The Berkut

A friend mentioned that I should take this book with my on my European vacation. So I grabbed it at the local library 3 days before my flight. That night I started reading the book. I couldn't put it down. It was so captivating. Anyway, I finished the book in 2 days and returned it to the library before my flight. After the trip, I bought the book - it is a rare gem.

This is one of the best books ever written. A story so believable - the way it's described. Hitler escapes his bunker during the last moments of WWII with the aid of special SS team. Stalin sends his own to find Hitler and bring him alive to Moscow. The pace is furious, character study amazing. The ending is incredible. A great gem, a great achievement in fiction, a great book. GET IT!!!

About 11 years ago a friend of mine picked up a book at an airport. He immediately told me about it and gave it to me. This book was The Berkut by Joseph Heywood. I could not put this book down once I started. Heywoods narrative was so incredibly vivid and the characters so well done that I would have to say it has become my all time favorite. The meld of fact and fiction was incredible. It wasn't just a pure action thriller but a thought provoking masterpiece. Bravo Joseph Heywood!

Joseph Heywood's novel 'The Berkut,' is a fast-paced thriller set in the aftermath of World War Two. SS Colonel Guther Brumm arrives in besieged Berlin by glider to do the impossible- fake the death of Adolf Hitler and take the Fuhrer from the war torn capital of the Reich to safety. And that's the easy part. Brumm, along with Hitler and a small group of followers, makes his way south through Germany. But close on Brumm's tail is Vasily Petrov, leader of a team of Soviet investigators who will stop at nothing to find Hitler- or face Stalin's wrath. The story that follows is one of action and terror as Brumm plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with Petrov through the bombed-out wastelands of Europe. Author Heywood's research is first rate as he re-creates the end of the Second World War. Though the basic premise is a little far-fetched, Heywood successfully pulls it off with flying colors. The characters are many but mostly well-drawn and the story's anti-hero, Brumm, is a creation that brings to mind another cold blooded adventurer, Frederick Forsyth's 'Jackal.' If World War Two era intrigue is something you enjoy you might want to check this one out.