German Agent, The
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
A ruthless German spy is torn between love and duty in this powerful espionage thriller
February, 1917. A lone German agent is despatched to Washington to prevent the British delivering a telegram to President Woodrow Wilson – by any means possible. For this is the Zimmermann telegram: it contains a devastating piece of news which is sure to bring the USA into the war on the side of Britain and her allies.
Having fought in the trenches himself, Max Volkman knows that America’s involvement will only prolong the slaughter of innocents and is implacable in his determination to kill the British envoy carrying the telegram. But when his pursuit of the Englishman leads him to the home of American heiress Catherine Fitzgerald, wife to one of Washington’s most powerful politicians, he is presented with a terrible choice: loyalty to his comrades in the trenches or the loss of the one woman he has ever truly loved.
His decision will determine the outcome of the First World War.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Those expecting the sophisticated plotting of Jones's Viennese mysteries (A Matter of Breeding, etc.) will be disappointed by this lackluster historical thriller. Early in 1917, the British intercept the real-life Zimmermann telegram, which reveals German plans to work with Mexico and Japan against the U.S. The German agent of the title, war hero Max Volkman, sets out for Washington, D.C., to stop British envoy Adrian Appleby before he can communicate the contents of the wire to Woodrow Wilson. The president has been resolute in opposing American entry into WWI, but the telegram is expected to change his mind. The cat-and-mouse game that follows offers few surprises, and neither Volkman nor his opposite number, Sen. Edward Fitzgerald, whose callow wife is Appleby's niece, has much personality. Plot contrivances are a further obstacle to engagement. Despite the sound premise, Jones never manages to generate genuine tension or suspense.
