Kyle Palmer’s high-octane thriller is set in the shadowy world of post-WWII intelligence, in which a covert American team races to prevent the rise of a Fourth Reich.
The story centers around the unlikely partnership of two operatives: Jim Bolden, a battle-hardened former OSS operative, and Lewis Weinman, a brilliant physicist haunted by his role in the Manhattan Project. The two lead a mission to hunt down and neutralize a resurgent remnant of Nazi loyalists in postwar Argentina.
The men’s friendship forms the heart of the novel, their contrasting worldviews emerging through sharp, revealing dialogue. During a grueling mountain training exercise, Bolden’s words to an exhausted Weinman reveal both his relentless drive and underlying philosophy: “Cough in your hand once, is there blood? We will stop when there is blood.”
Action sequences deliver immersive sensory detail, as in a vicious firefight in a remote Argentinian village: “The forest echoing the roar of the motorcycles and firing, the smell of spent fuel, and the sharp tang of adrenaline in the air.” And the novel’s central question—in the pursuit of righteous vengeance, how does one retain one’s humanity?—is examined through introspective passages in which the characters grapple with the moral costs of serving a cause greater than oneself.
The novel often struggles in managing its large cast of characters, especially in early chapters where the flurry of scientists, soldiers, and operatives can be difficult to track. Palmer’s writing is peppered with military terminology (“his M1911 was loaded”) and acronyms—such “UDT” (Underwater Demolitions Diver)—that lend authenticity but may puzzle non-military enthusiasts. And the prose, while muscular and propulsive, contains clunky phrases like “Powell gave Bolden a metaphorical blank check, entrusting him with the sacred location of their forthcoming crucible.” Some technical errors (particularly in formatting dialogue) also distract.
While occasionally overwhelming, this is a satisfying journey overall: an adrenaline-fueled page-turner wrapped around a poignant meditation on the cost of confronting evil.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.