The Peenemunde Deceptions

Otto Fischer #1

by Jim McDermott

Peenemunde: windswept corner of the Third Reich and birthplace of the space age. Otto Fischer, a severely wounded Luftwaffe officer and former criminal investigator, is summoned to solve a seemingly incomprehensible case: the murder of a leading rocket engineer during a devastating air-raid. With only days until the SS assume control of the production of a remarkable new weapon, Fischer must find a motive and perpetrator from among several thousand scientists, technicians, soldiers and forced labourers. As he struggles to get the measure of the secretive world in which imagination moves far beyond the limits of technology, a solitary crime draws him into a labyrinth of conspiracy and treason.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Crime, World War II

423 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2011

About the author

Jim McDermott is a New Hampshire-based artist who has illustrated for animation, magazines and comic books.

Reviews

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

ETA - why aren’t these properly published in nice editions? PoD is well and good, but…

Anyway:

Wow. I’ve had this on my Kindle for ages and ignored it because the cover was so naff… but I am so glad I got around to it. Otto Fischer is now my favourite Germany at war detective. I am already on to book 2.

Caveats? The K edition is full of errors and typos. The plot does wander a little and the author is very fond of a witty quip. But the protagonists, the sense of place, time and impending horror (as well as past and present horrors) is so well done.

[Cerisaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled a bit with this book, though it held my interest enough to make me stick with it and in the end I was glad I had. The story and setting are undoubtedly interesting and, in the run of Second World War crime thrillers, have the advantage of being a bit different than the usual. The character of Otto Fischer, a horribly damaged Luftwaffe officer, offers a sympathetic perspective, and I particularly enjoyed his relationship with larger-than-life friend and colleague Freddie Holleman. On the other hand I must admit I found the plot confusing and, in general, the writing too 'wordy', clumsy, dogged by telling rather than showing, with too many passages of characters' introspection. I wonder if this weakness reflects an inexperienced novelist trying too hard?

Clearly McDermott knows his stuff. The background detail is very well done with regards to the goings-on at Peenemünde and the Germans' rocket programme led by Wernher von Braun, blending truth and plausible fiction. McDermott brings out the rivalries and squabbles between the Reich's various power groups, Wehrmacht, SS, Abwehr, etc., and effectively builds this jostling into his crime plot. The problem is, however, other than Otto and Freddie the characters have no 'life' outside of their requirements for plot purposes, therefore come across as cardboard figures, in particular beautiful Polish forced labourer, Zofia.

All that being said, I will definitely continue reading the series because I would like to know what happens to Otto and Freddie as the war goes on. Their cynical pragmatism, borne of front line experience at the cost of great personal suffering and loss of physical function on behalf of a regime neither believes in, makes interesting reading. I like the Lie Division, the war reporters' unit Otto is assigned to, an institution devoted to devising ever less plausible misinterpretations of actual events staffed by the barely-walking wounded like Otto and Freddie, a few hours dissemblance followed by a long lunch and several drinks. I also enjoyed (putting it like that sounds cruel) the novel's frank depiction of Otto's awful war wounds and how he manages to cope with considerable pain, physical limitations and others' reactions to his appearance. I also liked the novel's little digs of humour, e.g. pilot Douglas von Bader. So, all in all the novel has much to offer if you don't mind a bit of a plod to get there.

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otto Fischer is the most unlikely hero - to put it simply, he scares the hell out of people. It's not that he's nasty, it's the fact that his partially reconstructed , not yet healed and at times just plain distorted and gruesome face terrifies people. Having suffered traumatic injuries in the face of battle, Fischer is working in the "good news" section of the Nazi propaganda-news department. All his colleagues are also in dire straits (I constantly had this image flash up in my head of Otto Dix's painting of mutilated post-WW1 German soldiers playing cards) and all are "ironical" about their work.
Then one day Otto's former skills as a police detective are called upon... in the most sensitive place on the Nazi wall-map; Peenemunde. The investigation is brilliant; there's noting to go on and there are no witnesses. Slowly, slowly, Otto starts to put a most complex jigsaw together.
I really enjoyed the book and will certainly read the others in the series.

[Richard Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As twisting and turning as 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy', this book is, sometimes, as difficult to follow. So, don't read it if you're tired. The hero Otto Fischer is horribly disfigured: burnt over half his face and body. He is a symbol of what the Reich is doing to the world but, despite or because of his deep cynicism, he retains his humanity. Ostensibly called in to solve a murder at a top-secret facility - soon to produce the V1 & 2 'vengeance weapons' - he finds himself drawn into the affairs of the many competing intelligence agencies that squabbled and jockeyed for influence in the Reich. The author does an excellent job in showing the confusion that marked Nazi Germany bureaucracy, which is a far more accurate representation than the efficiency it is often credited with.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent complex plot, good characterisation and authentic background make this an out of the ordinary thriller. There are it seems, things more important that war and empire.

[Stuart Phythian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was heavy going, with the nanny different characters which weren't always separated by description or deeds.
I made it to the end but fell asleep reading it 3 or 4 times.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Peenemunde deceptions

Jisjointed and hard to follow. Too many characters who had no real role in the story which was a shame.

[E J DeBarr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Peenemunde Deception

Found the story hard to follow at times. Will most likely give the second book in the series a try as I found the main character interesting. Would class the story more a detective with some element of war included. Satisfactory ending.

[Mr J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mystery

I chose this book as a recommendation and didn’t know how it would be.

Excellent, well written story with a well defined protagonist.

Looking forward to the next in the series.

[Alasdair Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start

An interesting concept, injured ex police man come military officer, investigating a crime. I liked the characters, well written and consistent. Plot is good with a number of twists.

I have already bought the second book and look forward to reading.

[J D WILLIAMSON · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book which introduces main character looking forward to reading next in series.

[mr Joseph D fitzpatrick]

A slow start but a good burner

I found this book hard to get into and a bit slow. However, I also found it a must read and as it matures it became a very read

[Sandra Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and so interesting

[Patrick J Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant plot, couldnt second guess it, a well written story which will interest the history buff as much as the detective novel enthusiast. I genuinely look forward to reading more of these novels.

[Mike Glaser · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok thriller, I think I enjoyed the insight into the German rocket program more than the mystery. However now that I see it is a series, I may have to give the further books a try.

[Mr K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this a hard read and after reading all of Phillip Kerr's Gunther series was looking forward to finding another gem but certainly not this series if book one is anything to go by.

[Vidar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peenemünde is the birthplace of rocket science. A leading rocket engineer has been found dead with a bullet in his head during a devastating local air raid. Otto Fisher is a former Stettin criminal investigator and a severely wounded Luftwaffe officer with a badly damaged face and arms. He is summoned to solve the seemingly incomprehensible case where several thousand scientists, technicians, soldiers and forced laborers can be possible perpetrators but there are no witnesses and possible clues. Mc Dermot describes Fisher convincingly as a sympathetic yet cynical person that has not lost his humanity

The murder seems at first to be a solitary crime but ends up in conspiracy, betrayal and treason. McDermott is a decent writer of accurate and researched history books. This book has the same historic accuracy as his other books.

[David Lowther · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Peenemunde Deceptions started off very slowly but picked up at half way and finished a brisk pace. The plot was complex and, at times, impenetrable but, despite this, I enjoyed it.

The novel's saving grace was the central character, Otto Fischer, a former pilot whose terrible wounds in a flying accident had seen him reduced to a desk job. Fischer, a pre-war policeman, is sent to Peenemunde to investigate the murder of a scientist, shot in the head following a heavy air raid by the RAF. He unravels the mystery eventually, revealing a sharp brain and witty cynicism. The prose is good and the dialogue crackling. There are other Otto Fischer novels which I shall read in the years to come because the main man is so interesting.

David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen and Two Families at Was, all published by Sacristy Press.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first pages of this were a bit of a slog but once the main character got to Peenemunde and the plot got going it was a lot better. A page turnery plot with a good main character.
I was however irritated by the author's inconsistency as regards the inclusion of words in German. He could not seem to make up his mind whether to have them in italics or not or with initial capital letters or not. I was also not sure why some words were in German at all. I was also annoyed by the rogue umlaut that wandered in to sit above the a in a word which has no umlaut.
I would however read more books with this detective.

[Skadi Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally well researched. Fast paced, characters impressing, insightful. Very well written. I only wish, the writer would cite the original expressions and words more accurately. Some misspelling of original language words make them sound ridiculous and are irritating.
I recommend this book (and the other books of this writer which I have read all) to readers who are interested in the history of the IInd WW and its political background as well as the impact it had on individuals and their personal decisions. Definitely five stars from me!