#BookReview ~ The German Half-Bloods (The Half-Bloods Series Book 1) by Jana Petkien #HistoricalFiction #WW2 @AuthoJana

The German Half-Bloods 

(The Half-Bloods Series Book 1)

by Jana Petken

 

 

From the Multi-Award-Winning Author comes, The German Half-Bloods.
“A historical novel steeped in horror, danger and suspense; a true page-turner.”

Germany, September 1939. At the outbreak of War, Dieter Vogel and his family face catastrophic events and separation as each member embarks on their deadly paths towards survival, love, and freedom.

Dieter Vogel, a German industrialist, believes in protecting his family at all costs, but in a bid to keep his English wife and children safe, he is plunged into a well of deceit that tears the family apart.

Doctor Paul Vogel is coerced into working in the Nazi eugenics programme and soon discovers that sterilising handicapped and mentally-ill Germans is just a prelude to a more lethal plan against those the Reich deem unworthy of life. Paul, trapped by the SS, seeks help from the unlikeliest of people and is plunged into a world of espionage and murder.

British Army Major, Max Vogel, is attached to The British Intelligence Services and Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive. His missions in occupied Europe are fraught with danger, and his adulterous affair with a woman he cannot give up leads him deeper into the quagmire of treachery and lies.

Wilmot Vogel dreams of winning the Iron Cross, but when he confronts a mass killing of Jews in Poland, his idolatry of Hitler is shaken to its roots, and he finds himself imprisoned in the infamous Dachau concentration camp with no release date in sight.

Hannah Vogel has no ambition other than to marry her English fiancé, Frank, before the lines of war are drawn. Against her father’s wishes, she leaves Berlin on the eve of the German invasion of Poland, but when she arrives in England, she learns that Frank is not the civilian engineer he claims to be.

The Coffee Pot Book Club Review

 

In Nazi Germany nothing and no one is what they seem…

Dieter Vogel is a businessman first and foremost. He has a factory, and the Nazis need somewhere to produce their gas. He also has an English wife, and he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. And as for his children, well, they will have to toe-the-line and do as they are told. Germany is counting on them. And so is he.

A story so haunting that it left me in tears on more than one occasion, The German Half-Bloods (The Half-Bloods Series Book 1) by Jana Petken is one of those books where the topic is sometimes hard to read about, but it is impossible to forget. This is a story that is going to stay with you long after you have turned the last page.

The book is set in the early days of World War II. The story follows Dieter Vogel and his grown-up sons and son-in-law as they are forced to witness, and in some cases participate, in the early days of the Holocaust.

Paul Vogel, a young doctor who had hoped to change the world with his radical ideas on how to treat the mentally ill, finds himself in an experimental Nazi hospital, where to his disgust his patients are not just being experimented on. They are being murdered. Paul is such a gentle soul. His actions when he discovers the truth, came as no surprise. Paul was a character that I simply adored. His integrity and his kindness never wavered in the face of such systematic brutality. A true hero.

Paul's twin brother, Max, is a British Agent and when Paris falls he finds himself in the thick of the action. Like Paul, Max is steadfast in his beliefs, and he is willing to risk everything to stop the war and to bring down Hitler's Third Reich.

Wilmot Vogel is a character that really grew during this story. He started out as an ardent Nazi supporter and had romantic notions of being awarded an Iron Cross. But his eyes are brutally opened to the truth behind the fancy uniforms and the grand rallies. Like his brother, Paul, he will not participate in the murder of innocent citizens. I am not going to give away any spoiler, but there is a scene in Russia where Wilmot really showed what he was made of.

I am a big fan of Jana Petken's books. I thought The Flock Trilogy was wonderfully executed, but The German Half-Bloods was astounding. This story is staggeringly compelling, and I simply could not put it down.

I tutor this era of history and I have done so for many years. Ms Petken has obviously done her research. She depicted wartime Berlin and the events leading up to it very accurately. Kudos, Ms Petken. Book 2 cannot come soon enough!

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Jana Petken

Jana Petken is a bestselling historical fiction novelist and screenwriter. 

She is critically acclaimed as a bestselling, gritty, author who produces bold, colourful characters and riveting storylines. She is the recipient of numerous major international awards for her works of historical fiction and is presently in talks with film producers regarding one of her titles.

Before life as an author, she served in the British Royal Navy. During her service, she studied Naval Law and history. After the Navy, she worked for British Airways and turned to writing after an accident on board an aircraft forced her to retire prematurely.

Jana loves to hear from readers, you can find her: Website Twitter