About the Book

Berlin in the spring of 1939. Hitler invades Czechoslovakia and prepares for a wider war. The West’s appeasement policies have failed yet in London Neville Chamberlain’s government continues to try and placate the Nazi leader. Colonel Noel Macrae, a British military attaché based in Berlin, realises the futility of further diplomacy.

He plans to defy his government and carry out the only alternative to a looming world war: assassination. The Gestapo, aware of Macrae’s hostility, seeks to compromise him in their infamous brothel, Salon Kitty. There Macrea meets and falls in love with Sara, a Jewish woman blackmailed into becoming a Nazi courtesan.

Macrae finds himself trapped between the blind policies of his government and the dark world of betrayal and deception in Berlin. As he seeks to save the woman he loves from the sexual sadism of a Gestapo bordello he moves towards a high risk plan to kill Hitler and avert what he knows will be a global war.

Inspired by true events and characters, James MacManus’s Midnight in Berlin is a passionate story that will leave you in awe of the human capacity for courage, sacrifice and love set against a world on the brink of war.

Review

Inspired by actual events, MacManus pens an engaging novel transporting readers back to one of our darkest moments in history. Brilliant prose, vivid depictions of the accounts told through enriched character perspectives, placing the reader in the front row seat behind one of the most compelling storytellers in historical fiction.

I definitely went into this novel with hesitation because of the time period but it offered a different perspective that intrigued my interest to ponder on the possibility of an alternative if history had a different outcome. What I find so interesting is that for many historical novels, they tend to sway more on the sensational side rather than grasping more of a factual base. What I found most endearing about MacManus in his latest was not only the intrigue in his narrative from being swept up in the story but how well researched his novel provided such a vivid portrait for the reader transporting themselves in the time leading up to WWII. Through his words, you can definitely feel the weight of the historical significance which is so brilliantly depicted through his characters drivien plot and setting the tone, giving possible comprehension to the behind the scenes of the people whom the characters were based on.

Mainly we follow, Colonel Noel Macrae but the book offers supporting characters that all come together giving a thrilling experience through this period of our history. Overall the novel blends a well written historical fiction, an unexpected love story, a great group of supporting characters that drive a fantastic plot and most importantly thrilling moments that will have you anticipating what’s next. If you are a fan of this era in history as well as want a compelling, intelligent historical narrative, I’d recommend taking a look at this book.