When the invitation for this blog tour popped into my inbox, I was quite excited as I enjoy reading stories set in World War 2. Hitler's Secret is quite different to other books I’ve read from this period though. It’s a gritty, dark, historical spy thriller that took me on quite a journey. 

When history professor Tom Wilde is asked to go undercover to Germany to pick up a ‘package’ to smuggle back to England, I'm not even sure he realises what he is taking on. What ensues is espionage, Boorman’s men chasing Wilde across land and sea who will do anything, and I mean anything, to destroy the package, mortal danger as well as other things that come with war: road blocks, checkpoints, not knowing who to trust, the list is endless. 

I thought the story was well plotted, researched and flowed. There are quite a few characters in the story so I had to concentrate a little but it soon become clear how they all fit together. I really like Tom Wilde as a character. He is a decent man and makes a brilliant agent.

Hitler's Secret is the 4th book in a series featuring Tom Wilde. I've not read the other books in the series nor experienced Rory Clements writing before. I felt that it was fine to read as a standalone novel. However, I do like a back story and would love to know more about Wilde's background and what missions he has been sent on in the past. This was a mission and half to say the least. I will definitely be reading the other books in the Tom Wilde series.

This is part of the Tom Wilde series, although it was my first outing with him. Tom Wilde is a Cambridge History Professor and the setting for this story is Autumn 1941.
The war isn't going particularly well for us against Germany so when an American Intelligence Officer approaches Tom, he persuades him that he is the right man to travel to Germany and retrieve a package, one that has been well hidden for the last ten years. The package is a game-changer that even Hitler is unaware of. Tom is given a new identity and says farewell to his wife Lydia and young son.
As soon as Tom sets his foot on Germany soil the story becomes one almighty intense hold your breath adrenaline rush. He speaks some German and some French but neither enough to be a native of either country. His accomplice in Germany is a fabulous character. Meanwhile, Bormann, Hitler's righthand man who is feared by anyone that knows him and those that only know his name, is also trying to get to the package at the same time. His psycho thugs enjoy their work a little too much, in order to get the information that they need.
What an absolutely top-class book this is, Tom Wilde is a superb character, a truly good guy that just doesn't follow an order because it came from the side he is fighting for, he is a rebel that does the right thing. The story doesn't lose its high level of action after he leaves Germany but follows him home to Britain. Heart in my mouth moments increased on every turn of the pages. Brilliant ending.
I have been left wanting more from this author and Tom Wilde so the good thing about coming in at the fourth book is I have three more to go at. Very highly recommended.

A WW2 plot that ratchets up the tension as it goes until the mission is complete - or is it? Further intrigue and subterfuge then envelop our part time spying professor who, having just escaped the in fighting and henchmen of the Nazi hierarchy walks into much the same back home.
A good old fashioned entertaining read and my thanks to Amazon and Net Galley.

An interesting story with twists and turns that keeps you involved right to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it.

To my mind, it’s always cause for celebration when a new book by Rory Clements is published, especially when it’s an addition to his terrific spy thriller series set in World War 2 and featuring Cambridge history professor, Tom Wilde.

Hitler’s Secret sees Tom transported from his usual Cambridge haunts to unfamiliar – in fact, enemy – territory in order to carry out a dangerous task that will see him become involved in political and personal intrigue that goes to the very top of the Third Reich.

The atmosphere of suspicion amongst the population of Germany is vividly evoked – informants everywhere, fear of denunciation or falling foul of the petty bureaucracy of permits. Words you definitely don’t want to hear – “Papers, please” and “Trust me”. And if that isn’t terrifying enough, the bad guys in the book are really bad (and they’re not all guys).

OK, the secret’s not a secret for very long and there are quite a few convenient coincidences and lucky escapes. However, as John Buchan wrote about his own spy thriller The Thirty-Nine Steps, it’s a genre ‘where the incidents defy the probabilities, and march just inside the borders of the possible’. And the plot of Hitler’s Secret progresses at such pace you don’t have time to ponder on the probabilities, you just get carried along wondering what’s going to happen next. Among the best bits of the book are when the action switches swiftly between the parallel storylines of different characters. Come to think of it, Tom Wilde is a rather Buchanesque hero with his facility for languages, for adopting disguises and operating deep undercover. His boxing training comes in useful as well.

Just when Tom believes he’s achieved his mission troubles – and further danger – await closer to home, sometimes from the most unlikely of sources. Plus he’s faced with a moral dilemma made more difficult by his own position as a new father. Is, as the saying goes, all’s fair in love and war?

I was missing the involvement of Tom’s partner, Lydia, up to this point but was pleased to see her play more of a role as the book builds to its nail-biting climax. And it wouldn’t be a Tom Wilde book without an appearance by his beloved Rudge Special motorcycle.

Hitler’s Secret is another terrific addition to the series and a thrilling and immersive read.

Despite perhaps not entirely convincing voice of American, somehow based in UK, playing spy as American sympathetic to Nazi programme, hating FDR, this is a striking sample of WW2 thriller .. just on cusp of war time . parallel story that is all too relevant about hunt for a little girl and elimination of all who know her, is the point .. solid, good entertainment. A little convoluted but so were the times!

Not only am I a book geek, but I am also a history nerd. I find the Second World War particularly fascinating and I love to read books set during that time. I have a little confession to make. Although I have all of the previous books in the Tom Wilde series on my ever increasing 'to be read' mountain, I haven't actually got round to reading them yet...until now. Now I have discovered how fantastic a writer Rory is, I can guarantee that those books will not be on my 'TBR' mountain for that much longer. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Hitler's Secret' but more about that in a bit.
It didn't take me long to get into this story. Without giving too much away, I was intrigued to find out just what 'Hitler's Secret' was. Let's just say that it is something which has been a rumour for quite a while. I made the fatal mistake of starting to read the book shortly before I went to bed. Let's just say that sleep was delayed for quite some time because I couldn't bear to put the book down. I had to force myself to switch the lamp off. Whilst reading this book, the pages turned at a furious rate. The more of the book I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I binge read the book over the course of a couple of days, which helped me to get a sense of the urgency of Wilde's mission.
'Hitler's Secret' is superbly written. The author has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. The author drew me into the book from the synopsis alone and the story sealed the deal as it were. I loved the way in which the author has taken real life events and real life characters and turned them into such a fantastic book. As I mention above the secret is something that has been a rumour for years and I loved the way in which the author has taken that rumour and turned it into a compelling and believable thriller. The author described the story so well that as I was reading the text, I was imagining the story playing out in my head. The author uses such vivid and powerful descriptions that I felt that I had borrowed the Tardis and flown back to the Second World War. The author has perfectly captured the brutality of the Nazi regime as it was back then.
Reading 'Hitler's Secret' was like being on one hell of an unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you would find on a 'Snakes & Ladders' board. Just when you thought that you could catch your breath and reclaim your stomach then off the action would go again. On several occasions I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was going to happen next. Certain parts of the book made me wince as if I was the one being tortured or chased. If you like to read books that make your heart rate soar, your blood pressure rocket and make you bite your nails then 'Hitler's Secret' is the book for you.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Hitler's Secret' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. Now I have discovered just how great an author Rory Clements is, I will be reading the other books in the 'Tom Wilde' series just as soon as I can. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I enjoyed Rory Clements’ first book in his Tom Wilde series, Corpus so much that I decided to look out for more of his books. But somehow I missed the next two books as Hitler’s Secret is the fourth book in the series. Luckily for me, it reads perfectly as a standalone, although at some point I would like to read the books I missed.

This is a complicated novel and I am not going to attempt to describe all the details. Just before the USA’s entry into the Second World War, Cambridge professor Tom Wilde, an American, is smuggled into Nazi Germany at the instigation of an American intelligence officer to collect a mysterious package from Berlin. He isn’t told what is in the package, but I thought it was obvious from quite early in the book what it was. I think that increased the tension and suspense throughout the book and at several points in the story, I just couldn’t imagine how Tom would succeed in his mission as he is pursued by numerous people including the powerful Nazi, Martin Borman and his agents. Hermann Goering and his wife Emmy also play an important role in the story as does the internal struggle for power under Hitler, whereas Hitler himself does not appear.

I enjoyed all of it – the somewhat predictable plot, the amazing coincidences, the chase across Germany and the Baltic, the doubtful characters, as well as all the twists and turns and seemingly impossible situations that they encounter. It’s fast paced, full of action, danger, violence and double-cross – a most satisfying and compelling thriller. The ending in England is also intriguing, full of heart stopping moments in scenes that had my head whirling. Needless to say really, but I was gripped by this book and I just had to find out what happened. I think the last final twist about Hitler’s secret was very well done.

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy via NetGalley

This was an interesting idea and it was a good read. I was intrigued by the twists and turns in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I love this series featuring American Cambridge History Professor Tom Wilde and his partner Lydia Morris.

Set in autumn 1941 the book opens with Professor Wilde being asked by an American Intelligence officer to travel to Berlin to collect a package to bring back to England. As the synopsis above mentions Wilde is totally oblivious to what he is picking up, going off expecting a fairly quick trip without too many problems. Of course if you’ve read any of the previous books in this series you know that there’s no way that that’s going to happen.

And so begins the fourth book this in brilliant series. Rory Clements drops us right into the heart of Nazi Germany, with Tom Wilde having to watch everything he says and being careful wherever he goes. As Tom finds out more from his friend Jim who works for the American Embassy, he realises that getting the package back to England is going to be a lot more complicated than he was led to believe. He suddenly regrets getting involved and wishes he could be back home with Lydia and his toddler son Johnny.

Tom Wilde finds himself on his most dangerous adventure yet, meeting people who will help, hinder and down right confuse him. Who can he trust and who should he avoid at all costs?

I thoroughly enjoyed this on audio and thought Adam Sims narration was outstanding! I loved his portrayal of Tom Wilde and enjoyed the way he portrayed the villains throughout the book. There were so many untrustworthy characters that like Tom I really didn’t know who to trust.

I thoroughly recommend this book and the series, especially if you enjoy thrillers set in World War Two.

I do appreciate the difficulties faced by any author attempting to write a novel based around WW2 and so I had some worries when I started to read Hitler's Secret. Fortunately, Rory Clements has managed to find an interesting twist on "who got up to what and when" in the run-up to Hitler coming to power and what might have happened if the secret was revealed once WW2 had started. Not the fastest paced story but fast enough for me as it kept me interested to the end. I also liked the method used to resolve the questions around Hitler's secret. All in all a quite light read for chilling with and/or taking on holiday.

Hitler’s Secret is the latest book in the excellent Tom Wilde series by Rory Clements and it is another worthy addition.

The book is set during World War 2 and a few months after the previous book finished when Wilde, who is American, is contacted about collecting a package from Germany.

It is only when he arrives in Berlin that he finds out what the package is and how explosive it would be if it fell into the wrong hands.

What follows is a spy come chase thriller which is expertly written and makes you feel like you are in 1940s Germany.

The author keeps the reader hooked throughout until the end which includes a great last twist.

This is one of my favourite series and Hitler’s Secret is definitely recommended

The latest in the series is slightly different to the others but liked the idea of the plot being send behind enemy lines to obtain a package and the double dealings and the red herrings in the novel.
liked the novel as it kept me interested and wanting to know the next twist or turn.

Hitler’s Secret - a baby born to his close friend and niece Geli Raubal before her death in 1931. Loosely based on historical fact, the story dwells on what the ramifications might have been, for both sides, had a child existed,

1941. Professor Tom Wilde is sent to Germany to collect a package, which turns out to be a 10 year old child. Also looking for the girl are agents working for Hitler’s aide Martin Bormann, who wants to erase all trace of the birth, especially as he was instrumental in the death of her mother. But even if Tom can spirit her out of Germany, will she ever be safe?

A tense story, set at a time when the Germans were in the ascendency and the Americans were just being drawn into the war. Action packed, with spies on both sides and the fear of not knowing who to trust, Rory Clements brings the war to life in a different way. A very enjoyable historical tale.

I was intrigued by this book and its hero, a Cambridge professor. He has missed out on the first world war and feels as if he he needs to do his bit now. He is contacted to travel to Germany in 1941 before America has entered the war, to smuggle mysterious package out of Germany. He makes contact with a friend at the embassy and from here the scale of his task becomes apparent. I was hooked by the character and feel I would like to go back and read the other novels in which he features. A gripping read and o e which I will recommend to others. Many thanks to Net Gallery and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

An American professor, lecturing in England has been tasked with going to Germany to retrieve a mysterious package which it is felt could affect the outcome of the war.
This book makes use of the fertile ground of WW2 to meld a fictional story with historical fact, and in that regard it does well enough. The story begins well, and proceeds at a reasonable pace, but then starts to flag, with too much overblown description of absolutely everything and everyone that any of the characters encounters. Some serious editing might have been useful?
The characterisation was poor, the only characters I got a real sense of were the young girl Helga, and the midwife Romy. Tom Wilde, the ‘hero’ of the story, and several others come across as one dimensional. There are so many Germans and agents chasing Tom and each other, it becomes unclear as to who is currently chasing and who is being chased - just too convoluted to make sense.
Too many coincidences and massive ‘strokes of luck’ mean that the story becomes implausible.
I had not read any of the previous books in this series, but it didn’t really matter as this is an individual story. I just wish I could have liked it more.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Professor Tom Wilde, based in Cambridge, is asked to go to Germany to collect a ‘package’. Not as simple as it sounds as this is 1941 just before the Americans join WWII, and the package turns out to be a 10 year old girl. Add to the mix Martin Bormann and it really takes on twists and turns.
This is the 4th in the Tom Wilde series, but stands up very well as a stand alone read. Obviously very well researched, beautifully written, believable characters and keeps you guessing to the end. Well worth reading. Roll on his next one. Loved it.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Having started to read this book it became very apparent from early in the book that the package is the 10 year old daughter of Hitler and the plans to sumggle her out of Germany to safety.. The principle reason for this was for the rise of one Martin Borrman in the Nazi party. His past blackmailing activities being brought into play and forcing people to go after the girl and kill her. I found the story line to be predictable and ir became obvious to me what the next move would be and I quickly worked out the ending. Having said that the book was well reaserched and written with the story moving on very quickly. I would recomend it to anyone interested in WW2 historical novels with a flavour of the time.

Cambridge Professor Tom Wilde is requested by the MI6 to retrieve a package from Nazi Germany in 1941. He is an American citizen living and teaching in the UK; Germany and the USA are not yet at war so agrees with the request from his old comrade, Eaton. When he arrives in Germany he finds out the package is in fact a young girl. He is told the implications of ‘saving’ the child and the immediate influences it could cast on global power struggles.

However, not all is as it seems – other nations seem as interested as the British (if not more), to get this child out of Germany. Some are German – help is found in a most unexpected place when in dire need; some are American – and Tom worries for the young girl’s personal future. He is unsure for whom he is working; see multiple ulterior motives and unsure who he can trust. Plot and counter plot abound – there are some real evil characters – through greed, idolatry, jealousy, revenge – everyone seems to have something to gain. But Tom’s main interest is to get the child to safety and to a secure future.

Lots of action, danger and excitement. At times I felt the ‘help’(and food) came too easily and that fugitives would have been spotted much quicker in enemy territory and been dealt with summarily without any questions or hesitation. But apart from that, it was a good romp!

What a really good book this was to read. Took a wee bit to figure out exactly what the story was as it wasn't initially clear, but once it came out, it turned into one fantastic read.