Hitler’s Secret
Tom Wilde, American professor resident in Cambridge, UK, occasional secret agent and despiser of all things Nazi, now appears in this, the fourth novel of his adventures.
The first book featuring this character is Corpus (HNR 80), if readers would like to start at the beginning, although all of them can be read as standalones. So to plot: Wilde is requisitioned by an American intelligence agent to collect a mysterious package from Germany. Of course, in wartime (1941), this mission is not as straightforward as it seems. This object he must get hold of and bring back to England turns out to be quite a surprise. Naturally, it is a dangerous secret and he must hide from ruthless killers sent by Hitler’s infamous right-hand man Bormann plus evade the more run-of-the-mill Nazis, Gestapo, et al.
It is a rollercoaster ride; Wilde and the reader are never sure who to trust or what will happen next. The book is based on a plausible idea and backed with research, and I found it to be exciting, well-written and full of twists and turns, U-boats, sudden deaths, torture and so on. The heroes are very heroic and the villains extremely villainous, but it’s a thriller that thrills. I for one can’t wait for more “Wilde” adventures. I could also imagine these novels being turned into entertaining films.
