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Garden Of Beasts (2004)
Paul Schumann, a German-American living in New York City in 1936, is a mobster hit man known equally for his brilliant tactics and for taking only "righteous" jobs. But when a hit goes wrong and Schumann
is nabbed, he's offered a stark choice: kill Reinhard Ernst, the man behind Hitler's rearmament scheme, and walk free forever—or be sent to Sing-Sing and the electric chair.
The instant Paul sets
foot in Berlin his mission becomes a deadly cat-and-mouse chase, with danger and betrayal lurking at every turn. For the next forty-eight hours, as the city prepares for the coming summer Olympics,
Schumann stalks Ernst, while a dogged criminal police officer and the entire Third Reich security apparatus search frantically for the American. Packed with fascinating period detail and featuring a cast
of perfectly realized local characters, Olympic athletes, and senior Nazi officials—some real, some fictional—Garden of Beasts dishes up breathtaking action, a wrenching look at Nazi-era Berlin, and a series of stunning plot twists. It is classic Deaver. (And there is also a slight Lincoln Rhyme connection for the discerning reader to find.)
Garden Of Beasts won the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, awarded by the Crime Writers Association Of Great Britain. This dagger award is for
the best adventure/thriller novel in the vein of James Bond.
Garden Of Beasts is available in paperback in the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is also available as an audiobook and an eBook.
Reviews:
"Deaver fans expect the unexpected from this prodigiously talented thriller writer, and the creator of the Lincoln Rhyme series and other memorable yarns (The Blue Nowhere,
etc.) doesn't disappoint with his 19th novel, this time offering a deliciously twisty tale set in Nazi Berlin. Deaver weaves three manhunts -- Paul after his target, Kohl after Paul, and the Nazi
hierarchy after Paul -- with a deft hand, bringing to frightening life the Berlin of 1936, a city on the brink of madness. Top Nazis, including Hitler, Himmler and Goring, make colorful cameos, but it's
the smart, shaded-gray characterizations of the principals that anchor the exciting plot. An affecting love affair goes in surprising directions, as do the main plot lines, which move outside Berlin as
heroes become villains and vice versa. This is prime Deaver, which means prime entertainment." — Publishers Weekly starred review
"World War I veteran Paul Schumann is a hit man with
a conscience—he kills only bad guys. But then he is arrested, and the Office of Naval Intelligence makes him an offer: go to jail or go to Germany disguised as an Olympic athlete and kill a ranking Nazi.
If he succeeds, he will be both forgiven and rich; if he fails, he'll be dead. Taking a break from his successful Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs thrillers, Deaver plays out an intriguing plot against the
ominous backdrop of Hitler's growing power. Incredibly, there are still many Germans in 1936 who don't feel that Hitler is either serious or will last very long. Denial runs strong, but even stronger is
the blanket of evil that is snuffing out dissent and freedom. Following Schumann through a multitude of twists, turns, and betrayals is exciting and helps illuminate the early days of the Third Reich.
Highly recommended." — Library Journal
"Although not known for historical fiction, Deaver takes the new genre in stride, subtly and plausibly working real people into the tale while delivering his signature sense of story, depth of
characterization, and sharply rendered dialogue. Readers looking for the author's usual startling plot twists will not be disappointed, either. Deaver's audience will be pleased with this one, but it
will be an equally big hit with fans of such Nazi-era thrillers as Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir trilogy or Robert Harris' Fatherland." — Booklist
"Deaver's novel, equal parts noir thriller and historical extrapolation, is a page-turner that offers a twisting visceral experience of the tension in Berlin during that fateful summer." — Amazon.com Editorial Review
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