Book Review: Black Cross by Greg Iles

Black Cross
by 

Greg Iles

Author Greg Iles has hit the spot with this WW2 – 1944 recounting of the recruitment, training and infiltration of a pair of uniquely mismatched unconventional civilian commandoes sent into Germany to obtain a sample of the Nazi’s secret powerful weapon of war the lethal gas known as Soman. In this very thoughtful action, adventure historic fiction, we have views of how Winston Churchhill authorizes the utilization of civilians for the mission and why it is composed of two men: an Israeli Zionist freedom fighter and a pacifistic American Chemist. Author Iles is extremely clever in his descriptions of the manipulations of the candidates, their individualistic personalities, the commando training in Scotland, insertion into Germany, and the on the ground action. At the same time, we also follow the lives and deaths of numerous Jewish and Polish prisoners in the experimental death camps with profiles of the German officers and E.M., the hierarchy of prisoners in the camp and the actions of German sympathizers who assist prisoners and keep records of the camp events and experiment. The action is fast moving, yet you will want to stop and contemplate the excerpts from the camp witness diaries and the thoughts of the pacifist and freedom fighter as the story proceeds. A great read and one you will want to discuss with others almost chapter by chapter as each section deals with many of the special aspects of clandestine warfare and what actually happened to warriors, prisoners, civilians and the German population in the horrors of the Second World War.