Blood Eagle-Robert Barr Smith

Blood Eagle
Robert Barr Smith
Medallion, Oct 2007, 24.95
ISBN 9781933836102

In 1965 divided West and East Germany serve as one of the fronts in the Cold War. Whereas the western allies adhere to the Containment Doctrine, the Soviet Union wants to unite the country as part of their bloc. Others also want to unite Germany with the deadly neo-Nazi Fatherland Party using terrorism to try to bring down the fledgling democracy.

In one bombing the wives and children of US Army Major Tom Cooper and British SAS Captain Simon Berwick died. Both men vowed to insure that vigilante justice brought by them to the perpetrators occur, as their moral codes have been destroyed making life meaningless. They have the opportunity when they are assigned to find three elderly Germans who the Fatherland Party leaders seek for their roles in the alleged suicide of Hitler’s niece and mistress Geli Raubal in 1931 in his flat with his gun.

This is an action-packed thriller that grips readers who ignore the plausibility index and willingly accept contemporary terrorism activity in 1965. The fast-paced story line focuses mostly on the two numbed NATO soldiers, but also flashes back to 1931 and 1951 when key historical events (to this plot) happened. It is fascinatingly that the western military pair has no scruples since their families were murdered while the neo-Nazis believe in the values of the Fourth Reich; this leads the audience to wonder about adhering to one’s values. Fans of over the Berlin Wall thrillers will appreciate this entertaining race across Germany in which there are no heroes as all the players assume that everyone including themselves are expendable pawns.

Harriet Klausner