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Showing posts with label Espionage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Espionage. Show all posts

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Book Review: Codename Lazarus: The Spy Who Came Back From The Dead by A.P. Martin

This is an engrossing, and thought provoking, story of espionage during WWII.
Codename Lazarus: The Spy Who Came Back From The Dead
by A.P. Martin
File Size: 982 KB
Print Length: 365 pages
Publisher: Troubador (July 15, 2016)
ASIN: B01IKY3UD6
Genre: Espionage, WWII
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0


Spring 1938 and Great Britain is facing potentially lethal threats: the looming war with Germany; the fear that her Secret Service has been penetrated by Nazi agents and the existence of hundreds of British citizens, who are keen to pass information to her enemies.
John King, a young academic, is approached by his Oxbridge mentor to participate in a stunning deception that would frustrate Britain’s enemies. As King struggles to come to terms with the demands of his mission, he must learn to survive in a dangerous and lonely ‘no man's land’, whilst remaining one step ahead of those in hot pursuit.
Adapted from a true story, ‘Codename Lazarus’ takes the reader on a journey from the dark heart of Hitler’s Germany, across the snowy peaks of Switzerland to the horrors of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and the London Blitz, before reaching a thrilling and decisive conclusion, from which none of those present emerges unscathed.


Review:
John King is a graduate student who is completing two years of research in Heidelberg, Germany. As he and friends gather to commemorate his last days in Germany in 1933, he is saddened that one of his best friends has joined the SS - the Schutzstaffel, paramilitary, surveillance forces under Hitler. His friend, Joachim Brandt, rejects John for socializing with other friends who are Jewish. Joachim becomes angry that John does not show proper deference or respect to Joachim’s new uniform and life choice. From this point on the lives of these young men are on different paths.

John helps two half-Jewish friends, Rachel and David, to leave Germany to find careers in Britain while being helped by John’s parents. He later finds their parents in need of rescue and tries to arrange to get them out of Germany to safety.

A few years after returning to Britain, John is asked to return to Germany under the guise of ‘security research’ interests, while observing what he can of German activities. This work expands as John is asked to fake his own death so that he can become an intelligence operative infiltrating the German intelligence network in Britain.

The story describes the covert training that John is given and the planning for his accidental death. It then moves to his experiences as he steps into the role of a German Abwehr agent leading several sympathizer cell groups. The story pace picks up in the last quarter. John’s former German friend, Brandt, who has been undercover in America, is reassigned to Britain. His activities set him on a collision course with John's world. David, the other friend whom John helped move to England, has become a cop tasked with investigating the meager leads to a cell leader known as “Lazarus”. David is pulled in to help find German infiltrators and his path weaves towards Brandt and John’s tense confrontation.

The history is interesting with strong detail of physical settings, as well as social and political sentiments. The author does a good job describing the devastation and fears, first at battle scenes at Dunkirk, and again during the German bombing of London and surrounding communities. The author also portrays the impressive strength and resilience of the British people. The detail makes this story very engaging, if a bit slower in pacing. There were a couple of awkward point of view shifts and stronger editing might have helped to move the story through better action. I was wrapped in the intense climax when the book abruptly ended, leaving me with several questions.

This is a worthwhile read, especially for history buffs interested in life-like details of the earlier years of WWII. I also found the portrayed thought processes of the German and Russian sympathizers interesting as it made me more aware how citizens could betray their country with justifications of different political ideologies, including fascism, communism and socialism.

I received this through NetGalley. It qualifies for NetGalley Challenge, Mount TBR and “L” in Alphabet Soup Challenge.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Audio Book Review: Bad Deeds by Robert Bidinotto

This is a great thriller with a “To Thine Own Self be True” dilemma.
Bad Deeds
Written by: Robert Bidinotto
Narrated by: Conor Hall
Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
Series: Dylan Hunter, Book 2
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:03-29-16
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Thriller, Espionage
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0


Publisher's Summary
The hero of Hunter - number-one Kindle thriller best seller - is back in action!
He sought peace in the tranquility of nature. But can he tame the violence in his own nature?
At a cabin in the Allegheny National Forest, Dylan Hunter and Annie Woods seek to heal the wounds from their ordeal at the hands of a twisted psychopath. And to build a life together, Dylan promises Annie that he'll abandon his violent ways.
But ideological zealots and Washington's political elites have conspired to terrorize and plunder the hardworking locals. These victims have no protector against the bad deeds of the powerful and privileged.
Except for one man.
A man as ruthless and violent as they.
A man committed to absolute justice.
Because Dylan Hunter cannot walk away - not even if it costs him the woman he loves.
©2014 Robert Bidinotto (P)2016 Audible, Inc.


Review:
Dylan Hunter is a man who finds it hard to turn away from injustice. He is not beyond taking matters into his own hands. After all, he has the training and the funds to take action. He is currently holed up, incognito, in a cabin in the Allegheny Forest in Pennsylvania, with Annie Woods, the woman he loves. She is trying to recover from the trauma of watching Dylan coated in blood from a battle with a prior enemy.

Dylan and Annie are visiting a café when three workers from a local fracking company run in being chased by environmental activists. Dylan soon learns that there seems to be a connection between the activists known as Wild Justice, a “green energy” investment company, CarboNot, and the EPA. These entities are raising opposition to the local fracking efforts, even using false testings to create a moratorium. Dylan decides to protect the workers when he sees the gang that swarms the café with hand weapons.

Although Dylan helped in the initial confrontation, he hadn’t planned to become embroiled in the dispute. But the leader of the Wild Justice group attacks Dylan and Annie. The man had no idea who he was messing with! Dylan, a journalist, will report the issues seeking exposure for the injustice. But exposure isn’t enough. Who else can help protect the local workers and businesses from the power of the government agencies and the elitist investors backing them? This is what Dylan does, but Annie objects to more violence and danger in Dylan’s life. He has to make a tough decision... stay safe to keep the woman he has come to love or be true to who he is.

I enjoyed learning of Dylan’s strong father and the lessons and examples that shaped Dylan into the man he is. I also appreciated the insights that Dylan’s former CIA boss, Grant Garrett, gives to Annie and Dylan. These psychological tidbits, and the loving romance, were neatly woven into the action that develops as Dylan investigates the corruption and how far it spreads. The discussion of the process of fracking and the underhanded schemes of the environmental groups is interesting. Dylan’s tactics and tricks at spying and imposing retribution are even more fascinating. Dylan is not quite as impulsive as before, especially now that he has Annie to think of.

The story moves along at a quick pace with a fine combination of emotion, romance, conspiracy and action. This could be read as a stand-alone but I highly recommend reading book one, Hunter, to learn more about the complex protagonist and to appreciate his character growth in this book. This book has a natural conclusion but leaves a very scary opening for another confrontation for Dylan.

Audio Notes: Conor Hall does an excellent narration of the various character voices and the emotions. I was able to always tell who was speaking and the intensity and pacing were spot on.

I was glad to receive this second book in the series from the author for an honest review. This qualifies for my Audio Challenge.

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