Well, I've sadly come to the end of The Girl from Berlin Series, with War Criminal's Widow. Did the third book live up to the excellent standard set by the first two? Absolutely it did. As the culmination of a series, it led us on to the best and most logical conclusion for Annalise, Heinrich and of course, Ernst. The fact that I had picked the ending by about half-way through the book, actually didn't matter one iota to my enjoyment of it and the suspense leading up to it.
As this is the third book in the series and I am confident that few people could read book one and not go on and read the second and third, I will concentrate, in this review, more on the series as a whole, than specifically on War Criminal's Widow. Simply put, War Criminal's Widow, was a wonderful story and I loved it, as I did Standartenfuhrer's Wife and Gruppenfuhrer's Mistress.
Firstly, the style of Midwood in taking on the principal character of Annalise, and telling the story in the first-person, almost like a diary, was an inspired choice. We, as readers, may not always have agreed with Annalise's decisions and I certainly questioned her thought processes, from time to time, but because it was so intimately told, from her perspective, it was easy to forgive her, her sins, as indeed Heinrich seemed always willing to do.
There were times, perhaps, when suspension of belief was necessary when we considered her actions and ability to get away with them, but we know, from history, that counter-espionage was rife on all sides of World War Two and that double-agents and even triple agents were very common within the intelligence communities of all the powers. I didn't have too much difficulty coming to terms with such goings-on right at the top of the Nazi party. I can easily imagine the scramble Midwood described amongst senior Nazi officials to pass off blame and to paint themselves as being just "following orders". It was fascinating to look at the Nuremberg Trial from the perspective of the loved one of an accused, desperately trying to mitigate their actions during the war.
So, all in all, a fabulous conclusion to a fabulous Series from Ellie Midwood. Where to now? Well, for me, as a reader, I'm excited to look at the next series on WWII, The Austrian, where I assume Midwood looks at this story from the perspective of the main anti-hero, Ernst Kaltenbrunner. I was fascinated by this character in The Girl from Berlin and I have no doubt I will enjoy a closer examination of OberGruppenfuhrer Kaltenbrunner's rise to power.
I have found an historical fiction novelist worth following in Ellie Midwood and will continue to read her books, with interest and enjoyment.
No question, of course, it is 5-Stars for War Criminal's Widow. A great story and a great series.
As this is the third book in the series and I am confident that few people could read book one and not go on and read the second and third, I will concentrate, in this review, more on the series as a whole, than specifically on War Criminal's Widow. Simply put, War Criminal's Widow, was a wonderful story and I loved it, as I did Standartenfuhrer's Wife and Gruppenfuhrer's Mistress.
Firstly, the style of Midwood in taking on the principal character of Annalise, and telling the story in the first-person, almost like a diary, was an inspired choice. We, as readers, may not always have agreed with Annalise's decisions and I certainly questioned her thought processes, from time to time, but because it was so intimately told, from her perspective, it was easy to forgive her, her sins, as indeed Heinrich seemed always willing to do.
There were times, perhaps, when suspension of belief was necessary when we considered her actions and ability to get away with them, but we know, from history, that counter-espionage was rife on all sides of World War Two and that double-agents and even triple agents were very common within the intelligence communities of all the powers. I didn't have too much difficulty coming to terms with such goings-on right at the top of the Nazi party. I can easily imagine the scramble Midwood described amongst senior Nazi officials to pass off blame and to paint themselves as being just "following orders". It was fascinating to look at the Nuremberg Trial from the perspective of the loved one of an accused, desperately trying to mitigate their actions during the war.
So, all in all, a fabulous conclusion to a fabulous Series from Ellie Midwood. Where to now? Well, for me, as a reader, I'm excited to look at the next series on WWII, The Austrian, where I assume Midwood looks at this story from the perspective of the main anti-hero, Ernst Kaltenbrunner. I was fascinated by this character in The Girl from Berlin and I have no doubt I will enjoy a closer examination of OberGruppenfuhrer Kaltenbrunner's rise to power.
I have found an historical fiction novelist worth following in Ellie Midwood and will continue to read her books, with interest and enjoyment.
No question, of course, it is 5-Stars for War Criminal's Widow. A great story and a great series.
Be sure to check out all of Midwood's offerings here on Amazon:
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