This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michael McMenamin & Patrick McMenamin will be awarding a free Audible code for The Parsifal Pursuit and The Gemini Agenda (2nd and 3rd books in the series) and Becoming Winston Churchill, the Untold Story of Young Winston and His American Mentor to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
I have to admit that, even though I love history, my eras of preference lie in 19th century England and earlier - I normally leave 20th century history to my husband and daughter, both World War II buffs. However, I do love a good mystery and the sound of this book was intriguing so I picked it up. I'm very glad that I did, because I really enjoyed it and found it very easy to follow, even without reading the previous books in the series - an oversight I will be remedying very soon.
It is obvious that the authors did a great job of researching the time period and the characters (most of who are actual people). They also helped this novice by including historical notes in the back of the book that helped me sort what was true from what was created for the story. Greatly appreciated!
The mystery is very detailed with many facets and twists and secrets- plus a touch of romance. It's war, though, and the book reflects the grittiness and evil of the times. There are a few scenes that are very hard to read, but they are based on actual happenings. Just a warning that if you are a sensitive reader, you might want to be aware.
The characters, both fictional and real life characters, are all richly drawn- fully dimensional and not just 100% evil - well, perhaps with the exception of Heydrich.
Great job... 5 stars.
The Tiergarten
Berlin
Monday, 30 January 1933
THIS HAD BLOODY WELL BETTER BE WORTH IT, Mattie McGary thought as she stood in the center of an uncharacteristically deserted Tiergarten, shivering from the icy evening air. Even in winter, Berliners would stroll in the early evening through the spacious grounds of Europe’s largest metropolitan park. Tonight was different, unbelievably so. The park was in the center of Berlin, but its size—2.5 square kilometers—made it seem isolated from the city. Yet, the sound of the cheering crowds still reached her ears as torch-bearing Nazi SA Storm Troopers marched past the Brandenburg Gate on their way to the Chancellery Building where their leader and the newly appointed Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler, waited at an open window to receive their accolades. It was nearly 8:30 p.m. and the Storm Troopers and crowds had been at it since 7 p.m. when Mattie had left the Hotel Adlon and joined the happy hordes mobbing the sidewalks as the SA marched down the streets. It had taken her twice as long as usual to reach the Tiergarten.
Michael McMenamin and Patrick McMenamin are the co-authors of the award winning 1930s era “Winston Churchill Thriller” series. The first three novels in the series—The DeValera Deception, The Parsifal Pursuit, and The Gemini Agenda—received a total of 14 literary awards. The Berghof Betrayal is their fourth Winston Churchill Thriller and they are currently at work on their fifth, The Silver Mosaic. Both Michael and Patrick have travelled extensively in Europe, South America, Central America and Asia while Patrick has also travelled in the Middle East and Africa.
Michael is the author of the critically acclaimed Becoming Winston Churchill, The Untold Story of Young Winston and His American Mentor [Hardcover, Greenwood 2007; Paperback, Enigma 2009] and co-author of Milking the Public, Political Scandals of the Dairy Lobby from LBJ to Jimmy Carter [Nelson Hall, 1980]. He is an editorial board member of Finest Hour, the quarterly journal of the Churchill Centre and Museum in London and a contributing editor for the libertarian magazine Reason. His work has also appeared in The Churchills in Ireland, 1660-1965, Corrections and Controversies [Irish Academic Press, 2012] as well as two Reason anthologies, Free Minds & Free Markets, Twenty Five Years of Reason [Pacific Research Institute, 1993] and Choice, the Best of Reason [BenBella Books, 2004]. He was formerly a first amendment and media defense lawyer and a U.S. Army counter-intelligence agent.
Patrick, the other half of the father-son writing team, is an award-winning journalist who has produced stories for HuffPost Live, ABC News, and Fox News He is a Phi Beta Kappa cum laude graduate of the University of Rochester with Departmental Honors in both 20th Century European history and Film Studies.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/289295.Michael_McMenamin
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3519005.Patrick_McMenamin
https://www.amazon.com/Michael-McMenamin/e/B001JP3N9K
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