Mik lives in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, but travels the length and breadth of the UK as a Project Manager. He's a long-time crime fiction fan, with bookshelves groaning under the weight of signed copies from some of the greats of the genre. He's also a reviewer, and an aspiring crime writer, with hopes of joining his literary heroes on a shelf near you in the not too distant future.
This is the first in a trilogy of books and at just over 800 pages long I thought I’d be reading this for quite some time. However, this was not the case. I absolutely gorged on 800 pages of some of the most compelling, tense and captivating writing I have come across.
Set in Kiel in 1933 just as Hitler and his National Socialist Party were coming into power the book focuses on 2 families. The Kastners – a strong military family who are hugely influential and the Nussbaums their second-generation domestic staff. The relationship between the families is a lot closer than most and they treat each other as if they were genuinely related. You can feel the affection they hold for each other. As Hitler gains more power the future looks great for the Kastners as their influence grows but there is one exception. The Nussbaums are a Jewish family. The book dives into the devastating effect the Nazi’s ideology had at the time. The Kastners family is torn apart as they struggle to contain their devotion to their country and abide by its laws and their love and respect for the Nussbaums. As the cruel and horrific polices are implemented the Kastners are desperate to get the Nussbaums to safety.
Alan Jones has clearly done a vast amount of research and has really bought this dark period of history to life. The attention to detail is absolutely incredible. There are supporting maps to help readers understand the geography which can become quite confusing. The sheer time and effort to produce this is an achievement in itself but the end result is testament to the dedication the author has shown. With the benefit of hindsight, I knew the horrible path that would be taken and this really added to the tension and pulled at all my emotions. Alan cleverly starts with the German people showing signs of discontent and how Hitler manipulated this and pulled the people into the horrendous treatment of anyone that didn’t fit in with his ideals. I don’t remember many times I have sat wide eyed and sweating when reading but I couldn’t help myself. The story flows along at a really good pace and the character development is impeccable - I really felt I was on this journey with them. To create such an epic portrayal of one of the darkest periods in history is a hell of an achievement and I cannot wait for the next instalment.
