An Affair of Spies: a spy mission with the utmost importance

An Affair of Spies by Richard H. Bolson is a spy mission to get a defector from Germany and prevent the Nazis from creating an atomic bomb. Nathan Silverman grew up in Berlin, the son of a theoretical physicist. His idyllic life was soon shattered by the increasing levels of hostilities toward the Jewish communities. He leaves for New York City in 1938 with only his mother’s wedding ring to sell for survival. He enlists in the Army with the desire to help fight the Nazi regime. He is quickly selected for special training and ordered to report to the Manhattan Project. As he learns that the Americans are racing to beat the Nazis in the nuclear arms, he discovers that an old friend of his father’s wishes to defect and it is his mission to get him safely out of Germany. He is joined by Dr. Allison Fisher, a brilliant young physicist, and together they embark on a dangerous mission deep in enemy territory. 

An Affair of Spies is described as “an action-packed tale of heroism and love in the face of unspeakable evil.” While it is a tale of heroism and love in the face of unspeakable evil, I would hardly call it action packed. As a man who has been trained as a spy, Nathan breaks every rule and makes bad decisions after bad decisions that I would hardly call him a hero. He often takes his own agenda ahead of his mission and forgets the importance of stealth and secrecy. While the explanations of the physics is appreciated, Mr. Balson tends to explain and reexplain repeatedly that it bogged down the flow of the story. Even the close calls and almost catches were melodramatic. The historical research is well done. Unfortunately, it was not the spy thriller novel I was expecting. It seems to be more about the budding relationship between Nathan and Allison than espionage. Overall, An Affair of Spies wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. 

An Affair of Spies is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook.