Ward Larsen’s second book, Stealing Trinity, came out in 2008. He won the Florida Book Award Silver Medal for Genre Fiction in 2006. He is a Sarasota, Florida native, and a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. Stealing Trinity tells the story of a Nazi spy trying to steal government documents giving specifics of the Manhattan project.
The book takes place in the United States at the end of World War II. Germany surrendered while the spy, Alexander Braun, traveled to the United States aboard a German U-boat. Even though Braun is aware of the surrender, he decides to follow through with his mission. Braun was chosen for the mission because he was a former U.S. citizen raised in Minnesota, and schooled at Harvard. While interviewing German prisoners of war, British Intelligence Officer, Michael Thatcher learns of the espionage. He catches a flight to Boston, and begins the chase.
Larsen does a good job of painting Braun as a hardened warrior willing to commit atrocities to complete his mission. Or is he just a ruthless criminal seeking self-gain, and willing to use any means at his disposal to advance himself? In addition to his deadly battlefield killing and survival skills, he is blessed with good looks, charm, and cold-heartedness to lure the heroine into his plans.
Thatcher’s hate for all things Nazi motivates him to continue the chase through numerous hardships. He hates because a German bomb killed his wife, and a German aerial fight caused him to be crippled. His hate for all things Nazi drives him to catch Braun at all costs. He receives little assistance from the American authorities. In fact they would prefer that Thatcher return to England.
Stealing Trinity provides an entertaining spy thriller with some interesting twists. The characters and the plot are developed well, and just enough historical fact is woven in to keep the story plausible. It includes a number of aerial scenes that draw on Larsen’s flying experience. I also found it interesting because new WWII spy thrillers are not common these days, and it was a pleasant break from the normal.
Bruce G. Smith 2/15/2009
|