Black Cross

by Greg Iles

Book Overview

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Penn Cage series comes a gripping World War II thriller that "vaporizes almost every clich about the limits of the genre... it's] good enough to read twice"( Kirkus Reviews ). It is January 1944--and as Allied troops prepare for D-Day, Nazi scientists develop a toxic nerve gas that will repel and wipe out any invasion force. To salvage the planned assault, two vastly different but equally determined...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451185196
• ISBN13: 9780451185198
• Release Date: November 1995
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 656 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 4.2" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Favorite Greg Iles book yet

If you love Greg Iles books, this one is a winner. Number one in my book.

Black Cross

I LOVE Greg Iles, but I've tried twice to finish this book and just could not get thru it. Finally at 175 pages I decided it just wasn't for me. I'm upset, I thought I'd never find a Greg Iles book I didn't like.

Thrilling and chilling

I've now read all of Greg Iles' books, and Black Cross just might be his best. Black Cross, along with Spandau Phoenix, are unlike his more recent efforts in that they relate to WWII and mix actual history with fiction to come up with an exciting story that could actually be true. Black Cross is the story of an American pacifist Dr. Mark McConnel and a Jewish soldier Jonas Stern who are sent to Germany to make the Germans believe the Allies have just as much poison gas as the Germans do. This is done to convince Germany that the allies will retalliate if the Germans use gas to stop the Normandy Invasion. Black Cross stands out because Iles takes us inside a German concentration camp and lets us meet all kinds of characters. We get to know Jewish and Polish prisoners, sympathetic German nurses, spies, and even a German officer is made to look somewhat sympathetic. Iles portrays him as a soldier who puts up with the German brutality because he has no choice, and because it is his duty to fight for his country. Iles also bookends the book with McConnel's grandson finding out the truth about his grandfather. So what happened in WWII isn't a secret, but is tied to the present. Therefore while reading, we want to know how everything turns out but you want to know what happened to these characters for the rest of their life. The conclusions aren't breathtaking or startling, but they are satisfying. I do think Black Cross might have been a bit two long. The ending seems to go one and on until the mission is accomplished. Also some of the logistics of the plan seemed a bit far fetched. Like what were the German guards in the tower doing when all this was happening. But these are minor problems in what is a great novel. Maybe in the future Iles will return to this genre.

Gripping, Fast Read

If you have read some of the authors books in the past you have a good idea of what you are going to get. An easy to read and understandable book that is full of action. This is an overall great book, it is not often that an author can come up with such a comprehensive book as this. This had it all, a great story, good characters, wonderful action and a quick pace. This is an exciting book. It really made me happy reading the book; it was like a great game of treasure hunt where you find everything. Each time I was ready for a plot twist, action of drama it was there. The characters just explode in your memory - you do not get them out of your head. Overall this was a great effort.

A Book That You Couldn't Put Down!

This proved to be an outstanding book by Greg Iles. A Jewish warrior and a doctor from Georgia team up to destroy nerve gas that is bein produced by the Nazis in a concentration camp. This book portrays the toughness of the Jewish warrior by very ably pointing out some of the trauma that the Jewish warrior has been through. In a plan that is devised the warrior is teamed with a Georgia doctor to halt the production of the deadly nerve gas. The race against time will keep you on the edge of your seat.The final ending situation will give you bad nerves. This Jewish warrior shows no fear as he accomplishes his mission. I was very pleased to discover the warrior in old age in Spandau Phoenix. Read this book and you will become a Greg Iles fan also.

Perfection, thy name is Greg Iles!

This book has everything: history, adventure, espionage, even a dash of romance. It's a page turner, with not a wasted word, and is unbelievably gripping. Definitely worth staying up all night and losing sleep for. It's also thought-provoking. How do you cope with sheer horror on a day-to-day basis without losing your sanity and humanity? Set in the concentration camps of WWII, it answers (in its way) the question of why Hitler never used his stockpile of poisonous gas. Get this book NOW and spread the word!

this book gripped me and would not let go!

this was the first book about WWII i read and i must admit that i was a bit timid when i started, but the first line teased my curiosity and i felt compelled to read more. the characters: the angry Jewish terrorist, the american pacifist, the desperate Jewish mother, and the nurse employed by the Nazis were wonderfully and honestly written, which is truly the treasure of this novel. the last 100 pages held me at the edge of my seat as if i were on a rollercoaster and Iles conducted the story like a true master of fiction.