A Night of Long Knives

I'm not one for historical novels, but I developed affection for Hannah Vogel in "A Trace of Smoke," which I read on recommendation from a friend. I really enjoyed that book, but this one is even better. I'm hooked. Every time something would come up (like dinner or taking the dog for a walk) I just hated to put the book down. I recommend it as a rip roaring airport read. The continuous action and palpable sense of danger keeps one on edge. In this book, Hannah is driven to find her missing adopted son under almost impossible circumstances. Her ferocious moma-bear instincts keep her going, facing enormous odds, injuries, betrayal, and spies everywhere, in her quest to find Anton. I feel Cantrell has grown as a writer in this second book. I can't wait to read more of her stuff.

The story of Hannah Vogel continues! She and Anton are Traveling to Switzerland on assignment via Zepplin. Her flight gets diverted and they are back in the thick of it in Germany! Fantastic historical fiction! A continuation of the story started in the book A Trace of Smoke...Terrific!

I have been eagerly anticipating Rebecca Cantrell's new book, A Night of Long Knives. And the wait has been worthwhile. Cantrell once again creates an atmospheric world where Hannah Vogel must battle powerful adversaries to rescue her young foster son. Crime writer Vogel, in her newly acquired persona as a travel writer, journeys to Switzerland aboard a zeppelin. It is unexpectedly diverted to Germany by the dangerous and high-ranking Nazi, Ernst Roehm. He wants his son, Anton, back, and Hannah has him. Cantrell's Nazi Germany comes to life in such vivid detail that we squirm. Each setting evokes the danger in which Vogel finds herself. Every moment fills us with dread for Hannah and her son. While the plot leads us inexorably to its terrible conclusion, Cantrell's real gift is her sophisticated mastery of this genre. She knows how to take a mystery novel to the next level. Just as in Even Smoke Leaves a Trace, this story examines deeper, darker and far more meaningful mysteries. Underlying Hannah's desperate search for the boy she loves, Cantrell explores the essence of the relationship between mothers and their sons. Our hearts ache when Vogel interviews the mothers of murdered or imprisoned young men in the aftermath of the Night of Long Knives. In short: the plotting is top-notch, the pacing is swift, and the setting evokes the darkness that lies in the human heart. Hannah and Anton give us hope that with integrity and perseverance we can overcome evil.

After falling in love with Hannah Vogel in Cantrell's "A Trace of Smoke" I was richly rewarded by "A Night of Long Knives." It is a superb tale, one of those engrossing page-turners that can only reluctantly be put down. Our indomitable Hannah, as feisty as ever, pursues shadows through the strata of Berlin's upper-crust down to its seamy backside. Anton, her beloved foster son, has been kidnapped to be used as a pawn in high stakes political maneuvers. Hannah's hunt for Anton plays out against the backdrop of Hitler's murderous annihilation of his rivals as he seizes control of the Nazi party. More murders follow in Hannah's wake even as Anton's trail grows faint. The haunting setting chills the heart but, like Hannah, you can't stop until you ferret out the truth.