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Fortune and Glass
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Expected 6 Oct 26390 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 6, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 7, 2026
Thank you to Left Field Publishing for the e ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This novel takes place in 1930s and 1940s Germany and follows Rudi and Sara as their love story unfolds against the backdrop of war and espionage. I’ve read a lot of books set during this era, but this one felt fresh and surprisingly layered. The author balances tension and tenderness in a way that pulled me in right from the start, and the pacing made it easy to stay fully immersed in their world.
Rudi and Sara’s relationship has a quiet emotional weight to it, and the spy elements add a steady undercurrent of suspense. It’s part romance, part espionage, and completely its own thing. I appreciated how the story didn’t rely on the usual World War II tropes. Instead, it focused on two people trying to hold on to love and loyalty while navigating impossible circumstances.
The characters were so well developed that I found myself genuinely invested in their fate. I kept turning pages because I needed to know what would happen to them, and I cared about the choices they made. John Mutter’s writing style worked beautifully for me, and I’d happily pick up more of his books after this.
If you enjoy historical fiction with heart, a touch of intrigue, and characters you can root for, this one is worth adding to your list.
This novel takes place in 1930s and 1940s Germany and follows Rudi and Sara as their love story unfolds against the backdrop of war and espionage. I’ve read a lot of books set during this era, but this one felt fresh and surprisingly layered. The author balances tension and tenderness in a way that pulled me in right from the start, and the pacing made it easy to stay fully immersed in their world.
Rudi and Sara’s relationship has a quiet emotional weight to it, and the spy elements add a steady undercurrent of suspense. It’s part romance, part espionage, and completely its own thing. I appreciated how the story didn’t rely on the usual World War II tropes. Instead, it focused on two people trying to hold on to love and loyalty while navigating impossible circumstances.
The characters were so well developed that I found myself genuinely invested in their fate. I kept turning pages because I needed to know what would happen to them, and I cared about the choices they made. John Mutter’s writing style worked beautifully for me, and I’d happily pick up more of his books after this.
If you enjoy historical fiction with heart, a touch of intrigue, and characters you can root for, this one is worth adding to your list.
August 7, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
Fortune and Glass by John Mutter
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to @leftfieldpublishig for the advance copy of Fortune and Glass by John Mutter.
Mutter’s debut novel is a work of historical fiction that blends elements of the romance and thriller genres. This gripping, atmospheric story is told through the eyes of the MMC Rudi who is a German Foreign Ministry Official. Mutter details the bleak, gritty and dangerous Berlin living conditions, the slow demise of the citizens’ morale, the various political parties and allegiances, and how all of these factors complicate love, family, and friendships.
The story of Rudi's life over the course of this period in time, 1932-1946, evolves slowly through alternating timelines. Rudi is a complex character that loves his country and is willing to take potentially deadly risks secretly working as a spy providing information about the Nazis to the British and Americans. Rudi desperately tries to protect his family, close friends, and a past love Sarah who reenters his life. Rudi is troubled knowing that his efforts to restore peace in Germany and a return to safe living conditions for friends and loved ones takes time and patience that many will not survive to see.
I appreciate the amount of detail John Mutter provides regarding the different political parties and their views. It helps the reader understand the precariously difficult choices Rudi must make and how he is risking not only his life, but the lives of others for what he believes is the greater good. It is interesting to watch how friendships change and become more guarded, sometimes hostile, as the toll of the war on people’s quality of life worsens and political views divide. I find Rudi to be a complex, multi-layered character that is brave, empathetic, reflective while also being vulnerable and flawed. The atrocities the characters face stir up so many emotions while reading: tension, discomfort and sadness.
What didn’t work for me? Two things kept this from being a five star read for me. First, the timelines jump about quite a bit. Although the time frame is clearly noted at the beginning of each chapter, I did have to stop and clarify in my mind what things had already happened and what things had not happened yet each time the timeline changed. Second, although the detailed, historical information of the time period is definitely helpful, it also can get in the way of the actual story. Both of these factors caused the pacing to be slow at times. Despite the pacing issue, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fortune and Glass. I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you enjoy WWII historical fiction that immerses the reader in war torn Berlin and the behind the scenes political activities. John Mutter has written a WWII novel that is completely unique from any other I have read.
Fortune and Glass by John Mutter
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to @leftfieldpublishig for the advance copy of Fortune and Glass by John Mutter.
Mutter’s debut novel is a work of historical fiction that blends elements of the romance and thriller genres. This gripping, atmospheric story is told through the eyes of the MMC Rudi who is a German Foreign Ministry Official. Mutter details the bleak, gritty and dangerous Berlin living conditions, the slow demise of the citizens’ morale, the various political parties and allegiances, and how all of these factors complicate love, family, and friendships.
The story of Rudi's life over the course of this period in time, 1932-1946, evolves slowly through alternating timelines. Rudi is a complex character that loves his country and is willing to take potentially deadly risks secretly working as a spy providing information about the Nazis to the British and Americans. Rudi desperately tries to protect his family, close friends, and a past love Sarah who reenters his life. Rudi is troubled knowing that his efforts to restore peace in Germany and a return to safe living conditions for friends and loved ones takes time and patience that many will not survive to see.
I appreciate the amount of detail John Mutter provides regarding the different political parties and their views. It helps the reader understand the precariously difficult choices Rudi must make and how he is risking not only his life, but the lives of others for what he believes is the greater good. It is interesting to watch how friendships change and become more guarded, sometimes hostile, as the toll of the war on people’s quality of life worsens and political views divide. I find Rudi to be a complex, multi-layered character that is brave, empathetic, reflective while also being vulnerable and flawed. The atrocities the characters face stir up so many emotions while reading: tension, discomfort and sadness.
What didn’t work for me? Two things kept this from being a five star read for me. First, the timelines jump about quite a bit. Although the time frame is clearly noted at the beginning of each chapter, I did have to stop and clarify in my mind what things had already happened and what things had not happened yet each time the timeline changed. Second, although the detailed, historical information of the time period is definitely helpful, it also can get in the way of the actual story. Both of these factors caused the pacing to be slow at times. Despite the pacing issue, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fortune and Glass. I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you enjoy WWII historical fiction that immerses the reader in war torn Berlin and the behind the scenes political activities. John Mutter has written a WWII novel that is completely unique from any other I have read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
John Mutter’s “Fortune and Glass,” which situates itself in 1930s and 1940s wartime Germany, will be pretty familiar fictional fare for anyone like me with an especial interest in literature about the Third Reich, which isn’t to say that it doesn’t make for compelling reading with its depiction of a love affair suffering under the strains of that awful time.
Indeed, the novel begins with its protagonist, Rudi Baumann, an official in Germany’s Foreign Ministry and no fan of the Reich, trying to get his Jewish lover, Sara, out of Germany to Switzerland. No sooner does he think he’s safely dispatched her, though, than she reappears, asserting that she just can’t leave behind her friends and family, including her cherished father, a psychoanalyst with whom Rudi also enjoys a warm relationship.
And for a time things are able to continue as before, until more and more the tentacles of the Reich ensnare everyone in the lovers’ orbit, including transforming an old friend of Rudi’s, Hans (also a onetime lover of Sara) into a fervent member of the SS.
Sufficiently stressful the times become that they make for the breakup of Sara and Rudi’s relationship, with Rudi eventually marrying another woman, though continuing to be passionate about Sara, who as the book descends into the darkest days of the Reich comes back into his life and accelerates the novel's action toward its climactic finale.
All pretty familiar fare, as I say, for those with considerable acquaintance with fiction about the Reich, though delivered in an absorbing manner and alarmingly germane in today’s America, where, just as Rudi is mystified about how so many Germans continued to be taken with the Reich even with the manifest evidence of its malevolence, a staggeringly large number of Americans continue to buy into the myths and stratagems of the current administration, including now the truly outrageous attempt to set up a “compensation” fund for those who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection and brutalized police seeking only to protect and preserve the democratic process.
Indeed, the novel begins with its protagonist, Rudi Baumann, an official in Germany’s Foreign Ministry and no fan of the Reich, trying to get his Jewish lover, Sara, out of Germany to Switzerland. No sooner does he think he’s safely dispatched her, though, than she reappears, asserting that she just can’t leave behind her friends and family, including her cherished father, a psychoanalyst with whom Rudi also enjoys a warm relationship.
And for a time things are able to continue as before, until more and more the tentacles of the Reich ensnare everyone in the lovers’ orbit, including transforming an old friend of Rudi’s, Hans (also a onetime lover of Sara) into a fervent member of the SS.
Sufficiently stressful the times become that they make for the breakup of Sara and Rudi’s relationship, with Rudi eventually marrying another woman, though continuing to be passionate about Sara, who as the book descends into the darkest days of the Reich comes back into his life and accelerates the novel's action toward its climactic finale.
All pretty familiar fare, as I say, for those with considerable acquaintance with fiction about the Reich, though delivered in an absorbing manner and alarmingly germane in today’s America, where, just as Rudi is mystified about how so many Germans continued to be taken with the Reich even with the manifest evidence of its malevolence, a staggeringly large number of Americans continue to buy into the myths and stratagems of the current administration, including now the truly outrageous attempt to set up a “compensation” fund for those who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection and brutalized police seeking only to protect and preserve the democratic process.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Compelling and quietly powerful, John Mutter’s Fortune and Glass is a love story bordered by themes of morality and loyalty. In 1933, before Nazism and Hitler come to full power, Rudi Baumann is a young, German Foreign Ministry official in love with a vibrant and captivating upper class Jewish woman. More and more repulsed by what he sees happening to the country he cherishes, he finds ways to maintain his status as a government official while not joining in the mindless obedience of his fellow Germans to Nazi rule. There is one chilling scene where Rudi is swept along by an ecstatic crowd awaiting Hitler’s appearance in the Chancellery and, subtly refusing to chant or salute, realizes how dangerous his world has become. In chapters labeled by year, Mutter deftly shows the slow creep of intolerance and growing horrors of Hitler’s regime on German society. This is different from other Holocaust-era novels I have read in that it is, foremost, a love story, as Rudi tries to save the woman he loves, but, more importantly, is a very accurate retelling of unimaginable Nazi horrors on innocents. Highly recommended.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Fortune and Glass is a historical fiction novel, set in Berlin, Germany, during World War 2. There are many many novels that have been written about this dark time in the history of the world but the perspective of this novel is unique, at least to this reader.
The main character is Rudi, a young German man who works in the Foreign Ministry department of Berlin’s government. Rudi loves his country but readily recognizes the horror of the twisted policies that his government has established. Rudi is also in love with Sara, a young Jewish woman.
The novel is told solely from Rudi’s first person perspective and is not told in a linear manner so the reader needs to pay attention to the dates. Rudi is heroic in some of his actions but is also human and flawed. We are also able to experience the consequences of the war from the perspective of a German citizen trying his best to make a positive impact and help others. If you enjoy historical fiction, I would recommend reading this fine novel.
Thank you to the author and Left Field Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
The main character is Rudi, a young German man who works in the Foreign Ministry department of Berlin’s government. Rudi loves his country but readily recognizes the horror of the twisted policies that his government has established. Rudi is also in love with Sara, a young Jewish woman.
The novel is told solely from Rudi’s first person perspective and is not told in a linear manner so the reader needs to pay attention to the dates. Rudi is heroic in some of his actions but is also human and flawed. We are also able to experience the consequences of the war from the perspective of a German citizen trying his best to make a positive impact and help others. If you enjoy historical fiction, I would recommend reading this fine novel.
Thank you to the author and Left Field Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Fortune and Glass is a Historical Fiction novel written by John Mutter and set to release to the public on October 6th, 2026. I am one of those lucky enough to receive access to the ebook ARC of this work before that date, so thank you Netgalley and PR By the Book Team for the chance to read and review this book honestly. The PROLOGUE. Y'all the prologue caught my attention immediately. I believe that might have been the perfect set-up for the remainder of the contents included. Historical fiction always manages to make you FEEL something, but sometimes it doesn't make you feel nail biting suspense. HOWEVER, this one delivered on that front. You're left wanting to know WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHY? WHAT IS GOING ON? and that's just the BEGINNING. I was invested the entire time I was reading, I didn't want to put it down. I will say though, that the pacing, POV change up, and a variety of editing mishaps kept me on my toes, but not really in a respectable “productive to my reading” way. 3.75 ⭐
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is my first time reading something by John Mutter. He has done an amazing job writing about a love affair during such nail-biting times. The characters are well written and ones you empathize with during every chapter, the conflict and strife, the push and pull. It broke my heart apart and left me thinking about it long after I finished. Anyone interested in this era of history should add this to their shelves. I look forward to Mutters' future contributions to the literature world and to being able to read his work in the future.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book was so interesting to read. I have read countless novels set in the World War II era, but none have had the kind of characters and situations that this book did. The story took on a whole different perspective to what some people were going through during that time in our history.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Not my typical read and I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it!!
June 14, 2026
Reviewed for Library Journal; full review appears there.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews