sent undercover to Denmark where he meets a Danish businessman who has information about the rockets. He got the information from a German Luftwaffe Oberst who was secretly hoping the Allies would bomb and kill the project because he thought the rocket program was a waste of time and taking valuable resources from the production of airplanes.
But Prince's confirmation wasn't enough and they ended up sending him to Berlin and then eventually to Peenemünde to verify the information and the effects of the subsequent bombing raid.
I gave the book 5 stars because the author did a great job, which the authors of the previous 20-25 books I read didn't do. Firstly the writing was easy to read and follow. Secondly he did a good job of creating and maintaining the characters so that I was vested in them and cared about what happened to them in the book. Thirdly he did a good job of writing the WW2 setting, so that it felt realistic and accurate. Fourthly the action was fast and there were no long boring parts. Every piece of text moved the reader towards the end quickly (with the exception of the cut-outs).
The main storyline (that of Prince) was fairly linear and easy to follow. However the author did insert other POVs, like from the German, the Danish or the Gestapo POVs. Some of them started abruptly and I had to reread them after a few pages to figure out whose POV they were. I felt these cut-outs were rather unnecessary. They took time away from the main plot and didn't really add to the story. I think the book would have been better off without them.
Still overall, this was one of the proverbial couldn't put down books and I have immediately ordered the next ones in the series. Highly recommended for anyone interested in WW2 and spy books.
PS. In very good books there are sometimes intangibles which I think of as like finding hidden pieces of gold. In this book the author talks about the will to live in a labor camp. I don't have a page number but it was at 81% of the book.
Oh and this book doesn't finish, it continues in book 2.
cosetteld's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
gwatkins's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ericwelch's review
4.0
This is the fifth Gerlis spy novel I have read. I liked all of them. They have interesting characters and sound historical grounding in real events. This one follows Richard Prince, a British detective enlisted to collect information in Germany about the V-1 and V-2 rockets. It's the first in a new series. Now on to the second.