There are three things I like very much about this book, first the attention to detail. Phones where made out of Bakelite not plastic, people had a completely different set of euphemisms and certainly a different set of view points. Mr. Deaver puts us squarely in 1936 Berlin and lets us see taste and feel the difference.

            Second is the main character Paul Schumann, a reluctant hit man recruited to try and assassinate a high ranking Nazi official and prevent WW2 all by himself. Paul has skill, intelligence and heart but its evident early on this might not be enough. Having been funneled into his profession by circumstances and given his good character and goals we root for him all the way.

             Third is the dedicated inspector Wille Kohl. An older man who wants to avoid the Gestapo and brownshirts and just get on with catching criminals. He is soon close on the trail of our hero who thinks he covers his tracks very well. But Kohl is a very smart detective who is also a very likeable character.  Through his eyes we see how the ordinary German citizens were enduring the rise of the Third Reich.

            Using the background of the 1936 Olympics and presenting actual people like Jesse Owens, Mr. Deaver does a fine job of presenting a good fast paced story in a real time and place that kept me turning the pages.