Special agent James Cronley, Jr. finds himself fighting several wars at the same time in Death at Nuremberg, the latest Clandestine Operations thriller from the father and son writing duo of W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV.
Set in the mid-1940s, James Cronley, Directorate of Central Intelligence in Europe, is given an important assignment from the President of the United States. With the Nuremberg trials set to get underway, Cronley’s tasked with protecting Bob Jackson, the U.S. chief prosecutor, at all costs. . . a job much easier said than done.
After multiple assassination attempts on Jackson’s life, Cronley decides a top-flight offense is the best defense. Passing off protection duty to his officers, Cronely sets his sights on Franz von Dietelburg, whom he believes to be responsible for the attacks. Dietelburg, a high-ranking member of the Nazi-smuggling organization known as Odessa, who makes their money helping war criminals escape to South America, is just the tip of the iceberg for Cronley.
Knowing that it’s possible the KGB could also be behind the assassination attempts, Cronley is forced to widen the scope of his investigation. In the process, he comes across a number of suspects and unsavory individuals–including a religious cult operating around Hitler, a KGB officer working with Israeli intelligence, and a beautiful journalist who has a knack for hovering around major news stories.
While it’s a step up from last year’s Curtain of Death, this year’s offering is still bloated with unnecessary sequences and far too many throwaway characters. The plot spins its tires for far too long before finally, after a few hundred pages, finding its footing and taking off.
Overall, this is perhaps the most intriguing storyline of all the books in the series, and it’s packed with historical fact to go hand-in-hand with action and suspense. The pacing is a little slow, mostly because the plot wanders down several dead-ends early on, but the writers do manage to keep readers interested. . . especially if you’re already a fan of the series and characters.
Book Details
Author: W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV
Series: Clandestine Operations #4
Pages: 448 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0399176748
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: December 26, 2017
Book Spy Rating: 5.5/10
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