It’s 1936 in New York City. Paul Schumann, a mob hitman, is caught by the feds in a sting operation. They make him an offer: prison and the electric chair or perform one last hit and be free for life…record expunged and some cash to make a new start. Paul is not stupid and this is a no-brainer.

So Paul travels to Germany on the ship with the Olympic athletes, news media, etc. and begins his search for his target, Reinhard Ernst, the guy designing Hitler’s rearmament. Berlin police Inspector Willi Kohl is after Paul for a murder he didn’t commit, so it becomes an intriguing game of cat and mouse. At one point, Paul comes face to face with Ernst, but can’t do the deed because it is required that he kills Ernst in public.

The twists and turns are surprising and unexpected; no one knows who they can or should trust. However, I was fooled into anticipating a different ending. That’s not to say, though, that you wouldn’t enjoy the book, the look at life in Germany under Hitler’s rule, or a look into the hearts and minds of the main characters. None of it is a pretty picture.