3 comments about Hard Rain: A Thriller.

1. The U.S. Military Attache to Turkey, Colonel Emmet Portman vanishes for three days. When he is found dead in his home in Istanbul, alarm spreads amidst the American government. Whoever killed Portman tortured him before brutally murdering him.
   
   Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agents Vin Cooper and Anna Masters arrive in Istanbul to investigate the gruesome homicide; as Vin puts it they are USAF internal affairs cops. However, before they can begin their inquest, other associates of the late Colonel are also killed in horrific ways. The obvious response is a serial killer is on the loose. However, the victims are diverse and vary in what is left behind; the only commonality is the abduction and execution are done with military precision. However, with Portman's email being erased, Vin and Anna wonder why a crazed killer would do something of this sort making them wonder if someone needed to conceal something, but what and who remain elusive. As the two agents investigate on non-verbal terms (one can say a lot with a one finger salute) while the body count rises, they begin to uncover a military conspiracy to encourage coups to topple Middle Eastern governments, but neither is sure how to expose it without harming American interest; that is if they live long enough to do so.
   
   This is an entertaining over the top thriller that has the audience accompanying the bickering lead couple (arguing when they rarely talk to each other) as they hop the globe starting in the Middle East going on to Africa and Tennessee. Fans will enjoy the action and the rapidity of the story line but what makes the tale fun is the lead couple working a deadly international case once again (see The Death Trust) while on non-speaking terms ever since she informed him she is "Dancing on the Ceiling" for JAG lawyer Col. Richard "Dick Wad" Wadding.
   
   Harriet Klausner



2. In this new thriller, Hard Rain: A Thriller, US Air Force OSI Special Agent Vin Cooper, who already got more than his share of knocks in The Death Trust and A Knife Edge, travels to Turkey to investigate the chilling killing of Colonel Emmett Portman, the U.S. air attache there. The colonel was methodically chopped into pieces and left as if he were an anatomy lesson. Portman had been a fighter pilot during the 1991 Gulf War and, under orders, he had taken part in the strafing of Iraqi highway 80, later known as the Highway of Death. The ammunition used by American forces included rounds with depleted uranium inside, and coalition soldiers like Portman, as well as the Iraqi population, would bear the bitter but contested brunt of this choice of weaponry. Before he died, the colonel had apparently gathered explosive information about military and civilian actions past and present that could indeed bring governments down.
   
   Vin and his special agent partner, Anna Masters (who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend), are faced with diplomatic roadblocks, cultural barriers, and the piling on of additional murders that suggest one or more crazed serial killers. Faced multiple times with death themselves as they pursue all available avenues of inquiry, they also have to juggle their personal feelings as both turn to others for physical release and possibly more. Several times they are accosted by a psycho woman named Yafa and a guy perpetually chewing a silver toothpick, and one such confrontation leads to Vin and Anna being trapped together in a cistern. In survival mode, they also, inevitably, reevaluate their relationship and priorities. However, both investigators are determined to uncover the full scope of the international conspiracy that dismembered Colonel Portman, vectors back to the Gulf War, and could vector forward to a new millennia nuclear strike.
   
   Australian David Rollins isn't coy about depicting some elements of America, Israel, and other countries as ruthless when it comes to espionage and geopolitical and military strategy. His is a more independent viewpoint than one gets from many an American author of similar books. Although this is a novel, Rollins imparts solid and sometimes shameful information about depleted uranium usage and the claims of servicepeople that exposure has caused serious, sometimes deadly, health problems (interestingly, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki just announced that his department will re-examine Gulf War veterans' disability and illness claims that were previously dismissed).
   
   HARD RAIN's wise-cracking Vin Cooper and his partner never have a dull moment and neither does the reader. In most techno-military thrillers, characters emerge and then often and predictably die. The body count is substantial here as well, and several times, the characters condemned are people I really regretted losing. The question is, will this team, as they hopscotch around the Middle East and even dart into Paris, be able to identify their formidable adversaries and overcome them? Or does the plot they seek to unravel go too high and is it too powerful (and perhaps too close) for them to defeat?



3. 
   
   Investigating the murder of a U.S. attaché to Turkey, 34 year old Vin Cooper, a wise-cracking and humorous Special Agent, teams up with former lover, Anna Masters, to uncover a shadowy organization dedicated to toppling certain powers in the Middle East.
   This is actually the first David Rollins novel I've read and found it to be both exciting and entertaining. Some of the situations that Vin Cooper and Anna Masters put themselves in seemed a bit ignorant, but they always seemed to get out of it. It's a little over the top but it's still a great ride. I liked the writing style and the humor. This author will go on my list.

5 comments about The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century (P.S.).

1. The publisher demands the same price for the Kindle edition as for the print edition despite the obvious manufacturing economies and the investment that readers have to make in their Kindles. Moreover, Kindle books cannot be lent to friends or others; the pagination precludes citation of the work. This is publishers myopia that will bring about the demise of an industry unless they wake up and smell the coffee.
   
   I already own the print edition but wanted to be able to carry it more readily. To make me pay for a second copy for this purpose when the marginal cost to the publisher is no more than the concession they have to pay Amazon is patently outrageous.



2. I found this book most interesting. I am an art lover, but certainly no expert. I just know what I like and I enjoy reading about the art world.
   What I found fascinating about this book was not just the story of the forger van Meegeren or even how Goering was duped, but how supposed experts were duped as well. The psychological aspects of how and why art critics and dealers cannot see beyond a terrible forgery made for very interesting reading, and I daresay are as true today as during the time of this narrative.
   I loved the fact that so many so-called experts were (and continue to be) fooled by worthless imitations, therefore putting a big hole in the pretentiousness of so many in the art world.
   In the end, this is not just a story of van Meegeren. It sheds light on some of the more unsavory aspects of the art world, and why people in that world act as they do.



3. This is the delightful, fascinating, and true story of how a little-known painter duped the titans of art. A David and Goliath tale that details how he did it - not once, but repeatedly - and suckered 30 million dollars out of the art world. In a light-hearted way, the author reveals and explores in detail the facets of human nature that allowed this to happen to sophisticated critics. It was all very logical and very human. As the story progresses, it is hard to avoid the feeling that the reader might have easily made the same mistakes. The story gives a good run-down on the art world, Nazi-occuppied Holland, and the rapacious art "collecting" by Hitler and Goering (one of those duped). It is a fun book, full of astounding suprises.



4. I cannot read the 8 point typeface.....I know it is a good book- but since I can't read the tiny print, I cannot rate it.
   Lolly Anderson
   
   I wish I could return it!!!!!!!!!!!!!



5. The Forger's Spell explains how a man faked a series of Vermeer paintings in the early 20th century and why the world bought into them. One of the fakes was even hailed as the greatest Vermeer of all.
   
   Mr. Dolnick provides a thorough examination of the personalities involved, the physical hurdles that the forger had to overcome to create his fakes, and also explores the psychology that allowed the paintings to be accepted as genuine.
   
   The Forger's Spell is an amazing true story.

5 comments about The Shooters: A Presidential Agent Novel.

1. Listening on audio and ten CD's into the book all we have to show for it is multiple scenes of old white dudes sitting around yakking over a bottle of scotch. This cannot be the same author who penned the Badge of Honor series. Also, if he says "visibly exhaled" "visibly surprised" or the like one more time...



2. [...]Colonel Castillo is presumably presented as a glib, suave, studly intel officer. But he comes across as a repulsively arrogant prima donna -- truly, if his character had been killed in the novel I would have cheered wildly. His only emotional side is when he learns that he may be the father of a 12 year old son -- a product of a drunken 10 minutes spent with an engaged woman -- and we are subjected to his ridiculous angst and musing over his newly found "fatherhood". It is genuinely inconceivable how this novel was ever published, and utterly cures me of any desire to read any further WEB Griffin novels.



3. Another reviewer said it all, it just drags with details that nobody in their right mind mind cares about, like where one of the characters bought his suit. This is supposed to be an action series of novels. Who cares about the brand of suit!!!!



4. I'm really sorry to say that I have to agree with many of the other reviewers and say that this book was not as good as I am used to from Mr. Griffin. Others have already described the major shortcomings. There is too much time spent covering ground that has already been covered, and the lightning fast wrap up at the end leaves you confused about what actually happened. Were the 2 local Gendarmerie alive when the climactic rescue began or killed during the raid, and by whom? It's not really clear. All we know is that in the aftermath there were no prisoners taken. There are times when I wonder how Griffin can keep it all straight. There are so many characters, going a million different directions, and keeping track of who's who and what they know would seem to be darn near impossible. I think this book may have suffered from a lack of focus just because there was so much going on and every step, scratch of the head, and bathroom break was described in minute detail.
   
   Unlike some other reviewers I enjoyed the book. Despite the lack of focus in this book it is still a good read, it moves the story forward, and I like the main characters. I am cautiously optimistic about the next book in the series; Black Ops. I'm just starting it, but it already seems to be a course correction over the Shooters. I'm a long way from giving up on Griffin's books.



5. A good story destroyed by too much inaction, needless background and just plain uninteresting detail. Castillo is a good character, but Griffin was all over the place in his treatment of him.
   
   This book really needed an editor to tighten it up. Of the book's 700+ pages, I'd say 200 could have been dropped without hurting the story.. and probably would have helped it bigtime.
   
   Come on W.E.B., you're better than this.

5 comments about Mother Night: A Novel.

1. Kurt Vonnegut was treated by psychiatrists but, since I'm a veteran, too, I believe his troubles might have been entirely PTSD. Vonnegut was obsessed with Europe in WWII and wrote much about it. One of his finest novels -- the only one that wasn't sci fi or fantasy -- is MOTHER NIGHT, made into a 1990s movie starring Nick Nolte. It's worth seeing, although Nolte was miscast.
   
   But, as usual, the book is much better. MOTHER NIGHT is the story of Howard Campbell, an American who is in Germany, married to a German woman, when WWII breaks out. Under Army Intelligence orders Howard acts as a "Lord HawHaw" in Germany during WWII and sends code signals to the Allies during his broadcasts. His apolitical (and much loved) wife is the daughter of a fanatic Nazi, and Howard is pulled this way and that until he doesn't understand his own loyalties, becoming bewildered and confused. After losing his wife in the war Howard wants to die and turns himself in to the Israelis as a war criminal, but ironically, is released when the US Army vouches for him. He returns to the US for the first time since about 1920. You should not expect a happy ending.
   
   Now and then Vonnegut throws in comic relief to lighten an essentially bleak story, especially his lampoons of white supremacists in America and the hilarious name of a Nazi, "Kraptauer".
   
   DON'T MISS THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT. Superb psychology, and in a way it's Vonnegut's own story, because of his ultra-German upbringing in a German neighborhood in Indianapolis, where every block had a string quartet and someone who could recite Schiller's poems and direct Lessing's plays in German. Although he hated Hiler he was raised to be proud of being a cultural German, as every child should be of his/her own heritage. How conflicted Kurt Vonnegut must have been! Why didn't the Army send German Americans to the Pacific, as they sent Japanese Americans to Europe?



2. I read many of Kurt Vonnegut's books back in the 70's, but I never read "Mother Night." I look forward to rectifying that situation. As usual, Amazon.com provided great service and the book arrived in beautiful condition.



3. This is the least surreal of the 8 or so Vonnegut novels I've read. It is a much more traditional narrative than most of his works.
   
   This is not to say that it inspires less thought, though. I felt that it was a beautiful story that kept me thinking about it's lessons long after I finished.
   
   If you like Vonnegut but are looking for something more traditional, this is the book you want! It invoked emotion and thought equally as I read it.
   
   Incidentally the movie it inspired is worth watching after you enjoy the book (in contrast to the others based on his novels...)



4. I am a Vonnegut fan, and this is another in a long line of good books by KV.



5. A brilliant book that examines the evil that humans are so easily capable of doing to their fellow humans. This book is a very fast read but it is worth it. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Heat Lightning (Virgil Flowers).

1. This series is no where near as good as his Prey series. Heat Lightning is a fairly good read and I pretty much enjoyed it, although it is not a book in which I could hardly wait to read it and would stay up all night because I couldn't put it down. My biggest complaint is the truly tiresome way this author included his thoughts on the environment, religion and politics. Unless it is an integral part of the story, authors should leave this crap out.



2. I have read a few of Sandford's books and have overlooked some issues, but the grammatical errors here were more than I could take. Incorrect punctuation, numerous run-on sentences (so many I had to stop and re-read several times), incorrect references to characters and pages 21 - 53 were duplicated! I was aggravated as I was reading it that an author and publishing company would put their names on something this sloppy.



3. Well I have read many of John Sandford's Prey Novels & have always enjoyed them immensly & this was the first of the Virgil Flowers novels & I must say I just could not put it down. What a great querky character Sandford has created in Flowers so different to Lucas Davenport & most appealing. He is edgy, laid back, wears old Rock Group T Shirts & Cowboy Boots & he even drives the same 4 x 4 that I do, a Toyota 4 Runner & believe it or not does not like to carry a gun!
   Sandford has written a fast paced intrguing plot with plenty of action & great sub characters
   I really recommend this series to any Prey Fan as well as any fan of great Crime Fiction.



4. This book is not the best of John Sanford. While the story line is pretty unique, I feel that the bad guys could have been developed in a bit more interesting way. Perhaps the exception in Mai, who played a pretty colorful role, but somewhat unrealistic when you consider that the lead agent, Virgil, can't wait to get her in the sack. Although their were murders and a lot of running around, I thought the book could have moved faster in the first three hundred pages. I must say that the final confrontation with the bunch was well written and really kept my interest. The book also highlighted the big bad "feds" vs the State boys from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Kind of an interesting way that the Governor handled the guys from Washington.



5. Excellent book. Virgil Flower is a new characteer to me but is well developed in this story. I will read mo4e Sandford.

5 comments about The Master Sniper.

1. A good thriller, and worth your time, but there's a chunk of narrative in the middle of the thing that sits like a big turd in a punchbowl. It's a tennis game involving a non-central character, and it's not necessary or resolved later in the least. No further reference. Cut that and you have a 4-star instead of a 3-star read.



2. I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone so I'll write carefully.
   
   This book is reasonably well written and entertaining but, in the end, the payoff simply isn't worth it. I kept wondering how in the world the story could work out since there seemed to be no rational way the climax could warrant the build up.
   
   Sadly, I was right and it took over 300 pages to realize that my earlier instincts were correct.
   
   If you're desperate, go ahead and read it. But, if you're looking for a good adventure fiction tale from WWII, look elsewhere. For example, you might try "The Wolf's Hour" by Robert McCammon. While it's a wild premise, it works and will keep you entertained all the way through.
   
   FWIW, I enjoyed Stephen Hunter's "Point of Impact" (movie version: "Shooter" with Mark Wahlberg) but didn't like "The Day Before Midnight" for the same basic reason I didn't like this book, "The Master Sniper."
   
   It's hard to explain but I think it has to do with the premise not being well thought out enough for me to feel the time spent reading the book was worthwhile.
   
   I hope this helps someone make a choice about reading this book!



3. A very good action book, especially if you like WWII stories & snipers!
   
   The story starts a little slow, flipping back and worth between the German sniper Repp and the American officer Leets and his British counterpart Outhwaithe, but kicks into high gear and never lets up a few chapters in.
   
   This novel was Stephen Hunter's 1st book, written in 1980. For a 1st novel, its excellent.
   
   The story / plot of this book is amazing,once you find out what Repp's mission is, it will blow you away, this book should have been a movie long, long ago.
   
   The Germans have a new weapon "Vampir (Vampire)", a highly sophisticated nightvision apparatus that attaches to a rifle, allowing the shooter to work at night and "Vampir" shoots a special 100 % lead round that makes very little sound when fired. Their is only one "Vampir" and the Germans have got their best man for the job, a German named Repp "der Meisterschutze (The Master Sniper)" as fellow Germans and the Jews know him. Germany is losing the war and its almost over, but Repp has one more mission to complete, a mission that could change the world.
   
   An American officer named Leets has a hunch that something big is about to happen, he just doesnt know what or who it is, yet!
   
   Good action, great characters and great storytelling from Stephen Hunter!
   
   "Dirty White Boys" by Stephen Hunter was entertaining, I think "The Master Sniper" was a little better. Can't wait to read "Point of Impact" next!



4. This is a fun book about the end of WWII. The story line moves well and, as with all Hunter's novels, is well written. Truly an enjoyable read.



5. I agree with the author in his letter that in the book Master Sniper he is trying to create a believable character from the German point of view, which too many books failed to do. Stephen Hunter had certainly achieved his goal. Nevertheless as a thriller this book is not as fast paced as I would have liked to. This is NOT a criticism of the literary value of this book. Rather it is a simple statement from my own point of view. When I read a Crichton or a Dan Brown it typically took me no more than three days to finish it because I couldn't put it down. But this one took me 10 days or so to finish because it just did not have the same kind of edge.

5 comments about The Book Thief.

1. This is a book that will catch you in the first pages and never let go of you. Narrated by Death, he will pull you into his world and make it as real as your own. The characters come alive - they are real people with flaws, and unattractiveness yet, some have great strengths buried deep inside. A reminder of the evil that we are capable of doing, but also, the good. The best book I've read in many years.



2. There isn't much I can add that hasn't already been said. This is a beautiful book that is a must read for any true book lover.



3. I don't think I would do this book justice in just a few words. It made me cry, laugh, think about those important to me, and pray for an ending that is different than what I knew it would be. What could you expect when the narrator is death? Although death consistently interrupts with hints of what happens in the end, it is still heartbreaking when it comes. I'm a little sad that the book is over now.
   
   A young girl is about to be placed in foster care. Her mother is too poor to take care of Leisel and her brother, so she is taking them to Munich to be given over to a foster family. On the train ride, Leisel's brother dies. Then she is handed off to a woman who yells and cusses at her and an accordion player who seems to allow his wife to run things. Leisel's life begins to change for the better as her foster father begins to teach her to read and her friendship grows with the next door neighbor, Rudy. Words revolutionize Leisel. She first is powerful against them, but then becomes powerful by using them. Her reading inspires healing during bomb raids, sickness, and melts the heart of death himself. The connection of books end up her savior in the end.
   
   I can't imagine anyone not liking this book. It does begin slowly, but the characters all become to grow on you. The triumphs and failures of each of the main characters move the reader as if they were part of the scenes. It is truly remarkable how much I was sucked into this book. I cried at least four times even though I knew what was going to happen well before it happened. Death attempts to make all of the readers comfortable with the idea of destruction that will rip Leisel's world apart, but it didn't help me. I know this review has been all over the place, but it's because there is so much that I would want to say that I can't get it out in a logical sequence. All I can tell you is that you NEED to read this book!



4. The Book Thief, which is narrated by Death, is the story of Liesel as she lives goes to live with her foster family just prior to and during World War II. The story centers around Liesel learning to read, making friends, growing up, and dealing with the effect World War II has on her foster family in friends. She is a girl who lives through nothing but tragedy but still has an open heart and clear head on her shoulders, well, at least most of the time.
   
   After hearing so much about The Book Thief over the past year I decided I could not put off reading it any longer. I was completely blown away by this exquisite novel. I went in expecting something very YA, but still enjoyable and was surprised by how mature everything was. Death as the narrator gives insight into characters and situations that would be impossible to disclose otherwise, as well as keeping the overall mood of the book somber as he is always reminding the reader of the impending doom that Liesel's family and friend will face.
   
   I think every book lover can relate to Liesel, not in a suffering in Nazi Germany way, but in a word transporting way. Her books are the most important things she owns, they are gifts from family, made by friends and stolen from fires and private library's.



5. I first heard about this book when Markus Zusak was talking about it on the radio, and I thought it sounded interesting. The first thing that hooked me was the writing style and perspective - how often do you read books narrated by Death? It's hard not to be intrigued. Though this book is long (it's definitely not an action-filled suspense novel), it's well worth the read. It took me quite a while to finish, but when I finally reached the end, I could not help but cry my eyes out. This book truly changed what I knew about World War II and how I've looked at books since. The Book Thief proves that books really can change your life.

5 comments about The Thirty-Nine Steps (Oxford World's Classics).

1. Richard Hannay, a former Scotsman, has been in South Africa for some time working as a mining engineer. Now returned to the UK and living in a small flat in London, he meets journalist Franklin Scudder, a stranger who, claiming to be afraid for his very life, spins him a tale of his discovery of a complex anarachist plot to de-stabilize Europe and plunge it into a multi-national war by assassinating the Greek premier during an upcoming visit to London. With some reservations, Hannay allows Scudder to hide in his flat.
   
   A few days later, when Hannay finds Scudder murdered with a knife in his heart, he realizes the truth behind Scudder's story and takes to his heels. Scotland Yard will be after him as the only plausible suspect in Hannay's murder and Hannay also realizes that the anarchists will be after him next because they won't know what Scudder might have told him. With Scudder's pocket book in hand, the only thing that contains the clues to his research into the plot, Hannay takes a train north planning to take refuge in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands. His only plan is to come out of hiding at the last minute before Karolides' visit in order to reveal the plot to the British government.
   
   There is no doubt that "The Thirty-Nine Steps" is a staunchly British, well written, exciting and immensely entertaining adventure story that tells the tale of a man on the run in fear of his life. Richard Hannay is also depicted as a courageous patriot who selflessly puts his country's and his government's national interests and security ahead of his own. First published in 1915 with WW I already hotly under way, author John Buchan also took a tiny step into the political arena by obviously criticizing those government officials who had pursued a policy of pacification and negotiation with Germany before the war.
   
   With a significant question in my mind as to what its long term literary values may be, I'll leave the question of whether or not a simple adventure story deserves to be elevated to the status of classic to others to decide. But I will say that its timeless entertainment value and feel-good ending will ensure that "The Thirty-Nine Steps" will be read by adventure, mystery and thriller lovers for years and years to come.
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   Paul Weiss



2. The Thirty Nine Steps was written in 1915 and the language, attitudes and plot clearly reflect that. However it is also a timeless adventure about an ordinary and innocent man on the run that bears many hallmarks of the best thrillers, from The Pelican Brief to William Boyd's Ordinary Thunderstorms.
   
   It's a short book and the action kicks off almost immediately. The narrator, Richard Hannay, is freshly returned to the UK after living most of his life in Southern Africa. One of his neighbors, Scudder, tells him a story about having discovered a plot run by an organization known only as "The Black Stone" to murder the Greek Premier and initiate WW1. Shortly afterwards, Hannay returns to his home to find Scudder murdered. He goes on the run, realizing that he will be seen by police as the murder suspect, but also knowing that he is the only one who can prevent the plotters from executing their plan.
   
   Hannay hides out in Scotland with both the police and his enemies close on his tail. The descriptions of the Scottish countryside are stunning and there is a genuine sense of tension throughout the book as he tries to elude his chasers. The key he realizes is to immerse himself into his surroundings. The final section of the book has him returning to London to prevent the Black Stone's plot taking effect, hence becoming the pursuer himself. While the majority of the plot is driven by the action, the finale is more of a psychological thriller and for this reason every film adaptation has chosen a more dramatic ending.
   
   The plot is riddled with coincidences and makes abrupt jumps, but overall it's a tremendously readable adventure that succeeds in part because of its likable narrator.



3. Amazon is quick and efficient. A choice of prices is also an advantage. Thank you



4. This is a classical thriller that has influenced a great many authors. It makes for an easy read. The story follows a well-to-do fellow who's involved in a matter of international importance & secrecy. Most of the novel deals with the adventures of how he escapes from the "bad" guys and the police. Each chapter describes one such event, each being a bit more difficult to swallowed than the preceding tale. As I read the story I could remember all those books I read as a teenager. I think this would be a reasonable book for this group, but I felt the novel did not have anything in it for me.



5. The book was different from the movie, which is most often the case. The book is a very good read.

5 comments about Berlin Noir: March Violets; The Pale Criminal; A German Requiem.

1. Kerr's trilogy is vastly indebted to Raymond Chandler right down to the plot line, the sarcastic metaphors and the heavy atmospherics. It borrows heavily from genre writers in the "hardboiled" tradition (Ross Macdonald, for one). It even takes a few pages from James Ellroy's gratuitous sadism. It features all the tropes of noir-type detective fiction, right down to the world-weary, hard-drinking, incessantly-smoking paladin in the guise of a jaded gumshoe. All are heavy with Third Reich-era atmospherics and rival the books of Alan Furst in this regard, yet they do not suffer from the tepid plot-lines of that author.
   
   The first book is a sort of re-write of Chandler's, "The Big Sleep" moved from post-war Los Angeles to pre-war Nazi Germany. The second book has a resemblance to "Farewell My Lovely". As expected, small conventional crimes are the pathway to the eventual discovery of much greater ones. The third installment ("German Requiem") is by far the weakest of the trilogy, involving a sanitized version of the "ODESSA", but it glances on the important issue of US Government involvement in recruiting war criminals to aid in the "fight against Communism". There is a sort of apologia for Bernie Gunther's involvement with the SD/SS in "Requiem" and all 3 books involve improbably complex and sophisticated plots. Kerr also tends to caricature some of the Nazi principals as urbane, wry and vaguely detached observers of the human condition, rather than the semi-literate, thuggish and rapacious oafs many (most?, virtually all?) of them were. Still, these are minor quibbles.
   
   For a reader unfamiliar with writing of this style, these books will be a genuine revelation and an outstanding introduction to the genre. However, in all fairness, a few hours spent with Chandler and Hammett would be well worth the time. Yet, even for the sophisticated consumer of mystery fiction, these are compelling reading and all three of them handily trump other such books set in the made-for-cinema ambiance of the Third Reich, such as "The Good German" and "Fatherland". If you enjoy Furst's novels but have been disappointed with the numbing lack of action in that author's work, these might be your preferred drink.



2. I have read the trilogy twice. This second time to prepare for The One from Another, as well as, A Quiet Flame. Kerr does such a great job in the characterization of Bernie Gunther providing us with the picture that not all Germans subsribed to National Socialism. He injects some of the legendary Berliner deadpan, self-deprecating humor into the three novels and that acts to release a bit a steam throughout. The mysteries are fine and made all the better given the context and history in which they take place. The Amazon algorithms have pointed me towards the series penned by Olen Steinhauer which has similarities. I look forward to reading this trilogy from Kerr again in a few years.



3. I've just started reading this trilogy, and it's already clear that these are early works. They were written a year apart, 1989-90-91, and, as other reviewers have noted, the author relies on some low-end tactics to keep his story moving. The good news is that he has done his homework- the period details are convincing, if not overbearing. The bad news is that he equates "hard-boiled noir" with paragraph after paragraph of black-humor similes. The dialogue, intra- and inter-character, is festooned with Third-Reich references disguised as gallows humor, "Galgenhumor", in the form: "As______ as a ________" Insert some vaguely appropriate, embarrassing nazi directive or habit. They get pretty contrived. It's a writing tic I've seen in fiction by new, young writers. I will continue reading on the assumption that the stories will justify wading through them.
   Three weeks later, after trudging through the overworked and contrived similes, they have disappeared and been replaced by decent, observant, imaginative writing. Late in March Violets there is a set-piece scene in the Berlin Sportspalast during the 1936 Olympics as the detective watches Jesse Owens in action; by this time, Kerr is hitting on all cylinders and it works beautifully. The Pale Criminal starts well and gets better. These stories embed the reader in their time and place very convincingly. If you can get through the first half of the first book, the effort will be rewarded.



4. You can't do better than a full immersion in the world of Philip Kerr and Bernie Gunther. I would have thought it impossible to meld hard-boiled detective fiction with an all too real Nazi Germany, but Kerr brings it off in spades.
   
   As for the similes that bother some reviewers--get over it, it's noir.



5. This is my first detective fiction in a long time. The 3 stories totally drew me in and I couldn't put the book down. I was impressed with Kerr's accurate and detailed geographic descriptions, although the frequent street references became tedious - a cafe in Berlin is located on such-and-such street, which intersects with this street; like I was reading a Michelin Guide. Maybe it's me, yet in "March Violets," Kerr makes a lot of references to fish when describing people. "Pale Criminal" focuses more on pathology than the other stories.
   
   I'm still trying to understand the purpose of Gunther's brief sexual encounters with women. They don't add anything to the plot. I concluded he inserts these scenes as teasers at a point when the reader's attention might start to drift. It had that effect on me. Just when I was ready to place my book marker between the pages... whoa, a little sex in the story. Lots of emphasis on smoking. I'd be surprised if Gunther didn't succumb to a stroke or lung cancer by the mid 1950's.
   
   It helps to know some German and even German history from 1930 - 1948. If you do know German, you'll discover the author does not (at least not very well). Kerr makes some errors in dialog that wouldn't translate correctly from German to English. Regardless, you'll still appreciate the stories. Just ignore the fact the author is a Scot and you're reading his version of what a German detective is like.
   
   I didn't like the Bernie Gunther character at first, yet by the time I got to "German Requiem" (the last story in the trilogy), I admired his rough and raw sense of honor. In that same story, bringing Arthur Nebe back from the dead was clever. It would have been gracious, however, to somehow acknowledge it is well documented he was repulsed by Reinhard Heydrich's "Final Solution" and is responsible for saving 1000's of lives from the gas chambers (Nebe asked to be transferred to the International Police, but his request was denied).
   
   I highly recommend Berlin Noir.

5 comments about Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death.

1. I just finished reading "Black Hearts" and while I have to say it is not a "pleasure" to read, it is a deeply thought provoking and troubling account of how a group of young American soldiers wound up committing a horrific war crime, the rape of a young Iraqi girl and the murder of her family.
   
   I'm an Army veteran myself (more on that later), and I recognize a lot of things that the author talks about in terms of unit culture and how soldiers act and behave. Unfortunately, the "bad" leaders that the author describes in "Black Hearts" ring particularly true.
   
   So does another thing in the book, the frequent tendency in the military to put their subordinates in impossible situations by placing unrealistic mission burdens upon them. I can't count the number of times when I was on active duty, the units I was in were stretched to the breaking point by their various commitments and obligations. Efforts to get senior leaders to say in effect, "Hey, we can't place any further burdens on our guys" got brushed away with cliches like "let's do more with less" or "let's work smarter, not harder."
   
   And the particularly dismaying result of overburdening troops is that it forces them to deviate from the rules and command guidance they should live by in order to get the job done. People start to lie and take shortcuts. I think that a lot of senior officers tolerate this so long as it doesn't blow up in their faces. When it does, as it did so many times in the case of the tragic series of events in "Black Hearts," the senior leaders throw their subordinates under the bus and tear them to pieces for not adhering to rules and SOPs that common sense should have told them their troops could not comply with and still get the mission done.
   
   On another note, I commend the author for documenting his book much better than many other books about deeply controversial events are documented (if they are at all). He has source notes, bibliography, details about sourcing, good photographs, and adequate maps. I just wish that the story had not been so tragic. I also did disagree with him on some questions about how widespread detainee abuse in Iraq was and the culpability of certain units but that is a minor point.
   
   Also, for those interested in other cases from the annals of military justice, I can recommend two.
   
   A Murder in Wartime: The Untold Spy Story That Changed the Course of the Vietnam War
   
   Fatal Vision



2. Jim Frederick's "Black Hearts" chronicles two headline-grabbing, extremely negative events from the Iraq War in 2006: the ambush and murder of three 101st Screaming Eagles soldiers near Yusufiyah and then the news of a horrific murder-rape of a teenage Iraqi girl, who was murdered along with her parents and five-year-old sister by four troops from the same unit.
   
   I had just returned from a combat tour in Iraq in late 2005, and was therefore intrigued by the backstory of the two events not so evident in the immediate news accounts and coverage of the soldiers' violent deaths and those of the Iraqi civilians. I hoped this book would put that unit's challenges and struggles in context. It does just that and more, telling an important story in what I feel is a balanced, even-handed manner.
   
   Frederick interviewed just about everyone involved from the platoon level all the way up through brigade and while the actions of the leaders and individuals is often damning, one can never truly comprehend the kind of stress these men were under.
   
   Frederick's book lays out the facts and details surrounding the platoon of Army soldiers involved, and how failures of leadership at nearly every level, exacerbated by a herculean and often undefined mission in one of the most dangerous places in Iraq at the time, came together to form an imperfect storm out of which one unit of about 30 troops found themselves at the center of a disastrous deployment, and one that had a negative strategic impact on U.S. efforts there at a time when the Iraq War was spiraling out of control.
   
   The book is powerful because it deftly tells the story of an infantry platoon that seemed set up for failure from the get-go. It reveals that the men and women of our military are not infallible, and that yes, the ranks are seeded with those who lack the morals and values that we as Americans expect from our warriors. And while 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-502d had its bad apples, Frederick also brings out the stories of those soldiers who were there and did their level best in a tough situation.
   
   This is not a good news story, but it's one that needs to be told. War is an ugly business carried out by imperfect people, but I think that Frederick handles the events the right way in what is a well-written, fast-paced account. It's tough not to sit in judgment of those involved after reading a book such as this, but I respect the author's attempts to give everyone their say.
   
   Not everyone is going to appreciate this book or its conclusions. I would imagine those closest to the protagonists may have some issues with Frederick's portrayals of the people and events. But, having served under and with personalities Frederick described like the battalion commander, sergeant major, company commander and platoon sergeant, as well as some of the soldiers at the heart of the events, I can certainly see how so much could go wrong in Yusufiyah the way it did. I wasn't there, but those who were know the real truth.
   
   I suspect that Frederick's book is pretty close.
   
   



3. My son was in B Company during this deployment to Iraq. From what he wrote to me while he was there, I could tell this book was an accurate collection of what was going on with 1/502nd and especially with the soldiers of B Company. How the commanders were more worried about picking up cigarette butts and whether the men were clean shaven and properly dressed than they were about them getting a few hours of shut-eye or some food in their stomachs before they had to go out and risk their lives again. It wasn't difficult to see how they would feel like they were the "forgotten" after requesting just the basic needs and being turned down time after time, and how silly it seemed to the soldiers that they had to have gravel at the Battalion so they wouldn't get their boots muddy was first priority! The combat stress team was totally ineffective - especially when the treatment of the day was Ambien and/or Seroquel and send them on their way. Even when red flags were sent up about Green, upper command dismissed it. Losing so many of their good friends day after day was taking a toll even on the guys that had been on several tours, let alone the first tour soldiers.
   
   Thank you Jim Frederick for a glimpse into what these soldiers went through. The thought and honest interpretation of just what these guys were thinking and feeling rang true and I hope that people everywhere will get a chance to read your book.



4. I am a former 11B Infantryman who was in Iraq at the time when most of these events took place. I also went to basic training with Jesse Spielman (B co., 1-19 INF, Ft. Benning, GA). Yeah, there was a lot of stuff going on at the time, but killing civilians only breeds more insurgents, if you want to disregard the moral implications altogether. I think those guys (Green, Barker, etc...) are indirectly responsible for the kidnapping and murder of their fellow soldiers later on. I was a little surprised to hear of Spielman being involved in this. He was not very agressive in basic and would not stand up to a certain bully in the platoon that guys smaller than Spielman would. He may have had courage with a weapon in his hand and his buddies around, but I believe he is a physical coward. He must be having a hell of a time in prison. Green should've been given a severe beat down. Not excluding the Iraqis he murdered, he ruined several people's lives and careers with his bragging. I guess he felt guilty about quitting in the middle of the deployment. Supposedly this place was the most dangerous place in Iraq at the time, yet the book says they often went off one their own, sometimes in pairs, to raise hell. There was no way I could've done that and expect to live. Maybe they just didn't care. Well, it was a pretty good book overall. But just remember, the fight only got worse after these guys left, then stopped around mid 2007 (except Mosul). Also, read about the Army's C co 1-26 Infantry's deployment in Baghdad in 2006-7. It was worse than these guys' deployment (and they didn't commit any atrocities). Also check out COMBAT DIARY THE MARINES OF LIMA COMPANY. Pretty bad deployment and NO ATROCITIES.



5. This book is an incredible look into the difficulties of one platoon in the triangle of death in Iraq. The narrative is strong, and the reader is literally on the edge of his seat during certain scenes. The story of the day to day lives of these soldiers, often attempting to achieve impossible tasks in an impossible place at an impossible time drives the book forward. It reads quite quick. The research is impressive and its obvious that Frederick has spent countless hours with most of the major participants in the book. Thematically, the book is also an extended examination about effective leadership. What makes an effective leader? How can a leadership style in one circumstance be effective but in another be literally deadly? How can effective leadership overcome some of the worst military circumstances our nation has seen in years and, conversely, how can ineffective leadership make that situation even worse. Frederick's book is an impressive achievement and I would recommend it to a wide range of readers. By writing a book that is much more than just a history of a time and place in the Iraq War, I believe he's written a text that will be read for years to come.