Spies of the Balkans: A Novel
by Alan Furst
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Book Summary Information
Author: Alan FurstEdition: Kindle Edition
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Kindle eBook
Published: 2010-06-09
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 289
Publisher: Random House
Book Reviews of Spies of the Balkans: A Novel
Book Review: The Greek Underground Railroad
Summary: 5 Stars
When it comes to authentic World War II drama told behind the scenes and beyond sweeping military campaigns and grand strategies, Alan Furst heads the supreme command. Furst tells of the very real, very personal, and very poignant action behind the front lines - the pathos, tragedy, and triumphs of simple citizens, partisans, patriots, and victims who you'll never read about in the headlines, or never see in the newsreels. "Spies of the Balkans" is a prime example of Furst's talents in their prime: a gritty, unadorned, masterpiece of the stresses, hopes, and torments of a nation teetering on the brink of war.
Set in the unlikely WWII venue of Greece in 1940, this is the tale of Constantine "Costa" Zannis, a likeable and able senior cop in the historic northern coastal town of Salonika, an ancient crossroads of diverse cultures and warring factions. Hitler is marching across northern and central Europe and Mussolini is attempting to establish himself and Fascist Italy as a worthy member of the Axis. Salonika is caught in the crosshairs of international intrigue on multiple fronts across military and political import, from prosecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany to internal struggles for power across the Balkans. Zannis meets a wealthy German Jew whose marriage to a German senior officer affords a tenuous protection, and conspires with her to smuggle innocent Jews from prosecution in Germany to safe havens across the eastern and northern Mediterranean. In a town where it seems almost every other citizen is either a spy - or is suspected of being one - for England, Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia..., Zannis carves out a careful path around bureaucrats and conspiracists while cultivating a relationship with a like-minded Serbian policeman. As the Italian armed forces fumble the Greek offensive, Greek elation is quickly forgotten in the shadow of the very real threat of a direct assault on Greece from Germany in counterpoint to the Axis'embarrassment of Mussolini's failure.
Furst will never be accused of gratuitous action, relying instead on reality, historical accuracy, and relationships forged under the strains of war and oppression. This is the grainy black-and-white films of Bogart and Bacall without the melodramatics - a sobering view of the impact of war on the common folks out of uniform. Furst neither glorifies war nor ignores the very real practicalities of it, instead succeeding in portraying nobility and honor far from the bloody battlefields. While far from the action and spectacle of Wouk's "Winds of War", Higgin's "The Eagle has Landed", or Follett's "Eye of the Needle", this is nonetheless high drama - a snapshot of World War II that provides depth and perspective beyond the Hollywood romance. Well researched and insightful, "Spies of the Balkans" is a highly recommended read.
Summary of Spies of the Balkans: A Novel
Greece, 1940. In the port city of Salonika, with its wharves and brothels, dark alleys and Turkish mansions, a tense political drama is being played out. As Adolf Hitler plans to invade the Balkans, spies begin to circle?and Costa Zannis, a senior police official, must deal with them all. He is soon in the game, working to secure an escape route for fugitives from Nazi Berlin that is protected by German lawyers, Balkan detectives, and Hungarian gangsters?and hunted by the Gestapo. Meanwhile, as war threatens, the erotic life of the city grows passionate. For Zannis, that means a British expatriate who owns the local ballet academy, a woman from the dark side of Salonika society, and the wife of a shipping magnate. With extraordinary historical detail and a superb cast of characters, Spies of the Balkans is a stunning novel about a man who risks everything to fight back against the world?s evil.Literary Books
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