W.E.B. Griffin Zero Option

May 6, 2024
Kirsanow’s static second contribution to Griffin’s Men at War series (after The Devil’s Weapons) sees U.S. Army major Richard Canidy and lieutenant Eric Fulmar heading off a pair of assassination plots. In 1943, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin travel to Tehran to discuss war plans. As the heads of state prepare to convene, the U.S. gets word that a German SS officer and a Russian NKVD major have separately been tasked with killing the leaders. “Wild Bill” Donovan, head of the Office of Strategic Services, taps Canidy and Fulmar to intervene. Predictably, their mission proves treacherous, though a series of failed attempts on Canidy’s and Fulmar’s lives doesn’t lead to the climactic showdown readers might expect. Fortunately, two memorable supporting characters from the previous entry, the Thorisdottir sisters, who help transport OSS contacts to secure locations around the world, get even more to do this time around. Though series fans may enjoy this entry’s familiar rhythms, they’ll wish it had more consequential action. This lacks the tension of top-tier Griffin. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group.

June 1, 2024
Three Allied leaders may be in mortal peril at a critical World War II conference in 1943. In a sequel to The Devil's Weapons (2022), Professor Sebastian Kapsky has been extracted from Nazi-dominated Poland and whisked off to Gotland. He has a notebook with "strategically critical scientific and mathematical data" that could lead to the development of a frightening, war-ending weapon. The enemy knows of the notebook and wants it, but Major Richard Canidy and First Lieutenant Eric Fulmar of the U.S. Army are assigned to protect it. Unfortunately, the Thorisdottir twins, "six-foot Nordic goddesses," betray their trust. They steal the notebook from the American duo and will gladly sell it back to them or to the Soviets for an exorbitant price. The Americans screwed up, but they get a new assignment because they are still the best. Churchill, Stalin, and FDR plan to meet at a conference in Tehran, where Uncle Joe will press for his allies to open a western front to relieve Nazi pressure on the Soviets. Aware of this plan, Hitler orders a decapitation strike to kill the three heads of state and throw his enemies into chaos. Meanwhile, the Russians are thinking of staging a sham--a failed assassination attempt to make the eastern front situation appear even more dire. This is the crux of an exciting and highly plausible story. Expect blood to flow and skulls to crack as elite Nazi forces try to eliminate the American officers. There's a good balance of skill and power among the main characters--SS Obersturmbannf�hrer Otto Skorzeny and Soviet Major Taras Gromov are top assassins with a lot of people to kill, not the least of whom are Canidy and Fulmar. And how bad are the bad guys? One of them wants to work alone, so he slits the throat of the man assigned to help him. Damn, that's cold. All the important characters appear first in The Devil's Weapons, so you may prefer to read the books in order. Based on the ending, a third installment looks likely in this absorbing series. A fast-paced, compelling yarn that thriller readers will enjoy.

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