The Lisbon Crossing

First of his books I'd read. On the edge of your chair suspense. So I searched for his first book.Great for goosebumps ! Waiting anxiouly for next.

I didn't read the first book from this author, but this one was a good, succinct telling of an interesting story. I'll be looking for him again.

There is something enticing about reading about life leading up to or during the second world war. We all know about the battles, the generals, the invasions and the bombs, but what about the people who didn't fight it, just tried to live through it. Alan Furst is the master of life in France and other parts of Europe during the conflict. His characters are the writers, the diplomats and some very bright women. Joseph Kanon is a bit closer to the dark side. Gabbay, on the other hand, writes as if he is producing a script for the movies. The women are beautiful and the male lead, an unemployed movie stunt man, is from the streets. He speaks like Sam Spade or Guy Noir would if they were around in 39-40 and even mentioned sex. There is not a lot of introspection or history here. The 2000 year history of Portugal is covered in one sentence. But there is an abundance of action, murder and intrigue. Its a page turner which is hard to put down because, unlike the war, the reader does not know how it is going to turn out. Don't read too many reviews, start at the beginning and don't peek at the end.

What a fantastic novel! Tom Gabbay does not disappoint with his second effort. I found this prequel to be just as entertaining, fast paced, well written and exciting as the first, if not more so. This book was virtually unputdownable and the story stayed with me long after I reluctantly finished the last page. I would highly recommend this book.

When we last met Jack, we were in Berlin in 1963, 5 months before the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas (cf. Berlin Conspiracy). We now find ourselves at another turning point in the 20th century -- Europe in 1940 -- and Jack will once again become a part of history. As with the author's first book, we know what happened eventually (in this case, the Allies saved Europe) but there is much we don't know. Gabbay succeeds brilliantly in weaving a tale that could have happened, and once again, we are on the edge of our seats as the tale unfolds. I'm eagerly looking for the third installment of a Jack Teller trilogy and wondering what pivotal moment in time will provide the backdrop for Jack's next adventure.