The German Agent by J. Sydney Jones

                It is early in 1917. The United States has not yet entered World War I. In fact, President Wilson is very much against the US becoming involved. Enter the Zimmerman telegram, a message from Germany to Mexico proposing an alliance of war in which Mexico would invade and take back Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The British have intercepted this telegram and decoded it.

                Based on a real historical event, the Zimmerman Telegram, this novel presents a ‘what if’ scenario; what if the British sent an ambassador to the US president with the telegram and the Germans sent an assassin to kill that ambassador?

                This is an old fashioned espionage thriller. There are no high tech gadgets, no forensics, no cell phones. It is set in a time when shaving a beard and dying one’s hair is a disguise. A time when cutting the phone lines is all that is needed to sever communication.

                While I very much enjoyed the book, it is not without flaws. Many of the scenarios are implausible, even in 1917. The German agent is just a little TOO lucky at times. However, it did have me brushing up on my WWI history and that’s not a bad thing.

                All in all, this is a quick, easy, enjoyable read if you can suspend reality a bit.

                Borrow it from your local library.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.