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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a huge fan of historical fiction. If my audio hadn't been broken up into multiple trips over multiple days, I might have even given it 5 stars.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Set during World War 2, Black Cross follows the story of multiple people and the events surrounding an experimental concentration camp in Germany. Poison gas looks to be the next offensive that Germany is plotting and the allies are far behind in their gas production. As such, they are forced to do something drastic - which includes infiltrating the Nazi camp in hopes of bluffing their way into the lead of gas production. With compelling characters and an engaging storyline, this was an enjoyable read. The one real criticism I have is that things are somewhat cliche (pacifist must accept and use violence, violent man must find his heart, etc etc).
This book grabbed my attention from the very first chapter. I knew it would be a good book...but after the riveting chapter 1 it does take a little while to get the characters all figured out and determine exactly what is going on....but don't give up. It is so worth it in the end. This was a book I couldn't put down. The characters are well developed. The plot is well thought out. I loved the very last line of the ackowldgements at the end where Iles says for the younger generations to remember that 50 years is not that long ago. It amazes me that not so long ago the atrocities of the concentration camp were happening.
In 2001 I conversed a bit with Greg Iles through emails and after reading The Quiet Game I told him I was torn between reading 24 Hours or Black Cross next. He told me he felt Black Cross was his best novel, so dilemma solved. Normally I wouldn't pick up this type of novel; wartime
action novels just don't appeal to me from a reading standpoint but I love war movies.
But as you know by now I'm a big fan of Greg Iles so I owed it to myself to read this. It's pretty good. It's about an Allied mission to avert a lethal gas attack by the Nazis with the Soman, the deadliest gas known. It did hold my interest, but like I said, novels with plenty of action tend to bore me a bit. I'm much more interested in character interaction
and psychological suspense than dodging bullets, so I still consider Mortal Fear his greatest work.
Now having said that, if this type of novel appeals to you, I doubt you'd find much better than Black Cross.
action novels just don't appeal to me from a reading standpoint but I love war movies.
But as you know by now I'm a big fan of Greg Iles so I owed it to myself to read this. It's pretty good. It's about an Allied mission to avert a lethal gas attack by the Nazis with the Soman, the deadliest gas known. It did hold my interest, but like I said, novels with plenty of action tend to bore me a bit. I'm much more interested in character interaction
and psychological suspense than dodging bullets, so I still consider Mortal Fear his greatest work.
Now having said that, if this type of novel appeals to you, I doubt you'd find much better than Black Cross.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.25. Greg Iles can write one hell of a historical fiction thriller. Awesome book with an insane plot, that is based off of fact.
Amazing. One of the best books I have read in some time. It was suspenseful, action-packed, and so vivid. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction about the Second World War.