As a general rule, I don't enjoy books, movies or TV shows that involve battles, conflicts and wars. I've even given up on a couple of previously favorite authors because the focus of their latest books shifted too heavily in that direction. So when I started this one, I was more than a bit wary. Can't imagine I'll like it much, I said to myself.
And it just goes to show me not to prejudge. Not only did I enjoy it, but I finished it in only two sittings. In fact, it's a very intriguing plot that is related to World War II but, happily, does not take place on a battlefield at all. It opens in New York in February 1939, when unrest in Europe is heating up and people everywhere are taking sides for and against the Nazis. Charlie Mossman, a sometimes-practicing Jew and often drunk, is in a bar and approached by some belligerent Nazi supporters. A fight ensues, and Charlie unintentionally hits a teenager, an innocent bystander. The young man dies, Charlie is charged and convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and spends the next two years in prison.
When he gets out, he learns his wife has given up on him, although she's still friendly and allows him to spend time with their young daughter Emma. The United States is trying to avoid a war that's growing by leaps and bounds and fast. When he visits Emma, he meets Trudi and Willi Bauer, a couple who seem to love Emma dearly and claim to be Swiss. It doesn't take long, though, for Charllie to find clues that lead him to believe they're something else entirely. Perhaps, he suspects, they might even be members of a "fifth column," a network of German spies embedded in day-to-day life in the states (if you've watched "The Americans" on TV, you get the drift).
As time goes on, Charlie becomes even more suspicious and finally discovers sufficient evidence to be sure he's right. Problem is, no one will believe him. His soon-to-be-ex-wife loves the "Swiss" couple, and Charlie's prison background doesn't exactly make him a reliable source to the police or FBI. Still, he's convinced that something big is about to go down - something that could threaten thousands of U.S. lives. When Pearl Harbor is attacked, drawing America into the war, Charlie just can't pretend everything is fine. What he does, how he does it and what happens in the end make for an exciting story.
So what did I not like so much? There's a fair amount of repetition - Understandably, Charlie has to retell his findings over and over to people he thinks he can trust. But after the second or third time, even somewhat abbreviated, it got a little boring. And it didn't take long for me to wonder if the author is on a crusade against Charles Lindbergh - he pointed out several times that the late pilot at one time was a vocal supporter of Nazi Germany. Actually, that's an historical fact; but one mention would have sufficed.
Those small issues aside, I was very satisfied with this book and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
The Fifth Column by Andrew Gross (Minotaur Books, September 2019); 336 pp.
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