"No suspect gets his reputation ruined by having his name splashed in the headlines unless Hoover has the goods on him. There are no raids on the private or political files. Hoover is tough, but respects the rules—especially fundamental liberties." Pearson concluded, "The nation is lucky to have him on the job."

This book covers the little known story of how one German born American, William Sebold, partnered with the FBI to take down German spy rings in New York City. Sebold when he went back to Germany to recuperate from an illness found himself being recruited by the Germans to spy on America. Sebold, who had become an American citizen, took his oath of allegiance to America seriously and got in contact with American authorities and found himself becoming a double agent.

 

It took me a little while to really get into this book (about around 35% of the way through is when I really started to get into it). I think that is because this book not only covers Sebold and his takedown of German spies but also does cover some history of WWII. I probably would have been more interested in the unrelated to the Sebold case history of WWII if I hadn't already known most of it. I was really interested in learning about all of the people relevant to the operation and their histories before and after the events that took place. The book does tend to mention the Norden bombsight a lot, and while it was important to the Sebold operation the parts mentioning it (especially after the trials of the German spies took place) could be a bit long and hard to keep interested in.

 

It is really a shame that what Sebold did for America is not well known and it is also a shame where Sebold ended up before he died. For a man that was an integral part in the first big counterespionage operation of the FBI you would think that more could have been done to help him. He seemed to be in such a fragile mental state towards the end of his life which is quite understandable with all that he had been through.

 

I would definitely recommend this book if you are interested in learning about a little known man who contributed a lot to the takedown of German spy rings right before WWII. I am also interested in learning more about WWII and I am glad that I got the chance to read about William Sebold. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.

I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it! I recently was approved on NetGalley for a few books and they all look like books that I would love..

 

 

 

Ruth's Journey by Donald McCaig:

I am SUPER excited about this book. This is the Mitchell estate authorized prequel to Gone With the Wind that follows Mammy. Around Easter I was re-reading GWTW but really I managed to read two chapters before I had to set it aside and concentrate on all the NetGalley books I had. Now I am going to continue re-reading it and also I have purchased Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley and Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig so that I can finally read those two books. Needless to say it is going to be a GWTW summer for me to prepare to read this book in the Fall.

Publication date:October 14, 2014

 

 

 

Juliet's Nurse by Lois Leveen:

This is a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet but from the perspective of Juliet's nurse. It surprised me, as I normally wouldn't like a love story like R&J, but I really loved Romeo and Juliet. I am really looking forward to this.

Publication date: September 23, 2014

 

 

 

Double Agent by Peter Duffy:

This is a book that according to the book description tells "the never-before-told tale of the German-American who spearheaded a covert mission to infiltrate New York’s Nazi underground in the days leading up to World War II—the most successful counterespionage operation in US history." I am always interested in learning more about WWII so once I saw this book I requested it right away.

Publication date: July 22, 2014

 

Goebbels: A Biography by Peter Longerich:

This book had no description on NetGalley or any other website but clearly it is a biography of Joseph Goebbels by German professor/historian Peter Longerich. Once again as with the book above I am always looking to learn more about WWII and that also means the people who took part in what took place.

Publication date: October 14, 2014

Double Agent - Debra Kayn I'm not sure how to categorize this one. I didn't think it was a particularly erotic book. The sex scenes were okay and it wasn't coming of age sexuality book. Actually, now that I think about it, the sex really wasn't needed. I did however enjoy the book and the storyline. It was an interesting "what-if" scenario. This is very popular in Japanese anima. I enjoyed it enough that I read it the day I received it for review.

Ms. Kayn's writing voice is clear and crisp. The story moved at a decent pace. There were things that weren't fully explained but I think that was okay. This was a short story so I can't expect the world building to be too elaborate or in depth. The characters were good. I liked Joanna and Thrasher was a nice alpha male. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read about what could happen in the future.

Double Agent - Debra Kayn I'm not sure how to categorize this one. I didn't think it was a particularly erotic book. The sex scenes were okay and it wasn't coming of age sexuality book. Actually, now that I think about it, the sex really wasn't needed. I did however enjoy the book and the storyline. It was an interesting "what-if" scenario. This is very popular in Japanese anima. I enjoyed it enough that I read it the day I received it for review.

Ms. Kayn's writing voice is clear and crisp. The story moved at a decent pace. There were things that weren't fully explained but I think that was okay. This was a short story so I can't expect the world building to be too elaborate or in depth. The characters were good. I liked Joanna and Thrasher was a nice alpha male. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read about what could happen in the future.