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The First Trumpet #1
Herald Square
New York, September 1949. When Dennis Collins arrives at Madison Square Garden for the Friday night fights, he is on top of the world. His career as the man-about-town columnist of the New York Sentinel is on the upswing; his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers are contending for the pennant; and a lover who had jilted him years ago has unexpectedly agreed to drinks and dinner at the Stork Club. Collins is sure that his luck has turned for the better.
But at the Garden his closest childhood friend, Morris Rose, approaches him for help. Rose asks Collins to safeguard microfilmed documents that he says will prove his innocence in a State Department loyalty investigation. Out of friendship, Collins reluctantly agrees to hold the microfilm for a week.
When Rose disappears from the scene, and FBI agents begin asking hard questions, Collins must solve a puzzle that somehow involves his friend, a shadowy former OSS officer, and a beautiful refugee, Karina, with a troubled past.
When Collins discovers that both American and Soviet operatives desperately want the documents he is holding, he is drawn into a twilight struggle between intelligence agencies that will challenge his loyalties and test his courage.
Rich with historical detail, Herald Square tells a story of intrigue and deception, of ordinary people propelled into a dangerous, clandestine world where duplicity reigns and any misstep can have dire consequences.
But at the Garden his closest childhood friend, Morris Rose, approaches him for help. Rose asks Collins to safeguard microfilmed documents that he says will prove his innocence in a State Department loyalty investigation. Out of friendship, Collins reluctantly agrees to hold the microfilm for a week.
When Rose disappears from the scene, and FBI agents begin asking hard questions, Collins must solve a puzzle that somehow involves his friend, a shadowy former OSS officer, and a beautiful refugee, Karina, with a troubled past.
When Collins discovers that both American and Soviet operatives desperately want the documents he is holding, he is drawn into a twilight struggle between intelligence agencies that will challenge his loyalties and test his courage.
Rich with historical detail, Herald Square tells a story of intrigue and deception, of ordinary people propelled into a dangerous, clandestine world where duplicity reigns and any misstep can have dire consequences.
390 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2012
22 people are currently reading
1673 people want to read
About the author
Jefferson Flanders
14 books160 followersJefferson Flanders, a novelist, has been a sportswriter, columnist, editor, and publishing executive.
He is the author of CAFÉ CAROLINA AND OTHER STORIES, and the critically acclaimed First Trumpet trilogy of HERALD SQUARE, THE NORTH BUILDING, and THE HILL OF THREE BORDERS.
He is the author of CAFÉ CAROLINA AND OTHER STORIES, and the critically acclaimed First Trumpet trilogy of HERALD SQUARE, THE NORTH BUILDING, and THE HILL OF THREE BORDERS.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 14, 2014
This novel does an excellent job capturing the post World War 2 era of Cold War espionage. The writing is smooth and easy to read and of the highest professional standards. The character of the protagonist journalist Dennis Collins is fascinating. He is no cardboard character. He is flawed yet idealistic. He is comfortable with his middle class background in a local bar,yet seeks to reconnect with an old love with outings at the Stork Club where she is more at home. He fears governmental intrusion upon free speech and scare tactics against liberal leaning figures, yet he believes in the men who fought for freedom in the war and who he believes will in the end do the right thing in the name of justice.
This is a tricky war filled with deception and it is portrayed wonderfully by the author. The atmosphere he creates with references to Bogart and Bacall, the 1949 pennant races in both leagues, and other events of the day contribute to the feeling that you have been taken back in time. It is the beginning of a time when government operatives had to balance between individual justice and the greater good against a clandestine enemy that had invaded the upper levels of the country. While there were some slow moments, the book is solid and intriguing. The last 25% of the book is a pure page turner. It's hard to believe this is Mr. Flanders' first novel. I hope this is a series because i'll be reading his next effort. Well done
This is a tricky war filled with deception and it is portrayed wonderfully by the author. The atmosphere he creates with references to Bogart and Bacall, the 1949 pennant races in both leagues, and other events of the day contribute to the feeling that you have been taken back in time. It is the beginning of a time when government operatives had to balance between individual justice and the greater good against a clandestine enemy that had invaded the upper levels of the country. While there were some slow moments, the book is solid and intriguing. The last 25% of the book is a pure page turner. It's hard to believe this is Mr. Flanders' first novel. I hope this is a series because i'll be reading his next effort. Well done
May 23, 2017
A really good cold war era mystery/thriller. Good plot, good characters, good read! This is the first book in a trilogy.
June 15, 2014
I was skeptical when I decided to read this espionage novel, since so many awkward and inaccurate attempts by marginal authors litter the discard bin in my library. This book captivated my interest, with an air of historical accuracy & attention to detail typical of the period (post-WWII New York City). Collins is our protagonist, a former Golden Gloves boy who spent the last two years of the war as a correspondent in the Pacific Theater. It's 1949, and he's a column writer for a Big Apple daily newspaper, and sometimes he takes on serious topics. His former fiancee reappears in his life, she'd dumped him while he was covering the war to marry, but that lad gets himself killed. Then he re-encounters his long-time best friend and mentor, Morris, a mid-level Washington government bureaucrat. Morris asks him to hold a canister of film for him as a favor, and the plot thickens. Morris is involved with the Russians, in an era of "Cold War" purging of anyone with Communist sympathies from both government and business. A pretty immigrant woman enters the equation, leaving Collins with not one but two romantic interests. The conclusion is bittersweet, both as to the conspiracy to steal secrets from the government and as to Collins' romantic involvements. Wonderful peeks at life in the big city during the era, and a well-researched and realistic plot line regarding the cloak & dagger components. Unbiased look at how both governments sacrifice lives to promote ideologies. Hard to put down, 5 stars.
August 14, 2017
Extremely slow spy story with clunky dialogue. While the historical period seems well researched, the constant references to boxing and baseball matches (the "hero" is a newspaper sports writer and columnist) just dragged the plot out by about 100 pages longer than it needed. The real action doesn't kick in til the last 70 pages and I'd guessed the ending long before then. Sorry, but I just found this book boring.
June 5, 2015
Just finished a fine novel by Jefferson Flanders, Herald Square. Set in New York City in the late 1940's, the novel is about a newspaper reporter who receives a canister of film from a boyhood friend who is running from the FBI. He is told to hold it for one week. What a week that turns out to be. Filled with great intrigue, Russian spies, a CIA agent, a Polish mystery woman, it is a page turning thriller.
September 23, 2016
A historical mystery set in year 1950 with the main character a newspaperman, writing on the upcoming World Series race, who becomes inv0lved with the threat of Russian espionage (history repeats aka Putin). I would recommend this book especially enjoyed because I lived during this period.
May 22, 2018
Well now, this certainly was an enjoyable book. It combined cold war espionage and baseball to create a great first book of the series. Here we have a sports columnist who is unwittingly drawn into the world of Red Scares, loyalty oaths and espionage when he agrees to hold a film canister for a friend of his who works at the State Department. The canister contains film that is allegedly going to help clear the friend of suspicion of passing government secrets. Oops!
We have past loves, old friends, new loves, displaced persons from Europe after WW2, the Dodgers, the Yankees, the pennant races of 1949, and hosts more going on and it is blended very well to make this a fast paced page-turner of a book. This is the first book of the series and I like the use of the cold war, as well as having our protagonist being a sports columnist. So far there are 3 books in this series. And, for me, this one looks like a great series - lots of potential. Just like baseball, the author has made it to the big leagues, now lets see if he can remain there!
We have past loves, old friends, new loves, displaced persons from Europe after WW2, the Dodgers, the Yankees, the pennant races of 1949, and hosts more going on and it is blended very well to make this a fast paced page-turner of a book. This is the first book of the series and I like the use of the cold war, as well as having our protagonist being a sports columnist. So far there are 3 books in this series. And, for me, this one looks like a great series - lots of potential. Just like baseball, the author has made it to the big leagues, now lets see if he can remain there!
March 23, 2015
a good read
I particularly enjoyed the baseball references - although I am a Red Sox fan. The ending was real - not fairly tale. I enjoyed this book very much.
I particularly enjoyed the baseball references - although I am a Red Sox fan. The ending was real - not fairly tale. I enjoyed this book very much.
February 11, 2018
Top-notch thriller that takes you back to the sights and sounds of 1949 New York.
September 13, 2021
I received an electronic copy of this excellent historical novel by Jefferson Flanders, published by Monroe Hill Press, as a Goodreads Giveaway, on August 13, 2021. I have read Herald Square of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. The first of a series of novels under the subtitle of The First Trumpet, this work is completely stand-alone. The story is well defined, picturesque, and told with compassion. It is a series I will want to read in sequence.
We are in NYC, it is September of 1949, and we have the World Series. Our main protagonist, Dennis Collins, is a well-known and respected newspaper reporter covering, for the most part, - sports. If you love baseball you will enjoy the historical references as this was a Subway Series, if you could care less, the spy stuff will distract you from The Dodgers and Yankees. We are plunked down right in the middle of the Cold War. Personally, I found it all fascinating. This was a book hard to set aside to cook, and my crew is getting tired of sandwiches for supper. I keep telling them, you have to read this book!
You, too. Flanders writes a fine tale - my first exposure to his work was "An Interlude in Berlin" which I also adored. This series has been out for several years, so we can all read the series back to back. Lots of folks have already told you about the finer details, so I will just get on with book two. The North Building.
Reviewed on September 13, 2021, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, Kobo, and GooglePlay.
We are in NYC, it is September of 1949, and we have the World Series. Our main protagonist, Dennis Collins, is a well-known and respected newspaper reporter covering, for the most part, - sports. If you love baseball you will enjoy the historical references as this was a Subway Series, if you could care less, the spy stuff will distract you from The Dodgers and Yankees. We are plunked down right in the middle of the Cold War. Personally, I found it all fascinating. This was a book hard to set aside to cook, and my crew is getting tired of sandwiches for supper. I keep telling them, you have to read this book!
You, too. Flanders writes a fine tale - my first exposure to his work was "An Interlude in Berlin" which I also adored. This series has been out for several years, so we can all read the series back to back. Lots of folks have already told you about the finer details, so I will just get on with book two. The North Building.
Reviewed on September 13, 2021, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, Kobo, and GooglePlay.
July 12, 2018
I was going to start my review by saying that there was very little happening in the book, but then I realised such judgement was biassed by the trap of genre classification. What I mean is that I had started Herald Square under the expectation that it was meant to be a spy story and as such I thought there was very little spy stuff happening.
Then I have come to think this might be - to use journalism jargon, in honour of our protagonist - more of a human interest story, then you would appreciate there is a little more happening: there are friendship stories, love stories, journalism stories, baseball stories (way too many for my taste!), there is a nice description of the Red Scare era in the New York of the late 40's. And yes there is some spy story as well, light stuff (with some tradecraft flaws) but nice.
It must alo be recognised that the author does a good job with the little he has in hands to keep the tension up until the end which reserve a couple of surprising twists.
So if you are expecting a good classic, hard-boiled cold war spy thriller, then you are likely to be disappointed; if you can stay genre-neutral you might instead enjoy the smooth prose, the good character development, the nice backdrop ambience that makes the book quite readable despite a lightweight plot.
Then I have come to think this might be - to use journalism jargon, in honour of our protagonist - more of a human interest story, then you would appreciate there is a little more happening: there are friendship stories, love stories, journalism stories, baseball stories (way too many for my taste!), there is a nice description of the Red Scare era in the New York of the late 40's. And yes there is some spy story as well, light stuff (with some tradecraft flaws) but nice.
It must alo be recognised that the author does a good job with the little he has in hands to keep the tension up until the end which reserve a couple of surprising twists.
So if you are expecting a good classic, hard-boiled cold war spy thriller, then you are likely to be disappointed; if you can stay genre-neutral you might instead enjoy the smooth prose, the good character development, the nice backdrop ambience that makes the book quite readable despite a lightweight plot.
September 3, 2021
New York City late '40's Noir
Author Jefferson Flanders has a great setting for this novel of early Cold War intrigue. It has it all, the 1949 Baseball Pennant race, displaced immigrants, the hunt for Communist sympathizers in the US Government good guys, and guys and worse guys.ead this thriller for a real feel of Post WWII America. Not as nice as most want to believe.
Author Jefferson Flanders has a great setting for this novel of early Cold War intrigue. It has it all, the 1949 Baseball Pennant race, displaced immigrants, the hunt for Communist sympathizers in the US Government good guys, and guys and worse guys.ead this thriller for a real feel of Post WWII America. Not as nice as most want to believe.
August 28, 2021
great book
August 22, 2022
HERALD SQUARE
Very good 1949 New York City slow burn Red Scare thriller. Excellent ground level feel of time and place.
Very good 1949 New York City slow burn Red Scare thriller. Excellent ground level feel of time and place.
September 6, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. If you are a baseball fan, the names of the players and the teams and managers will resonate with you.
The book gives a great descrition of NYC in the late 40s. It looks at the polical scene of the time. There are spies and plots and counter plots and interaction between government agencies that seem so possible that you think that they could be true.
The book gives a great descrition of NYC in the late 40s. It looks at the polical scene of the time. There are spies and plots and counter plots and interaction between government agencies that seem so possible that you think that they could be true.
May 24, 2015
This review is from: Herald Square: A novel of the Cold War (The First Trumpet Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
My intent as I read Herald Square by Jefferson Flanders, was to rate it with three stars. It had been one of those books that was interesting, but very " Put-down able" to coin a phrase, meaning that it would not keep me reading past my bedtime.
Sure, it had an espionage plot set during the early Cold War days involving a NY sports writer, and his old boyhood friend, a Washington diplomat with "progressive" leanings who was under investigation by HUAC . There was really interesting local color as the story evolved during the last days of hot pennant reaches in both baseball leagues. But...a bit too much about lost love affairs, and I thought, a hero, the reporter, who was a touch too naive for an ex-war correspondent and long-time newshound.
Then the book began to get better with each chapter, until by the end, I did not want to lay it aside to finish another day.
In the end, which was very exciting, btw, I enjoyed the book enough to say I look forward to reading more by the author.
Recommended.
Some love scenes, not too graphic. Some violence. Lots of NYC in the 1950's ..the Stork Club, Wise guy Cab drivers from the Bronx and everybody smoked-unfiltered- and ate corned beef sandwiches from a corner deli. Miss those days...
February 18, 2016
(I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway which in no way influences my review.) Ever since I learned to read, I've always been a part of the book I am reading, not necessarily the main character, just part of the crowd, an observer. About three-quarters of the way through this book I realized it was in black and white, an old grainy film starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Ingrid Bergman. There was occasional mention of color - a blue bow tie. But primarily the colors were "dark" or "taupe." I didn't see any reds, yellows, or oranges. I grew up during the Cold War which is what initially drew me to this title. This was completely different from any Cold War spy story I've ever read. Besides being in black and white, there was a somberness to it, not total despair, but very little joy. It left me wanting to read more.
July 22, 2014
Enjoyable Spy Story
Enjoyable Spy Story
The author was able to capture the atmosphere of post WW II in New York city as well as the early Cold War espionage. Although the baseball info and some of the moralizing slowed the pace for me, it was over all an enjoyable and atmospheric spy story.
Enjoyable Spy Story
The author was able to capture the atmosphere of post WW II in New York city as well as the early Cold War espionage. Although the baseball info and some of the moralizing slowed the pace for me, it was over all an enjoyable and atmospheric spy story.
August 25, 2014
Great book! Gritty and unsentimental. This is a story that is truly crafted with a credible, complex plot and strong, memorable characters. The backdrop of the cold war, baseball in New York, and boxing sets a tone you can feel as you read.
November 9, 2025
I liked this story. It provides a sympathetic protagonist in the person of New York City reporter Dennis Collins who gets sucked into an espionage foray that could well destroy his career and put him in prison. Some of the other characters, especially the CIA agent and the FBI agents, are less believable and seem like cardboard caricatures.
There is an understandable plot line involving both the Cold War threats from Russia and the internal threats to democracy from the anti-communist witch-hunts of the late 1940s.
And there is a compelling setting. Flanders does such a great job of portraying the era of the late 1940s, that the reader feels he or she is in the city walking around Herald Square, watching a boxing match in Madison Square Garden, or having drinks at the legendary Stork Club.
There is an understandable plot line involving both the Cold War threats from Russia and the internal threats to democracy from the anti-communist witch-hunts of the late 1940s.
And there is a compelling setting. Flanders does such a great job of portraying the era of the late 1940s, that the reader feels he or she is in the city walking around Herald Square, watching a boxing match in Madison Square Garden, or having drinks at the legendary Stork Club.
August 26, 2021
This was a goodreads win. Thank you.
Herald square....just gets going good, and it finishes, and one says is that all there is my friend? However, this is #1, and maybe that is not all there is....maybe we can keep dancing, and find out what is really going on.
Dennis Collings friend calls him to meet for a few drinks, but is it just drinks, of course not, the year is 1949 and his friend is mixed up in something to do with spying! He asks Dennis to please hold some microfilm, which he does. However, of course there is a sexy female spy involved and the story goes around and around, and in places it gets boring talking about sports and fighting ... but the spy trade continues...and so obviously does the story, in book #2.
Herald square....just gets going good, and it finishes, and one says is that all there is my friend? However, this is #1, and maybe that is not all there is....maybe we can keep dancing, and find out what is really going on.
Dennis Collings friend calls him to meet for a few drinks, but is it just drinks, of course not, the year is 1949 and his friend is mixed up in something to do with spying! He asks Dennis to please hold some microfilm, which he does. However, of course there is a sexy female spy involved and the story goes around and around, and in places it gets boring talking about sports and fighting ... but the spy trade continues...and so obviously does the story, in book #2.
August 18, 2021
Good storyline and read
October 4, 2014
The book takes place during the cold war shortly after the end of WWII. A newspaperman unwittingly gets pulled into the govt. investigation into espionage. He thinks he is doing a favor helping a friend prove that he is not a spy for the Russians. He soon begins to doubt that his friend is innocent.
April 16, 2015
Herald Square is a mix of historical fiction and espionage. it is a great success as historical fiction. The espionage could have been tighter and the dialogue between Collins and his girlfriends could have been omitted altogether. It is interesting, but shorter would have been much better. I will read the second in the series.
May 27, 2015
No surprises here.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews