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Vital Secrets #0
Wall Of Secrets - The Vital Secrets Prequel
A college professor fights to stop his old nemesis from rebuilding Hitler’s Reich on American soil. Who will survive?
BERLIN, 1961
The Berlin Wall divides the city, trapping college professor Manfred Amsel in East Berlin, away from his family. It also traps Adolf Werner, a Nazi’s son in possession of Hitler’s plan for a world-spanning Fourth Reich. With the Soviets conducting random house raids, Adolf hides the plan inside the wall for safekeeping. Manfred sees him, and Adolf sees Manfred—but a Soviet patrol forces them to flee. Both escape East Berlin, but Hitler’s plan is left behind…
50 YEARS LATER
Manfred now teaches in the U.S. Adolf, who has recovered Hitler’s plans and escaped to America, now works with his adopted son Mikel to build a Fourth Reich. But Mikel veers off-mission when he becomes obsessed after a chance encounter with a beautiful young woman, Bella.
But she’s not just beautiful; she’s Manfred’s granddaughter.
The clash that follows will shatter relationships, alter destinies, and end lives…
BERLIN, 1961
The Berlin Wall divides the city, trapping college professor Manfred Amsel in East Berlin, away from his family. It also traps Adolf Werner, a Nazi’s son in possession of Hitler’s plan for a world-spanning Fourth Reich. With the Soviets conducting random house raids, Adolf hides the plan inside the wall for safekeeping. Manfred sees him, and Adolf sees Manfred—but a Soviet patrol forces them to flee. Both escape East Berlin, but Hitler’s plan is left behind…
50 YEARS LATER
Manfred now teaches in the U.S. Adolf, who has recovered Hitler’s plans and escaped to America, now works with his adopted son Mikel to build a Fourth Reich. But Mikel veers off-mission when he becomes obsessed after a chance encounter with a beautiful young woman, Bella.
But she’s not just beautiful; she’s Manfred’s granddaughter.
The clash that follows will shatter relationships, alter destinies, and end lives…
Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2011
68 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
D.F. Hart
23 books39 followers***Go to www.2ofharts.com to get signed up for my newsletter. That way you'll get advance notice of releases, promos, and freebies! ***
D.F. Hart is my pen name for suspense & thrillers; I've never found my given name to be particularly suspenseful or mysterious, so when I opted to finally give in to the siren call of writing, using my initials felt as natural as breathing. (I write contemporary romance as well, and you can find out more here on Goodreads by looking up D. Faith Hart!)
I’d always intended to be in this career; a college professor teaching Chaucer and Shakespeare somewhere and writing fiction in my off time. However, life has a sense of humor, it seems. Before I even realized it, I found myself hip deep into a career in Accounting – just about as far left-brained as you can get from being an author. I went with that flow and obtained my MBA with Accounting concentration to augment what I’d learned ‘in the trenches.’ I’m going on my twenty-sixth year of ‘crunching numbers’; I like it and I am good at it. But it has never been my passion, and it never will be.
In 2009, the pull to write became overwhelming. I’d had the plot idea for “Wall of Secrets” since 1989, but until I approached my fortieth birthday had been too timid to get it out of my brain and onto paper. I finally decided I’d wasted enough time. If nothing else ever came out of it, I would at least walk that fire path and put this story out into the world. “And the Wall Came Down” was the original title of the result.
By late 2018, I felt I’d told a good first story back then, a unique one, a gripping one. But it seemed a shame to just end it there. So, I picked up the loose threads I’d deliberately left at Wall’s conclusion ten years prior, and started weaving the sequel, re-titling books and their stations along the way. “And the Wall Came Down” became “Wall of Secrets”, the history-and-backstory rich prequel of the Vital Secrets series, and its sequel, “Book Keepers”, morphed into “Book of Secrets“, the first 'official' book in the set.
2019 also brought with it a unique opportunity to truly ‘go indie’, and I seized the chance and haven’t looked back. The advent of the next title in the Vital Secrets Series, “List of Secrets“, firmly set the path for a ensemble cast of characters whose lives develop and grow throughout the series while battling bad guys and catching killers.
Seven stories plus the prequel are the plan for the Vital Secrets series. The final installment, "End of Secrets", will be done sometime in 2022. I've also started a new series, "Raven's Path", which will follow an international hitman's travels as he wrestles with being a hired killer with a moral compass. The first installment, "Raven's Rise," will be released June 26, 2021.
D.F. Hart is my pen name for suspense & thrillers; I've never found my given name to be particularly suspenseful or mysterious, so when I opted to finally give in to the siren call of writing, using my initials felt as natural as breathing. (I write contemporary romance as well, and you can find out more here on Goodreads by looking up D. Faith Hart!)
I’d always intended to be in this career; a college professor teaching Chaucer and Shakespeare somewhere and writing fiction in my off time. However, life has a sense of humor, it seems. Before I even realized it, I found myself hip deep into a career in Accounting – just about as far left-brained as you can get from being an author. I went with that flow and obtained my MBA with Accounting concentration to augment what I’d learned ‘in the trenches.’ I’m going on my twenty-sixth year of ‘crunching numbers’; I like it and I am good at it. But it has never been my passion, and it never will be.
In 2009, the pull to write became overwhelming. I’d had the plot idea for “Wall of Secrets” since 1989, but until I approached my fortieth birthday had been too timid to get it out of my brain and onto paper. I finally decided I’d wasted enough time. If nothing else ever came out of it, I would at least walk that fire path and put this story out into the world. “And the Wall Came Down” was the original title of the result.
By late 2018, I felt I’d told a good first story back then, a unique one, a gripping one. But it seemed a shame to just end it there. So, I picked up the loose threads I’d deliberately left at Wall’s conclusion ten years prior, and started weaving the sequel, re-titling books and their stations along the way. “And the Wall Came Down” became “Wall of Secrets”, the history-and-backstory rich prequel of the Vital Secrets series, and its sequel, “Book Keepers”, morphed into “Book of Secrets“, the first 'official' book in the set.
2019 also brought with it a unique opportunity to truly ‘go indie’, and I seized the chance and haven’t looked back. The advent of the next title in the Vital Secrets Series, “List of Secrets“, firmly set the path for a ensemble cast of characters whose lives develop and grow throughout the series while battling bad guys and catching killers.
Seven stories plus the prequel are the plan for the Vital Secrets series. The final installment, "End of Secrets", will be done sometime in 2022. I've also started a new series, "Raven's Path", which will follow an international hitman's travels as he wrestles with being a hired killer with a moral compass. The first installment, "Raven's Rise," will be released June 26, 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 14, 2020
Manfred’s parents were killed in the Luftwaffe bombing blitz of London in 9/1940.
2/1945, Michael Smythe (superior) informed Dr./Professor Manfred Amsel (Allied spy, U of Oxford; world literature) they needed an interpreter.
6/4/1955 Dr./Professor Amsel & Rose Meyer got married in the Church of Reconciliation (Bernaur Strasse).
4/1961, E. Berlin, Germany. Mitte district (USSR sector). Manfred Amsel (husband) understood from Dr. Strauss that Rose (wife) & the baby were to stay in the hospital for a few days.
4/15/1961, Daniel Amsel son/mother came home from the hospital.
8/12/1962, What were Adolf Warner (2nd-generation Nazi) & Manfred up to?
8/13/1961-11/9/1989, The Berlin wall was built along with Checkpoint Charlie, later it was torn down.
Dr./Professor Klaus Meyer (husband/Rose’s father), Emilie Meyer (wife/Rose’s mother),
Dr./Professor Manfred Amsel (woodworking), & Isabella Rose Amsel (nee Meyer) were moving to the US.
Manassas, VA. All 4 of them settled there.
Adolf Werner was placed on the Allies’ watch list.
1997–2009,
Officer Thomas (Police chaplain) stopped Grandmother Rose & Grandfather Manfred (cancer) with some bad news.
Dr./Professor Daniel Amsel (husband, son, MIT; PhD, U of Virginia; MS math, College of William & Mary BA; math/chemistry) & Hope Amsel (wife, U of Virginia BA; history) were involved in a car accident in Charleston, SC.
The eulogy was read, the funeral was held, followed by the burial & dinner. Everyone gave their condolences to the family members.
Phoenix International Airport. Isabella Bella “Bellissima” Amsel (26, granddaughter, Jr.) was happy to see Grandpa Dr./Professor Manfred Amsel (former Allied spy).
Bella was Tommy’s (11, introvert) tutor who was learning French.
Las Vegas, NV. Planet Hollywood. Mikel spotted his next subject.
Bella & FBI SA Nathan Thomas (BA; CJ, former VA State Troopers) were hand/hand.
Bella was rushed to Phoenix Memorial ICU Grandpa Dr./Professor Amsel didn’t make it.
Will Bella survive?
Will the serial killer get caught & brought to justice?
I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written cloak-an-dagger book. It was extremely easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large description list of unique characters, settings, facts etc. to keep track of. To be continued. This could also make another great cloak-an-dagger movie, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; 2 Of Harts Publishing; BookFunnel; PDF book.
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
2/1945, Michael Smythe (superior) informed Dr./Professor Manfred Amsel (Allied spy, U of Oxford; world literature) they needed an interpreter.
6/4/1955 Dr./Professor Amsel & Rose Meyer got married in the Church of Reconciliation (Bernaur Strasse).
4/1961, E. Berlin, Germany. Mitte district (USSR sector). Manfred Amsel (husband) understood from Dr. Strauss that Rose (wife) & the baby were to stay in the hospital for a few days.
4/15/1961, Daniel Amsel son/mother came home from the hospital.
8/12/1962, What were Adolf Warner (2nd-generation Nazi) & Manfred up to?
8/13/1961-11/9/1989, The Berlin wall was built along with Checkpoint Charlie, later it was torn down.
Dr./Professor Klaus Meyer (husband/Rose’s father), Emilie Meyer (wife/Rose’s mother),
Dr./Professor Manfred Amsel (woodworking), & Isabella Rose Amsel (nee Meyer) were moving to the US.
Manassas, VA. All 4 of them settled there.
Adolf Werner was placed on the Allies’ watch list.
1997–2009,
Officer Thomas (Police chaplain) stopped Grandmother Rose & Grandfather Manfred (cancer) with some bad news.
Dr./Professor Daniel Amsel (husband, son, MIT; PhD, U of Virginia; MS math, College of William & Mary BA; math/chemistry) & Hope Amsel (wife, U of Virginia BA; history) were involved in a car accident in Charleston, SC.
The eulogy was read, the funeral was held, followed by the burial & dinner. Everyone gave their condolences to the family members.
Phoenix International Airport. Isabella Bella “Bellissima” Amsel (26, granddaughter, Jr.) was happy to see Grandpa Dr./Professor Manfred Amsel (former Allied spy).
Bella was Tommy’s (11, introvert) tutor who was learning French.
Las Vegas, NV. Planet Hollywood. Mikel spotted his next subject.
Bella & FBI SA Nathan Thomas (BA; CJ, former VA State Troopers) were hand/hand.
Bella was rushed to Phoenix Memorial ICU Grandpa Dr./Professor Amsel didn’t make it.
Will Bella survive?
Will the serial killer get caught & brought to justice?
I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written cloak-an-dagger book. It was extremely easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a large description list of unique characters, settings, facts etc. to keep track of. To be continued. This could also make another great cloak-an-dagger movie, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; 2 Of Harts Publishing; BookFunnel; PDF book.
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
March 31, 2020
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Wall of Secrets
Author: D F Hart
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 8/10
Of the 16 readers:
12 would read another book by this author.
13 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 12 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
10 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
12 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘A good, solid thriller with plenty going on to keep a thriller reader gripped. It’s not particularly outstanding in any way. But you get what’s on the tin. If you happen to be looking for a good summer read, this is for you.’ Male reader, aged 54
‘This set of books could be very, very good. There’s a slow start to this book but the story starts to kick off halfway through. If you enjoy a Nazi theme to your historical thrillers; if you enjoy plenty of suspense and strong characters; if you enjoy a black and white plot, this is for you.’ Female reader, aged 38
‘Clive Cussler fans will love this.’ Male reader, aged 66
‘Set over a fascinating time and in an interesting setting, this is a fast-paced thriller – although the starts too slow – with a good mix of good and bad characters and a well-plotted dilemma for them to overcome. Enjoyed it.’ Female reader, aged 41
To Sum It Up:
‘A well-written, often gripping, historical thriller. A Red Ribbon Winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Wall of Secrets
Author: D F Hart
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 8/10
Of the 16 readers:
12 would read another book by this author.
13 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 12 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
10 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
12 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘A good, solid thriller with plenty going on to keep a thriller reader gripped. It’s not particularly outstanding in any way. But you get what’s on the tin. If you happen to be looking for a good summer read, this is for you.’ Male reader, aged 54
‘This set of books could be very, very good. There’s a slow start to this book but the story starts to kick off halfway through. If you enjoy a Nazi theme to your historical thrillers; if you enjoy plenty of suspense and strong characters; if you enjoy a black and white plot, this is for you.’ Female reader, aged 38
‘Clive Cussler fans will love this.’ Male reader, aged 66
‘Set over a fascinating time and in an interesting setting, this is a fast-paced thriller – although the starts too slow – with a good mix of good and bad characters and a well-plotted dilemma for them to overcome. Enjoyed it.’ Female reader, aged 41
To Sum It Up:
‘A well-written, often gripping, historical thriller. A Red Ribbon Winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
December 2, 2023
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Wall of Secrets is the prequel to The Vital Secrets series (which I have a few of and hope to read soon), so I figured I would get the prequel to start it off. But after reading this I am wondering if this is one of those cases where it would have been better to read the prequel later in the series (i.e. in publication order not chronological order) because you are more attached to characters and their stories. But I guess to be determined later if that's the case.
Wall of Secrets spans from 1961 Berlin (and really even started in 1920's Berlin when one of the main characters, Manfred Amsel, was born) to 2009 United States. It follows two characters Manfred Amsel, a college professor and allied spy, and Adolf Warner, a second-generation Nazi who wants to restore Hitler's ideas to power. As the Berlin Wall is constructed and traps them both in East Berlin, they both need to find ways to escape. The book also goes on to introduce the rest of Manfred and Adolf's families and it seems like as some of those children/grandchildren become adults toward the end of the book they likely will play bigger roles in subsequent books in the series.
I didn't realize this book was a novella before I bought it--and at less than 100 pages it was a HUGE timeline to get through. At times the book read like a history textbook, event after event after event listed (which some was interesting, but a lot of "telling not showing"), but the premise was interesting too and I assume it is setting up some plot or at least giving background on the next book. So while I didn't love the book, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt for now.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Wall of Secrets is the prequel to The Vital Secrets series (which I have a few of and hope to read soon), so I figured I would get the prequel to start it off. But after reading this I am wondering if this is one of those cases where it would have been better to read the prequel later in the series (i.e. in publication order not chronological order) because you are more attached to characters and their stories. But I guess to be determined later if that's the case.
Wall of Secrets spans from 1961 Berlin (and really even started in 1920's Berlin when one of the main characters, Manfred Amsel, was born) to 2009 United States. It follows two characters Manfred Amsel, a college professor and allied spy, and Adolf Warner, a second-generation Nazi who wants to restore Hitler's ideas to power. As the Berlin Wall is constructed and traps them both in East Berlin, they both need to find ways to escape. The book also goes on to introduce the rest of Manfred and Adolf's families and it seems like as some of those children/grandchildren become adults toward the end of the book they likely will play bigger roles in subsequent books in the series.
I didn't realize this book was a novella before I bought it--and at less than 100 pages it was a HUGE timeline to get through. At times the book read like a history textbook, event after event after event listed (which some was interesting, but a lot of "telling not showing"), but the premise was interesting too and I assume it is setting up some plot or at least giving background on the next book. So while I didn't love the book, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt for now.
July 20, 2020
Excellent historical fiction book. I found it to be historically pretty accurate and believable. Very suspenseful and fast paced for the most part, it follows a couple of spies from the end of the Second World War through the dark time when Germany was split between 4 countries to govern and the Berlin wall was built, right past the time until the Berlin wall came down. I found the historical accuracy made the story more believable as it followed a German pair of men and a Western family through the time and events. Loved the suspense and the type of action that occurred was very accurate as to inevitability and touched on actual events of the time. My father was in Germany at the time that some of the events took place in the story and historically it was as if he could have been there for it. By the very nature of the story, there is a fair amount of killing and murder in this story and a lot of suspense. I found it to be a very entertaining read, true to the history of the times and a great read. I am sure the rest of the series will be great too. The writing is fantastic.
March 7, 2020
This first book in the Vital Secrets series by D.F. Hart was definitely a suspense-filled historical fiction story about Nazi beliefs beginning with the 1960s and Berlin, which almost made me not read it, which would have been a most tragic mistake on my part, as I would have missed the enjoyable and entertaining parts of the book. The story builds as one Nazi born son attempts to recreate the 4th Reich in today's world while numerous intelligence agencies attempt to stop him. During the course of their chase, multiple romantic relationships are formed which all play key parts. I am most definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series. This is a voluntary review of a copy of this book that was included in an ARC from Hidden Gems Books.
August 15, 2019
Fans of thrillers will find everything they want here. The plot is intriguing and suspenseful. The good guys are suitably noble and courageous. The bad guys are suitably evil and twisted. There is a romance and the lovers are suitably gorgeous. Also the sex scene is well-paced. This is meant for the big screen and will be great there. The writing and the editing are a little bit sloppy, but certainly at a professional level.
So why only three stars? Because it's just a thriller. It's not a book that matters. As soon as I reach the end I've already forgotten it. It disappears into the back of my consciousness like a hundred other books just like it.
So why only three stars? Because it's just a thriller. It's not a book that matters. As soon as I reach the end I've already forgotten it. It disappears into the back of my consciousness like a hundred other books just like it.
July 31, 2019
This is an amazing historical fiction about Nazis and the Fourth Reich. Amazing characters and an incredible story that captured me in the beginning - actually, just reading the summary found beneath the story captured me - and kept my interest through the whole book. So I am compelled to read the next book and fortunately, I have that book as well. Awesomely written!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 31, 2019
This excellent historical fiction explores what if a Nazi's son had Hitler's plan for a Fourth Reich. The characters are very well developed and the plot is chilling in its realism. The author brings death, intrigue, suspense, and romance to us in this groundbreaking novel.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 22, 2019
WOW! What a rush! Wall of Secrets is an amazing thriller that will have you from the intro and shake you around until the last pulse pounding minute. GREAT plotting and deftly drawn characters bring you into the the story. You'll be surprisingly moved at parts, and very tense during others. A GREAT read!
January 18, 2023
I got this book after reading The Book of Secrets, which was part of a compendium of books by different authors as I liked the thought of reading the series.
This book sets out the lead in to the series including background to characters and their history.
However , I did think there was a big gap that missed a lot of Mikel Metzer’s background between getting adopted and being a serial killer.
This book sets out the lead in to the series including background to characters and their history.
However , I did think there was a big gap that missed a lot of Mikel Metzer’s background between getting adopted and being a serial killer.
June 16, 2019
The main storyline is captivating and the writing is pleasant and easy to follow. However there are scenes & events that are too dark or risqué for my personal enjoyment.
Overall I feel this author will soon be one of the greats! I will definitely be reading more of her work. Bravo!
Overall I feel this author will soon be one of the greats! I will definitely be reading more of her work. Bravo!
December 18, 2022
If this prequel dose not make you read the next seven (7) books in the series no prequel will.
The subject matter, the characters and the background . It's all here.
D. F. Hart done what some authors only strive to do.
Read the prequel and the rest in the series. You will not be disappointed.
The subject matter, the characters and the background . It's all here.
D. F. Hart done what some authors only strive to do.
Read the prequel and the rest in the series. You will not be disappointed.
April 15, 2020
Great read
I have never thought about tbe "what if" on this subject matter, but it was a good one to read about.A+++++
I have never thought about tbe "what if" on this subject matter, but it was a good one to read about.A+++++
April 12, 2021
Allow an afternoon for this family-friendly historical novel, primarily focused on Berlin.
October 1, 2021
Wall of Secrets
This was a really exciting book! It had romance and very twisted characters, everything you'd want in a great thriller!
This was a really exciting book! It had romance and very twisted characters, everything you'd want in a great thriller!
Read
August 23, 2022Unable to access book in order to read. The book was supposed to be available to read when I signed up to authors page. I have been reading the series and wanted to read Wall of Secrets.
January 8, 2023
Quick read that answers questions raised in book one. However, chapter eight would be confusing to anybody who had not read book one and adds nothing for those who have read book one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2023
Interesting
December 4, 2019
A great read. Fast paced and interesting storyline. The characters are believable and well introduced.
August 27, 2019
Excellent read,
November 10, 2019
A great thriller mystery using past history with current times. D.F. Hart has done a wonderful job at tying a good story with a plausible and yet somewhat disturbing twist. A very good reading book.
November 4, 2019
I loved it. A historical novel with hints of romance that carries the reader through the building of the Berlin wall to hidden documents. D.F. Hart does an excellent job of weaving real German history around the story. Book 1 in the Secrets series starts the story of two arch enemies and their fight to prevent the rise of the Reich in Germany. As Adolf finds his father's notes, he becomes obsessed with returning the Nazis to power, while Manfred tries to keep this from happening.
April 14, 2019
This was an absolutely amazing story. Loved the history and the way the characters evolved. There were so many emotions felt while I was engrossed with this story. It left me wanting to read the next book. Great writing!
Want to read
September 20, 2019Suspenseful, historic accuracy and twisting plot give WALL OF SECRETS No. 1 a page turning, nail biter. Characters are excellent & descriptions of the Berlin Wall era are chilling.
September 24, 2019
Good read; easy read. Action, intrigue, and romance as well as a peek at post WWII East Germany.
August 8, 2025
I thought that this was an okay read. Overall I enjoyed reading this book, particularly the historic parts of the story.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews