The Lisbon Crossing

Jack Teller #2

by Tom Gabbay

Teeming with Nazis, spies, and ambiguous loyalties, the early days of World War II come alive with dark intrigue and heart-stopping action in this brilliant second tale from the author of the hit thriller The Berlin Conspiracy.

It's the summer of 1940 and Europe is in the grip of the Nazi war machine. Jack Teller arrives in neutral Lisbon on the arm of international screen legend Lili Sterne, to help her search for her childhood friend, Eva Lange. Having escaped Germany, staying one step ahead of the Nazi terror, Eva is believed to be hiding among the thousands of desperate refugees who have descended upon Lisbon. But Jack isn't the first on her trail. Top Hollywood detective Eddie Grimes had been on the case--until he turned up dead.

Instead of answers, Jack uncovers a series of lies that leads from Estoril's glittering nightclubs--rubbing elbows with the likes of Edward, Duke of Windsor, and his scheming wife, Wallis Simpson--into Lisbon's dank and dangerous backstreets. Along the way, Jack makes a shocking discovery that takes him from Portugal to the perilous boulevards of Nazi-occupied Paris, where his actions could change the course of the war.

The Lisbon Crossing brilliantly evokes a time of terror and uncertainty, and establishes Tom Gabbay's place among the best of modern suspense novelists.

Genres: Thriller, Historical Fiction, Espionage, Fiction, Portugal, Mystery, World War II

310 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2007

About the author

Author of the Jack Teller series of historical suspense novels, The Berlin Conspiracy (2006), The Lisbon Crossing (2007) and The Tehran Conviction (2009). Tom Gabbay began his career in New York, producing animated films for the well known children's program Sesame Street, and was Director of Comedy Programs at NBC television from 1985-1990. He also served as Creative Director of NBC Europe in London. In addition to his novels, he has written several screenplays and contributed political cartoons to the Philadelphia Daily News. His most recent novel is the psychological thriller "Access Point."

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack Teller is a bit player in 1940 Hollywood, but he managed to befriend a Marlena Dietrich type named Lilli Sterne and alienate the head of production, a hard-nosed type not averse to calling in some broken bones, when he enjoyed some excellent sex with the guy’s wife. Lilli offers him a gracious way out of town when she asks him along to help her retrieve a long-lost childhood friend who had escaped to Lisbon.

Gabbay must have been watching too many old movies. He has practically cast the thing with the crew from Casablanca. His lead, Jack, seems too young , at 25, to handle the task required of his role here, the Humphrey Bogart role, a sort of ersatz investigator. His street cred is supposed to be the result of some difficulties with a New York mobster, the spur to his relocation to Hollywood, and having run the Kit Kat Klub, which seems very unlikely for someone of such tender years. The corrupt asst chief of police in Lisbon is clearly Claude Rains. A large reporter for the Times can be none other than Sidney Greenstreet. A nervous con man has to be Peter Lorre. The list goes on. This is not to say that it isn’t fun. It is. But one does pine for a bit more off-the-track work once the conceit has been established.

There is intrigue up the wazoo, a few twists including an excellent one at the end, and some interesting speculative payload concerning Edward, Duke of Windsor and his lovely bride. It was a fun read, summoning those actors and that time. It could make a fun film.

[Maria Carmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting adventure during second world war, where Hollywood and the Gestapo come cross each other in Lisbon and, at the very end, in Paris. The meanders of the art of spying during the time when France fell under Hitler's armies and the former King of England, Edward, had sympathy for the Nazi cause... Characters quite believable, presumably a lot of good research from the Author to be able to recreate atmosphere and credible plot, a vivid rhythm and a touching outcome. Marvelous, inspiring cover which is also an inspiration and inductive of the imagination...

Maria Carmo,

Lisbon, 14Th. June 2013.

[Isabel Freitas Sensacoes_no_papel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encontro em Lisboa
Tom Gabbay

Uma famosa estrela de Hollywood resolve ajudar uma amiga que pode estar em perigo e pede ajuda a Jack Teller, um duplo que conhece e com quem trabalhou em alguns filmes.

Em tempos incertos durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, surge um romance numa história cheia de mistério e onde quase ninguém é o que parece ser.

Gostei muito desta leitura onde podemos ver descritos muitos pontos da nossa Lisboa.

Muito mistério e ação numa leitura que embora comece com a procura de uma amiga perdida, se transforma e terá muitas reviravoltas para nos mostrar algumas das dificuldades vividas na época e como agia a resistência. Que nos mostra que uma época onde não se podia confiar em ninguém e era difícil tomar decisões porque as consequências eram imprevisíveis.

Não é um livro leve, tem alguns momentos que são difíceis de ler mas que nos mostram a realidade da altura.

Se gostam de Espionagem e de Segunda Guerra não podem deixar de ler.

[Adelaide Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um thriller passado em Lx no Verão de 1940, nos tempos de terror da II guerra mundial. A história torna-se interessante quando se cruzam na trama os Duques de Windsor, Eduardo e Wallis Simpson com o banqueiro Ricardo Espírito Santo

[Ozzie Cheek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fan of Allan Furst's WWII thrillers, I was both delighted and skeptical to stumble upon Tom Gabbay’s "The Lisbon Crossing" while wandering through the stacks at my local library. Furst sets the bar very high when it comes to WWII espionage novels. As it turns out, Tom Gabbay is up to the challenge. While Allan Furst strikes me as the John Le Carre' of WWII fiction, Tom Gabbay writes with a lighter, wittier touch - a little Raymond Chandler, some Robert Ludlum, plus a dash of Julius Epstein (screenwriter of "Casablanca").

Gabbay's plot is simple: in the summer of 1940, while the US remains a spectator and Nazi Germany sweeps through France and threatens England, Hollywood stunt man, Jack Teller, accompanies screen legend, Lili Sterne, to Lisbon to search for Sterne's childhood friend, Eva Lange. Apart from being the stunt double for Errol Flynn, whom Teller dislikes, Jack holds his own as an amateur detective and reluctant spy. Double-cross in Lisbon is as common as port wine, and it's up to Teller to figure out who is spying for whom.

One intriguing plot line in "The Lisbon Crossing" involves Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, and his American born wife, Wallis Simpson. Gabbay portrays Edward as a Nazi appeaser while Simpson is portrayed as a woman fond of playing musical beds. In general, writers try to have some historical basis for their portrayal of real, historical characters in fiction. Gabbay's portrayal of Edward and Wallis interested me enough to search the Internet for details. While Gabbay's plot line involving Prince Edward goes beyond what can be proven, Prince Edward's attitude toward Nazi Germany was of sufficient concern that Edward and Wallis were shipped off to the Bahamas and muzzled.

As a former screenwriter, I recognize the influence of Hollywood scripts in Gabbay's writing, and that influence works well in "The Lisbon Crossing". Gabbay keeps the plot moving forward, the characters ready to surprise us, and the ending bittersweet and believable.
Comment

[Viva · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars = it was ok.

My first book by Gabbay. The book is not bad, he appears to be a good writer, the book is easy to read, the characters are mildly entertaining, the book is a great period piece and captures the period nicely......, but it just isn't thrilling.

Lisbon during and just before WWII must have been a fascinating place. Lots of intrigue and spies. This book has something of the movie Casablanca.

I don't know, maybe Gabbay is taking too long to get to point(s). The book just doesn't make me want to turn the pages, to get to the next chapter. The characters are entertaining but they could be more so. I think he needs to put more effort into them. Books captivate me because I want to see what happens to the characters but I'm at the halfway point and I just don't really care anymore what happens to them in rest of the book, so I'm just going to quit here.

I got this as a free ARC.

[Charles Kerns · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice try. The plot works hard playing the historical friendship of England's self-exiled ex-King and his maybe-buddy Hitler. (Remember, many home-grown Brit fascists dilly-dallied in the aristocracy) Characters: a too predictable Bernie Gunther/Phil Marlow lead, a Lili-Marlene Dietrich play-partner, a Prince of Wales two-stepper, and your basic, Nazi, SS, Gestapo badguy. Gabbay's writing covers its bases but nothing more. For example from page 1: "Tinseltown wasn't all it was cracked up to be, not by a long shot but it had given me a good run for my money..." Sounds like Gabbay copied the '30s detective mag's language all too well. Along with their gradeschool morality. I prefer my thrillers to have some sophistication--more Graham Green for me, less pulp fiction.

I like the idea; it could have been a champ of a book.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prequel to Gabbay's THE BERLIN CONSPIRACY, this is a terrific WWII-era thriller. One head-scratching plot point is the only flaw in this engaging read, which is very much like CASABLANCA set in Lisbon. In fact, where CASABLANCA is concerned, a number of subtle homages lead to one blatant one in the story's final pages. Lots of fun. If you're the type who'll never get your fill of Ilsa and Rick, you owe it to yourself to read this one.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This spy novel is based in Lisbon just after the French invasion during WWII. The writing kept me interested and wanting to find out who was responsible for what. It got a bit confusing but that was probably because I read into the early morning hours. It was quite enjoyable. I wouldn't mind reading Gabbay's The Berlin Conspriacy.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

this mystery set in lisbon is much easier to read than A SMALL DEATH IN LISBON, but does not offer the detailed info re: ww2 and portugal. the hero is a stunt man from hollywood. actual people, such as king edward and wallis simpson, are characters in the novel. entertaining.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thriller set in Lisbon in the summer of 1940 with Jack Teller accompanying an international actress who lives in the U.S. who is trying to find a childhood friend who has escaped the Nazis. There aremany twists and turns in this fast-paced story.

[Oel Wingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Historical Action Fiction

I have now read two of Tom Gabbay's books. They provide a very interesting historical viewpoint of WWII. I particularly enjoyed the twists and turns that left me totally surprised at the end!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and well written historical fiction. I enjoy Tom Gabbay writing style. This book, like "The Berlin Conspiracy", flows well and is very enjoyable.

[Maria Neves · Rating 3 out of 5]

" É esse o problema com o passado. Temos esta imagem do que era, mas, claro, não é nada mais do que uma ilusão, uma série de imagens tremeluzentes a desfilar na nossa mente, como uma matiné de sábado. Feito por medida na nossa própria fábrica de sonhos, com todos os filtros e focos suaves que queiramos acrescentar, e com todas as gravações más postas de parte na sala de montagem. É o que quisermos que seja. Ou que precisamos que seja. Comédia, romance, aventura, tragédia: está tudo enrolado num pequeno pacote bem arranjado, que podemos ir buscar sempre que as arestas vivas do dia-a-dia se tornam demasiado afiadas ou assustadoras ou francamente enfadonhas. O problema é que tudo não passa de luz e sombra, sem substância. Quando exposto ao mundo real, desaparece, levado pela dura realidade do Sol do meio-dia. Lili existia nos filmes e, quando estes começaram a faltar-lhe, encontrou refúgio no passado. Se o passado lhe faltasse..."

Gostei do livro, mas só me começou realmente a envolver quando a Eva entrou na narrativa, antes disso não me importava muito com as personagens, à exceção do Jack, da Lili ( e do Alberto... ) e o facto de eu ter tido dificuldade em lembrar-me quem eram certos personagens tornou a minha experiência de leitura mais lenta e muitas vez fiquei perdida na narrativa ( o que muito provavelmente foi um problema meu e não do escritor ). Dei 3 estrelas mas é provável que numa segunda leitura darei 4.

[Francesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENCONTRO EM LISBOA TOM GABBAY
The book is a very well written espionage thriller from the beginning of WW2. Jack Teller, the principal antagonist of the story has to find a lady, Eva Lange in Lissabon on demand of Lili Stern a famous filmstar in the US with German roots. They all get mixed up in a cat and mouse game between the German and English Intelligence Services in which a lot of people are killed. The two intelligence services try to find papers, which should help the German Troops to invade England.
With a mix of sharp dialogues and short to the point descriptive passages, the reading is easy and one is really swallowed up in the hellish rhythm of the action, with several plot twists, which make the book being a real page-turner. One wants to go on reading to find out what’s next to happen.

[Bernardo Balona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encontro em Lisboa é uma ficção que se prende à segunda guerra mundial contado uma história num mundo onde Portugal, um país neutro no ano de 1940 serve de abrigo a espiões ingles, bem como espiões do terceiro reich.

Aqui acompanhamos a vida do peculiar Jack Teller que vai com a amiga Lilli Sterne em busca da desaparecida Eva Lange, e que pelo meio descobre um segredo que pode mudar o curso da guerra!

Um livro cativante, cheio de mistério, intriga, e acima de tudo, personagens moralmente questionáveis que nos prendem à trama e nos fazem pensar duas vezes se de facto são de confiança ou estão apenas a cumprir uma agenda.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long way around to get the story. First half of the book seemed to be about finding Eva which seemed like a cheap deceive novel from the 30’s or 40’s. Second half of the book got more interesting with more intrigue. Not as good as the first Jack Teller book, but good enough for me to read the next one.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy cow! This book had so many twists and turns that I sometimes had a hard time keeping up. It is a “the bad guy is a good guy, no wait, he’s a bad guy kind of story. Anyhow, it was interesting enough to keep me engrossed.

[Adelaide Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um thriller passado em Lx no Verão de 1940, nos tempos de terror da II guerra mundial. A história torna-se interessante quando se cruzam na trama os Duques de Windsor, Eduardo e Wallis Simpson com o banqueiro Ricardo Espírito Santo

[Russ Pavlik · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st i've read of this offer. entertaining quick read

[sandy Thorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent "guy noir" historical mystery.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent enough in entertainment. But quite insightful

[Jan Rifkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

An easy read, action packed, with lots of twists & turns. When you think you've got it figured out, you don't.

[Jonathan R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly enjoyed

Well written, really liked the main character, and the banter. But I struggled to stay interested in the story as it unfolded.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, Sam Spade ytype novel. Loved it

[Virginia Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Jack Teller arrives in Lisbon in the summer of 1940 the Nazis are very much in evidence despite Portugal's neutrality. Jack has left his Hollywood stuntman job to help screen legend Lili Sterne search for her German childhood friend, Eva Lange. Eva is running from the Nazi terror and is rumoured to be hiding among the thousands of desperate refugees flocking to the city. Or so Lili had heard from detective Eddie Grimes whom she had hired for the search. But now Grimes has been murdered and jack finds himself caught in a web of intrigue while drinking with the scheming Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson and Nazi officers. Lisbon meets Casablanca in a page turning yarn.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good WWII spy story set in Lisbon & Paris. Hollywood stunt man accompanies an award winning actress to Lisbon to rescue her childhood friend who, as it turns out, does not want to be rescued. She is involved in the resistance. Lots of action and plot twists, but the best scene describes English & American tourists in a Lisbon hotel, listening to a live broadcast of the Germans bombing England and the ensuing dogfight that occurs. Recommended.

[Brian Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good WW2 spy novel, set mostly in 1940 Lisbon when Portugal was neutral and America had not yet entered the war. There's an exciting conclusion in Paris.
The frank portrayal of the Windsors is refreshing, especially that of Mrs. Simpson. It's slightly heavy-handed with their Nazi sympathies, but is likely accurate.

[Peter Kavanagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating is really 2.5. I was disappointed with this book. Strong in parts, great tough guy narrator, femme fatale. The problem is, as a whole it just does not quite gel. Not in the same league as Alan Furst or Philip Kerr but readable and entertaining.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because it was set mainly in Lisbon and I wanted to get a sense of the city and the culture during the 1940s and therefore, it didn't work for me. But if you're looking for a rollicking story and nazis and spies and dukes and duchesses and filmstars, it might work for you.