Spandau Phoenix: A Novel (A World War II Thriller)

I must say this is the book that made me fall in love with the WWII thriller, though its no actually a WWII conspiracy thriller, its close though. Its been tough though finding a book in the same sub-genre that meets the enjoyment I got from this book. This book and a segment of Unsolved Mysteries has convinced me that there was something fishy going on with the whole Hess mess. But anyway, this book has made onto the keep shelf of my book case, because I have already re-read it and plan on doing so many times in the future. Though I need to get a new copy, lent it out too much, and its now falling apart. Hope you take my advice and pick one up for youself.

Rudolph who? Who knows. The story is sooooooo fantastic that you will have a hard time distinguishing reality and fantasy in this amazing work of fiction. This is easily one of my favorite books of all time. Iles paints brilliant characters who move quickly in an intricately woven plot. How does the "evil spirit of Facism" continue 40 years after the war is over? This book is convincing in it's presentation of this idea (and many other subtle and not so subtle political ideologies) that will have you thinking and rethinking your views of the current geopolitical scheme of the world. There is nothing negative to say about this book except that it ends... Absolutely brilliant. Kevin Hogan, ...

Rudolf Hess...did he REALLY commit suicide as recorded by history in the Spandau prison in the late 80's? He reportedly hung himself. The man reportedly couldn't even raise his arms above his shoulders due to severe joint problems...and yet this old man finally did himself in...or DID he? The premise here is just plain GREAT. Mr. Iles has created an impossible-to-put-down thriller based upon REAL facts and actual instances and ties them together seamlessly. I have ALWAYS enjoyed the way Jack Higgins could take a real event from WWII and tie it in with a fictional event and pull it off...well the heir to the throne that Higgins dominated in the 70's has arrived, and Greg Iles IS his name. This is a large book, and it's totally filled with intrigue and suspense. Did Rudolf Hess actually live past the War and is he living in South America? What do the Spandau papers contain? What of the failed mission that the 'real' Hess supposedly undertook at the beginning of the war...was it REALLY him? Why was it he never recognized his own children after the war? Rudolf Hess was a WWI war hero and received a battle wound...however the man reportedly to BE Hess in Spandau Prison did not have that scar... Too good to be true? Well many of these are true facts and that is where Iles takes you into speculative fiction, and he does it very well. He almost gets you to believe that maybe, just maybe his version of what happened IS the real thing. From a manhunt that spans Europe to Africa, 'Spandau Phoenix' really IS an incredible adventure thriller of the highest order. Better than anything Jack Higgins ever produced (pretty high praise, dontcha think?). Give it a shot, sit back and enjoy. Iles manages to give us an adrenaline rush that is totally satisfying and makes you sad as the book comes to a close. Simply put: 'Spandau Phoenix' is absolutely wonderful.

It's 1987. Gorbachev is in power. The cold war is rapidly winding to a close. So what does it matter that an old man, the last of the Nazi war criminals, is found dead in Spandau prison?Well, it turns out that no fewer than eight governmental organizations (American, British, East and West German, South African, Israeli, Libyan and Russian) have a vested interest the death of the prisoner formerly known as Rudolf Hess - and it all revolves around a nine-page document that is found by an honest West German police officer.Most of the intricate plot is set up in the first third of the book, and the rest just traces the story of the Spandau papers to its highly complex and inexorable conclusion. If I had a complaint, it'd be that some characterization is sacrificed in order to keep the plot advancing - but I wouldn't have made the book any longer than its 700 paperback pages, either. To Iles' credit, there's never any trouble keeping his large cast of characters straight.Great beach read!

This is simply an outstanding book. Right from the get go Iles grabs you and doesn't let loose. The book flies by as you gobble up the words, which lead from scene to scene. Parallel timeframes are traced up to the same moment but through a different set of eyes. Iles juggles many balls in the air at the same time but manages to keep them separated and suspended together. A very carefully woven fabric of intrigue entices the reader to keep going. The violence in the book is appropriate to the subject matter and is never gratuitous. There are some nasty people in the world and Iles is writing about the nastiest. There are no super heroes. Many times it's hard to tell the good guys from the bad. There are no writer's crutches, gimmicks, or supernatural ploys to spoil the suspense. You don't know what will happen next and that makes for an excellent book. The sheer volume of events and characters make this a book inappropriate for readers with a short attention span. This book is not the mindless, pulp fiction pap that fills so many best seller lists today. This book has some meat to it, which is so much more satisfying than most of the formula novels churned out for mass consumption. When I finished the book I felt I had read my money's worth. Mr. Iles has another satisfied customer.