Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Three Allied leaders may be in mortal peril at a critical World War II conference in 1943. In a sequel to The Devil’s Weapons (2022), Professor Sebastian Kapsky has been extracted from Nazi-dominated Poland and whisked off to Gotland. He has a notebook with “strategically critical scientific and mathematical data” that could lead to the development of a frightening, war-ending weapon. The enemy knows of the notebook and wants it, but Major Richard Canidy and First Lieutenant Eric Fulmar of the U.S. Army are assigned to protect it. Unfortunately, the Thorisdottir twins, “six-foot Nordic goddesses,” betray their trust. They steal the notebook from the American duo and will gladly sell it back to them or to the Soviets for an exorbitant price. The Americans screwed up, but they get a new assignment because they are still the best. Churchill, Stalin, and FDR plan to meet at a conference in Tehran, where Uncle Joe will press for his allies to open a western front to relieve Nazi pressure on the Soviets. Aware of this plan, Hitler orders a decapitation strike to kill the three heads of state and throw his enemies into chaos. Meanwhile, the Russians are thinking of staging a sham—a failed assassination attempt to make the eastern front situation appear even more dire. This is the crux of an exciting and highly plausible story. Expect blood to flow and skulls to crack as elite Nazi forces try to eliminate the American officers. There’s a good balance of skill and power among the main characters—SS Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny and Soviet Major Taras Gromov are top assassins with a lot of people to kill, not the least of whom are Canidy and Fulmar. And how bad are the bad guys? One of them wants to work alone, so he slits the throat of the man assigned to help him. Damn, that’s cold. All the important characters appear first in The Devil’s Weapons, so you may prefer to read the books in order. Based on the ending, a third installment looks likely in this absorbing series. A fast-paced, compelling yarn that thriller readers will enjoy. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.