An Act of God

I don’t know why some gave this book 3 stars. It was definitely a 4 star. Daniel the main character does not come across as a ruthless assassin. He has a job for the U.S. as special agent and does it well. He shows loyalty, and someone who has a conscious. This is not your typical murder mystery book. You will enjoy the suspense and twist and turns.

Early 1950s in DC. Eisenhower has been elected President and the world continues to recover from World War II. Daniel Miller was a Brit operative in the war and has relocated to DC and his wartime rep continues to follow him.

Near the end of the war, the Allies and the Russians were competing to pull German scientists to their side. One of the many opportunities that were available to the victors. The US set up the Vatican-interceded 'Operation Paperclip' that successfully placed about 1500 such scientists and their families in the US (and yeah, Operation Paperclip was a successful venture by what would become the CIA). Those who came were scattered across the US and as they settled, some were returning to work in their chosen fields. Despite the end of the war, there remained a considerable number of patriots in Europe and South America who looked forward to a new Reich.

As expected, some weren’t all that happy and considered those relocated to be traitors to the Fatherland. Former Nazis, and some Russians who weren’t as successful at getting what they thought was their fair share of Germany’s former brainpower, have culled together a small network. If Germany or Russia can’t have them, then certainly neither can the US. A plan is put in place and one by one, former German scientists are dying. Some deaths appear natural, but many are downright executions.

Given the sensitive nature of the victims, the FBI has to investigate quietly and out of the eyes of the press. Rather than pile a ton of resources into a manhunt, they contact Daniel Miller and his handler to work as ‘consultants’ and report back with their findings. Miller figures out that his presence allows the FBI some level of deniability as well as being expendable if he fails.

As the death toll mounts, Miller’s guesses and assumptions begin to find enough traction that the bad guys turn their sights on him.

An entertaining post WWII mystery for folks who like that era of history. And this is part of a Daniel Miller series. I kind of liked Miller, his methods and abilities. I had a pre-release copy of the ebook from NetGalley. The version I read had a number of editorial issues (the didn’t really detract from the story) that I would assume would be correct by the time the print version becomes available.

I really enjoyed this fast paced plot. The premise was very believable and the writing was good. It kept me engrossed until the final page.

Following the end of the Second World War under Operation Paperclip the United States of America brought over 1,500 German Scientists (along with their family members), who worked for the Nazis, to utilise their expertise and know how.

This story is a second outing for Daniel Miller, a British man living in Washington, by Stephen Francis and deals with circumstances 8 years after the end of the Second World War. Someone is killing a number of the German Scientists.

Daniel Miller, who has extensive experience of working behind enemy lines, is asked by the FBI to investigate who is behind the killings. What follows is a satisfying and well plotted trail of Miller unravelling a scheme that involves a number of layers. The violence is never gratuitous and the atmosphere created evokes the post war era and the need for personal contact and old school spying techniques.

Needless to say certain forces are not enamoured with Miller’s efforts and their attempts to stop him have ramifications for those close to him.

Reading this the book raised numerous questions about post war America and the impending Cold War with the Soviets.

This is a satisfying read and worthy of your time. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending and there is a marked change of pace towards the end of the novel that found me increasing the speed of reading as I was keen to reach the enjoyable conclusion.