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Deal With the Devil #1

Deal With the Devil, Part One

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Wehrmacht Major Faust has a dangerous secret: he likes England. But it’s May 1940 and his Panzers are blasting the British Army off Dunkirk’s beach, so he keeps his mouth shut even though it hurts. When the Waffen SS try to murder their English prisoners of war, Faust helps the POWs escape. Now it’s treason, with his neck on the line.

Then a friend gets him drunk, straps him into a parachute, and throws him out over Oxford during a bombing run. He’s quickly caught. Because he helped type the battle plan for the invasion of England, Faust cannot allow himself to be broken in interrogation. Two German armies depend on it. But every time he escapes, someone rapes and murders a woman and the English are looking for someone to hang. He’s risking disaster if he stays, someone else’s life if he runs, and execution by the Gestapo if he makes it home.

Major Stoner, professor turned British intelligence officer, sees three possibilities. Faust perhaps was joyriding in that bomber, as he claims. Or he’s on a reconnaissance mission for the German invasion. Or he’s a spy. Stoner must break Faust to learn the truth, no matter how it strains his old heart. He must save England, and his granddaughter.

Their battlefield is confined to a desktop. Only one of them can win. Someone must break. Someone must make a Deal with the Devil.

286 pages, Nook

First published January 1, 2011

1 person is currently reading
85 people want to read

About the author

J. Gunnar Grey

27 books51 followers
Hi, I’m Gunnar Grey. I write books. I’m a historian, political junkie, target shooter, and retired adventurer and equestrian. I read avidly and post reviews or at least ratings for most of the books I read. Occasionally my poor husband surfaces from beneath a pile of paperbacks, gasping for air… but I shouldn’t bore you with personal issues.

I live in Humble, Texas, just north of Houston, with four parakeets, the aforementioned husband (who’s even more entertaining than the birds), an orange betta fish with no manners, a fig tree, the lawn from the bad place, three armloads of potted plants, and a coffee maker that’s likely the most important item we own.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Inga.
265 reviews50 followers
August 6, 2011
My review:

I decided to combine the reviews of Deal with the Devil Part One and Part Two because they belong together, it is the same story. Besides that I could read part Two right after part One. Deal with the Devil is a very well written historical novel. J. Gunnar Grey did an excellent work with both books and I have to admit that it is one of the most interesting experiences I have had lately with reading historical novels. Well done! It was written with such a gracious attention on the details and it made the reading experience like watching the best historical movie ever. J. Gunnar Grey was able to create clear picture and vision of the world she wanted reader to see and experience.

Regarding the plot:

J. Gunnar Grey created a setting which takes place during the Second World War where two very different persons meet and collide. One of them is a German who is getting caught in England and who likes England and an Englishman who needs to get secret war plans out of his German counterpart. The “game” between them is serious, but very beautiful for the reader; it is a game of minds. Besides that there is a murder mystery where it would be very easy to blame “the enemy” – the German major Faust. The plot is not just a description of a war where there are good sides and bad sides; it shows that people are just humans and no more. J. Gunnar Grey has succeeded to have so many layers in the book, so it is fascinating!

Regarding the characters:

The devil is in the detail is said and J. Gunnar Grey is an artist painting the details of the characters with many different colors. Characters had depths, wittiness, they were smart, and they all had likable and dislikable characteristics, no character was perfect and I loved that! It was just beautiful read!

Generally:

As you can already understand, I loved this book! Even if you are not the biggest fan of historical novels, I would highly recommend reading it. You are guaranteed to have an experience of a superb writing.

5 stars out of 5.




I would like to thank J. Gunnar Grey for providing me with both books.

Profile Image for Laura Mcquillen.
37 reviews2 followers
January 6, 2012
If you were to come into my house and look at my bookshelves, you would find exactly one historical fiction. It's one that I bought as a teenager because it was based on the true life story of a young girl kidnapped by Comanche Indians in the 1800's and adopted into their tribe. Needless to say that historical fiction, even though I love history, doesn't seem to be a genre that I typically read. And the world war two era...even less so. You will find nothing from that era on my bookshelves. If I'm being honest, I was actually dreading reading these books a little. I didn't think they would hold my interest. Boy, was I ever wrong!

Faust, the captured German soldier, must run the gambit between not committing treason and giving the British enough to save his own neck from being stretched during the interrogation sessions he has with Major Stoner. The problem is, he happens to like the British. He likes England, their customs, their refinement and, in particular, he likes his interrogator and his oldest granddaughter.

He is wounded and not dealing with a completely clear head. He is afraid that he is going to slip up, or maybe that he already has. After convincing himself that he is required to at least attempt escape, he takes his every opportunity to do so. That opens the door to other problems presenting themselves. Each time he attempts escape, he not only re-injures himself, but a young girl is also brutally murdered. Naturally, he is the prime suspect. And the first victim is someone close to the situation, making his predicament that much more precarious than it already was.

The amount of research that had to go into this novel astounds me. It's easy to tell just by reading it how well researched it is, even without your own knowledge of the era. The knowledge accumulated, and passed on, is simply amazing. The twists and turns in the plot are well thought out and well executed. The head games the two lead characters play with each other is fun to follow but also enough to make you stop and think. You can never be completely sure if the word play is based on animosity, respect, a means to an end for their country or the fact that they genuinely like each other and are enjoying, just a little bit, being pitted against one another. And usually, you're left trying to keep up and figure things out yourself. It definitely keeps you guessing.

For most people, thoughts of World War II engenders thoughts of Nazi's and concentration camps. This is not so with this book. Obviously, these things are going to be mentioned but it's not at all what you might imagine. Then, just as you are deeply engrossed in the story...it ends! Luckily for us, part two is already out so you won't have to wait to see what happens.

Part puzzle, part head game, part mystery and part suspense, this book kept me entertained for hours. I love puzzles. Definitely an author that is going on my "must read" list. I loved it and immediately started reading part two.
Profile Image for Lindsay Downs.
Author 49 books32 followers
May 13, 2011
Deal with the Devil
For a German shot down over England during the blitz you’d think he’d be sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. Unless, this individual is not only a major but with the Wehrmacht, not the Luftwaffe. Then, as is learned quickly he’s familiar with the area he parachuted into. Before the war he’d attended university nearby. All this makes the Brits think and treat him as a spy.
J. Gunner Grey has weaved a perfect story fraught with intrigue, mystery and suspense. Then add a touch of romance, not that either party would admit it, and you’ve got a story guaranteed to keep you glued to your eReader.
As you follow Faust, the German major, through the mansion Gunner puts you in his steps. You clearly see his new world through his eyes. The colors and textures of the walls and furniture. She has a way of painting a picture for you so vivid you’d think you were actually there.
Then add the dialogue. The British officers sounding like British officers. Soldiers speak as they would depending on their educational level and rank. Even the commanding officer of the post, Stoner, a retired professor reactivated for the war, sounds just like you’d imagine a stuffy professor of the time would.
Effortlessly Gunner interjects common British words and phrases, to the point you think the book might have been written sixty to seventy years ago. Before any Americanization of the British language.
As you watch Stoner interrogates Faust the subtleness used draws you, the reader, deeper into the developing relationship between the two. Only to see the rapport destroyed when first one body then another is found. The victims and how they die immediately will start you reviewing, pondering and analyzing all the characters you’ve met. Could they have been killed by someone from the mansion? A soldier or civilian. Or, could the murderer be someone from the village, as yet unmet?
Another question you have to ask, will Stoner break Faust and get him to confess? To being a spy or just at the wrong place at the wrong time. And how will Clarke’s involvement play out in the end.
So many questions to answer. So many questions to ask. But, folks we’ll have to wait until this summer to find out all the answers when Part 2 is released.
I’m giving Deal With The Devil 4 out of 5 collies only because I have to wait for the conclusion.
Profile Image for Meg - A Bookish Affair.
2,484 reviews221 followers
October 15, 2013
If I could categorize this book, I'd call it part chase story and part psychological study. The Brits are constantly chasing Faust through this book. He's an enigma. He's a Nazi but doesn't seem all that dangerous. He's accused of possibly murdering Stoner's granddaughter but on the other hand seems more than willing to protect his captors.

The premise is definitely interesting. With one of the main characters being a Nazi in WWII England and you know you have a riveting story. It's interesting that Faust had such a love for England. The story goes into a little bit about what draws him to England but I'd like to know a little bit more about how he came to be in the German Army. Was it a sense of duty to country? Was it self-preservation? Because Faust helped British POWs escape, he can't go back to his home country. Because he's a Nazi, he's not welcome in England. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place truly.


Stoner is also another interesting character. He's seen a lot and is walking the line between sense of duty as a intel officer and trying to get revenge for or at least figure out who caused his granddaughter's death. It's almost as if he can sense some good in Faust and truly wants to figure him out before condemning him to punishment.


It did take me a little while to get into this book admittedly but once I got into it, I was way into it and flew through the pages. This is not the usual historical fiction that I would normally read but it was a great book to bring on the plane with me; definitely a good thriller that will keep you reading. This book keeps you reading and the ending adds new meaning to the term cliffhanger (luckily I have part two queued up for reading soon).
Profile Image for Adam.
20 reviews1 follower
October 25, 2012
Graduating from college with a degree in history is I guess the most obvious way to tell that I enjoy history. To say you enjoy history offers a pretty broad spectrum of things to like. The World War II period has always been my favorite period to study/read/learn about which was one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to review Deal with the Devil. Written by J. Gunnar Grey, it details espionage, loyalties, and the difference between right and wrong in Europe in World War II. While reading this novel, the reader’s eyes are opened to question of doing what is perceived to be right versus what is actually the right thing to do.
Major Faust is a high-ranking officer in the German army during the start of World War II. After spending some time in England while achieving his college degree from Oxford, Faust found that he liked Britain as well. He tended to believe in British ideology more than the propaganda of Nazi Germany. After allowing some British soldiers to escape from German control, a friend gets Major Faust drunk and throws him over into England near Oxford. There he is captured by Major Stone, a retired general of the British army and his granddaughter Jennifer, whom Faust has an immediate connection with. He must not crack under interrogation as he was one of the architects of a detailed plan to invade England drafted by the German army. He attempts to escape, but during his attempt a local woman is brutally murdered, and he is captured again and made the lead suspect. Thrown into this classic whodunit is a story of loyalty, with twist and turns around every corner.


Read my full review at http://lifeand100books.com/2012/05/03...

Profile Image for Meg Mims.
Author 22 books115 followers
October 14, 2014
I love history.

What's not to like about a premise like this, when a German soldier is captured in England during World War II? The details in this book are spot on, the characters fascinating--major (heh heh, forgive the pun) and minor--with plenty of emotion and tension between the protagonist, German prisoner Major Faust, and a retired but brought back to serve Englishman, Major Stoner. The suspense is well crafted and I didn't want to stop reading. The romance takes a while to ignite, given the heroine Jennifer's grief over her murdered sister. When a second murder occurs, and both killings have occurred when Faust is "on the loose" -- well, I've got my list of suspects.

The best part of Grey's writing are the wonderful, evocative setting descriptions - not overdone, just right, giving the reader the sense of being there. Next is her deft handling of Point of View, where characters take part in the search for the escaped Faust, and stumble upon the murder scenes. This is a wonderful historical novel for any history buff. The settings are realistic along with the characters' actions, and the tension is ratcheted up with wonderful action scenes.

This is one DEVIL of a read. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Sandra Nachlinger.
Author 2 books49 followers
May 26, 2011
This book kept me up at night! I usually read women's fiction, so this tale of a German army officer, set in 1940s England in the middle of World War II, isn't my usual choice of genre, but it turned out to be one of the best books I've read in a long time.

Other reviewers have given an overview of the plot, so I won't repeat those details. I'll just say that Grey's skillful writing brought the characters to life and put them in situations that kept me turning the page. I'm counting the days until the release of Part Two.
Profile Image for Nell.
Author 31 books177 followers
February 5, 2012
Be warned - you need to read part two as well as part one.
This isn't my usual reading fare. It's a taut psychological war of nerves in a World war II game of cat and mouse. Beautifully written with many subtle layers, from the name of the protagonist to the references used in the language. Any historian, fan of suspense or world war II buff would love this book. The story grips right from the very beginning.
Profile Image for Elaine Cantrell.
Author 22 books274 followers
December 18, 2011
Look out Clive Cussler. Her action scenes are super, and her characters are anything but stereotyped. If you like World War II you'll like this.
Profile Image for Blodeuedd Finland.
3,676 reviews310 followers
September 21, 2011
“Deal With the Devil” is a historical murder mystery, set during the World War II. Hans-Joachim Faust, a German, finds himself in trouble. He wakes up in the night, not knowing where he is and what’s happened. Soon he realizes that he has fallen out of a plane with his parachute and is currently somewhere in England. But why is he in England and how will he find the way back to Germany? He finds his way to a farm, but unfortunately he is pretty soon captured and brought into custody. What he doesn’t know is that a young woman from the farm is missing and he is obviously a suspect.

Things only get worse for Faust when he learns that the missing girl is found dead. He is now a suspect in a murder case. And that’s not all. Stoner and the other investigators at Margeaux Hall also suspects he might be a spy. Faust does not do much to clear his name by running away several times from the people who is supposed to guard him. The freedom is short lived, as he always finds himself back at Margeaux Hall, back in his cell.

When the second young woman is found dead, the Scotland Yard joins to investigate. Could it be that Faust is innocent? Stoner certainly doesn’t think so. But Stoner might be wrong. Arnussen and Hackney from the Scotland Yard more and more starts to suspect that it is one of the investigators that is the killer. The question is whether Scotland Yard is on the right track or if they need to look somewhere else for the killer.

The book was released in two parts, with the second part being a bit shorter than the first part. The second part begins where the first part ends, with no summary. This means you have to read part 1 in order to understand what is going on in part 2. Personally I don’t really understand the need in separating the two parts. Why not release the story as one book?

J. Gunnar Grey writes novels that are mysterious, adventurous and romantically suspenseful, as stated in the “About the Author” section of the book. “Deal With the Devil”
is certainly mysterious and adventurous, with a little bit of romance. She has a degree (MA) in Writing Popular Fiction. She has been a secretary, a legal assistant, a Starfleet lieutenant commander, a stable manager, among other things. She uses the knowledge she has gained from being all those things, in the book.

I liked the second part of the book better than the first part. It took me a while to get into the story and to understand it. The end is really full of action, which is quite good. I do recommend the book for those who like historical murder mysteries.
Profile Image for Joanna.
460 reviews59 followers
January 11, 2012
If u don't want to spent money and buy the second part than don't start reading this book ! The story just cuts in the middle of it ....and it say ..."to be continued "...what kind of thing is that ???? Over all the book is ok....nothing that you will stay late at night.So now I have to buy the second part to it otherwise I wasted all this time reading the first one.
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