Review by epratt -- Crystal Night by Marc J. Seifer
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epratt
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Review by epratt -- Crystal Night by Marc J. Seifer
[Following is a volunteer review of "Crystal Night" by Marc J. Seifer.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Crystal Night by Marc J. Seifer is the third book in the Rudy Styne Quadrilogy. Although it is part of a series, Crystal Night could be read as a stand alone book. Reading book two, Doppleganger, would have made it easier to get interested in the book right away. The slow start was what I disliked most about the book. It took a few chapters to truly grasp the storyline. However, I credit that to not reading the previous books of the Rudy Styne Quadrilogy. The element I enjoyed the most was Seifer’s meticulous attention to historical facts. I found myself researching to learn more about historical anecdotes included within the novel.
Crystal Night begins with information about the murder of one of MIT’s foremost IT experts, Ashley LaPolla. Bouncing from present-day to World War II kept the murder and IT elements intertwined with the historical fiction side of the novel. Rudy Styne, a main character, works as a journalist and investigates NTrooder as a possible connection to the murder. Brilliantly, Seifer connects internet hacking and IT mischief caused by NTrooder with World War II components from the start of the war until its end. Crystal Night alternates between Rudy Styne’s work as a modern journalist and the lives of German citizens during the 1940’s.
The main characters from World War II Germany include much of the Maxwell family. At the beginning of Crystal Night, the family works to maintain their prestigious MB airline. An assimilated Jew, Elias Maxwell hopes to use his relationship with Hermann Goring to escape the fate that many Jewish business owners have had to face. Elias has a son, Abe Maxwell, who helped run the business before Hitler’s reign. Abe is paramount to the progression of the novel. While running MB airlines in Germany, Abe took the grandson of a servant under his wing, teaching him all he knew about the airline business. The grandson and Abe are separated for much of Crystal Night. Fantastically written twists and turns lead to them meeting again. Seifer writes in such a way that the reader thoroughly knows the characters. The questions left at the end of Crystal Nighthave put the next book in the series, Fate Line, on my must read list.
I would give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. The only reason I would not give this book all four stars is because of the editing. There were several mistakes that should have been noticed.
This book would best appeal to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, specifically World War II and Nazi Germany. It has tremendous details that everyone could appreciate.
******
Crystal Night
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3 out of 4 stars
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Crystal Night by Marc J. Seifer is the third book in the Rudy Styne Quadrilogy. Although it is part of a series, Crystal Night could be read as a stand alone book. Reading book two, Doppleganger, would have made it easier to get interested in the book right away. The slow start was what I disliked most about the book. It took a few chapters to truly grasp the storyline. However, I credit that to not reading the previous books of the Rudy Styne Quadrilogy. The element I enjoyed the most was Seifer’s meticulous attention to historical facts. I found myself researching to learn more about historical anecdotes included within the novel.
Crystal Night begins with information about the murder of one of MIT’s foremost IT experts, Ashley LaPolla. Bouncing from present-day to World War II kept the murder and IT elements intertwined with the historical fiction side of the novel. Rudy Styne, a main character, works as a journalist and investigates NTrooder as a possible connection to the murder. Brilliantly, Seifer connects internet hacking and IT mischief caused by NTrooder with World War II components from the start of the war until its end. Crystal Night alternates between Rudy Styne’s work as a modern journalist and the lives of German citizens during the 1940’s.
The main characters from World War II Germany include much of the Maxwell family. At the beginning of Crystal Night, the family works to maintain their prestigious MB airline. An assimilated Jew, Elias Maxwell hopes to use his relationship with Hermann Goring to escape the fate that many Jewish business owners have had to face. Elias has a son, Abe Maxwell, who helped run the business before Hitler’s reign. Abe is paramount to the progression of the novel. While running MB airlines in Germany, Abe took the grandson of a servant under his wing, teaching him all he knew about the airline business. The grandson and Abe are separated for much of Crystal Night. Fantastically written twists and turns lead to them meeting again. Seifer writes in such a way that the reader thoroughly knows the characters. The questions left at the end of Crystal Nighthave put the next book in the series, Fate Line, on my must read list.
I would give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. The only reason I would not give this book all four stars is because of the editing. There were several mistakes that should have been noticed.
This book would best appeal to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, specifically World War II and Nazi Germany. It has tremendous details that everyone could appreciate.
******
Crystal Night
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like epratt's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: The Touch by Robert Flynn III
