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Year Zero
‘The best historical thriller I’ve read in decades.’ BRIAN PRICE
The worst atrocities in battle... begin when war is won
Berlin. May 1945. A city without institutions in a continent that has become a wasteland.
Thousands of former Nazis have been killed in Allied purges, many more incarcerated in the very concentration camps they themselves established.
But the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, has a problem. One of those former Nazis is actually a British spy, Edward Kayne, who has intercepted a top-secret document that Churchill insists is vital to settling the peace.
Martin Geller is selected to journey into the heart of darkness and extract Kayne, but a carrot is dangled before him. His daughter, Zaya, had been abducted two years before as part of the Lebensborn programme – the kidnapping of children deemed to be ripe for ‘Germanisation’. Zaya is now in the same camp.
Geller sets off on a two-pronged mission – to extract Kayne and rescue Zaya. But Geller will discover that far from settling the peace, the document that Kayne has intercepted threatens the opposite.
Can Geller save his daughter from the gates of hell? And how does Geller reconcile the rescue of Kayne with his knowledge that he may be condemning the world to a new Armageddon?
The worst atrocities in battle... begin when war is won
Berlin. May 1945. A city without institutions in a continent that has become a wasteland.
Thousands of former Nazis have been killed in Allied purges, many more incarcerated in the very concentration camps they themselves established.
But the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, has a problem. One of those former Nazis is actually a British spy, Edward Kayne, who has intercepted a top-secret document that Churchill insists is vital to settling the peace.
Martin Geller is selected to journey into the heart of darkness and extract Kayne, but a carrot is dangled before him. His daughter, Zaya, had been abducted two years before as part of the Lebensborn programme – the kidnapping of children deemed to be ripe for ‘Germanisation’. Zaya is now in the same camp.
Geller sets off on a two-pronged mission – to extract Kayne and rescue Zaya. But Geller will discover that far from settling the peace, the document that Kayne has intercepted threatens the opposite.
Can Geller save his daughter from the gates of hell? And how does Geller reconcile the rescue of Kayne with his knowledge that he may be condemning the world to a new Armageddon?
418 pages, Paperback
Published July 31, 2025
1 person want to read
About the author
Rob Gittins
20 books6 followersRob Gittins is a British screenwriter and novelist.
Rob has written for almost every top-rated network UK TV show from the past thirty years, including Casualty, The Bill, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Heartbeat, Soldier Soldier and The Story of Tracy Beaker. Rob is currently[when?] the longest serving writer on EastEnders and has completed well over 200 episodes of the programme.
Rob co-created and wrote all eight episodes of the BBC1 prime time drama series TIGER BAY as well as a three-part political thriller for ITV, IN THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS.
For S4C, Rob has storylined over two thousand episodes of the popular daily Welsh language drama serial Pobol y Cwm as well as co-creating the drama series HALEN YN Y GWAED (SALT IN THE BLOOD) which ran for four series.
For BBC Radio 4, Rob has written over twenty original radio plays, over a hundred episodes of The Archers and a 10-part children’s drama series. Rob’s radio production LOSING PARADISE, a co-authored six part thriller co-produced by the BBC, ABC in Australia and CBC in Canada, won the Gold Drama Award at The New York International Radio Festival. Rob has also written a four-part radio late night drama serial for Radio 4, NIGHTMOVES.
Rob’s latest radio play, JULIE, a dramatisation of the extraordinary story of the Operation Julie drugs bust transmitted on BBC Radio 4 in September 2014.
Rob has written for almost every top-rated network UK TV show from the past thirty years, including Casualty, The Bill, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Heartbeat, Soldier Soldier and The Story of Tracy Beaker. Rob is currently[when?] the longest serving writer on EastEnders and has completed well over 200 episodes of the programme.
Rob co-created and wrote all eight episodes of the BBC1 prime time drama series TIGER BAY as well as a three-part political thriller for ITV, IN THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS.
For S4C, Rob has storylined over two thousand episodes of the popular daily Welsh language drama serial Pobol y Cwm as well as co-creating the drama series HALEN YN Y GWAED (SALT IN THE BLOOD) which ran for four series.
For BBC Radio 4, Rob has written over twenty original radio plays, over a hundred episodes of The Archers and a 10-part children’s drama series. Rob’s radio production LOSING PARADISE, a co-authored six part thriller co-produced by the BBC, ABC in Australia and CBC in Canada, won the Gold Drama Award at The New York International Radio Festival. Rob has also written a four-part radio late night drama serial for Radio 4, NIGHTMOVES.
Rob’s latest radio play, JULIE, a dramatisation of the extraordinary story of the Operation Julie drugs bust transmitted on BBC Radio 4 in September 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 3, 2025
This is a very bold and adventurous novel, it has such a wide scope, from the mountains of Tibet to bombed out streets of Berlin, along with scenes in Churchill’s war rooms and Scottish bases. It is also an exciting blend of fact and real individuals into a Boy’s Own fiction story of brave men and daring do, with some added mystery, espionage and Nazi eugenics madness. Clearly a lot of research has gone into the story to give authenticity and there is a comprehensive reading list included.
It is also a very brave novel, an unflinching account of the breakdown of civilisation in the days following the fall of Berlin and the German surrender. As the strap line states, “the worst atrocities in battle begin after the war is won” and so the author incorporates these shocking events within the story. After any conflict there is a degree of bloodletting, of victor’s summary ‘justice’ and after the atrocities inflicted on the Russians by the invading Germans and their Einsatzgruppen there was going to be some revenge. However, the scale of the orgy of looting, murder and rape was unexpected by the Western Allies, though German civilians quickly knew what was coming with some women preferring suicide to the inevitable. It’s a dark, brutal read but as a reader who has read widely about the war I can see it as an honest depiction.
In thriller reviews you expect to discover it was a fast paced and gripping page turner, the second part certainly lives up to that, but the first part is slower as the situation is revealed and I found myself occasionally putting it down to reflect upon what I had read. Great fiction has the power to do that.
The central thrust of the story is the search for a child, Zaya the daughter of an Englishman and a Nepalese villager. Zaya was taken as part of the Lebensborn project instigated by Himmler, to take children who fit his Aryan ideal and give them to childless Germans. First her grandmother Dawa searches whilst her mother Amira recovers from illness and takes up the quest, to find one child in the displaced humanity that is now Europe.
Ultimately her father, a war weary ex-army captain Martin Geller, is drawn into the search with a request that he helps British agent Edward Kayne escape, with plans that are vital to Churchill. These plans relate to Operation Unthinkable, a real plan to continue the war against the Russians before the conquered Europe, one of many outlandish ideas considered during the war. The scenes with Kayne and Geller produce some fabulously imagined action and a breathtaking escape. This is one author with a great feel for the visual; it would make a great movie.
In amongst all the savagery the author has managed to capture extraordinary strong emotions within the prose, giving a real depth of feeling. There is the intense mother’s love of Amira as she seeks out her daughter in all the madness, but there are also surrogates who also care for and nurture Zaya. Geller also has great love for Zaya and Amira, but like Kayne he has the battle weary, almost tragic sense of loyalty and duty the Nazis must be stopped no matter the cost. Then there is the incredible Rosa, a woman determined to survive and do whatever she must to ensure it. This is what so many were reduced to, but survival might strip all the humanity from your soul. Rosa is a beautifully nuanced character.
A novel that makes it clear that victory came at great personal cost to so many, in terms of death, physical and psychological harm. In essence the search for Zaya becomes a metaphor for the preservation of love, morals and dignity, save one child to save humanity.
A griping, atmospheric but at times brutal thriller that engenders intense feelings. A novel that will move many and take some out of their comfort zones, but that is no bad thing.
It is also a very brave novel, an unflinching account of the breakdown of civilisation in the days following the fall of Berlin and the German surrender. As the strap line states, “the worst atrocities in battle begin after the war is won” and so the author incorporates these shocking events within the story. After any conflict there is a degree of bloodletting, of victor’s summary ‘justice’ and after the atrocities inflicted on the Russians by the invading Germans and their Einsatzgruppen there was going to be some revenge. However, the scale of the orgy of looting, murder and rape was unexpected by the Western Allies, though German civilians quickly knew what was coming with some women preferring suicide to the inevitable. It’s a dark, brutal read but as a reader who has read widely about the war I can see it as an honest depiction.
In thriller reviews you expect to discover it was a fast paced and gripping page turner, the second part certainly lives up to that, but the first part is slower as the situation is revealed and I found myself occasionally putting it down to reflect upon what I had read. Great fiction has the power to do that.
The central thrust of the story is the search for a child, Zaya the daughter of an Englishman and a Nepalese villager. Zaya was taken as part of the Lebensborn project instigated by Himmler, to take children who fit his Aryan ideal and give them to childless Germans. First her grandmother Dawa searches whilst her mother Amira recovers from illness and takes up the quest, to find one child in the displaced humanity that is now Europe.
Ultimately her father, a war weary ex-army captain Martin Geller, is drawn into the search with a request that he helps British agent Edward Kayne escape, with plans that are vital to Churchill. These plans relate to Operation Unthinkable, a real plan to continue the war against the Russians before the conquered Europe, one of many outlandish ideas considered during the war. The scenes with Kayne and Geller produce some fabulously imagined action and a breathtaking escape. This is one author with a great feel for the visual; it would make a great movie.
In amongst all the savagery the author has managed to capture extraordinary strong emotions within the prose, giving a real depth of feeling. There is the intense mother’s love of Amira as she seeks out her daughter in all the madness, but there are also surrogates who also care for and nurture Zaya. Geller also has great love for Zaya and Amira, but like Kayne he has the battle weary, almost tragic sense of loyalty and duty the Nazis must be stopped no matter the cost. Then there is the incredible Rosa, a woman determined to survive and do whatever she must to ensure it. This is what so many were reduced to, but survival might strip all the humanity from your soul. Rosa is a beautifully nuanced character.
A novel that makes it clear that victory came at great personal cost to so many, in terms of death, physical and psychological harm. In essence the search for Zaya becomes a metaphor for the preservation of love, morals and dignity, save one child to save humanity.
A griping, atmospheric but at times brutal thriller that engenders intense feelings. A novel that will move many and take some out of their comfort zones, but that is no bad thing.
May 8, 2025
Here is my review for Year Zero by Rob Gittings
This was a very fitting story to read on this auspicious VE Day which celebrated what happened eighty years ago today. The story flicked between 1944 and 1945, both following the war. There was a search going on for Edward Kayne who was a British spy as he was deeply embedded with the Nazis and he had intercepted a top-secret document that was of vital importance. Martin Geller was chosen for the deed as his young daughter, Zaya, had been abducted two years previously to be ‘Germanised’ and the idea was he could rescue them both as they had intelligence they were in the same camp. This was a brilliant story to read as there was a lot of information in there in regards to places in Germany and ranks of German officers. Also, of other places visited. There was some present day stuff as well. I was impressed with the amount of detail involved in the book and the possible amount of research the author must have done to write this book but it made for a very intriguing story. It was a superbly written story that held my attention and I just couldn’t put the book down as I was so intrigued by the story. The characters were interesting as well as it included the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, from 1945 as well as his cabinet from that period. I thought this was a great story and I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.
Blurb :
Berlin. May 1945. A city without institutions in a continent that has become a wasteland.
Thousands of former Nazis have been killed in Allied purges, many more incarcerated in the very concentration camps they themselves established.
But the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, has a problem. One of those former Nazis is actually a British spy, Edward Kayne, who has intercepted a top-secret document that Churchill insists is vital to settling the peace.
Martin Geller is selected to journey into the heart of darkness and extract Kayne, but a carrot is dangled before him. His daughter, Zaya, had been abducted two years before as part of the Lebensborn programme – the kidnapping of children deemed to be ripe for ‘Germanisation’. Zaya is now in the same camp.
Geller sets off on a two-pronged mission – to extract Kayne and rescue Zaya. But Geller will discover that far from settling the peace, the document that Kayne has intercepted threatens the opposite.
Can Geller save his daughter from the gates of hell? And how does Geller reconcile the rescue of Kayne with his knowledge that he may be condemning the world to a new Armageddon?
This was a very fitting story to read on this auspicious VE Day which celebrated what happened eighty years ago today. The story flicked between 1944 and 1945, both following the war. There was a search going on for Edward Kayne who was a British spy as he was deeply embedded with the Nazis and he had intercepted a top-secret document that was of vital importance. Martin Geller was chosen for the deed as his young daughter, Zaya, had been abducted two years previously to be ‘Germanised’ and the idea was he could rescue them both as they had intelligence they were in the same camp. This was a brilliant story to read as there was a lot of information in there in regards to places in Germany and ranks of German officers. Also, of other places visited. There was some present day stuff as well. I was impressed with the amount of detail involved in the book and the possible amount of research the author must have done to write this book but it made for a very intriguing story. It was a superbly written story that held my attention and I just couldn’t put the book down as I was so intrigued by the story. The characters were interesting as well as it included the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, from 1945 as well as his cabinet from that period. I thought this was a great story and I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.
Blurb :
Berlin. May 1945. A city without institutions in a continent that has become a wasteland.
Thousands of former Nazis have been killed in Allied purges, many more incarcerated in the very concentration camps they themselves established.
But the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, has a problem. One of those former Nazis is actually a British spy, Edward Kayne, who has intercepted a top-secret document that Churchill insists is vital to settling the peace.
Martin Geller is selected to journey into the heart of darkness and extract Kayne, but a carrot is dangled before him. His daughter, Zaya, had been abducted two years before as part of the Lebensborn programme – the kidnapping of children deemed to be ripe for ‘Germanisation’. Zaya is now in the same camp.
Geller sets off on a two-pronged mission – to extract Kayne and rescue Zaya. But Geller will discover that far from settling the peace, the document that Kayne has intercepted threatens the opposite.
Can Geller save his daughter from the gates of hell? And how does Geller reconcile the rescue of Kayne with his knowledge that he may be condemning the world to a new Armageddon?
April 22, 2025
Wow, what a journey this book has been. This feels like a book I've not read but experienced. I felt like I loved every moment alongside Zaya, Amira, and the many others that make this story what it is.
Set alternately between 1944 and 1945, the war is coming to an end and victory in Europe has been announced. However the war is far from over and the concentration camps that have been liberated aren't the end of the story.
Following from Tibet to Germany and the UK, it mostly follows the fate of Zaya, a supposedly Aryan top level child, just 4 years old.
Some of this is brutal, but then the war was, there's no shying away from the horrific atrocities meted out to those poor souls at the mercy of evil men. I dread to think what the body count of this book is!
However, and for me the thing that stands out most, is the power of women. There are so many incredible kick arse women through this, risking everything, often flirting with death, not to better themselves but to protect others. Vera and Rosa in particular.
This is such a breathtaking read. you get sucked in and you cant put it down as there is always something happening and you have to find out.
The research done is clearly impeccable and I feel for the author having to read many horrific stories to be able to portray that level of detail.
A really outstanding historical thriller. Absolutely blown me away and I think will stick with me for some time.
Set alternately between 1944 and 1945, the war is coming to an end and victory in Europe has been announced. However the war is far from over and the concentration camps that have been liberated aren't the end of the story.
Following from Tibet to Germany and the UK, it mostly follows the fate of Zaya, a supposedly Aryan top level child, just 4 years old.
Some of this is brutal, but then the war was, there's no shying away from the horrific atrocities meted out to those poor souls at the mercy of evil men. I dread to think what the body count of this book is!
However, and for me the thing that stands out most, is the power of women. There are so many incredible kick arse women through this, risking everything, often flirting with death, not to better themselves but to protect others. Vera and Rosa in particular.
This is such a breathtaking read. you get sucked in and you cant put it down as there is always something happening and you have to find out.
The research done is clearly impeccable and I feel for the author having to read many horrific stories to be able to portray that level of detail.
A really outstanding historical thriller. Absolutely blown me away and I think will stick with me for some time.
May 5, 2025
I’ve always loved reading a novel by Rob Gittins, he really does put his heart and soul into every book and ‘Year Zero’ is no exception. It’s powerful, heart-breaking, intensely emotional but at the same time, fabulously entertaining in a way it really shouldn’t be, considering the traumatic storyline of ‘Lebensborn’.
I can’t mention much about the story without giving too much away but suffice to say there are some very powerful, heroic women (and girls) involved along the way, with some eye opening scenes showing their bravery and courage. Together with a determined father and a tough, unbreakable soldier, they all come together to produce a character cast to be proud of.
I dread to think of the nightmares the author had whilst researching for this book and then putting it all down into a readable story. He must have a cast iron stomach because some of the atrocities mentioned, made me nauseous and I’m sure they were played down for respectability. I was very impressed with the amount of research too that must have been conducted in order for the book to read so plausible and real. There were a couple of paragraphs about real life people I’d only slightly or never heard of - the Russian ‘Night Witches’ and the sadistic ‘Ilse Koch’ to mention just two and even though they only had a couple of lines about them, the author managed to include them seamlessly into a fictional story.
Set mostly just after the war when the German death camps were brutally run by the Soviets, the story is what it is - so expect heart wrenching moments and upsetting scenes. These cannot be avoided in this genre, in order to produce a high quality and memorable story, which in my opinion could easily be played out on the big screen.
A must read recommendation from me and an easy 5 star rating.
#YearZero - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I can’t mention much about the story without giving too much away but suffice to say there are some very powerful, heroic women (and girls) involved along the way, with some eye opening scenes showing their bravery and courage. Together with a determined father and a tough, unbreakable soldier, they all come together to produce a character cast to be proud of.
I dread to think of the nightmares the author had whilst researching for this book and then putting it all down into a readable story. He must have a cast iron stomach because some of the atrocities mentioned, made me nauseous and I’m sure they were played down for respectability. I was very impressed with the amount of research too that must have been conducted in order for the book to read so plausible and real. There were a couple of paragraphs about real life people I’d only slightly or never heard of - the Russian ‘Night Witches’ and the sadistic ‘Ilse Koch’ to mention just two and even though they only had a couple of lines about them, the author managed to include them seamlessly into a fictional story.
Set mostly just after the war when the German death camps were brutally run by the Soviets, the story is what it is - so expect heart wrenching moments and upsetting scenes. These cannot be avoided in this genre, in order to produce a high quality and memorable story, which in my opinion could easily be played out on the big screen.
A must read recommendation from me and an easy 5 star rating.
#YearZero - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
April 29, 2025
This is the story of Zaya, born in the mountainous region of Tibet to a local woman Anita and Englishman Martin Geller. Age two Zaya is a victim of Himmler’s quest for perfect Aryan babies and is kidnapped and ended up in Berlin as part of the Lebensborn programme. The author has clearly undertaken extensive research and some of the details are harrowing.
Briefly, Berlin 1945, and the Russian army are closing in. At the same time a British agent, Edward Kayne, is caught up in the fighting in the city and taken to a camp. Kayne is carrying a microdot which, if found by the Nazis could have catastrophic consequences. Geller is sent to Germany to get the agent out but he discovers Zaya, now 4 years old, is still alive and becomes caught up in trying to rescue both before all hell breaks loose.
This is a brutal story and not for the squeamish as it features the horror of both the German Concentration Camps and the Russian treatment of anyone in their path as the Germans surrender. A fascinating historical work of fiction based on real events. Full of strong characters this is a fast paced and exciting read with a lovely twist at the end.
4.5⭐️
Briefly, Berlin 1945, and the Russian army are closing in. At the same time a British agent, Edward Kayne, is caught up in the fighting in the city and taken to a camp. Kayne is carrying a microdot which, if found by the Nazis could have catastrophic consequences. Geller is sent to Germany to get the agent out but he discovers Zaya, now 4 years old, is still alive and becomes caught up in trying to rescue both before all hell breaks loose.
This is a brutal story and not for the squeamish as it features the horror of both the German Concentration Camps and the Russian treatment of anyone in their path as the Germans surrender. A fascinating historical work of fiction based on real events. Full of strong characters this is a fast paced and exciting read with a lovely twist at the end.
4.5⭐️
May 8, 2025
This is an action thriller of the highest order with action from the first pages of this very well researched and historically accurate book. It is a powerful book describing the fight for survival of a defeated people and the vengeance of the Russian victors. “The worst atrocities in battle are when the war is won “ is a very appropriate phrase for the descriptions of the daily lives of those in the book. It is also a very clever plot, using well known historical facts to weave a book that left me breathless. I became engrossed in the characters and what an ending to this action packed thriller.
May 6, 2025
What is clear from the outset is how much research this author has made into forming this vivid world.
The short sharp chapters meant I flew through this book as I couldn't stop reading, although the change in years was a bit unsettling at first.
This doesn't shy away from some emotional and difficult subject matters, but is complimented by some amazingly strong women who for me steal the show in their resilience.
Not for the faint hearted and certainly packs a punch.
The short sharp chapters meant I flew through this book as I couldn't stop reading, although the change in years was a bit unsettling at first.
This doesn't shy away from some emotional and difficult subject matters, but is complimented by some amazingly strong women who for me steal the show in their resilience.
Not for the faint hearted and certainly packs a punch.
September 2, 2025
Propulsive thriller enriched with rich historical detail.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews