From Publishers Weekly
An American colonel who knows the secrets of forthcoming D day has washed up, wounded, on the German-occupied island of Jersey, off the coast of England, and must be rescued. Thus the basic premise of Higgins's most tingling thriller since The Eagle Has Landed. An ex-philosophy don of part-German descent is assigned to effect the rescue, disguised as a special envoy of the dreaded Himmler and accompanied by his "mistress." Enmeshed in this complex situation are the activities of Rommel, who sends a Jewish actor (somewhat improbably, also a Wehrmacht corporal) to impersonate him on an "inspection tour" of Jersey's defenses, while he secretly meets with other top generals bent on assassinating the fuhrer. Caught up in the deadly game of "who's-fooling-whom and for how long?" are an amorous Italian count, a Finnish air ace and a hero of the Irish cause, while in the background loom Eisenhower and Hitler himself. Speed, surprise and suspense are Higgins's long suit, rather than convincing characterization, but engrossed readers are not likely to mind. Paperback rights to Pocket Books; Reader's Digest and Condensed Books book club selections; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Colonel Hugh Kelso is privy to information regarding the Normandy landings, but he is injured and hiding on the German-occupied island of Jersey in May 1944. Kelso must be removed from Jersey before he is captured or, failing that, must be executed. Selected for the job is philosopher-turned-assassin Harry Martineau. To aid him in his impersonation of a Nazi officer, as well as guide him to Kelso, Harry secures the services of Sarah Drayton. Drayton's aunt is sheltering Kelso, and she is of an age to pose as Martineau's French mistress. Martineau is skillful but he is fortunate to obtain the help of an Italian naval officer and a Jewish actor-turned-German paratrooper who assist him in completing his task. Higgins combines powerful narrative with documentary detail in an exceptional tale that relies upon the interweaving histories of the various characters. BOMC alternate. J.K. Sweeney, History Dept., South Dakota State Univ., Brookings
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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