Garden of Beasts

Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver

This book was unlike any other Jeffery Deaver book that I have read.  One of my favorite authors, Deaver always seems to incorporate the “creepy” factor in his books.  Whether the story is a Lincoln Rhyme detective tale, or one of his more generic offerings, Deaver always seems to include some very shady characters doing very unsavory things that….well….tend to creep you out.  I should point out that this is not the reason I enjoy his books necessarily. I tend to shy away from elements representing the sewer of life, yet Jeffery Deaver remains, for me anyway, a brilliant storyteller.  You could argue that this book was one of his least “creepiest”.

This story takes place in Berlin, during the Summer Olympics of 1936.  An American Mob “Button Man” (the ones on the lower end of the mafia pyramid who specialize in killing), Paul Schumann, is recruited to go to Germany to kill a high ranking goon in Hitler’s upper echelon.  If the hit is successful, the powers that be in the U.S. will wipe away Paul’s criminal record, and he can begin his life anew - something he is wanting.

So Schumann arrives in Berlin, and the meticulous plans begin for the assassination.  If anything, this is essentially a “Hitler Nazi” book.  We’re smack dab in the middle of Hitler’s Germany, and our main character is witnessing many unbelievable atrocities first hand.  Of course, we must remember that in 1936, Hitler hadn’t quite reached his peak, nor had he started bullying and conquering nations left and right.  Only the politically astute understood what a madman he was, so for Schumann (along with all of the American Olympic Athletes) arrive with a sense of naiveté amongst their surroundings.  

Without going into too much detail, early on during this escapade, there is a murder that is committed that is related to Paul Schumann’s forthcoming assassination.  The author brings in another character, a German detective named Willie Kohl, to lead the investigation.  Kohl is very good at what he does.  He and Lincoln Rhyme would be good buddies.  Like many Germans, Kohl realizes that Hitler and his ilk are nothing more than a pack of rabid bullies, but he must never let anyone know his feelings – not even his family.  Yes, friends, Berlin was a very scary place once upon a time.

Deaver also takes us, at times, into Hitler’s inner sanctum.  We get to eavesdrop on many fabled conversations between Germany’s top brass, and this simply adds to the overall enjoyment of the book.  Deaver actually takes on several different paths that didn’t seem to be intertwined, but everything is nicely summed up at the end.  As usual, there are some “twists” that are Deaver’s trademark, but much less so than normal.  I still thought this book was great, and wouldn’t mind more “historic” novels such as this from Deaver.  A good one for a “non Deaver” fan to try.