Jeffery Deaver - Garden of Beasts (2004)
A good example of a writer who takes chances is Jeffery Deaver. Although best
known for his series featuring forensic scientist Lincoln Rhyme, his most recent
book is something different.
Garden of Beasts is a historical thriller set in Berlin in the days
leading up to the 1936 Olympics. It is a city filled with tension and fear,
facing the coming of Nazism, a force which provokes excitement in some and
terror in others.
Into this chaos is thrust Paul Schumann, a button man for the New York mob. When
he is arrested by the feds he is given a choice: go to prison for life or go to
Germany and assassinate a key leader in Hitler’s government.
Schumann takes the assignment and thus begins a fascinating game of cat and
mouse, with the American playing both roles at different times. Pursued across
Berlin by the city’s best detective, it takes all of Schumann’s cunning just to
stay alive.
Even better than the plot is the way Deaver has recreated the atmosphere of
pre-war Berlin. Using that setting to powerful effect, he has created one of the
year’s best reads.
Posted by David J. Montgomery in Book Reviews | Permalink
