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The Runner
Christopher Reich dazzled readers and defied expectations with his New York Times bestseller, Numbered Account , a breathtaking classic of modern suspense. Now Reich returns to the world of international thrillers with a no-holds-barred powerhouse of a novel set against the seething backdrop of post—World War II Germany....
July 1945. U.S. attorney Devlin Judge has come to Europe as part of an international tribunal to try Nazi war criminals. But Judge has his own personal to find Erich Siegfried Seyss, the man responsible for his brother’s death.
An SS officer and former Olympic sprinter, Seyss has just escaped from a POW camp, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. But he won’t escape Devlin Judge.
Between the two men are miles of German countryside ... and the beautiful daughter of one of Nazi Germany’s most powerful families — a woman loved by them both.
But as Judge hunts his prey across a devastated nation, he finds himself caught up in a staggering conspiracy. Because Erich Seyss is no rogue SS killer. He is a man running a final race to make one last, unforgettable contribution to the Fatherland. And he is acting on orders from the last person anyone would ever suspect.
July 1945. U.S. attorney Devlin Judge has come to Europe as part of an international tribunal to try Nazi war criminals. But Judge has his own personal to find Erich Siegfried Seyss, the man responsible for his brother’s death.
An SS officer and former Olympic sprinter, Seyss has just escaped from a POW camp, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. But he won’t escape Devlin Judge.
Between the two men are miles of German countryside ... and the beautiful daughter of one of Nazi Germany’s most powerful families — a woman loved by them both.
But as Judge hunts his prey across a devastated nation, he finds himself caught up in a staggering conspiracy. Because Erich Seyss is no rogue SS killer. He is a man running a final race to make one last, unforgettable contribution to the Fatherland. And he is acting on orders from the last person anyone would ever suspect.
512 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 7, 2000
208 people are currently reading
1808 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Reich
28 books738 followersChristopher Reich was born in Tokyo. In 1965 his family moved to Los Angeles. He attended Georgetown University and the University of Texas and worked in Switzerland before returning to the United States to become an author. His novel The Patriots Club won the International Thriller Writers award for Best Novel in 2006. He lives in Encinitas, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
March 28, 2023
I received this novel as a part of 100 thrillers lot from a librarian on eBay. The pack was totally worth it, by the way. This novel is one of the reasons why. The first thing that should be made clear when reading this story is that it is an alternate historical fiction novel set in a post-World War II past. So basically, it’s set in 1945 after World War II has ended, but before a Nazi war crimes tribunal, where a final Nazi gambit is being planned. United States attorney Devlin Judge is serving as part of that tribunal, but when SS Officer, Erich Seyss, a former Olympic sprinter, and the man that is responsible for Judge’s brother’s death, escapes from a POW camp, Judge gets permission to attempt to capture and bring this criminal to justice. This novel is a fast-paced, action thriller, with riveting story beats, and excellent character development. If you like conspiracies as complex as those by David Baldacci and love your action as cinematic as Alistair Maclean, then you should BUY this. All others, you should give this a gander. It is REALLY that good.
April 18, 2023
What a great book. Finished on day 2 of first Madeira holiday since Covid lockdown. Two main characters. Erich Seyss the Nazi SS nasty bit of work. An Olympic runner who finished fourth to Jesse Owens. And Devlin Judge and ex policeman and now lawyer in the War Crimes bureau. But also whose brother was murdered by Seyss.
Just a fantastic violent romp set in Germany just after the War. As Devlin tries to track Seyss down before his actions trigger another war. Great characters. Riveting plot and good writing. Great start to the holiday. Hotel library invaded yesterday and clutch more books to last the week…hopefully👍
Ps each page has a stick drawing of a runner that you can flick to make run. Publisher thought of everything 😉
Just a fantastic violent romp set in Germany just after the War. As Devlin tries to track Seyss down before his actions trigger another war. Great characters. Riveting plot and good writing. Great start to the holiday. Hotel library invaded yesterday and clutch more books to last the week…hopefully👍
Ps each page has a stick drawing of a runner that you can flick to make run. Publisher thought of everything 😉
August 28, 2013
I am a Christopher Reich fan since reading his first book Numbered Accounts. Of course my wife is Swiss so his familiarity with the local geography and all things Swiss makes the novels that much more interesting at a personal level. The Runner was a bit slower for me although once I got into the main characters I was hooked as usual. Set in the years immediately following WWII, Reich describes a different perspective than I have experienced as he details the destruction in and around Germany. The overall confusion as allied forces try to divide the spoils while locals struggle to make it day by day made the whole war experience somehow more tangible for me. As usual, the bad buy is bad to the core and the mighty chase throughout the book builds to a grand finale that is worth the read.
August 7, 2017
Okay story that I listened to.
This is actually a conspiracy theory based on what others have written over the last 60 years.
When you accuse to very historical men of these to conspiracies you should not do it in a novel Publish a non-fiction work supported by information and put your ass on the line.
From June-November 1965, I was stationed at US Army Europe HQ in Heidelberg, FRG. The post where I was billeted was Patton Barracks named after the famous general. Within a week I had heard all about the accident that resulted in the general's fatal injury. Soldiers gossip just like anyone else and most of these soldiers worked at the Headquarters that had over fifty general officers. So the gossip always had high substantiation. Theories but no facts.
Same thing applies to Maj. Gen. William Donovan, recipient of the Medal of Honor,DSC, DSM, and several other of our nations high awards. Reich's referring that Donovan had Patton assassinated is what you would expect from a liberal democrat, besmirch Republicans at every turn.
This is actually a conspiracy theory based on what others have written over the last 60 years.
When you accuse to very historical men of these to conspiracies you should not do it in a novel Publish a non-fiction work supported by information and put your ass on the line.
From June-November 1965, I was stationed at US Army Europe HQ in Heidelberg, FRG. The post where I was billeted was Patton Barracks named after the famous general. Within a week I had heard all about the accident that resulted in the general's fatal injury. Soldiers gossip just like anyone else and most of these soldiers worked at the Headquarters that had over fifty general officers. So the gossip always had high substantiation. Theories but no facts.
Same thing applies to Maj. Gen. William Donovan, recipient of the Medal of Honor,DSC, DSM, and several other of our nations high awards. Reich's referring that Donovan had Patton assassinated is what you would expect from a liberal democrat, besmirch Republicans at every turn.
November 22, 2020
a brief foray into the reading materials of straight men was not time well spent. bought at a charity store thinking it was something else entirely. managed to finish it more out of curiousity to see how much worse it could get...
July 5, 2015
My first book of 2015! This book is pulp to the core, complete with a New York City cop, vintage lingo, Army jargon and all the 1940's references the author could jam in there. If you like a good chase, if you like alternate history, if you like WWII fiction... then this is your book. It's an easy read if for no other reason than you'll want to tear right through it to find out if the escaped Nazi SS officer/former Olympian can complete his last secret mission, or if the NYC rum-runner turned-cop, turned-JAG lawyer, can catch up to him first. All this set against the sprawling backdrop of a beaten, battered and defeated Germany being mercilessly carved up by the Allied Forces. The lone female character is the only real weakness. She is un-compelling and has a predictable character arc. This does little though to tarnish my enjoyment of 'The Runner' and would happily recommend it to any avid reader. If you like this book and haven't yet read 'Fatherland' by Robert Harris, then do pick that up next.
June 22, 2010
The Runner by Christopher Reich was highly recommended by my father-in-law, however we don't often share tastes in books, but in this case I'm glad I took his word.
Set in Germany immediately after the end of WWII. It concerns an ex-Olympic sprinter who finds himself sprung from a POW camp awaiting war crime investigations to join a plot to assassinate both Churchill and Truman on Russian territory to spark a conflict between the western allies and Russia. The plot hatched by Nazi businessmen, General Patton and ex SS members races through occupied Germany and concludes in Potsdam.
This was an ideal holiday book and proved to be a real page turner, thanks Ken.
Set in Germany immediately after the end of WWII. It concerns an ex-Olympic sprinter who finds himself sprung from a POW camp awaiting war crime investigations to join a plot to assassinate both Churchill and Truman on Russian territory to spark a conflict between the western allies and Russia. The plot hatched by Nazi businessmen, General Patton and ex SS members races through occupied Germany and concludes in Potsdam.
This was an ideal holiday book and proved to be a real page turner, thanks Ken.
January 17, 2021
It's only towards the end of the book that the conspiracy promised in the blurb starts to surface. Up until then this is a pretty straight forward manhunt novel without much intrigue to complement the action.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed it on the whole and the pages kept turning. I especially liked the prominence of real historical figures as characters in the story.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed it on the whole and the pages kept turning. I especially liked the prominence of real historical figures as characters in the story.
December 29, 2021
Christopher Reich’s period thriller has the strapline ‘Fatherland meets The Day of the Jackal in the thriller of the year.’ For a change, the publicity isn’t an exaggeration. It’s only taken me 21 years to get round to reading this one, just sitting on the shelf waiting; it was published in 2000.
It’s July 1945 and the war is over. Erich Seyss, who had been an accomplished runner in the 1936 Olympics is a captured SS officer in a POW camp awaiting trial by the War Crimes Commission – until he boldly escapes.
Devlin Judge, a lawyer with the International Military Tribunal learns of the escape shortly after finding out that Seyss was responsible for his brother Francis’s murder along with other American soldiers, all massacred in cold blood at Malmedy. Judge requests seven days’ leave to hunt down Seyss.
On a couple of occasions he comes close to catching his man, but the ex-SS officer is too quick, too fleet of foot to be trapped. During the hunt, Judge suspects that there is a conspiracy at the heart of the American military hierarchy that could pitch Europe into another deadly conflict. Of relevance to the allusion of The Day of the Jackal is the Potsdam Conference which was held in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945. The participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, represented respectively by Premier Joseph Stalin, Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, and President Harry S. Truman…
One of Judge’s contacts happens to be Ingrid, one-time lover and jilted fiancé of Seyss. She too gets sucked into the gripping quest in which it is sometimes difficult to determine friend from foe.
Reich tells his tale with masses of period detail, plenty of action, in an authoritative style that makes the story believable. The descriptions of a bomb-blasted Berlin and the scrabbling survivors living from hand-to-mouth put the reader there. There is some clever blending of fact with lashings of fiction. He has a good turn of phrase, too: ‘She smiled, and the smile was like the first crack in a pane of glass. She could feel the fissure splintering inside of her, its veins shooting off in every direction. It was only a matter of time until she shattered.’ (p456)
The publisher of the paperback (Hodder Headline) excelled here, not only showing the runner on the front cover resembling the swastika emblem, but also having inserted at the bottom of each page the silhouette of a runner in different poses; if you flick the pages from the beginning of the book to the end, you will see the silhouetted figure running from left to right. Neat.
It’s July 1945 and the war is over. Erich Seyss, who had been an accomplished runner in the 1936 Olympics is a captured SS officer in a POW camp awaiting trial by the War Crimes Commission – until he boldly escapes.
Devlin Judge, a lawyer with the International Military Tribunal learns of the escape shortly after finding out that Seyss was responsible for his brother Francis’s murder along with other American soldiers, all massacred in cold blood at Malmedy. Judge requests seven days’ leave to hunt down Seyss.
On a couple of occasions he comes close to catching his man, but the ex-SS officer is too quick, too fleet of foot to be trapped. During the hunt, Judge suspects that there is a conspiracy at the heart of the American military hierarchy that could pitch Europe into another deadly conflict. Of relevance to the allusion of The Day of the Jackal is the Potsdam Conference which was held in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945. The participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, represented respectively by Premier Joseph Stalin, Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, and President Harry S. Truman…
One of Judge’s contacts happens to be Ingrid, one-time lover and jilted fiancé of Seyss. She too gets sucked into the gripping quest in which it is sometimes difficult to determine friend from foe.
Reich tells his tale with masses of period detail, plenty of action, in an authoritative style that makes the story believable. The descriptions of a bomb-blasted Berlin and the scrabbling survivors living from hand-to-mouth put the reader there. There is some clever blending of fact with lashings of fiction. He has a good turn of phrase, too: ‘She smiled, and the smile was like the first crack in a pane of glass. She could feel the fissure splintering inside of her, its veins shooting off in every direction. It was only a matter of time until she shattered.’ (p456)
The publisher of the paperback (Hodder Headline) excelled here, not only showing the runner on the front cover resembling the swastika emblem, but also having inserted at the bottom of each page the silhouette of a runner in different poses; if you flick the pages from the beginning of the book to the end, you will see the silhouetted figure running from left to right. Neat.
October 5, 2016
The novel is way too long & below average. The hunt for Nazi war criminal turn assassin is exceptionally slow & unsatisfactory. The book is a poor version of Frederick Forsyth famous thriller The Day of the Jackal. ORDINARY & LACKLUSTER.
February 9, 2024
Absolutely incredible book, the way Christopher describes scenes plays out so satisfyingly in my head. Crazy detailed buildup and plot all culminating in a short but intense climax. Character romance a lil cheesy imo but aye the characters were cool tho. Main character and villain were both smart and it was cool to see how they operated. Delvin judge is the goat fr fr. Gotta find more books like this 10/10
August 27, 2018
Reich did a nice job of creating the setting for this story. I now understand how post-war Germany was organized in ways that I did not, before reading this book. Unfortunately, that is the only good thing I can say about it. I mean if you enjoy historical fiction that slurs a great war hero yet falls into the banal trap of making a caricature-like villain of the war's losers, go ahead and read it. In the age of the internet we can all examine the record more assiduously. This book is cartoonish filth and no doubt deeply inaccurate. God, I feel sorry for Germans who fought for love of country with very few resources, while Americans fought because they were deceived into initiating the genocide of Germans by Jewish bankers. I will never read another book by this puppet author.
October 25, 2021
This book is reminiscent of a low-quality legal thriller/action movie. Not for me. It's set in post WW2 Germany. None of the characters are likeable. I had frequent thoughts of abandoning the book starting at about 25% of the way in (I should have). It was long and mostly bland. The only reason I stuck it out was because it was recommended to me. I am curious how much of the information about General George S. Patton is true though.
There was more swearing than I'm comfortable with and a bedroom scene to skip. I listened to the book on audio.
There was more swearing than I'm comfortable with and a bedroom scene to skip. I listened to the book on audio.
June 13, 2020
OK. Kind of lost interest after he suffered broken ribs and carried on as though everything was fine and felt no effects. I've broken ribs and the last thing you can do is carry on as though everything is fine. It's hard to breathe and don't ever ever sneeze 🤧!
Decent plot line and story flowed OK. Passed the time on nightshift for me.
Decent plot line and story flowed OK. Passed the time on nightshift for me.
October 5, 2017
I love military and especially covert operational books. I thought this had a bit of it in it and gave it a shot. It just seemed to drag on with minor details that just made the book so long. I enjoyed his previous books but I must say, this one was just "ok"...
July 18, 2010
Predictable, bland, not very exciting. Entertaining, but nothing spectacular.
February 20, 2014
Reich really brings post war Germany to life in this tense thriller. very entertaining and utterly fascinating
December 25, 2019
Acabo de notar que demoré 3 meses en terminar este libro. Yo estaba al tanto de que desde que lo empecé en varias oportunidades lo dejé a un lado para darle preferencia a otras obras de mayor calidad, pero no imaginaba que al final había pasado tanto tiempo.
El libro es entretenido y Christopher Reich (qué ironía de apellido a la hora de escribir un libro sobre nazis, eh!) hizo un muy buen trabajo a la hora de armar todo el escenario de la Alemania durante los meses posteriores al final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Mi problema con The Runner es que es sumamente predecible y tras leer unas pocas páginas ya puedes intuir lo que va a ocurrir y ya habiendo terminado el libro puedo confirmar que se cumplieron mis sospechas.
Lo pondré de la siguiente manera: el libro se enfoca en un oficial de las SS llamado Erich Seyss, un acaba de escapar de una prisión mientras esperaba para ser juzgado por crímenes de guerra; a Alemania llega en su búsqueda Devlin Judge, un abogado que forma parte del equipo que se encarga de llevar a estos criminales ante la justicia y que además guarda una rencilla personal con Seyss puesto que este ejecutó a su hermano durante la guerra. Otro personaje de interés es Ingrid Bach, antiguo amor de Seyss, a quien después de años de relación tuvo que dejar debido a las leyes raciales (una abuela judía) y que desde entonces le guarda un gran rencor. ¿Qué creen ustedes que pasa? Pues sí señores, exactamente eso es lo que sucede y uno lo puede ver venir tras leer las primeras 50 páginas.
Lo único que sí me sorprendió fue que , pero en líneas generales The Runner no sorprende ni mucho menos consigue que no sueltes el libro para saber qué va a pasar, que para mí suelen ser los puntos fuertes en estos thrillers.
El libro es entretenido y Christopher Reich (qué ironía de apellido a la hora de escribir un libro sobre nazis, eh!) hizo un muy buen trabajo a la hora de armar todo el escenario de la Alemania durante los meses posteriores al final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Mi problema con The Runner es que es sumamente predecible y tras leer unas pocas páginas ya puedes intuir lo que va a ocurrir y ya habiendo terminado el libro puedo confirmar que se cumplieron mis sospechas.
Lo pondré de la siguiente manera: el libro se enfoca en un oficial de las SS llamado Erich Seyss, un acaba de escapar de una prisión mientras esperaba para ser juzgado por crímenes de guerra; a Alemania llega en su búsqueda Devlin Judge, un abogado que forma parte del equipo que se encarga de llevar a estos criminales ante la justicia y que además guarda una rencilla personal con Seyss puesto que este ejecutó a su hermano durante la guerra. Otro personaje de interés es Ingrid Bach, antiguo amor de Seyss, a quien después de años de relación tuvo que dejar debido a las leyes raciales (una abuela judía) y que desde entonces le guarda un gran rencor. ¿Qué creen ustedes que pasa? Pues sí señores, exactamente eso es lo que sucede y uno lo puede ver venir tras leer las primeras 50 páginas.
Lo único que sí me sorprendió fue que , pero en líneas generales The Runner no sorprende ni mucho menos consigue que no sueltes el libro para saber qué va a pasar, que para mí suelen ser los puntos fuertes en estos thrillers.
January 29, 2018
Christopher Reich dazzled readers and defied expectations with his New York Times bestseller, Numbered Account, a breathtaking classic of modern suspense. Now Reich returns to the world of international thrillers with a no-holds-barred powerhouse of a novel set against the seething backdrop of post—World War II Germany....
July 1945. U.S. attorney Devlin Judge has come to Europe as part of an international tribunal to try Nazi war criminals. But Judge has his own personal agenda: to find Erich Siegfried Seyss, the man responsible for his brother’s death.
An SS officer and former Olympic sprinter, Seyss has just escaped from a POW camp, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. But he won’t escape Devlin Judge.
Between the two men are miles of German countryside ... and the beautiful daughter of one of Nazi Germany’s most powerful families — a woman loved by them both.
But as Judge hunts his prey across a devastated nation, he finds himself caught up in a staggering conspiracy. Because Erich Seyss is no rogue SS killer. He is a man running a final race to make one last, unforgettable contribution to the Fatherland. And he is acting on orders from the last person anyone would ever suspect.
July 1945. U.S. attorney Devlin Judge has come to Europe as part of an international tribunal to try Nazi war criminals. But Judge has his own personal agenda: to find Erich Siegfried Seyss, the man responsible for his brother’s death.
An SS officer and former Olympic sprinter, Seyss has just escaped from a POW camp, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. But he won’t escape Devlin Judge.
Between the two men are miles of German countryside ... and the beautiful daughter of one of Nazi Germany’s most powerful families — a woman loved by them both.
But as Judge hunts his prey across a devastated nation, he finds himself caught up in a staggering conspiracy. Because Erich Seyss is no rogue SS killer. He is a man running a final race to make one last, unforgettable contribution to the Fatherland. And he is acting on orders from the last person anyone would ever suspect.
February 14, 2019
Post-WW II action adventure thriller, but is, in many ways, historical fiction given all the details, lives, conditions, and scenes described. Also, there were several historical figures as characters (most notably, Patton). But, the story was fast-paced and the characters realistic and the details did not overwhelm although I am not a big fan of Nazi related books. In some ways this story shows part of the transition from the hot war to the cold war. OSS (predecessor to CIA) is involved.
There are conspiracies, traitors, black market entrepreneurs, and corrupt soldiers.
Seyss (German Olympic sprinter and former SS officer) vs. Judge (investigating war crimes, including the murder of his brother by Seyss). Seyss escapes from prison and meets with people who want him to do some killings at Potsdam to alter the peace conference and enable Bach Armaments to make money (in collusion with Americans). Also, Ingrid, former lover of Seyss (almost married him except that she was rejected because she had a Jewish ancestor), helps Judge.
Sometimes the narration focuses on Seyss, sometimes Judge so that we get an idea of what each is doing and thinking.
There are conspiracies, traitors, black market entrepreneurs, and corrupt soldiers.
Seyss (German Olympic sprinter and former SS officer) vs. Judge (investigating war crimes, including the murder of his brother by Seyss). Seyss escapes from prison and meets with people who want him to do some killings at Potsdam to alter the peace conference and enable Bach Armaments to make money (in collusion with Americans). Also, Ingrid, former lover of Seyss (almost married him except that she was rejected because she had a Jewish ancestor), helps Judge.
Sometimes the narration focuses on Seyss, sometimes Judge so that we get an idea of what each is doing and thinking.
January 4, 2019
Alright this book was just ok it seemed very long and drawn out. It's a story having to do with 2 men whom have different agendas in Germany after WW2..1 is Devlin Judge a USA District Attorney who discoveries the name of the man whom ordered and killed his brother Francis who was a priest there during the war and the 2nd is Erich Seyess the man who was one of Hitlers finest top notch soldiers who murdered Francis and tons of other Jews and people.they both have 1 women in they ether have loved or fell in love with and her name is Ingrid Bach(her father is a Nazi war criminal )..there is a race against time Seyess wants to kill President Truman and Chruchhill and Judge wants to kill Seyess for murdering his brother and others plus stop him from killing those to men and starting another war. anyways was interesting but kind of sad in some ways..if u like books on war then u might like this one..
April 4, 2019
What a run! And this run was eventful starting from first page till last one. Breathtaking thriller sequences. Very effective portrait of Germany in the days immediately post WW II. All characters, descriptions and dialogues fit snugly in the genre of mystery and action. Throughout I felt as if I'm watching some high voltage action pack Hollywood movie. Second half willl literally challenge your heartbeats.
Though at very few places I felt storyline was getting somewhat out tracked. Few aspects in main characters seemed loose or confusing at times, but overall a great storytelling for those who like to keep their heart and mind busy while reading.
Though at very few places I felt storyline was getting somewhat out tracked. Few aspects in main characters seemed loose or confusing at times, but overall a great storytelling for those who like to keep their heart and mind busy while reading.
March 15, 2023
Devlin Judge, an American prosecutor in post war Germany discovers that Erich Seyss, the Nazi officer who murdered his brother, has broken out of a POW camp. Seyss, tasked with a final mission for the glory of the Fuhrer, will stop at nothing to finish the secret mission involving The Big Three. As Devlin hunts for him, he finds that this secret plot involves powers that are not only German.
The best part of this book is the look at post war Germany. You really get a feel for this defeated nation and the hardships of a people now occupied. Erich Seyss is brilliantly diabolical, cunning, and ruthless, making him maybe the strongest character, though Devlin is no pushover. Great read.
The best part of this book is the look at post war Germany. You really get a feel for this defeated nation and the hardships of a people now occupied. Erich Seyss is brilliantly diabolical, cunning, and ruthless, making him maybe the strongest character, though Devlin is no pushover. Great read.
September 28, 2017
Mr Reich is a star story teller. I've enjoyed the books he's written. this one, too, grows, with life-like characters, a gritty, post WW2 atmosphere. it's easy to be transported to the time of the book, so detailed is the plot and description.
Sadly, I've grown addicted to commercial thrillers and was impatient with the length of the story and the pace.
But, you can't go wrong with this book. Recommended for anyone who loves thrillers set during the time of the War.
Sadly, I've grown addicted to commercial thrillers and was impatient with the length of the story and the pace.
But, you can't go wrong with this book. Recommended for anyone who loves thrillers set during the time of the War.
January 25, 2018
A well constructed and executed thriller with plenty of political intrigue. The post war setting works perfectly here as it is a time when everyone is suspicious of everyone else. There are a couple of excellent subplots to augment the main story and the pacing leaves no dead spots. The characters are well defined and the romantic aspect of the story doesn't become corny as in so many other novels of this type.
May 15, 2018
Excellent book. Love this author. Fast moving well written story. Kept me on the edge of my seat. I am traveling to Germany this summer. We do not often think about immediate post WWII Germany. I will be interested to see some of the countryside they discuss in the book. I would have liked the ending more if he shared the story of next actions for the main character--what happens next. Maybe a next book to get on with Judge's life.
October 26, 2020
The time period is post WWII in Germany. There's lots of action. Reich does re develop the 2 main characters and you get to look through the eyes of both rather than just one. Erich Seyes is know as the White Lion in pre war Germany. He escapes the POW camp and Delvin Judge vows to catch him. The bad guy is shown to have incredible survival skills. There is some interesting history that is woven in the story.
February 13, 2022
This book was available when I needed something to read. It is a historical fiction of post WW2 set in Germany, a war-torn country. The runner is an Olympic runner for Germany who came in fourth and now is a soldier with allegiance above all else to his country that means following all orders of the Reich. Judge is a lawyer working to capture him for his killing of Jews and especially his brother, a priest.
The story has a lot of army jargon and a lot of German words, but it was a good read.
The story has a lot of army jargon and a lot of German words, but it was a good read.
November 2, 2025
I did really enjoy this book although I felt that the middle dragged on a bit. I didn’t find it page turner but it was still an immersive read. You could tell that the author had done his research and at least some of the book was historically correct. I hadn’t really heard/researched of what happened in Germany after the war so this book has inspired some YouTube watches. Overall a pretty slow burn, but a good book if you’re looking for a change of pace.
May 23, 2019
This was another exciting and interesting story by Reich. It was a little slow at first but it got interesting toward the end. There is a lot of historical context to it dealing with events at the end of WWII. Much of this I didn't know, or quite comprehend. I think it portrays the chaos of that time quite well. I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews