Helpful Score: 1
This was a fascinating and intriguing historical thriller that kept me turning the pages. It is part pshychological and part suspense and very descriptive and detailed. It is superbly written.
This is a different genre from the usual Jeffrey Deaver books where the central characters are Rhyme and Sachs. This is a story of Paul Schumann a german-american in 1936 who gets sent to Nazi Germany to assassinate Reinhard Ernst, Hitler's Chief of Germany's Rearmament.
Excellent reading, fast paced thriller.
Excellent reading, fast paced thriller.
Excellent read!!!!!!!
Having served in the Military, for two years, twenty years after the time that this book portrays, I read all books that pertain to that city. I was disappointed with this book. It was very wordy and tried to portray Berlin and the Tiergarten, where Hitler is supposed to have committed suicide. However, it was done piecemeal and didn't ring true to me. It came across to me more like made up fiction than rather than an attempt at being a historical novel.
Good historical thriller/suspense novel. Character developement is solid and interesting. The blending of historical events, culture, and the ficitional action is seamless. Deaver's writing style is efficient, moving the plot along well. Great book! This is a stand alone novel by Deaver, not part of the Lincoln Rhyme series.
Enjoyed this book from cover to cover, Set in 1936 Berlin,a really interesting mystery/action book, it gives a graphic picture of that time and terrible toll that Hitler took on the German people.
My first Deaver novel and I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the history part of the book. Lots of twists, great ending.
berlin, 1936: german- american hitman paul schumann is on a government assignment that, if successful, will spare him from the electric chair and could avert war in europe. posing as a journalist covering the summer olympics, paul must find and kill reinhard ernst, the genius behind hitler's rearmament scheme. with the hellish claws of the third reich seraching incessantly for him, paul pursues his target from the halls of hitler's government to the olympic stadium, to the heart of nazi berlin- the tiergarten, the "garden of beasts"- in a nerve-jangling thrill ride filled with all the stunning twists and surprises that are the hallmark of america's "master of ticking-bomb suspense"
This is another great one by Deaver. It starts great and about halfway through, it picks up speed and doesn't stop. Be prepared to be sickened a bit by some of the Nazi parts of the story, but the characters are well developed and take the edge off the ugliness. The suspense sequences are riveting, and it will be hard to put the book down once you are into it. Feel free to email with any questions. ~LeAnn
This is a fast-paced, jolting thriller about a German American assassin, Paul Schumann, reluctantly recruited to kill a brilliant Nazi official, who is orchestrating Germany's rearmament. A compelling switch from Deaver's police procedurals with a masterful conclusion.
An interesting action story set against the backdrop of Nazi Berlin in 1936. A german-American hitman, Paul Schumann, is on a government assignment that, if successful, will spare him from the electric chair and could avert war in Europe.
A typical Deaver-tight writing and a real page turner!
I love anything Deaver writes!
A must read for any Deaver fan, he brings great imagination to the criminal's-last-big-score concept.
Several interesting twists made this book a good read. I thought it was a nice diversion from Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme novels
I took a chance thinking I'd lose interest, but this is another Deaver treat.
It started out in Berlin, 1936, as a hitman is supposed to kill Hitler's right hand man before WWII begins. The book starts off exciting, hits a slower pace, then the ending comes and you find out it is totally against what you were expecting.
I'm waiting for a sequel.
Angel S. (AngelWings) -
This book is good but is not one of his best.
This is another nonstop read by Jeffery Deaver. He placed the setting in 1936 during the Olympic Games. Then he tells the story of a hit man hired by highly placed leaders in the US to kill a high level member of Hitler's cabinet. The twists and turns never stop. Just when you think the killer is corner, he finds a way out just to get caught again.
This is one of the books you are still reading in the middle of the night.
This is one of the books you are still reading in the middle of the night.
This is a great book. If war is you'r cup of tea you will enjoy this book.
A fascinating story set in Berlin in 1936. An awesome read!
Barbara M. (LadyExplicate) reviewed Garden of Beasts: A Novel of Berlin 1936 on + 111 more book reviews
A thriller set in 1936, the books focuses on a German American hitman living in New York. THings get really complicated when the government nails him and convinces him to work as a spy for them in Germany. Great read!
Catherine L. (sassysilver) reviewed Garden of Beasts: A Novel of Berlin 1936 on + 35 more book reviews
This was one of Jeffery Deaver's earlier works, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope you will too.
German-American hitman Paul Schuman is on a Government mission that, if successfull, will spare him from the electric chairand could avert war in Europe.
A very well written and exciting spy-asssain tale. I was doubtful that I would enjoy this book and it turned out to be one of the best I have read. It reminded me of a Nelson Demille story.
A very well written and exciting spy-asssain tale. I was doubtful that I would enjoy this book and it turned out to be one of the best I have read. It reminded me of a Nelson Demille story.
Very good read. Not as good as the Lincoln Rhyme novels, but still good in its own rights.
A hitman is sent to Berlin to assassinate Hitler's Chief of Armaments.
Deaver fans expect the unexpected from this prodigiously talented thriller writer, and the
creator of the Lincoln Rhyme series and other memorable yarns (The Blue Nowhere, etc.)
doesn't disappoint with his 19th novel, this time offering a deliciously twisty tale set in
Nazi Berlin. The book's hero is a mob "button man," or hit man, Paul Schumann, who's nabbed
in the act in New York City but given an alternative to the electric chair: to go to Berlin
undercover as a journalist writing about the upcoming Olympics, in order to assassinate Col.
Reinhard Ernst, the chief architect of Hitler's militarization, seen as a threat to American
interests. A German spy onboard Paul's transatlantic liner grows suspicious and sends a
warning to Germany before Paul discovers and kills him. Then in Berlin, Paul, en route to
meet his contact, kills a second suspicious man who may be a storm trooper, setting Insp.
Willi Kohl of the Berlin police, or Kripo, on his trail. Deaver weaves the three
manhuntsPaul after his target, Kohl after Paul and the Nazi hierarchy after Paulwith a
deft hand, bringing to frightening life the Berlin of 1936, a city on the brink of madness.
Top Nazis, including Hitler, Himmler and Göring, make colorful cameos, but it's the smart,
shaded-gray characterizations of the principals that anchor the exciting plot. An affecting
love affair between Paul and his German landlady goes in surprising directions, as do the
main plot lines, which move outside Berlin as heroes become villains and vice versa. This is
prime Deaver, which means prime entertainment.
creator of the Lincoln Rhyme series and other memorable yarns (The Blue Nowhere, etc.)
doesn't disappoint with his 19th novel, this time offering a deliciously twisty tale set in
Nazi Berlin. The book's hero is a mob "button man," or hit man, Paul Schumann, who's nabbed
in the act in New York City but given an alternative to the electric chair: to go to Berlin
undercover as a journalist writing about the upcoming Olympics, in order to assassinate Col.
Reinhard Ernst, the chief architect of Hitler's militarization, seen as a threat to American
interests. A German spy onboard Paul's transatlantic liner grows suspicious and sends a
warning to Germany before Paul discovers and kills him. Then in Berlin, Paul, en route to
meet his contact, kills a second suspicious man who may be a storm trooper, setting Insp.
Willi Kohl of the Berlin police, or Kripo, on his trail. Deaver weaves the three
manhuntsPaul after his target, Kohl after Paul and the Nazi hierarchy after Paulwith a
deft hand, bringing to frightening life the Berlin of 1936, a city on the brink of madness.
Top Nazis, including Hitler, Himmler and Göring, make colorful cameos, but it's the smart,
shaded-gray characterizations of the principals that anchor the exciting plot. An affecting
love affair between Paul and his German landlady goes in surprising directions, as do the
main plot lines, which move outside Berlin as heroes become villains and vice versa. This is
prime Deaver, which means prime entertainment.
A story of 1936 Germany with many twists and turns.
Absolutely riveting book! The suspenseful situations and storyline were fantastic! I did not want to put it down...
Berlin, 1936: German-American hitman Paul Schumann is on a government assignment that, if sucessful, will spare him from the electric chaor and could avert a war in Europe. Posing as journelist covering the Olympics, Paul must find and kill Reinhard Ernst, the genious behind Hitler's rearmament scheme. With te hellish claws of the Third Reich searching incessantly for him, Paul pursues his target from the hails of Hitler's government to the Olympic stadium, to the heart of Nazi Berlin-the Tiergarten, the "Garden of Beasts" -- ina nerve-jangling thrill ride filled with all the stunning twists and surprises that are the hallmark of amerrica's "master of ticking-bomb suspense"
My first read of Jeffery Deaver. It wasn't easy to turn my light off and go to sleep. Remarkably entertaining as well as historically enlightening.
My first read of Jeffery Deaver. It wasn't easy to turn my light off and go to sleep. Remarkably entertaining as well as historically enlightening.
From the book cover: "Paul Schumann, a German American living in New York City in 1936, is a mobster hitman. When he is caught, the officers give him a choice: prison or covert government service. Paul is asked to pose as a journalist covering the summer Olympics in Berlin. He is to hunt down and kill reinhard Ernst - the ruthless architect of Hitler's clandestine rearmament."
Excellent thriller - I highly recommend it.
Excellent thriller - I highly recommend it.
Scott Gross (scottgross) -
Very entertaining book about Germany prior to WWII and the 1936 Olympics. It's a crime novel but not like most others. From a historical perspective, it is very educational about Germany in that time period.
Jeffery Deaver's Garden of Beasts introduces anti-hero Paul Schumann, a notorious rubout man for the New York Mafia known for his cold and professional approach to his job. But the jig is up when he is duped by high-ranking feds who give him a choice--prison or one more impossible job: assassinate the man who's running Hitler's plan for rearming Germany. The hard-nosed German-American lands on the streets of Berlin where immediately the best-laid plans of the United States Government go awry. Schumman finds himself in a city living in fear, tracked by Berlin's best homicide detective. As the intricate chase wears on, both men will discover that the greatest evil is the ascendant Nazi party.
Deaver's novel, equal parts noir thriller and historical extrapolation, is a page-turner that offers a twisting visceral experience of the tension in Berlin during that fateful summer. He draws sympathetic portraits of everyday Germans caught between duty to country and their consciences. Into this mix, Deaver drops his coldly dangerous hitman who brawls with brownshirts, chums with Olympic athletes, collaborates with criminals, fraternizes with poets, and discovers the hero inside his hardened soul.
AMAZON.COM REVIEW
Deaver's novel, equal parts noir thriller and historical extrapolation, is a page-turner that offers a twisting visceral experience of the tension in Berlin during that fateful summer. He draws sympathetic portraits of everyday Germans caught between duty to country and their consciences. Into this mix, Deaver drops his coldly dangerous hitman who brawls with brownshirts, chums with Olympic athletes, collaborates with criminals, fraternizes with poets, and discovers the hero inside his hardened soul.
AMAZON.COM REVIEW
Gripping!
BOMC edition, same book, just a little smaller.
