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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9781400078813
ISBN number: 1400078814
Label: Anchor
Manufacturer: Anchor
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: July 25, 2006
Publishing house: Anchor
Release Date: July 25, 2006
Sale Popularity Level: 73243
Studio: Anchor
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Product Description:
December 1, 1941
It is seven days before the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. Days that are numbered for Sondegger, a Nazi spy captured in London while on a mission to take down the Twenty Committee, a German network of spies the British have turned.
For American Tom Wall, the days have run together as he awakens to find himself locked in a British military asylum. Wounded and shell-shocked, all he knows is that his brother, Earl, betrayed Tom’s unit in Crete, causing one of the bloodiest masacres of the war.
Now Tom has to pretend to be his brother, and try to force Sondegger to reveal what he knows about the Twenty Committee. But Sondegger also knows about the Japanese plan of attack, and Tom may be able to prevent it. But should he?
An electrifying debut that combines political insight with the classic elements of espionage fiction–here is a Nazi spy novel you won’t be able to put down.
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Rated by buyers 
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Double Cross Blind is a relatively routine Nazi spy story, taking place in England just prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Essentially the book is a jumble of different characters, each with their own agendas and interests, some of them not entirely clear until the end of the book. It is initially driven by the American Tom Wall's search for his missing brother, suspected of selling out Tom's Canadian unit in the battle for Crete; but we soon come to realize that Tom has been manipulated all along in this by the Nazi SD spy Sondegger, without a doubt the best character in the book. Along the way, the mystery of the brother is solved, and Tom and friends bump into the British Union of Fascists, mediocre government help, strippers with hearts of gold, low-life thugs, and old lovers. As I say, Sondegger is the best character, perhaps by default; the only other to seem at all interesting would be Sondegger's sidekick, who is unfortunately dispatched offhandedly before her true potential could be explored.
The book is paced well enough, Ross has a decent ear for dialogue, and the scenes are generally well written. The overall conceit of the plot, that the German high command would send Sondegger to try to tip of the Americans of the Japanese attack so as to keep the US out of the war, is thin - Hitler promised the Japanese he would declare war in that event, and he kept his word - but oh well, it's fiction. The weak spot is with the characters seemingly direct from central casting.
The other regret is that Sondegger might have survived for a sequel; without him, the book is worth not much more than a star or two.
Rated by buyers 
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The approach, with the main character a bit battle-damaged, is a little different and I found it refreshing. Thomas Wall is a rather messed up, is single-minded in his desire to find his brother with the apparent intent to kill him, and is being used by almost everyone. I thought the plot interesting but understandable. I think if you liked John Lawton's "Blackout" you would also like this.
Rated by buyers 
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***SPOILERS GALORE### Tom Wall was cool, John Wayne could have played him and I laughed each time at Simon's bad American accent. I loved the Sondegger character and especially his warm soothing voice which Vance nailed but especially pleasing was how realistic the book was - how SPOILER ALERT*****...how i main characters randomly just die like Rupert Davis Franks or the invincible supremely confident Duck Blind...just like in real life. The setting in Wartime foggy ol Londontown was superb.Harriet was the real double crosser and who saw that coming? No one I bet! I did predict the second microchip showing up iwhen Tom got his little "Hand out" however and was quite proud of myself.
I think this is a story much better heard by a Brit like Simon Vance than read on your own, although Highcastle and Hariet's Dad sounded identical! Really enjoyed the 9 disc package!
Rated by buyers 
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This is very minor league Ken Follett or Frederick Forysth. The plot moves because it has to, the german is a shadow of Hannibal Lecter and the hero, while physically suffering, somehow finds the ability to continually escape from the mental institution he finds himself in. There are so many good WW2 spy novels around there is really no reason to devote much time to this. Very disappointing and it did not make me want to read any more of his titles.
Rated by buyers -
The book takes place mostly in London in the very first week of December 1941.The war is not going well for the Allies -which do not yet include the USA as the attack on Pearl Harbour is yet to take place .London is subject to nightly air raids from the Germans and has recently lost Crete to the German army.Its one asset lies in "Operation Double Cross"by which the German spy network in Britain has been "turned" and is feeding misinformation to the Germans .A German agent ,Sonndeburg,has been sent from German intelligence to London and seems on the verge of exposing this .He is captured but manages to escape
The protagonist is an American Tom Wall ,who has enlisted in the British Army and believes his brother has betrayed the Allies in Crete .he is searching for his brother aided by his sister in law ,Harriet Wall who is a British agent at odds with her father a prominent British Fascist who sets his own men against Tom
The plot is over complicated and takes too long to get going resulting in a sense of mounting impatience on my part .The scenario -which also revolves around the impending Japanese attack on the USA -is intriguing but the signs of a tyro novelist are everywhere and it just dfrags when it should be getting into top gear
There is promise here and I would assume the faults common to a debut novelist will be ironed out in subsequent books -I sincerely hope so at any rate becuase Mr Ross is a good stylist and shows a gift for suspense which bodes well for any futire books
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