Ugh. The first chapter is so promising, but then it stagnates, with two dull and mostly unrelated plot lines plodding on endlessly. ( )

It is September 1944: knowing that the war cannot be won, and desperate to avoid having to accept unconditional surrender, the German intelligence service launches Operation Finisterre in the hope of convincing the British and American governments to negotiate a peace deal with Hitler. The success of this mission is dependent on the actions of two men, who are involved in two apparently unconnected incidents.
Twenty four year old Stefan Portisch, the experienced and well-decorated captain of a German U-boat, is charged with taking five SS men, along with their mysterious cargo, to Lisbon on a top-secret mission. However, when crossing the Bay of Biscay in a storm, his vessel sinks and the crew is forced to abandon ship. Badly injured, Stefan is washed ashore at a small fishing village on the coast of Spain and subsequently discovers that he is the only survivor. He is cared for by Eva, an activist during the Spanish Civil War, and soon falls in love with her. Disillusioned about continuing to fight for a cause which is both flawed and doomed, whilst he is recovering from his injuries he realises that he must make a decision about his future. However, when is betrayed to the Germans he discovers that achieving what he wants, a future with Eva, will depend on his cooperation with German intelligence agents in their plan to feed false information to the Allied Forces.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Hector Gómez, an ex-FBI agent, now a counter-intelligence officer with the US Army and based at the American atomic bomb complex at Los Alamos, is investigating the apparent suicide of one of the scientists, a German Jew who had escaped to America before the war. Unconvinced by the evidence presented, his investigations finally lead Hector across the border into Mexico where, uncovering a complex espionage plot, he finds himself in grave danger. Along the way he meets Yolanda, a Spanish American woman who is fighting for civil rights in the USA, and, like Stefan, he too falls in love.
The narrative switches every few pages as it tells the parallel stories of the two main characters. Initially I found theses frequent switches rather frustrating but, once I had adapted to the style, I found that this device helped to increase the dramatic tension in a very effective way. There is, of course, an assumption that the apparently disparate scenarios will eventually merge to make a coherent whole, but there were enough mysteries along the way to make it an interesting, and not too predictable, journey. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of life on a U-boat and thought that the author captured the atmosphere of camaraderie, trust and loyalty which develops between men forced to live in such an isolated, claustrophobic world – comparisons between the highly evocative descriptions in Das Boot and this book are well-deserved.
Although much of the historical background was very familiar to me, I thought that the author used his research in a very effective way, blending fact and fiction in a way which felt convincing. I thought that the rivalry and power-games between the respective governments’ agencies, as well as between the countries involved, were very well-portrayed, adding an extra layer of confusion to the intricate negotiations needed in order to broker a face-saving peace treaty for the Germans.
I found this an entertaining and engaging read but do have a couple of niggling criticisms. I thought that the romantic relationships were portrayed rather less successfully than other character-development, and that there were times when they distracted from the developing tension. I also found the ending to be rather rushed after the slow, but engagingly reflective build-up. This is the first book I have read by this author and, based on the overall quality of his writing, and his convincing plotting, I feel encouraged to try another of his novels. ( )

In September 1944, decorated German U-boat captain Stefan Portisch has been ordered to take five SS men to Lisbon on a top secret mission. While crossing the Bay of Biscay the submarine founders on rocks during a storm and the entire crew have to take their lives into their own hands by abandoning ship. Portisch is washed ashore and must make a decision. On the other side of the Atlantic, in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Hector Gómez investigates the supposed suicide of a Jewish scientist working on America’s best-kept secret, the atom bomb. But Gómez is suspicious and doesn’t believe Sol Fiedler shot himself. His investigation takes him across the border into Mexico, where he makes a surprising discovery.

I was sure after reading the synopsis that this book would prove to be a sure-fire hit but I thought it rather disappointing after the few rave reviews I’d read. The beginning aboard a German submarine is tense and atmospheric and brought to mind scenes of the German TV series (and film) Das Boot but for a book set at such a crucial turning point in the war the novel is surprisingly light on tension. The narrative alternates between Stefan Portisch, the U-boat captain turning his back on his country, and Hector Gómez, a counter-intelligence officer with the US Army, stationed at Los Alamos. The link between the two threads is revealed only very gradually and what is supposed to be a big reveal at the end falls curiously flat – considering the explosive subject material the plot rather fizzles out, in my opinion. There is no doubt that the author has researched the period extremely well, even placing a few historical figures into the narrative, and I can see this being turned into a successful film (but maybe with a different ending), but it didn’t grab me and the fate of each of the two principal characters left me quite cold. I’m wondering whether this is the result of the format, which jerks the reader from one man and place to the other, not allowing a rapport to develop. Certainly I query the author’s need to run both men’s lives in parallels to such a degree that fairly large sections of the book felt like padding, with romantic subplots added that only distract when more attention should have been paid to establishing a convincing, tense and nail-biting narrative.

While this book can stand as a stand-alone novel, the author states on his website that there will be a “soft-linkage” between Finisterre and the two subsequent novels in the Wars Within series, with minor characters flitting in and out of the narrative as the plot demands. As yet I haven’t quite decided whether I will be on board again for the sequels.

(This review was written for Amazon's Vine programme.) ( )

Extremely cleverly plotted story about Nazi attempts to broker a peace treaty once the allies took back France. For half the book the two parallel stories have no apparent link until suddenly the two pieces slot together seamlessly. Clearly very well researched with several real characters scattered within the plot. Highly recommended. ( )