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The Hitler Progeny
Spring 2017 - Europe is at a political crossroads and the German People are about to go to the polls.
As the UK suffers through the Brexit breakup and Italy embraces the Five Star Movement, there is growing dissent within the governments of other EU stalwarts, due mostly to the immigration program known as Schengen. It has become THE political issue in the German Republic and now threatens to undermine the EU itself and by extension, NATO - the military umbrella that has protected most of Europe for seventy years.
When several EU delegates are murdered in German cities, the finger of blame points to a Middle Eastern nation, yet rumors also circulate about the rise of a domestic neo-nazi organization known as das Netzwerk - and one individual within its ranks in particular.
At the request of German intelligence, the U.S. provides an experienced deep cover agent to determine if the claims are true. Is the neo-nazi known as Gerhardt Fuchs, a direct descendant of Adolf Hitler?
The Hitler Progeny is a cautionary tale of the highest order at the intersection of current events, global politics, and modern espionage.
As the UK suffers through the Brexit breakup and Italy embraces the Five Star Movement, there is growing dissent within the governments of other EU stalwarts, due mostly to the immigration program known as Schengen. It has become THE political issue in the German Republic and now threatens to undermine the EU itself and by extension, NATO - the military umbrella that has protected most of Europe for seventy years.
When several EU delegates are murdered in German cities, the finger of blame points to a Middle Eastern nation, yet rumors also circulate about the rise of a domestic neo-nazi organization known as das Netzwerk - and one individual within its ranks in particular.
At the request of German intelligence, the U.S. provides an experienced deep cover agent to determine if the claims are true. Is the neo-nazi known as Gerhardt Fuchs, a direct descendant of Adolf Hitler?
The Hitler Progeny is a cautionary tale of the highest order at the intersection of current events, global politics, and modern espionage.
312 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2019
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Steve Dimodica
5 books13 followers Steve Dimodica was born in Boston and raised in Massachusetts. The second of six children, he grew up in a suburban neighborhood with many young families having the dual focus of school and sports. After college ( B.S.) and graduate school ( M.S.) , Steve joined the Army with the intent of exploring foreign countries before settling into a domestic career. He found a greater challenge.
Steve spent the next 20 years on Active and Active Reserve duty in the U.S. Army Special Forces and Military Intelligence. Following three mission deployments to North Africa where he served as a Weapons Leader and Medical Specialist on a Special Forces A Team, he received a Direct Commission as a Military Intelligence Officer.
For the next fourteen years, Steve had numerous mission deployments to Europe and Central America, serving as both a Counter-Intelligence Officer and a Detachment Commander on Special Forces A Teams.
Steve lives in the Philadelphia area with his family.
Steve spent the next 20 years on Active and Active Reserve duty in the U.S. Army Special Forces and Military Intelligence. Following three mission deployments to North Africa where he served as a Weapons Leader and Medical Specialist on a Special Forces A Team, he received a Direct Commission as a Military Intelligence Officer.
For the next fourteen years, Steve had numerous mission deployments to Europe and Central America, serving as both a Counter-Intelligence Officer and a Detachment Commander on Special Forces A Teams.
Steve lives in the Philadelphia area with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 23, 2019
Set in Germany in 2017, amid the excitement and unrest leading up to a major election, an anonymous influencer gains popularity as much for his political views and calls to action as he does for his claim that the is the grandson of none other and Adolf Hitler. This influencer uses speech patters and his physical appearance to support this claim, and the words he speaks are meant to whip the masses into voting in such a way as to leave Germany with a lame-duck government.
These events are conveyed directly, and through three other intertwining storylines, including a US special operations agent working to discover the identity of the influencer as well as assist a woman locate her missing children, who have also somehow gotten tangled up in the plot; a Middle Eastern prince whose motives are to help elevate his own country’s independence; and a newly promoted case manager back in Washington DC who is both learning the ropes of her new high-stakes job, and reconciling her own heritage with the events of the present day.
The story’s premise is promising, if a bit lacking in the execution. The biggest problem the book suffers from is timing. Each chapter, and there are 85 of them in a book of roughly 300 pages, are too short. Each chapter contains at least two storylines, each section amounting to a handful of paragraphs, some of which serve to recap what we learned the last time we were in that story line. While often times short chapters serve to make the reader feel like they are really making progress in a book, in this instance it feels like we aren’t getting enough in each story line to make a connection to either the plot or to any of the characters. The reader has far too many opportunities to take a break and put the book down, without having the opportunity to become immersed deeply enough in any element of the story to feel drawn to pick the book back up again. This problem could be mediated by combining the chapters, reducing their amount to half, without removing a single word.
The characters seem fairly well-rounded, if a little stereotypical. The secret agent, the middle eastern foe, the woman in need, and the mysterious catalyst. While they aren’t boring, per se, they can act a bit predictably. In a plot so ripe for twists and turns, it’s twists and turns on a road the reader has been on before.
The book is well-edited, with only a handful of minor formatting errors sprinkled throughout. The most disruptive part of the book was the near constant repeating of translations of foreign language terms and phrases. This was done in a very obvious way, either with stilted dialogue to force a character to explain, or with a direct translation in the exposition. Having a foreign language term defined or translated once, or even twice, within the context of the story is completely fine, but when it gets to the point that it’s done every single time the word or phrase appears it becomes a distraction, as it did here.
Despite the criticisms, if you’re looking for a political thriller this isn’t a bad choice. There are moments of action and intrigue that will satisfy someone looking for an entertaining adventure. And, it’s most certainly a different take on a theme that has fascinated readers for 80 years.
These events are conveyed directly, and through three other intertwining storylines, including a US special operations agent working to discover the identity of the influencer as well as assist a woman locate her missing children, who have also somehow gotten tangled up in the plot; a Middle Eastern prince whose motives are to help elevate his own country’s independence; and a newly promoted case manager back in Washington DC who is both learning the ropes of her new high-stakes job, and reconciling her own heritage with the events of the present day.
The story’s premise is promising, if a bit lacking in the execution. The biggest problem the book suffers from is timing. Each chapter, and there are 85 of them in a book of roughly 300 pages, are too short. Each chapter contains at least two storylines, each section amounting to a handful of paragraphs, some of which serve to recap what we learned the last time we were in that story line. While often times short chapters serve to make the reader feel like they are really making progress in a book, in this instance it feels like we aren’t getting enough in each story line to make a connection to either the plot or to any of the characters. The reader has far too many opportunities to take a break and put the book down, without having the opportunity to become immersed deeply enough in any element of the story to feel drawn to pick the book back up again. This problem could be mediated by combining the chapters, reducing their amount to half, without removing a single word.
The characters seem fairly well-rounded, if a little stereotypical. The secret agent, the middle eastern foe, the woman in need, and the mysterious catalyst. While they aren’t boring, per se, they can act a bit predictably. In a plot so ripe for twists and turns, it’s twists and turns on a road the reader has been on before.
The book is well-edited, with only a handful of minor formatting errors sprinkled throughout. The most disruptive part of the book was the near constant repeating of translations of foreign language terms and phrases. This was done in a very obvious way, either with stilted dialogue to force a character to explain, or with a direct translation in the exposition. Having a foreign language term defined or translated once, or even twice, within the context of the story is completely fine, but when it gets to the point that it’s done every single time the word or phrase appears it becomes a distraction, as it did here.
Despite the criticisms, if you’re looking for a political thriller this isn’t a bad choice. There are moments of action and intrigue that will satisfy someone looking for an entertaining adventure. And, it’s most certainly a different take on a theme that has fascinated readers for 80 years.
December 10, 2019
The Hitler Progeny by Steve Dimodica is an intense action book. It is as disturbing as it is exciting, as it relates the rise of a descendant of Adolf Hitler amid the fractured political landscape of modern Germany, Turkey and the EU. Dimodica pulls no punches in this one, which is written in a terse, action-packed style that still hits home emotionally. This novel is compulsively readable and up there with the best in the business like Lee Child, Tom Clancy, Frederick Forsyth and David Baldacci. The Hitler Progeny really is that good and it deserves four stars for the professional, well-told story and captivating characters especially his protagonist Terry Solak. The only downside to the book is the idea that an exact Hitler lookalike and descendant would get serious traction in modern Germany, as I felt this could have somehow been played more subtly and believably. While Dimodica’s main concept: that someone using the rhetoric and arguments of Hitler could gain power today (even though the problems and chaos of modern Germany and nowhere remotely near those of the 1920s and 1930s), is interesting and vaguely credible given the rise of AfD and other parties, the idea that it could play out so literally even in a novel struck me as a bit attention-craving. Still, Dimodica deserves real credit for bringing up the important topic of just how vulnerable Europe, and the world, currently is to falling prey once again to violent racist extremism. In the words of one of the key characters in the novel, elderly Holocaust survivor Frau Jokols: “Don’t listen to anyone that denies it could happen again.”
December 31, 2019
"The Hitler Progeny" by Steve Dimodica is an action-packed, political fiction novel that I couldn't put down. Set in Germany in 2017, it follows special agent code name "Helios" on loan from the US to help figure out who is to blame for the deaths of EU delegates in Germany. Some point the blame at Middle Eastern supremacists, while others believe there is a power rising in the form of Gerhardt Fuchs, a possible descendant to Adolf Hitler.
It is easy to follow along with this novel rather well, as it shifts from what's going on with Germany, to the US intelligence agency, and to the agent himself. It is jam packed with key facts and history that coincides with the characters themselves. I felt immersed in the novel as I followed every word of what was going on, trying to piece together my own theory of how the political turmoil would turn-out. Though I do not have a lot of knowledge of the inner-workings of the government, I have always found the history of World War II and Nazi Germany to be fascinating. Although this is a work of fiction, the way it was written, put some doubts in my mind as to whether this isn't something that could actually occur. Is there a descendant to Hitler out there somewhere? Could Nazis come to power again? Not only that, but it shows what happens when the government and its people are divided and becomes chaos.
This book gave me a lot to think about and I highly recommend it. I look forward to reading other works by Dimodica.
It is easy to follow along with this novel rather well, as it shifts from what's going on with Germany, to the US intelligence agency, and to the agent himself. It is jam packed with key facts and history that coincides with the characters themselves. I felt immersed in the novel as I followed every word of what was going on, trying to piece together my own theory of how the political turmoil would turn-out. Though I do not have a lot of knowledge of the inner-workings of the government, I have always found the history of World War II and Nazi Germany to be fascinating. Although this is a work of fiction, the way it was written, put some doubts in my mind as to whether this isn't something that could actually occur. Is there a descendant to Hitler out there somewhere? Could Nazis come to power again? Not only that, but it shows what happens when the government and its people are divided and becomes chaos.
This book gave me a lot to think about and I highly recommend it. I look forward to reading other works by Dimodica.
January 30, 2020
It was really interesting to have the story set in such an up to date context of Brexit and the rise of right wing ideology across Europe over the past couple of years. Sometimes it felt almost too close to the bone reading about violent executions with Islamic overtones as it touches a little too much on a raw nerve in these times we are living in but I am glad I persevered.
The story follows a secret agent as he infiltrates various communities across Europe in order to discover who is behind the most recent attacks on European political figures. The tension builds as the murders continue and I found myself turning the pages quickly searching for the answers as much as Helios, the secret agent.
The book does have a number of story lines running parallel and my only problem was at times following the names and contexts, getting a little lost on occasion. It is a complex story which is ultimately very satisfying. I particularly enjoyed the conversations Helios has with some interesting characters who give him background to the current situation. There were some really touching and wise insights that sets this thriller apart, giving it a depth that is unusual in this genre. Well worth a read.
The story follows a secret agent as he infiltrates various communities across Europe in order to discover who is behind the most recent attacks on European political figures. The tension builds as the murders continue and I found myself turning the pages quickly searching for the answers as much as Helios, the secret agent.
The book does have a number of story lines running parallel and my only problem was at times following the names and contexts, getting a little lost on occasion. It is a complex story which is ultimately very satisfying. I particularly enjoyed the conversations Helios has with some interesting characters who give him background to the current situation. There were some really touching and wise insights that sets this thriller apart, giving it a depth that is unusual in this genre. Well worth a read.
January 25, 2020
The Hitler Progeny is a political thriller that brings a twist of historical fiction to the modern day. As attacks begin occurring within Germany, a US special agent (Code Name "Helios") is sent to help uncover weather they are the works of Islamic extremists. As more clues are pieced together in this action-packed spy story though, the reality is made clear that a sect of neo-nazis are quickly growing in popularity thanks to the influence of a supposed descendant of Hitler. It took a bit of time to get into the story because of the extremely short chapters and multiple views that the story is being told from. However, the descriptive scenes and realistic dialogue made it flow easier. I also really enjoyed the little stories told by the older characters "Helios" met with - these little retellings of the past gave the book that historical fiction feel, despite it being set in the present day. Overall, The Hitler Progeny was an entertaining read that, by the end, had me turned into a conspiracy theorist scared into thinking "will history repeat itself?"
February 6, 2020
A modern-day political thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat. I can't say that I haven't worried about a neo-nazi-like regime making its way through the political ranks to power---whether it be in Europe or America. With such political unrest these past few years, it's been hard not to imagine the worst-case scenarios, the nightmarish 'what ifs'.
This book delivers one of those bizarre, fearful plots right to you. What if Hitler had a grandson every bit as evil as he? An almost paralyzing thing to begin wrapping your head around.
With all of that said, this book was a solid read if not a bit loose in a few places. The intrigue keeps up throughout, and the characters are well developed. I think the books weak moments were when the author tried to tie in too many narratives, weakening the overall plot subsequently breaking down some of the thrills. Overall, however, a very exciting read that will keep you enthralled till the end.
This book delivers one of those bizarre, fearful plots right to you. What if Hitler had a grandson every bit as evil as he? An almost paralyzing thing to begin wrapping your head around.
With all of that said, this book was a solid read if not a bit loose in a few places. The intrigue keeps up throughout, and the characters are well developed. I think the books weak moments were when the author tried to tie in too many narratives, weakening the overall plot subsequently breaking down some of the thrills. Overall, however, a very exciting read that will keep you enthralled till the end.
December 17, 2019
This novel is action-packed from the first page to the last! At times, I forgot I was reading a fictional book, the places, settings, and political issues were incredibly lifelike. I continued to remind myself that I was reading a work of fiction.
Steve Dimodica is a brilliant action writer; the dialogue between the characters was culturally relevant and lifelike. The idea of Adolf Hitler's modern doppelgänger ruling as a modern-day political leader sounds like an idea based on conspiracy and grandeur. However, the portrayal of that very idea comes to life with evidence to support its reality in this book. The rhetoric and reasoning that surrounded modern-day Germany supporting a Hitler re-run is interesting and well written.
To those that enjoy thrillers and conspiracy, this book is a must-read!
Steve Dimodica is a brilliant action writer; the dialogue between the characters was culturally relevant and lifelike. The idea of Adolf Hitler's modern doppelgänger ruling as a modern-day political leader sounds like an idea based on conspiracy and grandeur. However, the portrayal of that very idea comes to life with evidence to support its reality in this book. The rhetoric and reasoning that surrounded modern-day Germany supporting a Hitler re-run is interesting and well written.
To those that enjoy thrillers and conspiracy, this book is a must-read!
December 25, 2019
Another Hitler? Impossible!
So you might think. But after you read this gripping political novel set in contemporary Germany, you will wonder about the possibilities if another Hitler were to come on the scene. Today, such a person would be able to reach, and incite millions in one podcast! Downright frightening. The Hitler Progeny is well researched and brilliantly written. Characters are realistic, dialogue is plentiful, chapters short and the pace fast, complete with unexpected twists. Sound like your kind of book? Go for it. You won’t be disappointed.
So you might think. But after you read this gripping political novel set in contemporary Germany, you will wonder about the possibilities if another Hitler were to come on the scene. Today, such a person would be able to reach, and incite millions in one podcast! Downright frightening. The Hitler Progeny is well researched and brilliantly written. Characters are realistic, dialogue is plentiful, chapters short and the pace fast, complete with unexpected twists. Sound like your kind of book? Go for it. You won’t be disappointed.
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December 25, 2019Another Hitler? Impossible...or maybe not...
So you might think. But after you read this gripping political novel set in contemporary Germany, you will wonder about the possibilities if another Hitler were to come on the scene. Today, such a person would be able to reach, and incite millions in one podcast! Downright frightening. The Hitler Progeny is well researched and brilliantly written. Characters are realistic, dialogue is plentiful, chapters short and the pace fast, complete with unexpected twists. Sound like your kind of book? Go for it. You won’t be disappointed.
So you might think. But after you read this gripping political novel set in contemporary Germany, you will wonder about the possibilities if another Hitler were to come on the scene. Today, such a person would be able to reach, and incite millions in one podcast! Downright frightening. The Hitler Progeny is well researched and brilliantly written. Characters are realistic, dialogue is plentiful, chapters short and the pace fast, complete with unexpected twists. Sound like your kind of book? Go for it. You won’t be disappointed.
December 10, 2019
Steve Dimodica delivers with his thriller, The Hitler Progeny. The novel follows a descendant of Hitler whose rise to power and fall from grace not only mimics his ancestor, but it also shows the current world’s political status. What makes this novel so horrifying is the possibilities and closeness to the actual truth. Readers will enjoy the action-packed plot and character journey. At times, readers will wonder whether they are reading fiction or prediction of the future.
October 24, 2021
This book is very interesting and offers a story that is terrifying and feels real. It has a storyline on level with Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code. It’s a fun read and lacks a little bit. Each chapter has a major bomb, so it’s a pretty good page turner.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews