Double Cross Blind
By Joel N. Ross Random House Large Print, (2005)
ISBN: 0-375-43498-4
Genre: Thriller - World War II
Reviewed by Herbert White - August 22, 2005
Double Cross Blind is an old-fashioned, rip-roaring World War II thriller from the pen of Joel N. Ross. Written in the tradition of Ken Follett and Robert Ludlum, this book takes readers on a nonstop race to uncover the truth as spy betrays spy and brother betrays brother. This is the first novel by Ross, and it is excellent!
The story begins in December of 1941. Wounded during a disastrous battle in Crete, Thomas Wall is recovering in a London Asylum. Although an American, Wall had been fighting in a Canadian Military Unit. Wall is convinced that his unit's position was leaked to the Nazis by his own brother, Earl, who works in the diplomatic core. To say the least, he's not very pleased with his brother and is bent upon seeking justice. He doesn't have long to wait. A German spy, Sondegger, has been captured by the British and he's willing to talk, but only to Earl Wall. Earl, however, is missing. So members of MI5, the British intelligence organization, come to Tom Wall, asking him to pretend to be his traitorous brother and try to pump the German for information.
What begins as a simple ruse soon develops into a major espionage case as the German, sends the still injured Wall on a wild chase, hunting for some microfilm that supposedly details the Japanese plans for their upcoming attack on Pearl Harbor. If he can get the film in time, there might just be time to stop the attack...
Double Cross Blind is a fun book to read. Although from the very beginning you know how events are going to turn out - you don't care. What is so entertaining is seeing Ross's vision of what might have been if only if... and how he gets to an end that has already been preordained by history.
Great read for a lazy day or when stuck on a plane - or in an airport. Nothing very deep, just an old-fashion espionage thriller that will divert your attention for a few relaxing hours. It is full of double-crosses, red herrings, beautiful women, loads of spies and double agents, and lots of tension. A fine first novel, and I hope just the first of many.
Related Reviews:
The Prometheus Deception, by Robert Ludlum.
A fast paced spy thriller that will entrall you in with its hair raising tale of international espionage, a tale in which no one is whom they appear to be. (Large Print)
The Tristan Betrayal, by Robert Ludlum.
The outcome of World War II may well rest upon the shoulders of one man, Stephen Metcalfe, whose has undertaken the task of trying to force Hitler to invade the Soviet Union, in order to force the Soviets onto the Allied side. (Large Print)
