"Berlin", by Sinclair McKay

Life and Death in the City at the Center of the World

“Berlin”, explores the city’s human history from the end of the Great War to the Blockade, rise of the Wall and beyond. The author begins in 1919 when Berliner’s went through stages of deprivation, disorder, intolerance and inflation was crippling their economy. Berliners were nevertheless resilient even with all the constraints their creativity in cinema and literature was flourishing. Then, the Nazi came to power and by the end of 1945 Berlin was a city in rubble. The Nazi regime collapsed, Russian arrived and the city divided soon after the Berlin Wall went up and stood there till it was dismantled in 1989.

What an overwhelming and dissatisfying read this portrayed of one of the world’s great city turned out to be. The author devoted inordinate amount of details to the fall of the Third Reich and the action Red Army towards Berliners and raced through the years of the Weimar Republic between the construction of the wall till it was torn down. Nevertheless he did mention the American airlift, the Soviet blockade and the atomic research at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. Considering the years covered in this book it is to be expected that the author may have overlooked some major topics along the way.

I may not have enjoyed this book at its fullest it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be read. The style although I did find it to be quite heavy is nevertheless richly written to pique our interest in learning more about Berlin and her turbulent years..... Right, this book reads like a textbook....

I received a copy from the publisher St-Martin Press through NetGalley.

"What She Found", by Robert Dugoni

Book #9 in the Tracy Crosswhite mysteries

Tracy is an homicide detective handling cold cases in her latest assignment she investigates a twenty-fine years disappearance of Lisa Childress, a newspaper reporter, who vanished after going to meet an anonymous informant late at night. After examining what Lisa was looking into Tracy became uneasy of what she discovered.

In convincingly details Mr. Dugoni gives Tracy a methodical and creative approach to solving the mystery. The truth was crucial where ever it led and following Tracy footsteps was reopening an explosive investigation: a drug task force scandal, a councilman’s criminal sex life, a mayoral graft and an elusive serial killer who disappeared mysteriously. It doesn’t take long before we are in a level of suspense and tension nonstop and as all the pieces come together and the truth begins to clear it was hard not to turn pages as fast as I could to see what Tracy would come up with next. This story doesn’t involve force and violence and seems realistic. What a nice change.

No doubt, “What She Found” is a strong police procedural drama dialogue driven and very active. Behind the tale is a story of a young woman affected with amnesia, the loss of her past and the hope for a better future. I love the way it was written and how the characters come to life. This mystery is gripping and riveting from start to finish and well-done.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advance copy of this book.

"The Auschwitz Twins", by Roberta Kagan

The Auschwitz Twins series, book #3

A Dark and Gut-wrenching WW11 Tale

Closely following its predecessor where we were left flat wondering the outcome, of course, we all know by now it was definitely not good. Robert Kagan excelled in penning one top notch historical fiction to wrap up her trilogy. Although the novel can be read on its own merits I highly suggest reading the 2 previous books to enjoy the story at its maximum and to understand where the characters came from.

What to expect:

Set within the grim walls of the dreaded Nazi killing floor “The Auschwitz Twins” gives us a bloodcurdling drama that unravels in the shadow of Mengele’s twisted obsession. The doctor is Ernst’s boss and nemesis (we came to know him in book #2) is tormented by what he sees and very much conflicted. He must stand his ground in order to save Shoshaha, Bluma and Perle.( book #1&2 introduced them to us).Being prisoners they only faced torture and death. Then shows up Dr. Marcel Petoit (book#2) a sadist and murderers who fooled a young woman, Gisele, to help him round up Jewish family in the pretext to help them escape but killed them instead, Gisele was scared and had to disappear. She found her way into Ernst’s heart and married him. Book #3 tells us what happened next till Petoit found her....Then we continue with the story of Herschel and Naomie (reading book #1&2 gives us previous details).

My thoughts:

The story of all the players unravel in alternate chapter and at time cross paths. We follow several characters throughout; the focus is on them rather than on the horrors of concentration camps. Although the story highlight the fascination of experimenting medical procedures on prisoners by sadistic doctors just because they could it does not do so with too many gruesome details...Of course WW11 stories are sad this one is no exception.

This novel read well, it is smooth sailing from the opening pages till you reach the conclusion. Even in the darkness of times, love can be explored and enemy can be a friend...The novel is engaging, the plot is fast-paced and the characters are charismatic.

Well-done, well-said

I had the opportunity to read this book and share my thoughts, thanks to The Book Whisperer and Netgalley.

"The Wife Who Risked Everything", by Ellie Midwood

Berlin mid-30’s till the end of WW11

We are taken into a fictional world base on true events where the characters faced evil and where love and courage were contagious and many voices could not be silenced. This is the story of Margo, an Aryan woman who stayed loyal to her Jewish husband, Jochen, even if their friends ignored them, her mother rejected it her and the Nazi were haunting them...even worst.

As always this story is heartbreaking and as we follow them through a life of hardship: after losing everything they were casted into the street, they needed wits to survive. The story tells us how Margo’s love for Jochen never wavered and refused to abandon him at any cost, even during air raid where Jews were banned from shelters. Eventually Jochen fell into the hands of the Nazis and was imprisoned with countless of other, Margot risked her life to protest outside the gestapo headquarters with hundreds of women gathered shouting “Release our men”.... Jochen was released with many other men..... I gave you a tiny sample of what this book is about. It is filled with terrifying and heartbreaking events you wished it would have never happened...

Of course this is a page-turner that brought life to a terrible era. The plot gradually migrated from a simple life during the early days of the Nazi regime and as time went by to the hard reality they had to face...Ms. Midwood is a master in this era and knows how to pen a story that will interest and captivate us from the opening page.

This is a gripping story told with sensitivity and great finesse. The style is perfectly balanced between realism and fictitiousness and the characters come to life with great care. Well said and well-done.

I received this book from Bookouture via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it

"Mumbai", by Ty Patterson

Zeb Carter thriller book # 10

Zeb’s team needed a well-earned rest after their harrowing mission in Moscow (book #9) clear their mind and regroup in Mumbai to take the sights, enjoy the food and hospitality and leave everything behind....or they thought so....all went haywire when a bomb ripped through a crowded market....

Ouf....action galore from the opening page till you reach the conclusion. I had to put this story down from time to time to take a break from the shooting and fighting. I was exhausted reading Zeb and his team trying to outwit a bunch of bad guys this story does not allow one moment of respite. But again you do not pick up a Ty Patterson’s book not knowing you will be pulled into suspenseful story that will keep you a willing captive.

Rip-roaring pacing, intricate plotting, easy wording and smart characterization, what more can one ask. Ok yes it is a good book but I really got tired with the never ending shooting and killing. The story really if you analyzed it well doesn’t make sense. All the bad guys die and none of the team are killed wow an exception this time one member gets wounded and ends up in hospital...having said this “Mumbai” is a thriller after all and we should expect silly things to happen...we see this on TV...the bad guys don’t know how to hit a target and always gets killed and the good guys standing up to danger never get hit....ok.....

I would suggest being in the mood before tackling this thriller to enjoy it at its max. It is a good story but it was not by far my preferred. Could I suggest that Zeb mellow a bit and change tack.....that would through us a curve...the same old, same old gets boring after so many stories....anyways this is the way I see it...

"The Disappearance of Josef Mengele", by Olivier Guez

Original title :“La Disparition de Josef Mengele”

Just reading the tile is enough to cause a chill up the spine...who has never heard of Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor of Auschwitz.

In this debut English language novel the author gives us a sober portrait of “The Angel of Death” the monstrous man at Auschwitz who after the war secured a series of false identities and relocated in South America in 1949. For the next 30 years or so he hid in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil where he sought favours from powerful figures such as Adof Eichmann, Juan Peron and a network of Nazis to survive. As time passed and the horrors of the Holocaust were better known, a hunt for Mengele and other high-ranking Nazis began. The most notorious hunter of Nazis was Simon Wiesenthal.

This novel recreates from eyewitness accounts, letters, journals, historical records and biographies the passage of time involving Mengele in hiding. This book is rigorously researched as Olivier Guez traces Mengele’s footsteps through the years of flight. What a chilling novel, the narration situates us in a manhunt of one of the most elusive and evil figures of the 20th century.

Mr. Guez added personal touches to his account to make our experience more enjoyable. The words are weighed carefully to make contact with his audience and to instill some human elements despite all the repulsive actions. Mengele till his death continued to believe in Nazi ideology....and never was brought to justice.....All characters in this novel gives you shivers....

Interesting read

This arc was provided by Verso Books via Netgalley for my thoughts.

"Where Evil Hides", by Melinda Woodhall

Bridget Bishop FBI Mystery book #3

I often wonder where authors get their subject and spin a tale that is unique, exciting and captivating each time the story is published. Well, fertile imagination may be it, an asset that Ms. Woodhall definitely has she does spin a wicket tale hard to put down.

In this latest, Bridget is drawn into the hunt for a suspected serial killer and joins forces with a profiler. This come after the estranged wife of a high-powered CEO witness the brutal slaying of her husband’s latest squeeze. A savage murder linked to two similar homicides.

What an exciting story filled with twists and turns, tension and suspense galore. No doubts “Where Evil Hides” is action-packed and yes a winner in my books. I like how the author draws us into the world of crime and how her players solve the mystery. The character development in Bridget is progressing nicely both professionally as well as personally not forgetting the supporting cast adds smarts to the experience. There is a lot going on, not a dull moment from the opening page till you hate seeing the ending. Trying to guess the whodunit is futile.....the she or he will surprise you....

Kudos to you Melinda another excellent read

I received a free copy of this book and I leave a voluntary review, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.