Hitler's Judas (Pea Island Gold Trilogy)

Reviewed by Andrea Barry for Reader Views (12/07) I decided to review this book based on the title alone, because I am a fan of history and enjoy historical fiction. I don't know nearly enough about WWII, but I do have a rudimentary understanding of why the war happened, what everyone's goals were and what the outcome was. I found this book fascinating because it delves into the personal life of Martin Bormann, personal secretary to Adolf Hitler. It also tells the story of Horst von Hellenbach, Germany's celebrated U-Boat Captain. Throughout most of the book, we alternate chapter for chapter between the two characters and their part in fighting Hitler's war. As we advance through the story, we discover that Martin Bormann is scheming his way out of the Third Reich. We learn that he does not really support Hitler and Hitler's ideals; he is merely an opportunist who seized onto the idea that would afford him the most comfortable lifestyle possible for the age. Bormann is a genius though and he knows that the Third Reich will soon be coming to a disastrous close. With this knowledge in mind, he begins formulating a plan that will allow him to escape Germany and the Third Reich undetected so that he may live out the rest of his life comfortably. His plans include stealing 50 million in Nazi gold, which he plans to take to the coast of the United States where he hopes to live on what he believes to be a deserted island. Throughout the book, we wonder when the stories of Martin Bormann and Horst von Hellenbach will collide as they both move so erratically. We discover the answer near the climax of the book and come to a conclusion that no one could have predicted while reading the book. After reading the conclusion, I understand more how this book fits into the Pea Island Gold Trilogy and am intent on seeking out the first book, "Sunday's Child," so that I may learn more about that story and exactly what impact this story has on that as they seem fairly unrelated as related as I know they are. In summary, I found this book to be well-written, fascinating and for the most part, historically accurate. I certainly left with far more knowledge of the inner workings of the Third Reich and World War II. It was an excellent read and I highly recommend "Hitler's Judas" to anyone who is interested in historical fiction or suspense.

Around the time Hitler invaded Russia, the Fuerher's right hand man, Martin Borman, came to a disquieting conclusion. Germany was going to lose the war. Borman didn't give a fig about what happened to Germany, but he cared very deeply about what would happen to Martin Borman. Therefore Borman embarks on a complicated, ingenius, and deadly plan to get himself and a considerable amount of wealth out of the Third Reich before the allies obliterate it. Hitler's Judas is the second in a trilogy about North Carolina's Pea Island, the first being Sunday's Child

It's when Adolph Hitler decided to invade the behemoth that was the Soviet Union that his trusted subordinated, Martin Bormann, knew that the Nazi's vaunted Third Reich was doomed to failure and defeat. That's when Bormann carefully laid his own plans to escape the looming disaster -- and taken an enormous amount of wealth with him to finance an opulent live style for the rest of his life. When the time came, Bormann smuggled both himself and 50 million in gold -- looted by the Nazi's from across the map of Europe. But instead of fleeing to sanctuary in Argentina as so many of his far-sighted colleagues did, Bormann wound up on Pea Island, an isolated strip of sand north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. In "Hitler's Judas", novelist Tom Lewis has written a plausible novel of suspense, lacing it with historical detail and an inherently fascinating cast of memorable characters and capping it off with a compelling ending. An appropriate acquisition selection for community library fiction collections, "Hitler's Judas" is deftly written, consistently satisfying and highly recommended reading.

Martin Bormann, Hitler's most trusted confidant, disappeared in the Gotterdamerung at the end of World War II. What happened to him is one of the great mysteries of the war. Tom Lewis provides one intruiging answer in Hitler's Judas. Don't start reading this book unless you have a long stretch of free time ahead. You can't put it down.