The Berlin Deception (ages 17 and up)

To all the fans of the renowned highly intelligent author Agatha Christie I would suggest "The Berlin Deception" it has the audience unable to trust anyone and it contains so many unpredictable twists that always end in misfortune for our protagonists. Though, unlike my dear Agatha, it has more strong antagonists that make the reader so hopelessly wanting them to suffer for their actions. This espionage thriller is also intertwined with love, tragedy, and mystery that creates a very good book.

Well paced and easy to read. Entertaining pre-WWII spy thriller goes by quickly and brings a satisfying but predictable conclusion. Despite the formula approach (with a twist or two, I enjoyed this novel.

Sometimes one less twist is more. The story and its characters are forced into a series of unbelievable crescendos. We need even in this genre an element of believability unless the hero is James Bond

Great fictional look I to Hitler's Germant before the war. Shows the fanaticism of the nazi party during its rise to power. Great read with twists and turns in every chapter! Would highly recommend to anyone who likes historical fiction.

Good story blending history and fiction, will read another of Vanke,s books and I hope with new characters enjoyed both the history and the fiction blending together, blended with interesting characters.

Very good spy story, lots of action and perilous adventures, and furthermore, some great and well-personalized characters. Johannes Becker is heroically described as he pursues his difficult mission that takes place during the historical inferno shaping up under the Nazi regime and a heavy and cold winter.

Knowing the history of Hitlers rise to power in Germany made this book, though fiction, seem thoroughly believable. The only thing that wasn't was the hero and heroines constant escape from the Gestapo. Although I'm sure the Gestapo had some inefficient officers. I enjoyed this book tremendously and look forward to more of Beckers exploits.

This is a truly captivating story from inside Hitler's Germany and the WWII buildup. The characters are vivid and most of the action appears quite realistic. The story deserves four and a half stars, the half star deducted for a couple, especially the last, sections of the book being a bit too far-fetched. Great read.

Move over Jason Bourne, 007 and Indiana Jones as Johnnes Becker has arrived on the scene. This novel captures your interest on page one and never gives up. Set in the period of the birth of Nazi Germany, Becker, a British spy, is given an assignment that will provide Churchill with information critical to Great Britain's decision to enter into a war with Germany. The twists and turns in this book are many and varied and the reader is kept on edge until the very last page. Well researched and expertyly written, The Berlin Deception is a MUST read.