Catching the Wind: a story of promises kept despite the years past

Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson is a story of one man’s determination to find his childhood friend and fulfill a promise. The story opens in Germany July 1940 where Dietmar Roth, 13, is playing with his friend, Brigitte, when men come to take him away. At his mother’s urging, Dietmar and Brigitte run. Fast forward to 2017, Quenby Vaughn is a reporter for the World News Syndicate where she is on the story of Lady Ricker and the rumor that she help spy on the Britain for the Nazis. She gets a call from Lucas Hough, a lawyer for wealthy businessman, Daniel Knight. They have a job proposition for her. Mr. Knight is Dietmar who changed his name when he arrived in England in October 1940. He and Brigitte were separated after their arrival in England and he has been searching for her ever since. As Quenby begins her search, she learns about their dangerous journey from Germany to England. She also learns that Brigitte’s story may be tied to Lady Ricker’s activities during the war. As she gets closer to find Brigitte, Quenby gets the sense that something or someone is trying to stop her. Will she be able to find Brigitte and reunite the two friends? Will she discover the secrets hidden for 70 years?

Catching the Wind is a beautiful story of a lifelong search, of promises kept intertwined with the dark days of World War II. It is a story of redemption and the truth about a family’s past. It was filled with twists and turns, surprise after surprise. I read this book over the course of two days. I could not put it down. I sat on the edge of my seat as I turned the pages eager to see if Quenby would find Brigitte and renuite her with Daniel. I highly, highly recommend Catching the Wind!

Catching the Wind

is available all major booksellers

in paperback and eBook

The Patriots: a family story of secrets and love of country

The Patriots by Sana Krasikov is a family epic spanning three generations. From Depression era Brooklyn, New York when Florence Fein leaves college to take a job in Moscow. To post-Cold War American, where her son Julian is trying to learn the truth about his mother and her patriotism toward Russia as well trying to convince his own son, Lenny, come home. Julian works for an oil company which takes him to Russia frequently. He learns that the KGB is opening files, he sees his chance to learn the secrets his mother took to her grave. He uses this trip to also plead with his son to return to America as Lenny seems to have inherited his grandmother’s devotion to Russia. Will Julian finally learn the truth about his mother? Will he understand what he learns? Will Lenny return home with Julian? Or will he remain in Russia?

The Patriots is a story told in alternating viewpoints, Florence, Julian and Lenny, as a tale of the one family, two countries and the events which lead to the beginning and end of the Cold War. The writing is beautiful, almost lyrical, with sweeping descriptions of the locations, the emotions and events. I enjoyed the family discovery as an adult child sees his parent in a new light with, possibly, a new understand of her motivations and convictions. I found the book a little hard to read at times with the alternating time line and I suggest make note of the time and location given in an illustration at the start of every chapter. However, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading it again in the future. Overall, if you enjoy historical fiction, you will enjoy The Patriots.

The Patriots

is available on Amazon in hardcover and on the Kindle

and

Barnes and Nobles in hardcover and NookBook

The Girl from Venice: a mystery set in war torn Italy

The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith is a World War II drama set in Italy as a simple fisherman is pulled into a world of spies and wartime suspicions. Innocenzo “Cenzo” Vianello is a fishing one night in the lagoon of his village when he finds the body of a female, Guila, floating in the water. After a moment’s hesitation, he pulls her on his boat and from that moment, his life is never the same. He is pulled into a world of espionage, half-truths and mysteries as to who this woman is and what the Germans and the Italians what with her. She soon goes missing. With the addition of his family obligations and his resistance to do what is expected of him, Cenzo is pulled by the desire to rescue Guila. Will he find her in time? Will he discover why she’s so important to the Germans? Is there someone else after her?

The Girl from Venice is a fast paced drama with twists and turns, suspense which will leave you holding your breath. I enjoyed this book from the first page and I eagerly turned each page waiting to see if Cenzo finds Guila before the Germans do. I enjoyed reading a World War II story featuring Italy and the attitudes of the Italians toward Mussolini, Hitler, Americans and the war itself. There is so much I enjoyed about the book but I can’t really talk about finer points due to spoilers. However, if you enjoy a love story hidden in the suspense of World War II, you will enjoy this book. I highly recommend The Girl from Venice.

If Girl from Venice

will be available October 18, 2016

on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

in hardcover, audiobook and eBook

The Nibelungen Hoard: Treasure of legend and Cold War spies

Sometimes the treasures of legend lend themselves to appear in real life. The Nibelungen Hoard by Edwin M. Todd is a mystery surrounding a treasure which disappeared in the final months of World War II as certain German officials realized that the war was ending and they were on the losing side.

The story opens with the legend of the Nibelungen Hoard with King Siegfried of the Netherlands as he attacked and conquered the land of Nibelung. There he accumulated a great treasure which he gave to his new bride, Kreimhilde of Burgundy and the king is killed and the treasure goes missing. It is said that “Whoever possesses the Nibelungen hoard shall be called the Nibelungers and that the cursed treasure waits patiently to reappear.” Fast forward to Beelitz, East Germany, November 4, 1989 where an old woman waits for her grandson, Christopher. She must give him an important task, a task that she wasn’t able to fulfill. Her last words as she hands him the family Bible, are “Find. Give.” Rewind a little bit to March 1945, as Lena Mueller, a nurse at a field hospital takes care of a young soldier who mysteriously appears. The soldier’s name is Johann von Ritter, who was tasked by Himmler to hide treasure as Himmler sees the signs that Germany is losing the war and intends to run as the Allies are closing in. However, von Ritter does not do as Himmler instructs and he hides the treasure and leaves clues to its whereabouts in two letters: one to his sister and another he entrusts with Lena. Fast forward again to 1989, Christopher must decipher his grandmother’s wishes as the cold war spies from Germany, Russia and America are searching for the letters and to discover the location of the treasure. Who can he trust? And will the treasure be found?

I enjoyed this thrilling mystery of the end of the Cold War with its twists and turns. While I can’t say if the treasure is found, I will say the ending left me wondering what other mysteries this story will bring. I hope the author intends to write a sequel (if he hasn’t already) and give more to this great mystery. If you enjoy mystery thrillers, I highly recommend The Nibelungen Hoard.

The Nibelungen Hoard is available on

Amazon on the Kindle Unlimited for free and

on paperback for $13