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Department 89 #2
The Reichsbank Gold
February 1945 : With the war nearly over, the Nazi regime moves their entire cash and gold reserves worth billions, from Berlin to the salt mines of Merkers. But some of the gold never makes it there, and it is never found again.
September 2017 : A fierce national election campaign is being fought out in Germany. Extreme right-wing nationalists, connected to a major election candidate, are terrorising the streets and murdering at will. Somehow, it is all connected to the missing Nazi gold 70 years before.
Captain Sophie Decker of the elite, secretive, and ruthless Department 89 is given an order by the beleaguered Chancellor. Take down the terrorists and find the missing Nazi gold. But someone has their own secret agenda.
German democracy is at stake – and only Department 89 can save it.
September 2017 : A fierce national election campaign is being fought out in Germany. Extreme right-wing nationalists, connected to a major election candidate, are terrorising the streets and murdering at will. Somehow, it is all connected to the missing Nazi gold 70 years before.
Captain Sophie Decker of the elite, secretive, and ruthless Department 89 is given an order by the beleaguered Chancellor. Take down the terrorists and find the missing Nazi gold. But someone has their own secret agenda.
German democracy is at stake – and only Department 89 can save it.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2017
49 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 31, 2020
This is the second book in Mark O'Neill's series about Germany's Secret Intelligence Agency Department 89, headed by a female 007, Captain Sophie Decker. In this outing, Captain Decker is up against a radical right wing Nationalist, Helmut Kappel, who has teemed up with a candidate in Germany's election against the current Chancellor, Claudia Meyer. Kappel has far bigger plans, than anyone can guess and it is all tied in with a mysterious relic from WWII.
The brutal action in this book is a non stop roller coaster ride, with a high body count throughout. I flew through the book in slightly more than 2 hours, because I was so curious as to what this relic was. The only one, who knew, was Chancellor Meyer. Even Captain Decker was not on the "need to know list"! And we, the readers, don't find out until much, much later in the book. I found this book to be even more enjoyable than the first. The character of Captain Decker is fleshed out more. I smile to observe, that the strongest characters in the book are both female. My only criticism is the first part of prologue, which doesn't seem to have anything to do with the plot. It doesn't become obvious until much later, that this scene has all to do with the mysterious relic and Kappel's bold ambition.
This series is highly recommended for fans of James Bond.
The brutal action in this book is a non stop roller coaster ride, with a high body count throughout. I flew through the book in slightly more than 2 hours, because I was so curious as to what this relic was. The only one, who knew, was Chancellor Meyer. Even Captain Decker was not on the "need to know list"! And we, the readers, don't find out until much, much later in the book. I found this book to be even more enjoyable than the first. The character of Captain Decker is fleshed out more. I smile to observe, that the strongest characters in the book are both female. My only criticism is the first part of prologue, which doesn't seem to have anything to do with the plot. It doesn't become obvious until much later, that this scene has all to do with the mysterious relic and Kappel's bold ambition.
This series is highly recommended for fans of James Bond.
June 24, 2024
The second book of the series featuring Sophie Decker, a military intelligence Captain who essentially is a terrorist working for the good guys, as there are seemingly no rules or limits to what she and Department 89 are allowed to do, up to and including restricting basic civil rights and committing outright murder.
While thrillers, particularly action thrillers, are typically plot-driven and often don't feature much characterization, but there is practically none here. All of this means there's little reason to care about any of them, including the protagonists, who are mostly unlikeable people.
All that being said, the plot and action are interesting enough, especially in the later parts of the book. If you're looking for plausibility, this is not the book for you. If you just want to be entertained by some action, this will provide that. The plot did wander at times early on. The last 30% of the book stayed focused and benefitted from it. There's a warning before the story begins there are a lot of threads connecting to the first book in the series, though they're pretty vague and you could probably skip it without missing much.
Also, at some point, it became obvious to me Decker was a woman. I don't have to be reminded so often.
While thrillers, particularly action thrillers, are typically plot-driven and often don't feature much characterization, but there is practically none here. All of this means there's little reason to care about any of them, including the protagonists, who are mostly unlikeable people.
All that being said, the plot and action are interesting enough, especially in the later parts of the book. If you're looking for plausibility, this is not the book for you. If you just want to be entertained by some action, this will provide that. The plot did wander at times early on. The last 30% of the book stayed focused and benefitted from it. There's a warning before the story begins there are a lot of threads connecting to the first book in the series, though they're pretty vague and you could probably skip it without missing much.
Also, at some point, it became obvious to me Decker was a woman. I don't have to be reminded so often.
October 11, 2017
For the most part this is an exciting and suspenseful book. It provides a sample of what can be accomplished when a black agent is not restricted by rules and bureaucrats. O'Neill does a great job of capturing the German spirit in the players on both sides. The style of writing is somewhat sparse, but gets the job done. I occasionally ran into speed bumps while reading along, when a few paragraphs about something different appeared. Politics is an essential part of human nature, and that fact is continuously on display in the book. The action is beautifully described and emotionally grabbing. Most of the characters are somewhat shallow and stereotypical, but I still found myself becoming emotionally involved with them. The key element in the main part of the story is a Nazi relic that captures support from all believers. Because symbols were an important part of the Nazi regime, the use of a symbolic relic to unite and energize Neo-Nazis makes sense. The resolve demonstrated by the German Chancellor toward the end of the book is an important element for any leader, but is seldom on display.
December 9, 2019
Having read and been impressed by "The Renegade Spy", book one of the Department 89 series, I found myself looking forward with excitement to getting in to "The Reichsbank Gold."
And I wasn't disappointed.
It's not often that I am so enthralled with a story that I read the entire book nonstop in one sitting, but it happened here. Excellent continuation of the characters presented in book one, and we get a little better feel of Sophie's drive and motivations in this story. The plot line was plausible, almost eerily so, and the action ramped up and stayed there throughout most of the book. There's an insider, a mole, trying their best to disrupt the status quo, and trying to figure out who it might be (and failing to) means I am definitely hooked on this series now. No choice but to keep reading. It's just that damn good.
Mr. O'Neill not only tells one hell of a story, he's landed himself in my top ten all-time favorite authors.
And I wasn't disappointed.
It's not often that I am so enthralled with a story that I read the entire book nonstop in one sitting, but it happened here. Excellent continuation of the characters presented in book one, and we get a little better feel of Sophie's drive and motivations in this story. The plot line was plausible, almost eerily so, and the action ramped up and stayed there throughout most of the book. There's an insider, a mole, trying their best to disrupt the status quo, and trying to figure out who it might be (and failing to) means I am definitely hooked on this series now. No choice but to keep reading. It's just that damn good.
Mr. O'Neill not only tells one hell of a story, he's landed himself in my top ten all-time favorite authors.
May 13, 2018
4 ½ ★ This is the second Sophie Decker book and I liked it even better than the first. Lots and lots of action and political intrigue. In the beginning O'Neill mentions events from the time between this book and book 1 and I found that annoying. I kept waiting for an explanation or tie-in but there is none, it is just left hanging.
Again, as in Renegade Spy, I felt like I don't really have any connection to any of the characters; they have no real personalities. I would like a little more fleshing out of at least Decker and her close comrades. On the other hand, the plot is very nicely done and perfectly developed. Mr. O'Neill is killing off a bunch of Germans, both good and bad, in his book series. (And he thinks they are going to let him become a citizen in real life. Snicker!)
Again, as in Renegade Spy, I felt like I don't really have any connection to any of the characters; they have no real personalities. I would like a little more fleshing out of at least Decker and her close comrades. On the other hand, the plot is very nicely done and perfectly developed. Mr. O'Neill is killing off a bunch of Germans, both good and bad, in his book series. (And he thinks they are going to let him become a citizen in real life. Snicker!)
February 27, 2018
The Reichsbank Gold
Lots of action in this story. The main character, Captain Decker, is a woman and one not to be messed with...smart, courageous and fearless. I have read two books on Department 89 and really liked them. I do recommend this author, Mark O’Neill, if you like thrilling and action packed stories.
Lots of action in this story. The main character, Captain Decker, is a woman and one not to be messed with...smart, courageous and fearless. I have read two books on Department 89 and really liked them. I do recommend this author, Mark O’Neill, if you like thrilling and action packed stories.
March 26, 2018
This book gripped me from the start. It's very well crafted and rich in detail and atmosphere. The characters tend to be very sterotypical, but in no way does this reduce the pleasure of reading the book. Great story which begins during the end of WW2 and finishes in the 21st century. I voluntarily received an ARC of this book.
August 30, 2019
I have read other Depatment 89 books but in my opinion this one was extraordinary . Mark outdid himself when he wrote this book and as usual it has the usual satire and action that goes with his other books in the series. It was a great read and anyone who does not read it has missed out on a good read.
February 3, 2018
Terrorists Rob a bank killing several people and police officers. Sophie Decker later finds out its a man she thought was dead. Now it's her job to find him again. Good and interesting story involving terrorists and Nazi sympathizers.
January 17, 2018
Picks up about a year after The Renegade Spy with some further background. Allow two days for this one.
I read an ARC and this voluntary review is my own opinion.
I read an ARC and this voluntary review is my own opinion.
November 10, 2020
Great read and you learn a lot about how Department 89 was formed.
Great writing and very good plot. Lots and lots of action. I really enjoyed this book mostly because of learning about Dept. 89.
Great writing and very good plot. Lots and lots of action. I really enjoyed this book mostly because of learning about Dept. 89.
May 10, 2025
Pretty good story. Lots of death though.Strong characters and dialogue.
June 18, 2023
Mark O’Neill https://markoneill.org is the author of nearly 20 novels. The Reichsbank Gold was published in 2017 and is the second book in his Department 89 series. It is the 31st book I completed reading in 2023.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.
The primary character is Captain Sophie Decker. She is part of the ultra-secret Department 89 covert action and intelligence group. As the national election in Germany approaches, a right-wing extremist group threatens violent disruption. Tied to this is the theft of hidden Nazi gold from a Berlin bank.
Should the terrorist actions play out as planned, the democratic government will be overthrown. Decker and her fellow Department 89 agents are all that stand in the way of the Neo-Nazis' success.
I enjoyed the 5 hours I spent reading this 350-page thriller. The novel is short, almost a novella. The cover art is dark but consistent with the others in the series. I like the choice. I give this novel a rating of 3.8 (rounded to 4) out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.
The primary character is Captain Sophie Decker. She is part of the ultra-secret Department 89 covert action and intelligence group. As the national election in Germany approaches, a right-wing extremist group threatens violent disruption. Tied to this is the theft of hidden Nazi gold from a Berlin bank.
Should the terrorist actions play out as planned, the democratic government will be overthrown. Decker and her fellow Department 89 agents are all that stand in the way of the Neo-Nazis' success.
I enjoyed the 5 hours I spent reading this 350-page thriller. The novel is short, almost a novella. The cover art is dark but consistent with the others in the series. I like the choice. I give this novel a rating of 3.8 (rounded to 4) out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews