Book Title: The Ghost by Henry Kellerman
Category: Adult Fiction, 266 pages
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller, Historical Fiction
I received a copy of this book from the author or publisher. All opinions are my own.
I received a copy of this book from the author or publisher. All opinions are my own.
About the Book
Assassinations, a love story, a kidnapping, and many twists and turns characterizes this riveting novel of historical fiction, circa 1958, thirteen years post World War II.
Events are uncovered where The Ghost, a powerful Vatican Bishop, is sending assassins to retrieve a secret tailpiece – a hidden extension of the 1942 Wannsee Conference Papers that underpinned the Holocaust against Jews. Only two copies of this tailpiece remain where names of thousands of high level Nazis such as Eichmann and Mengele are listed along with their future destinations – should Germany lose the war.
At the same time, New York City detectives working with British M16 secret service, and Israeli Mossad agents, get Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal and his group, (including an Israeli sanctioned killer) involved in order to find and send the crucial coded microfilm to England’s renowned decryption center. Now, in 1958, these Jewish Nazi hunters will not forgive and not forget.
This story is newsworthy testimony regarding the villains who are actual historical figures and are named. Fitting it all together (as in the screenplay based on the story titled: “We Will Find You,”) is the avenging drama of the novel.
My Review
The Ghost offers a complex story for historical mystery fans. The Ghost offers up a number of fictional characters, historical figures and an intricate international conspiracy as the novel's mystery is uncovered. Readers should expect to pay attention as characters, relationships and the history involved in the plot are revealed--as it is easy to "lose" a character or miss the context of a meeting or scene. I will admit, it took five or six chapters for me to settle into the story and begin to process the plot as it grew and twisted. Once I understood the backstory, adapted to the author's writing style and sorted out the characters in my mind, I was able to add the new characters and twists as the adventure grew. I do think readers should truly enjoy WWII history as an understanding and connection to the time period adds significance to the storyline.
The Ghost combines fact and fiction--with an assortment of characters. The author does a nice job pulling in real historical figures and events into his fictional story. Having said that, I still found some of the novel's storyline less than realistic--even for fiction. Some of the pieces fell into place far too quickly and easily and some of the characters seemed to have roles that just didn't fit their personalities or place in the story. Additionally, I didn't find myself connecting with any of the characters. They were developed in a very straightforward, emotionless manner that really made many of them seem like the same person.
Would I recommend The Ghost by Henry Kellerman? Parts of the novel seemed a bit flat for me--giving me pages and pages of facts and information without much direct character involvement or interaction. While this writing style was difficult for me at first, I really did develop an interest in the plot and the outcome. The novel's storyline is detailed, well-researched and well-developed. I think it is well done for fans of history's mysteries and international thrillers and will hold reader interest through to the end.
To read more reviews, please visit Henry Kellerman's page on iRead Book Tours.
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Meet the Author:
Dr. Henry Kellerman, psychologist/psychoanalyst/author, is a practitioner in New York City. His more than 50 years of treating individuals with a host of humanity's psychological/emotional struggles as well as his more than 30 books published, is testament to his virtuosity AND SKILL in the telling of compelling stories.
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