The Bleiberg Project: A Consortium Thriller

Consortium #1

by David S. Khara

An adrenaline-pumping ride to save the world from a conspiracy straight out of the darkest hours of history.

Are Hitler's atrocities really over?

1942, Poland. The head of the SS meets secretly with a scientist in charge of a major Third Reich project.

Present day. After another late night with yet another woman whose name he doesn't remember, self-pitying golden boy trader Jay Novacek learns that his long-lost father has died, precipitating events that lead him to board a plane to Zurich. He's got a Nazi medallion in his pocket, a hot CIA bodyguard next to him, and a clearly dangerous Mossad agent on his tail. What was his father investigating? Why was his mother assassinated? Why are unknown sides fighting over him with automatic weapons? Far from his posh apartment, he races to save the world from a horrific conspiracy. Can it be stopped?

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Crime, Roman, Amazon

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2010

Reviews

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* Action Packed
With only 243 pages this thriller novel is jam-packed with fast action and distinct characters. The author intertwines the story between present day and the Nazi experiments during World War II. There were certain aspects of the book that were enjoyable, while some portions had me cringing; but I guess that’s what thrillers are supposed to do.

One of the main characters Jeremy Novacek a Wall Street trader with many demons swirling around in his head, is soon shocked out of his day to day existence where he hates his job, hates his apartment that he describes as ‘reeks of money’, and drinks way too much. But that is all about to change when two Air Force officers (he referred to as penguins) show up at his front door with the news that his father, a Lieutenant General with the Air Force has been killed. Jeremy has hilarious, witty dialogue throughout the book which helps keep the book on a light hearted scale, but it does have the dark side seeping out to grab you. (This book won the ‘Blue Moon Prize’ award for best thriller).

[Magdalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wall Street trader Jay Corbin learns that his long-lost father has been killed and not long after that is his mother assassinated. Now together with a Jackie Walls, a CIA bodyguard must he figure out what his father was investigating. What was it his father knew that got him killed? The trail leads to Zurich and it seems that the Nazis is behind everything...

I admit that the first person narrative got a bit annoying in this book, but, fortunately, the story was interesting enough to keep my interest. Jay Corbin may be the main character, but I found Eytan Morg, the Mossad agent to be the most interesting character in the book, even though I guessed his background early on. It was a nice thriller with a fast-paced story and I will continue reading the series.

I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley in return for an honest review!

[Okenwillow · Rating 5 out of 5]

En avril dernier je découvris Les vestiges de l’aube, le premier roman d’un auteur prometteur. Ô joie ! David S.Khara récidive avec un thriller historico-comploteur haletant et échevelé.
Avec un premier flashback rapide, mais efficace, l’auteur nous envoie directement dans un camp en Pologne en 1942. On n’est pas là pour rigoler, on est averti.
Après ce premier dépaysement, on fait la rencontre de Jay Novacek, trader alcoolique et suicidaire lâche, plein aux as et vivant à Manhattan. Jay est un être torturé, cynique, et très désespéré.
C’est le début d’une succession effrénée de flashbacks tous aussi crispants les uns que les autres, qui nous feraient abandonner la lecture de frustration, si le rythme n’était pas aussi bien dosé.
On passe d’une époque à l’autre, d’un lieu à l’autre, assez rapidement pour faire avancer le schmilblick. Le lecteur n’a pas le temps de se morfondre. Les incursions dans le passé sont saisissantes, on rencontre Hess, Hitler, Himmler et autres gais lurons.
Ça fait froid dans le dos, mais permet de placer l’action dans le réel.
Le jeune trader est un personnage pathétique, et dont le monde bascule à l’annonce de la mort de ce père qui les a abandonnés 25 ans plus tôt, sa mère et lui. Notre jeune héros va vite se voir affublé d’une protection rapprochée assurée par une recrue de la C.I.A qui ne paie pas de mine, avant de faire la rencontre d’un agent du Mossad pas commode.
Un trio improbable, une menace non identifiée, un étrange et inquiétant legs de sa mère, un voyage en Europe, et voilà le trader embarqué dans une enquête des plus étourdissantes, sur fond d’expériences nazies et de folie scientifique.
Au-delà de l’intrigue déjà bien aboutie, les personnages sont particulièrement soignés. Le « héros » Jay est quasiment passif, il subit les événements, affiche une attitude blasée, on sent qu’il n’est pas à sa place dans cette aventure dans laquelle il est entraîné malgré lui. Il suit le mouvement comme il peut. Il réussira toutefois à apporter ponctuellement ses compétences à la résolution de l’intrigue, mais restera dépendant de celles de ses deux acolytes. Une complicité évidente rapproche très vite les trois protagonistes. On devine assez rapidement beaucoup de choses sur l’un d’eux, mais ça ne gâche rien au suspens.
Le sujet de fond est des plus noirs, les expériences inhumaines menées par les nazis, les scientifiques et chercheurs « récupérés » par divers pays d’Europe en échange de leurs compétences, rien de bien joyeux. Malgré ce contexte lourd et grave, l’humour est très présent tout au long du roman. Le personnage de Jay/Jeremy n’est pas dépourvu d’humour noir, il est en décalage constant avec ses « protecteurs », et les événements graves qui se succèdent. Les dialogues sont bien vus et pleins d’humour quand il le faut. Un savant mélange de décontraction et de gravité, d’actions et de rebondissements bien menés.
Bon ben, maintenant j’attends la suite

[Gopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers Le French Book and the author David Khara to have provided me with this free edition of the book in exchange for an unbiased and an honest review.

This book is the first of a series about something called as The Consortium and another one of those gems which has been translated from French to make its debut in the English market. With the sheer number of languages spoken and being printed in the world, what we may be missing boggles the mind. But then that is a story for another day as they say…

The novel opens in 1942 Poland with an SS soldier reminiscing of about a Germany free from Hitler's paranoia and ambition all the while awaiting the arrival of Heinrich Himmler himself to the camp that he is guarding. All his reminiscing is for nothing as he is soon dead… an official victim of an assassination attempt against Himmler.

Fast forward to the present day, we are presented with Jeremy Corbain or Jay Novachek as he calls himself a high flying, self pitying Wall Street broker who is greeted with the news that his estranged father is dead. Suddenly thrust into a shadowy world where he no longer knows the good from the bad, Jeremy seeks to make sense of what's happening around him.

The Bleiberg Project takes to the times of writers like Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy who could spin a mean conspiracy thriller of shadowy organizations, secret cabals. The Bleiberg project gives us a shadowy group going by the name of Consortium which wants to redesign the world in its shape. The storyline moves back and forth in the past and present and is tied together effectively with various POVs from the main characters in the stories - Jeremy, his father, Eytan Morg.. The pace is frentic and the story holds your interest in the premise that is monstrous to consider but somehow looks implementable given the state that the world is in right now - genetic mutation on humans.

The quintessential Nazi quest for the perfect Übermensch and the Consortiums quest for creating a new World finds perfect partners in each other and years on clinical trials on humans give them a perfect specimen a child - number 302. When the child escapes from the its captors and with fall of the Reich, the Consortiums returns to the background continuing with its research and pulling the strings from behind.

The novel has its moments of humor with the interaction between the various characters and the dialogues which are alternatively funny, cynical and sarcastic in turns. All kudos to the translator for retaining the humor and the integrity of the dialogs in the process of translation.

A solid 4.5 stars. I would love to read the follow to this ASAP. Ohh… Wait I do have the follow up novel courtesy Net Galley. Well I must get started…

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Bleiberg Project' by David S. Khara (with translation by Simon John) is a pretty good ride, but I had to give it quite a few pages before I decided that. It's part of a series, but this book is a good standalone adventure.

The story takes place in the present but reaches all the way back to 1942. In the modern time, Jay is a stockbroker and playboy who lives to drown himself in women and alcohol every night. That is, until he gets the call that his estranged father has been killed. Clues around his father's death lead to Jay being on the run with a pretty CIA bodyguard and being chased by a Mossad agent. They find themselves in Europe with a mystery that goes back to World War 2. Who was Jay's father and why did he leave the family? Who is Bleiberg and what was he doing for the Nazis?

I liked it, but initially the Jay character really annoyed me. I really didn't like him. The other characters were fine. The translation is good and the story really moves along. I look forward to reading further books in the series.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Le French Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bleiberg Project by David Khara translated by Simon John

Synopsis
Self-pitying golden boy trader Jay Novacek is having a bad week. He finds out his long-lost father is dead, he discovers his boss's real identity, and he ends up boarding a plane to Zurich under his real name Jeremy Corbin. He has a Nazi medallion in his pocket, a hot CIA body guard next to him, and a clearly dangerous Mossad agent on his tail. What was his father investigating? Why was his mother assassinated? Why are unknown sides fighting over him with automatic weapons? Far from his posh NY apartment, he races to save the world from a horrific conspiracy straight out of the darkest hours of history. Can it be stopped? This fast-paced thriller was an instant sensation in France. Think a dash of Robin Cook, a splash of John Grisham, and pinch of Clive Cussler with a very distinctive flavor all its own

****.5 Rating 4.5

Review
Although the synopsis grabbed my attention The Bleiberg Project was written in French and translated into English so I wasn’t sure about reading this novel but I am so glad I turned the pages.
In the first of the Consortium series, Jay Novak, previously known as Jeremy Corbin, is a successful young man with a chip on his shoulder. Involved in a terrible accident, of which he was the cause, he is in a self destruct mode. His relationship with his Mother, Ann Novacek/Corbin, is strained and life is being endured but nothing is as it seems. One day he receives news of his estranged Father’s death and his life is overtaken with a series of clues and events taking him to Europe.
David Khara manages to bring together the hideous history of WWII with current events entwined with an undercurrent conspiracy involving science and technology. Power is the ultimate prize there are those who will stop at nothing, even the destruction of life in unimaginable circumstances to obtain this.
Without spoiling the plot, chapter 1 sets the scene with Horst Geller, a German guard in the Stutthof Concentration Camp in 1942. Geller does not want to be part of the regime but it’s either “him or them”. This is the introduction of a number of recognisable names from WWII. However, as the plot evolves it becomes apparent that a consortium of powerful people goes back further than this. It’s a race against time and it needs the skills of a number of individuals who are pursued by a faction, for whom life is cheap.
The characters are a mixture of those who are captivating and others who are abhorrent. David Khara continues to build upon the characters of Jay, from a loser to a smart analyst and Eytan Morg. Eytan is the Mossad/Metsada agent, who has many layers to his complex character. The introduction of Jackie Walls, the CIA agent, allows Khara to establish a humorous interaction in a tense, fast paced novel.
I was grabbed by the Synopsis and found it a page turner to its completion. Loved the Winston Churchill quote, “The further backward you look, the further forward you are likely to see”. Personally, I would have liked a more in depth epilogue but I am looking forward to David Khara’s next novel. Certainly he is an Author to look out for.
I was given a copy of The Bleiberg Project by NetGalley, thank you.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for a fair and honest review. I received no additional compensation for my opinion of the reading material. I rated the book 5 out of 5 Stars and a Recommended Read.


A thriller which takes readers between the present and World War II, The Bleiberg Project by David Khara, is simply “Magnifique”. Colorful characters, good dialogue and a conspiracy dating back to World War II, kept me turning the pages from start to finish. Filled with action, danger, the nature of man’s humanity, or lack thereof, and the possible redemption of a tortured soul, Mr. Khara’s book is in my opinion a must read for any reader who enjoys this genre.

Beginning with a scene from World War II, Mr. Khara takes us to present day Manhattan, where he introduces us to Jeremy Corbin, aka Jay Novacek, a privileged, successful Wall Street Trader. Who it just so happens is waking up from another night of drinking and womanizing. Showcasing Jay’s currently less than stellar attitude towards life, and his job, Mr. Khara quickly lets us know that nothing is quite as it seems. The pace picks up as Jay learns of his estranged father’s death, his father’s secrets and the part his mother played in keeping him in the dark.



Mr. Khara does a great job developing Jay’s character from the start; while difficult to like at first, I was able to quickly connect with him and understand his situation. I understood why he changed his name from Corbin to Novacek and why he felt the way he did towards his dad. Suffering from issues of his own, Jay is a tortured man who is not at peace with life but can’t bring himself to end it either.

As the story progresses and Jay finds himself trying to put together the clues his father left him, he is helped by two people who work for the CIA and have a vested interest in what he discovers. Also aided by Eytan Morg, a “giant” bald headed man and a Mossad agent who at first seems to be out to hurt him, Jay flies to Europe to open a safety deposit box his father left him. As their journey progresses, and Jay and the agents helping him take control of his father’s files, they find themselves being pursued by enemy agents and in danger of losing their lives.

Will Jay and his protectors uncover the truth about the “Bleiberg Consortium” and its ties to the Nazi’s? Has the consortium behind Hitler’s rise to power continued to plan and experiment in preparation to “reshape” the world once again? You’ll have to read The Bleiberg Consortium to find out. I loved it and can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

[Fran Toolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was translated from French, but I would never know. The translation was brilliant, and the writing superb.

A compelling story that links WWII Germany with the present day. The story is reminiscent of a Dan Brown novel with a plausible explanation to an years-old mystery. How did Hitler really come to power? Is there an ability to create a super-human?

I enjoyed this book very much. It wasn't until the epilogue that I was a bit disappointed.

[Yigal Zur · Rating 4 out of 5]

great thriller. interesting

[Juanitahaha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trop bien. Je conseille.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in the Consortium thriller series revolving around a secret underground agency set on remaking the world.

My Take
This was good with a cast of characters with whom I empathized and cried for. ...I don't think I'll ever understand evil, other than that it exists.

I was conflicted over a "3" or a "4" and chose to rank it up simply because it was a treat to read---no grammatical issues to leap out and trip my eyeballs up and very nicely translated by Simon John.x

The story incorporates flashbacks---and I'm very grateful for the notice at each chapter start that tells me where I am in the story!---that flash over a range of decades from Hitler's imprisonment for the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 to Jay's memories of his childhood.

I thought Khara was reasonably evenhanded in how he treated soldiers in the German army, pointing out that they and the German people didn't have a lot of choice with how the Jews were treated nor did he pull his punches with how most Germans thought of Jews. Yes, it was contradictory, but isn't that human nature?

It does make me wonder, if all the Germans who thought the destruction of people who were different was wrong, what if they had risen up together to protest? Instead of huddling alone with their hands over their eyes, ears, and mouths. As disgusting and horrific as it was, we really can't point fingers and say we'd never do that. Because we all have in some way. Today we're making headway on not seeing homosexuality as "catching", accepting them as individuals with the same rights as other individuals. Consider how African Americans were---and still are---treated. How about the current profiling of Arabic-looking people? And that just covers Americans! What about the stupidity in the Middle East? Tribal conflicts in Africa?? Sorry, soapbox, getting off it...

Of course, the Nazi leaders quite rightly are portrayed as the monsters they are. Right along with the Consortium agents! I put the "auction" of German scientists at the end of WWII right up there as an evil act. Yeah, I understand the pragmatism, but I don't understand the collusion. How did they sleep at night? Oh, wait, evil. Conscience-less. Politicians.

Oh, crack me up! I love Jay's response to Morg wanting to send them home…
"...I guess you were right---no boots, no chainsaws, not even a weed-whacker. We are seriously under-equipped!"

It's a clichéd story that Khara twists into interesting, but my problem with The Bleiberg Project is its lack of depth, which in turn contributes to a lack of real tension or drama. Yeah, there's lots of action and you'll cheer with Morg as he takes out the bad guys right and left. And you can't help but laugh at? with? Jay as he does his stumbling best through a heartrending trip into the past. But Khara misses so many fabulous opportunities to make me cry, to make me race through the story, flipping pages as fast as I can read. I can't decide if he had a restriction on how many pages he was allowed, or if he simply never got past putting some flesh on his outline.

I loved how he told us about Jay---no info dumps here. He provides Jay's background and his current state of mind through his grieving and what he thinks of his life. Colorful, informative, and empathic. Although he could have been just a touch more clear on that pivotal night. I had to work for it. His depiction of Morg is, oddly enough, cheerful, considering that he's a very efficient and practical killing machine! I liked Morg, and by the time I finished the story, I liked him even more. Khara kept up a nice level of tension about where Morg stood with regards to Jay. A little more work would have made it even better. The John Stewart infiltration could use a bit more clarity as well.

"Enlightened" dictators? A way to reduce an excess of population? Jesus...

Khara is amazingly descriptive and he weaves a good ninety percent of it in so very well. I felt the hope and the horror, not enough to make me cry, but still very well. But too many of the events in this are too easy---wait'll you get to the escape just before the end! I'd also like a reason for Jackie's decision at the end… Maybe in Consortium #2?

For the conspiracy theorists among us, you'll love Khara's premise for this story. And all too believable...eeek!

It's an enjoyable read, especially if you don't like a lot of tension and drama.

The Story
A stupid decision resulted in tragedy, one that Jay is attempting to drown. Relief only comes when the people around him start dying and send him off on a retrieval mission.

An undertaking that will reveal the truth behind past decisions and even more distant operations.

The Characters
Jeremy "Jay" Novacek/Corbin is a thirty-one-year-old multimillionaire who does trading on Wall Street. With a tragic childhood, and an even more tragically stupid decision as an adult. His mother, Ann, is in a sad state, living at St. Francis Hospital, and grieving in too many directions to count. A very honorable woman. Lieutenant General Daniel J. Corbin is Jay's absentee father, a man with a mission. One that involves Christopher Durham and Richard Hoffman, fellow fighter pilots who replaced Jake Sokolove and Brian Stabbleford. Ed Jackson is a friend of Daniel's in the military's legal department.

Bernard Dean is Jay's boss (president of the board at Eckhart, Dean and Aldrin)---and we eventually find out, his godfather. A man in love with Jay's mother. And Daniel's friend. A man who will look out for his friends' son the best he can. William Pettygrow is a liaison officer at Langley. Jacqueline Walls is a diminutive powerhouse of a CIA agent with her own childhood demons.

Eytan Morg is a man driven by his past. He's also a Kidon agent with Metsada inside Mossad, and a man with his own mission. Eli Karman, Morg's boss, is the keeper of Mossad's archives.

Reichführer SS Heinrich Himmler who came up with the Jewish Solution and joyfully implemented it. An interesting peek at Rudolf Hess. Hitler has a cameo. John Stewart is a Canadian agent whose interest in this is confusing, and a step along the path. Andrei Kourilyenko was a Russian scientist at the end of World War II; an end run around him changed his life. I have to confess I did laugh, at the time, at what happened. I wasn't laughing at the end...

At Stutthof Concentration Camp, 1942
SS Horst Geller has joined the SS to protect his family and ensure his survival; now he's a guard in Poland. Herr Doktor Viktor Bleiberg who covered his psychopathic tendencies under his scientific brilliance, is very interested in radiation, nuclear physics, and chemistry. Subject 302 was Bleiberg's breakthrough. And explains that obsession with shaving...makes you want to cry.

Dr. Morganstern, his wife, and sons are just a few of the Jews denounced by their fellows and force marched to concentration camps.

The Consortium
Christian Delmar and Adamet Epartxegui make a bargain with Hitler. Bob Delmar is his son and hasn't much good to say about him. Elena is a vicious assassin.

Deep Zone—or as Morg calls it, the Temple of the Imbeciles—is a bookstore that sells games, Jay's kind of games, owned by Planic, a retired scientist. Annick is Planic's nurse.

Morg's World is another bookstore similar to Deep Zone.

The Cover
The cover is a colorful collage of oranges and a slash of bright pink in secret-agency land with the ubiquitous circular chart and gun; I liked the legs(!) and the swastika nested inside the "o".

The title is the conflict, the horror the Consortium intends to perpetrate upon the world, The Bleiberg Project.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/1941. Tower of London, England. Douglas-Hamilton (14th. duke of Hamilton) came to see how
Rudolf Hess (prisoner) was being treated.
What were Professor Viktor Bleiberg plans?

11/9/1942, Stutthof concentration camp (Poland). SS Horst Geller (Schutzstaffel) left his wife
Karin & Gisela (baby daughter) far behind.
Poughkeepsie, NY. St. Francis Hospital # 204. Jay Novacek (31, Caucasian, Wall Street stock trader, aka Jeremy Corbin) & Ann Corbin (wife/mother, nee Novacek) learned the news that Lieutenant General Daniel J. Corbin (husband/father, USAF, CIA) had died.
VA. Why did Eytan Morg kill William Pettygrow (CIA liaison officer, Langley).
James Friedkin (night mgr.) greeted Eytan on his return to the Four Seasons Hotel.
Who is Eytan’s (secret agent) next target?
Bernard Dean (A/A, 50+, Eckhart, Dean & Aldrin board president) was scrambling his brain to try & figure a lot of things out.
What happened to Ann?
Does the Consortium still exist?

Took my daughter (graduation present), 2 of her college Softball friends & son (USAF) to the 1996, Olympic Games, Atlanta, GA.

Dostoevsky The Gambler

Right up there with Karl J. Morgan.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written Dual timeline historical fiction book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great Dual timeline thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Instafreebie; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons (Washburn)

[Walter Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been many novels set in Nazi Germany, or related to events that (may have) happened in World War II. David Khara takes this basic plot source, and does it a lot better than the others. Bleiberg makes Mengele look like a rank amateur. (My apologies to those who were prisoners in the death camps, or relatives of those who were. I do not mean to make light of the evil that seemed to rule Nazi Germany at that time. Mengele and Eichmann were almost pop culture when I was in my teens.)
Spanning the early 1940s to the present day, the story and the characters are very well done. There are some nasty surprises, and a lot of nail-biting suspense.
Getting to sample the work of David Khara is the result of some amazing folk involved with Le French Book, which exists to give the world the chance to read the best French writers by way of highly skilled translators. If this is new to you, go to Google and check it out. They do for the French what has been ongoing with Swedish authors like Stieg Larsson.
The Bleiberg Project is the first of a trilogy about an organization known as the Consortium. #2 and #3 are on my must-have list.

[Anaïs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somme toute un roman sympathique, mais pas de coup de coeur ! Il est peut être un peu piégeux pour les personnes qui aiment le côté historique, puisque bon nombre d'éléments sont véridiques mais largement modulés pour servir l'intrigue. Il contribue cependant au devoir de mémoire en rappelant les atrocités perpétrées au nom de la Haine.

L'intrigue est très bien ficelée, c'est très agréable à lire, même si parfois ça reste un peu prévisible à mon goût. Étant biologiste, il y a quelques petites parties scientifiques qui m'ont bien plu, ça rend le roman diversifié parce qu'on parle à la fois d'histoire, d'économie, de sciences, d'espionnage !

J'ai globalement accroché avec tous les personnages, l'agent du Mossad et Jacky sont deux personnages très attachants, même si on passe peut être un peu vite sur leur parcours respectif... Jay est ma foi imbuvable, j'ai essayé de l'apprécier au début mais finalement je me suis plus plu à ne pas l'aimer... Il s'adoucit un petit peu à la fin, mais globalement je crois qu'il est fait pour être cynique et souvent détestable !

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book start to finish. Jay Novacek's father abandoned him when he was only 6 but he grew into a very successful wall street trader. When the military shows up with the American flag to notify him of his father's passing, his whole existence is challenged. On a trail that starts with a key given to him by his mother, a journey into the past to prevent a mass epidemic takes Jay, his CIA escort, Jackie and his Israeli bodyguard Eytan Morg on a nail biting ride you don't want to miss.

[Katrien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aan de basis van dit boek liggen goede ideeën. Beetje ongelooflijk soms, maar toch.... maar de uitwerking.... er zat meer in. Het voelt soms wat gehaast, alsof het boek niet meer bladzijden mocht hebben...

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quest for a superior race

The consortium desires to develop a human superior in all ways. But they discounted the importance of a soul. Historically relevant.
Three people struggle to figure out the death and try to unravel a jigsaw rooted in Germany.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book

You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA

[Sonja Bristow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why does the female agent turn to a male counterpart and ask "do you think he likes me" seriously? You're a trained assassin and you are acting like a teenager? Wow, just set the book back for me.

[TC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended with reservations.

Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:

http://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/20...

[Diego Jimenez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of a deep reading, but it does keep you interested, and it does have a positive message.

[Fra Kraps · Rating 2 out of 5]

Intrigue assez intéressante mais le style de l’auteur ne m’a pas plu, très telephoné, zéro subtilité

[Thunderstorm Muffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un thriller plein de rebondissements. On ne s'ennuie pas une seconde !

[Macfar]

P

[Azathoth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lecture pas désagréable, mais ça manque quand même un peu de finesse. Les ficelles sont grosses et tout ça est au final assez bancal.

[Christelle Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Histoire dur mais la réalité.

[Viking Jam · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://koeur.wordpress.com/2014/05/28...

Publisher: Le French
Publishing Date: July 2014
ISBN: 9781939474063
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Rating: 2.0/5

Publisher Description: Are Hitler’s atrocities really over? For depressive Wall Street trader Jeremy Corbin, absolute truths become undeniable lies overnight. He finds out his long-lost father is dead and boards a plane to Zurich with a Nazi medallion in his pocket, a hot CIA bodyguard next to him, and a clearly dangerous Mossad agent on his tail. What was his father investigating? Why was his mother assassinated?

Review: The cover art is as confused as the story-line.

This could be called the ultimate flashback novel. The story-line jumps around from Hitler’s era on up to the 60′s and 80′s. This usually degrades a novel, but in this case it was a boon. Very interesting and intriguing where the author takes you. His supposition that genetic experiments under the Nazi regime and a hidden world consortium manipulating events on an epic scale has been visited many times. Only the author makes it believable. His travels into the past were riveting to say the least.

What is not credible is the general story-line whereby one of the CIA investigators leaves his son a safe deposit box with some cryptic information and from there he is co-opted as part of a covert CIA team to recover some answers about Blieberg, what it means, and ultimately destroy the heinous and insidious plot. So…..you have a drunk idiot, with no military training whom is now part of a high level operation to ferret out a cabal that has been in existence since before the 1900′s. The same cabal that exercises covert authority over all the worlds military and political leaders, eliminating anyone that stands in their way with impunity. So Jeremy dummy drunk guy, in one of his self-destructive fits stumbles into and out of a hit team sent to kill him, for???? I don’t know. Some key?
Well, anyway, as team incredible (CIA HOT CHICK and GIANT JEW MAN) set off to set the world right, this cabal is hot on their trail.

The fight scenes that involved doofus and CIA HOT CHICK (whom Jeremy wants to bang like a snare drum) are ridiculous. You have Jackie HOT CHICK whom is not much over 5 feet tall taking out huge Aryan dudes and BREAKING THEIR NECKS!! Are you fugging kidding me? She was abused as a girl and because of that is an expert in Tae Kwon Do. In one scene she un-cuffs herself (2003 model French handcuffs that come apart if you bang them) and punches a 6 foot 6 inch monster in the face, removing his eye, and on the way down she breaks his neck and does the same with the other tough. REALLY? So how does a 5 foot tall person punch someone in the eye that is over 6 feet tall, let alone have the strength and technique to break their necks with Tae Kwon do which is mainly a kicking style. So immediately after this scene, HOT CHICK and Jeremy douche run to save GIANT JEW MAN, and Jeremy kicks the shit out of a trained commando and saves HOT CHICK from a severe beating. WTF? A super neck breaking chick gets saved by a drunk stock broker? Well it gets better, when they get through the toughs, Jeremy jumps on some huge Aryan evil chick whom is torturing GIANT JEW MAN, and decides he is not going to snap her spine because, well, he is “not a killer”. Fug.

So GIANT JEW MAN, stays behind to destroy the laboratory, and Jeremy and Jackie end up married with kids thinking GIANT JEW MAN is dead. ONLY, they get a cryptic email from non other than GIANT JEW MAN!!! HE IS ALIVE!! And out to wreak havoc on the consortium. So stay tuned for the sequel and let me know how it goes.

[LadyTechie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an e-copy of The Bleiberg Project by David Khara from Netgalley. I have to admit when I think about reading anything related to the Holocaust it makes me want to run the other way. Knowing everything that was done and probably not being aware of some things makes it a hard subject to digest. I have to admit this is my first foray into reading about this topic for that very reason. But, when I read the synopsis I thought this sounds really good and just maybe there is a good enough ending that I will not feel totally depressed afterwards.

The characterization in the story was done really well. I have to admit that Jeremy Corbin, even without knowing his secret, makes it hard to like him. He is quite witty and also so darn down on himself it makes you want to avoid him. But, as the book goes on you start to become invested in his pain and hope that somewhere down the line things get better for him. Oddly enough his thoughts about Jackie Wells at first seemed a bit off to me, then as I read on I decided he is just a bit self-centered and immature and kind of thinks of her in high-school terms. Jeremy takes body blow after body blow in losses and as he deals with them throughout the book you start to see him maturing and growing and realizing how he lost more than he realized with his father.

I love reading books based in other countries, especially Europe and Eastern Europe. This book did a good job of giving me a bit of armchair travel. There was not a lot by way of describing the sites in the different places they visited when they arrived in Switzerland and made their way across to Poland but, there were enough of the descriptions that it grabbed my interest. What was really great was the tie-in to some of the rumors of some of the medical testing that happened in the camps. They were nicely woven into this book. But, my all-time favorite part of this book was Eytan Morg. I love reading about and seeing stories on television about the Kidon unit of The Mossad. Granted they are not nice people but, this was my first book that I got to read about some of what they do and what is known about their skills. It took me back to my favorite parts of NCIS and the character Ziva who was also Kidon. Eytan was larger than life and not just due to his size. He was this amazing, scarred man who didn’t allow himself to have anything other than the work he did and we find out why in The Bleiberg Project. That part of the story was riveting. Eytan’s fight scenes were awesome and jumped off the page when you read them. Interestingly enough at the beginning of the book you don’t know whose side he is on so he comes off as if he might be one of the bad guys but, he is so much more.

I just read on Goodreads that this is the start of a series and I have to say a very good start and I look forward to following this series every step of the way!
Review can also be seen along with more great information about The Bleiberg Project by David Khara at http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspo.... and http://fictionisstrangerthanfact.blog...

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the first of Khara's Consortium Thrillers, his focus is on the Nazis and their secret program to create the ultimate citizen. Jeremy Novacek had all he could want: money, success, and women. When two members of the Air Force arrive at his door to offer condolences for the loss of his father, Novacek thinks could not get any better. Estranged from his father, Novacek is delighted with the news and travels to pass it along to his mother, who is institutionalised. It is only then that things spiral out of control, as she hands him a key emblazoned with a swastika. Jeremy learns that his father's departure in his youth was for safety reasons, as he was seconded by the CIA to engage in a covert mission, one of which his mother was fully aware. Jeremy, who returns to using his father's 'Corbin' surname, heads to Zurich with a CIA agent to discover what lies within the safe deposit box to which the aforementioned key belongs. He is being trailed along the way by a Mossad agent who is also curious, but must offer an additional line of protection for those seeking to eliminate him and stop the discovery of any secrets. As Corbin uncovers the secrets in the Zurich bank, a coded document, he realises that his life is in danger. His mother is murdered, he is being targeted, and there is a broader mystery taking place that could have monumental importance. Layered with flashback chapters about the most secretive and important medical and genetic experiments the Nazis undertook during the War, Khara adds to the thrills throughout this novel, culminating in the ultimate surprise. An interesting beginning to the series, hopefully with more of this calibre to come to keep all readers interested.

With the third in the series on my NetGalley list to read, I felt it important to get a context before diving in with a review for the publisher. Khara offers an interesting introductory novel to the series, postulating the creation and development of the Übermensch, the super-man, perfectly Aryan in every way. As the story progresses, Jeremy Corbin realises that his father is embroiled in uncovering this mystery while the narrative leads the reader through numerous angles in the Nazi development. Nothing earth-shattering or fabulous, the novel plods along and seeks to offer some insight for the reader to ponder, with action and thrills to offset the historical recounting of this scientific tale. Khara does a decent job (as does the translator) in building up a few characters and developing them in a superficial manner. Well-crafted to allow the plot to flow smoothly and keep the reader entertained throughout.

Kudos, M. Khara for your work on the first Consortium Thriller. I hope the others are as exciting and historically enticing.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Vanessa Delamare · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's good about it?

The relentless pace of the story. This book is short and intense. From the very beginning, we are drawn into the story. It starts with Jay that we follow throughout and in the first person. I thought that it was cool to live the story with the other two protagonists but when through the eyes of Jay, it brings the kind of dark humour I like. Jay is assisted by a Mossad agent, Eytan, a giant who hides a dark secret (secret that one quickly understands) and a CIA agent, cute enough to give Jay back a certain taste for living. The story is told from different points of view and moves from the third person to first person when it comes to Jay, but this is done very well and helps to make the story lighter when Jay let out some very ironic remarks.

The story is well done, the indices are given throughout the story, even if we discover things by ourselves and before the protagonists (which I always find a bit of a shame) (but which can be flattering: yeah ! I found the answer before him!) (in the same time, him being a character, it's pretty silly to be best) (but one finds his delight where one can, right?) The three accomplices find themselves chasing the missing elements to allow them to save the world and their lives. With that, if I tell you that there's some CIA, Mossad and other hidden but global organizations involved... it gives you a good idea of the tension in this book. For fans of global conspiracy, genetic mutation and other experiment, you'll love The Bleiberg Project! (anti-GMO will also find compelling arguments)

We meet a bunch of characters, from the protagonists - Jay the trader-moron who proves intelligent, funny and humble enough eventually, Eytan the enigmatic character that you would like to know more, especially given his past and Jackie the CIA secret weapon: small but mighty! - to the historical figures (Himmler, Hitler and other Nazis eager for scientific experiments and to create the perfect creature). Because yes, we go from one era to another, from one gang of merry men to another, it sprays with bullets, it bursts and it's breathtaking.

And kudos for the translator, Simon John! I don't know what the book is like in French but the tone of the English version was excellent!

In a nutshell

An excellent book that reads quickly, a fast-paced story and a devastating humor. The Bleiberg Project was a great success and it's well deserved. It is a 4.5 / 5 for me.


Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
(Originally posted at vanessa-s-bookshelves.blogspot.ca)