- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks; New Ed edition (4 Jan 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340649658
- ISBN-13: 978-0340649657
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 11.2 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 287,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
'Totally absorbing. Fast-paced, ingenious . . . will be treasured for generations.' (Nelson DeMille )
'A thriller that really thrills . . . on fire with suspense' (Stephen King )
'This stunning, horrifying, mesmerizing novel will keep readers transfixed from beginning to end. A remarkable story from a remarkable writer.' (Booklist )
'A thriller that really thrills . . . on fire with suspense' (Stephen King )
'This stunning, horrifying, mesmerizing novel will keep readers transfixed from beginning to end. A remarkable story from a remarkable writer.' (Booklist )
Product Description
In January 1944, four people hold the fate of the world in their hands. They are not statesmen or generals, but an American doctor, a German nurse, a Zionist killer, and a young Jewish widow. These four are brought together in a place almost beyond imagination: a small SS-run concentration camp harbouring a weapon so lethal that it could wipe out an entire D-Day invasion force. What they are forced to do in the name of victory – and survival – shows with terrible clarity that in a world where all is at stake, war can have no rules . . .
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I would probably not have read this book as soon as I learned it was set in WWII as I'm not a fan of historical based fiction. But, assured of a riveting read by herself, I endured. It begins at an average pace, as a tale beign told by an elderly man, and while it describes some unlikely situations (including encounters by our main characters with v senior government personnel), as soon as the plot switches to Nazi occupied Germany, it absolutely takes off. And doesn't let up. I loved how convincingly Iles paints the images of the nazi concentration camp and surrounding areas and creates villains and heroes which you can easily appreciate in your mind's eye. The plot is gripping, well researched and fantastically imagined and you will quickly forget the fact it is set during the 2nd world war as it has the pop and whizz of any modern day thriller. I assure you, you will not put this book down once you begin.
Format:Paperback
This is without doubt one of greg iles finest books,it grips you from the very beginning right up to the very end.Set near the latter part of the second world war you get all your baddies and good guys, and a totally riveting storyline.The characters can be a bit bland but overall its still a good read,hence only four stars.So go out and buy it.
Format:Paperback
The subject matter is horrific but written with enough candour and sensitivity to capture the horrors and the minute hope of the Nazi Concentration Camp(s) in WWII.
You felt that much of the historical background was an an accurate portrayal of these horrifying events, which made the story more chilling.
He also did a commendable job in both portraying the different factions (Jew, Nazi, British, American) and captured the story in hand about Nazi Germany in WWII without ever being too gruesome or cloying.
Without giving too much away about the story it is told to us by a Rabbi, who describes the story to the son of the principal character.
The Rabbi tells the son that he must tell him the entire story, otherwise the end would not be believable.
The essence of the plot concerns persuading a German/Jew and an American Doctor/Scientist to join together to stop a Nazi poison gas attack against the D-Day Allied troops.
Their mission is to spread poison gas and kill all the prisoners of a concentration camp where the Germans were getting ready to give their high command, including Himmler no less, a demonstration of how effective nerve gas can be.
If successful and Hitler buys its effectiveness it is believed that he would sanction its use at the D-Day Landings.
You get to "meet" Winston Churchil early on and he intuitively fears the posibility that the Germans will use poison gas on the invasion of Normandy Beach and he mastermands this elite force to combat this threat.
The book details how lethal the nerve gases the Germans have developed such as Soman and Sarin which, BTW, was classsed as a "weapon of mass destruction".
The insidious nature of nerves gases, such as these, which are odourless and fast acting are absolutely horrific.
I'm a great fan of Greg Iles and have read most of his books but in the wrong order.
Not that it matters that much but this is very different to his later works which proves his versatility.
Whilst I thought it was an extremely good book I found the characters a bit one-dimensional and whilst I should have really engaged with them 100% found it difficult at times to do so.
It also got bogged towards the end and was somewhat confusing.
You felt that much of the historical background was an an accurate portrayal of these horrifying events, which made the story more chilling.
He also did a commendable job in both portraying the different factions (Jew, Nazi, British, American) and captured the story in hand about Nazi Germany in WWII without ever being too gruesome or cloying.
Without giving too much away about the story it is told to us by a Rabbi, who describes the story to the son of the principal character.
The Rabbi tells the son that he must tell him the entire story, otherwise the end would not be believable.
The essence of the plot concerns persuading a German/Jew and an American Doctor/Scientist to join together to stop a Nazi poison gas attack against the D-Day Allied troops.
Their mission is to spread poison gas and kill all the prisoners of a concentration camp where the Germans were getting ready to give their high command, including Himmler no less, a demonstration of how effective nerve gas can be.
If successful and Hitler buys its effectiveness it is believed that he would sanction its use at the D-Day Landings.
You get to "meet" Winston Churchil early on and he intuitively fears the posibility that the Germans will use poison gas on the invasion of Normandy Beach and he mastermands this elite force to combat this threat.
The book details how lethal the nerve gases the Germans have developed such as Soman and Sarin which, BTW, was classsed as a "weapon of mass destruction".
The insidious nature of nerves gases, such as these, which are odourless and fast acting are absolutely horrific.
I'm a great fan of Greg Iles and have read most of his books but in the wrong order.
Not that it matters that much but this is very different to his later works which proves his versatility.
Whilst I thought it was an extremely good book I found the characters a bit one-dimensional and whilst I should have really engaged with them 100% found it difficult at times to do so.
It also got bogged towards the end and was somewhat confusing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fiction meets non-fiction?
This is the first book by Mr Isles that I have picked up and more than likely my last. For a while I thought I was onto a winner but very quickly was disappointed to find that I... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Wibblah
Somewhat confusing - and too coincidental
This is a well-written book set in the middle of the Second World War and involves Nazi experiments with poison gas and other atrocities perpetrated against the Jewish people. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Peter Smith
Good Premise and Pacing Undone by Flat Characters
I usually avoid schlocky thrillers, but have a weakness for those that are WWII-related, and so I picked this one up. Read more
Published on 16 Dec 2007 by A. Ross
Thrilling pace but filled with cliches
I bought this book as I had read and enjoyed Deep Sleep by the same author which is an excellent thriller, unfortunately, this was not a wise choice as I was very disappointed by... Read more
Published on 13 Sep 2004 by Elizabeth Taylor
An amazing roller coaster of a book
This book had me hooked from the first page. The story is amazing, heartfelt, heartbreaking. The characters are wonderful and interact beautifully. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2003 by E. Mumford
A one-off classic
Authentic and gripping, this is a peerless thriller, exploring the savagery of war, and peering into the horror of the Holocaust. Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2003 by Mr. Warren M. Fisher
Could not put this down
I bought this as a holiday book, and it ruined the first few days of my holiday because I could not put it down! Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2003 by D. J. Burton
Great research and imagination puts this book among the best
I have read this book 5 times and it still manages to take my breath away. The way Greg takes fiction and combines it with true facts is outstanding and makes it a marker for any... Read more
Published on 7 May 2000
Excellent
I'm not a great book reader and often find it difficult to get into a book. I though Black Cross was nailbiting and whenever I put the book down I couldn't wait until the next... Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2000
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