jfbfsf's review against another edition
2.0
This book was about twice as long as it should have been. Somewhere at the core was an interesting plot, and a little bit of suspense, but the author killed it by going on and on and on, spending too long setting up situations, detailing way too much dialog from buffoonish bad guys, and trying to add psychological insight/details which missed the mark.
slhandy45's review against another edition
1.0
I love Adler-Olsen's Department Q series, but I made it only half-way through this book. Is the problem the translation or the writing itself? Could be both. Stilted and clumsy.
cawhite's review against another edition
4.0
I read the Audible version. I found it to be intriguing.
rotorguy64's review against another edition
3.0
This story could have been a lot better than it was, if only the pacing had not been so slow. This is true for the first part in particular, where the sense of threat was lost to me after a while. It's very surprising, really. After all, the premise is that the two main characters, British pilots, are locked up in an asylum full of Nazis, pretending to be both Nazis and mentally insane themselves. One of the first things we see is a patient getting executed on the spot for simulating his illness as a means of deserting from the war, and from there on, it gets worse, as a gang of patients - also simulants - turns out to be a bunch of homicidal criminals, and they are out to get the two protagonists. How can this premise not make for an exhilerating story?
The answer, I believe, is that Adler-Olsen overstretched it all, turning what could have been brutal and shocking gut punches into extended torture sessions instead. This could have worked, but with his writing style, sadly, it didn't. Too sober, and not quite good at conveying emotion. There was no lingering fear or terror, or at least not nearly as much as the story had demanded. And that's a pity, because the premise is very, very strong, the historical details seem very authentic, and Adler-Olsen knows how to treat his characters with a ruthlessness bordering on gratitiousness, without quite crossing the line, as he does not play favorites, neither among the protagonists nor the villains. A good counter-example would be [b:Neuropath|3170310|Neuropath|R. Scott Bakker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347787129s/3170310.jpg|3202425], with its nigh omnipotent and insufferably smug bad guy and totally ineffectual hero. So, there is a great story hidden in here, behind a lot of mediocrity. At least, that is, as far as the first part goes.
The second part rectifies many of these errors, and is by far better overall. The good aspects of the first part are all there, the plot is driven more by investigations than by hushed flight attempts, and instead of raw emotions, we have contemplation and melancholy. All this means that a sober writing style works very well. The pacing is still a tad slow, but I'd say that the good clearly outweighs the bad here. I also enjoyed the ending a lot: Bryan does not recover his old friendship with James (who has turned into a pretty chilling character himself), but he does find some personal redemption, at least. It's been a while that I've read this, but this is how I remembered it.
I'd give this latter part four stars, and the preceeding one three stars. Rounded down, however, because the second part relies on the first, it's not a standalone story. Looking back on this book, I cannot say it was good, but I am glad I have read it.
I might write an addendum to this review at a latter date, when it's not late at night. Not the cleverest idea to do so, perhaps.
The answer, I believe, is that Adler-Olsen overstretched it all, turning what could have been brutal and shocking gut punches into extended torture sessions instead. This could have worked, but with his writing style, sadly, it didn't. Too sober, and not quite good at conveying emotion. There was no lingering fear or terror, or at least not nearly as much as the story had demanded. And that's a pity, because the premise is very, very strong, the historical details seem very authentic, and Adler-Olsen knows how to treat his characters with a ruthlessness bordering on gratitiousness, without quite crossing the line, as he does not play favorites, neither among the protagonists nor the villains. A good counter-example would be [b:Neuropath|3170310|Neuropath|R. Scott Bakker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347787129s/3170310.jpg|3202425], with its nigh omnipotent and insufferably smug bad guy and totally ineffectual hero. So, there is a great story hidden in here, behind a lot of mediocrity. At least, that is, as far as the first part goes.
The second part rectifies many of these errors, and is by far better overall. The good aspects of the first part are all there, the plot is driven more by investigations than by hushed flight attempts, and instead of raw emotions, we have contemplation and melancholy. All this means that a sober writing style works very well. The pacing is still a tad slow, but I'd say that the good clearly outweighs the bad here. I also enjoyed the ending a lot: Bryan does not recover his old friendship with James (who has turned into a pretty chilling character himself), but he does find some personal redemption, at least. It's been a while that I've read this, but this is how I remembered it.
I'd give this latter part four stars, and the preceeding one three stars. Rounded down, however, because the second part relies on the first, it's not a standalone story. Looking back on this book, I cannot say it was good, but I am glad I have read it.
I might write an addendum to this review at a latter date, when it's not late at night. Not the cleverest idea to do so, perhaps.
srash's review against another edition
3.0
Two British pilots are shot down over Germany during WWII. They end up hiding on a train for SS officers bound for a mental hospital. But they don't realize that at the time when they throw 2 of said officers off the train and steal their identities. . . .
Read this book mainly because I've enjoyed the author's excellent Department Q mystery series. This book predates it and is pretty uneven--especially toward the beginning. I think some of the issue might be clunkiness from being translated and some of it is because it is the author's first book.
One of the things that makes it uneven is some of the plot twists are a bit preposterous and the characters aren't especially complex (too me awhile to warm up to Bryan especially since in the beginning he often seemed too dumb to live)--though they do have some interesting nuance as it goes on.
But all sins are forgiven because this is a real page-turner. I routinely found myself reading farther each time I picked it up and sneaking in chapters throughout the day to see what happened next. The plot itself is interesting and takes some unexpected turns (as befits a thriller). The Nazi German mental hospital setting is vividly realized and not for the squeamish reader. I also ended up finding the ending unexpectedly thought-provoking.
Overall, I'd say this book is a pretty good showcase of Adler-Olsen's strengths and weaknesses as a writer, though I think he continued to improve his craft in his mysteries. Actually, reading this reminded me I'm a few books behind on his Department Q mysteries, and I've been missing Danish detective Carl Mørck and his surliness and his cold case files. Need to remedy that. ;)
Read this book mainly because I've enjoyed the author's excellent Department Q mystery series. This book predates it and is pretty uneven--especially toward the beginning. I think some of the issue might be clunkiness from being translated and some of it is because it is the author's first book.
One of the things that makes it uneven is some of the plot twists are a bit preposterous and the characters aren't especially complex (too me awhile to warm up to Bryan especially since in the beginning he often seemed too dumb to live)--though they do have some interesting nuance as it goes on.
But all sins are forgiven because this is a real page-turner. I routinely found myself reading farther each time I picked it up and sneaking in chapters throughout the day to see what happened next. The plot itself is interesting and takes some unexpected turns (as befits a thriller). The Nazi German mental hospital setting is vividly realized and not for the squeamish reader. I also ended up finding the ending unexpectedly thought-provoking.
Overall, I'd say this book is a pretty good showcase of Adler-Olsen's strengths and weaknesses as a writer, though I think he continued to improve his craft in his mysteries. Actually, reading this reminded me I'm a few books behind on his Department Q mysteries, and I've been missing Danish detective Carl Mørck and his surliness and his cold case files. Need to remedy that. ;)
pomegranatepanacea's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Adler-Olsen is great at writing suspense and action. There are parts here and there where he lost me, but once things got intense, they got extremely intense.
He struggles to write women in a way that doesn't make me laugh from how far removed they are from reality. Their goofiness is cast aside when Adler-Olsen gets to show off his true strength: the tense action.
The end handwaves away some concerns so that does not bother me too much. The ending is probably the best that one could reasonably hope for.
All in all, quite good! When the plot reached its head, I felt physically tense, literally on the edge of my seat. I was also worried that Adler-Olsen would demonize the mentally ill, which did not happen at all, so that relieved me.
He struggles to write women in a way that doesn't make me laugh from how far removed they are from reality. Their goofiness is cast aside when Adler-Olsen gets to show off his true strength: the tense action.
The end handwaves away some concerns
Spoiler
such as, "won't the police track this back to us?" but then I remember how much murderers were able to get away with in the 1970s when staying within one country,All in all, quite good! When the plot reached its head, I felt physically tense, literally on the edge of my seat. I was also worried that Adler-Olsen would demonize the mentally ill, which did not happen at all, so that relieved me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Physical abuse
sirisolh's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting story of two different lives following the end of the second world war.
In the first part we meet Bryan and James, best friends from childhood and now soldiers parachuting into enemy territory. They're separate from their troop and have to find a way out without being caught and what worse is. We follow their journey where they end up in the alphabet house, a mental hospital for German soldiers having to prove being both German and somewhat insane. In the second part, the war is over and we meet the guys again, grown-up and distant.
A reason for the fourth star missing is the horrible translation, including barely understandable sentences and spelling mistakes. It's a shame, as it really ruins the read. Additionally, it's a bit of a slow read sometimes.
In the first part we meet Bryan and James, best friends from childhood and now soldiers parachuting into enemy territory. They're separate from their troop and have to find a way out without being caught and what worse is. We follow their journey where they end up in the alphabet house, a mental hospital for German soldiers having to prove being both German and somewhat insane. In the second part, the war is over and we meet the guys again, grown-up and distant.
A reason for the fourth star missing is the horrible translation, including barely understandable sentences and spelling mistakes. It's a shame, as it really ruins the read. Additionally, it's a bit of a slow read sometimes.
mbondlamberty's review against another edition
4.0
The beginning was slow and I almost didn't finish but then I really got into it and am considering it as a gift for my father-in-law.
Not a happy ending if you are looking for that but very gripping.
Not a happy ending if you are looking for that but very gripping.