"Garden of Beasts" (Simon and Schuster)
You always have to expect the unexpected from Jeffery Deaver. This writer, who created the Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs franchise of stories, is constantly charting new courses on his novelistic adventures. His latest excursion, GARDEN OF BEASTS, takes him back in time to 1936 when Hitler was the new power in Germany. Here in the midst of power gone mad, Deaver tells a new story and it is one to savor.
Paul Schumann is a good, bad guy. He is a hit man for the mob but he justifies his actions by saying he is getting rid of God's mistakes. In short he only kills those who are evil doers. This somewhat salves his conscience but it does not lead to a placid way of life.
As the book opens Paul is in a jam. He has finished his latest hit and now he has been trapped by either the friends of the man he killed or the FBI. It happens to be the Feds and they offer him a chance to redeem himself by going to Germany and being a hit man for his country. If he can publicly take out Reinhard Ernst, one of Hitler's top military men, then he will be given a large sum of money and a new life. If he doesn't accept this offer he will be prosecuted for all his past crimes. He takes the deal.
In Germany he meets his contact Reggie Morgan and also gets involved with a local "man for hire" named Otto Webber. Otto sells information and assistance, and is a likeable guy who does whatever it takes to get by in life. He agrees to help Paul and Reggie with their mission.
There is also a little romance in the book as Paul is attracted to Kathe Richter, his landlady. She reminds him if all that is missing from his life. They cling to each other in the middle of the madness and provide hope for a better life somewhere.
Deaver constantly keeps his readers off balance with his changes in gears and in directions. Just when you think you know exactly who is who and what is what, a spurt of energy from an unsuspected character throws all your expectations into an uproar. It gives you a jolt but it also is one of the primary factors in making his stories so much fun to read.
The only expectation you should take into GARDEN OF BEASTS is that Jeffery Deaver is one of the most inventive writers around today. He can wrap his stories in history and still make them monuments to the unexpected. That is exactly what happens when he sends Paul Schumann to Germany in 1936 and makes history his story of Hitler and the Nazi regime.
GARDEN OF BEASTS is published by Simon and Schuster. It contains 404 pages and sells for $24.95.