Summary:
Why did Hitler chose not to invade England when he had the chance?
Europe, 1940: It’s late summer and Belgium has been overrun by the German army. Posing as a friar, a British operative talks his way into the monastery at Villers-devant-Orval just before Nazi art thieves plan to sweep through the area and whisk everything of value back to Berlin. But the ersatz man of the cloth is no thief. Instead, that night he adds an old leather Bible to the monastery’s library and then escapes.
London, 2017: A construction worker operating a backhoe makes a grisly discovery—a skeletal arm-bone with a rusty handcuff attached to the wrist. Was this the site, as a BBC newsreader speculates, of “a long-forgotten prison, uncharted on any map?” One viewer knows better: it’s all that remains of a courier who died in a V-2 rocket attack. The woman who will put these two disparate events together—and understand the looming tragedy she must hurry to prevent—is Russian historian and former Soviet chess champion Larissa Mendelovg Klimt, “Lara the Bookworm,” to her friends. She’s also experiencing some woeful marital troubles.
In the course of this riveting thriller, Lara will learn the significance of six musty Dictaphone cylinders recorded after D-Day by Noel Coward—actor, playwright and, secretly, a British agent reporting directly to Winston Churchill.
My Thoughts:
This is a great story filled with current politics, history and expertly woven conspiracy theories. I am the first to admit that I hate politics but I do enjoy history so as one comes with the other, I will deal with politics to learn more about history.
At times, I was lost with all the political scheming, but Mr. Silver did a pretty good job of explaining things within the story without inserting school-type lectures into it. I did find myself skimming a bit just to get to the action though. Without a spoiling anything I will say that the ending was a good wrap up but a few bits were not necessary.
Some of the political figures are not-so-vaguely based on real life people and while I get it for the purpose of the story, it was slightly annoying. I liked the main character of Lara and her brother, Lev. Both were good people you could root for and who doesn't want The Bookworm to come out on top AND save the world? :) 3/5 stars
Author's site: http://www.mitchsilverbooks.com/
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