Joe is heading to a new mission – one only he can perform. Hitler and his inner circle have cherry picked the creme-de-la-creme of Hitler Youth from the very best schools in Germany. These 8 teens are Aryan, brilliant, beautiful, or athletic, and all loyal the the Third Reich. Joe is to become one of them, assuming the identity of Jurgen Weyl.

Joe’s reason for going is completely different. He wants to find his mother.

The Allies can see the amazing opportunity to get Joe in this group which will be close to Hitler and the top brass of Germany. His job is to smuggle out any information he overhears, sees or learns. With his excellent German, inner knowledge of Jurgen’s family and past and his spycraft under his belt, Joe enters “the heart of the beast”.

As predicted, while the teens go through tests of loyalty, athletic ability and even courage when faced with a gruesome execution, they meet Hitler, and his mistress Eva Braun. She is their house mother, so to speak, in the luxurious motel they are staying in. When the reason for their stay is revealed as looking for a boy and a girl from the Hitler Youth to star in a movie, they are surprised and some excited.

One of the teens however, hints at something more in the machinations of their hosts, and leaders.

Joe enjoys getting to know the other teens, especially one in particular. Sophie is pretty and quiet, but also very dangerous. She’s not Joe’s only problem. To Joe’s shock, double agent Irishman Flannery appears in front of him.

Any straight forward plans go awry at this meeting. Is Flannery in fact a triple-agent? Is he working on behalf of MI5, and the information he gives Joe vital to the protection of England?

Joe has to draw on his spycraft, courage, limited experience and knowledge he has gleaned while among Hitler’s inner circle, to keep one step ahead of the Gestapo. He makes leaps forward in his mission, then falls back again as he makes wrong decisions.

On learning the true reason for the selection of the teens, Joe knows it would be the ultimate position for a spy to be in and even allow England to win the war. An action packed chance at escaping with his mother fills the last pages of the novel, but he knows he can’t give up such an important opportunity. He has to go back…..

This second part of this thrilling historical spy series was so gripping I could hardly put it down. It begins with three threads of a story running concurrently which merge seamlessly into Joe’s mission.

Again, the detail was absorbing all while not overshadowing getting to know Joe, and understanding his mission as it unfolded in front of him.

The menace of the Gestapo was evident throughout, even though they were all on the same side. Flannery is an enigma – whose side is he really on? Like the teens, I held my breath when they met Hitler himself, and I gasped out loud in several parts of the book.

Fantastic! From a master storyteller with a skill in blending fiction and historical fact as smooth as milk into coffee.

Author – Brian Falkner

Age – 13+

Read other books in the series (Click on a Cover)

(War, World War II, WWII, Action, Thriller, Spy, Spies, Spycraft, Tradecraft, Hitler Youth, Series, NZ, New Zealand, Courage, Stealth, Violence, Growing up, Historical, Friendship, Cunning, Impersonation, Impersonating, Movie, Dog, Himmler, Vogel, Eva Braun)