Review of The Last Rival

Please use this forum to discuss historical fiction books. Common definitions define historical fiction as novels written at least 25-50 years after the book's setting.
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Bethel Saint Bright
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Review of The Last Rival

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Last Rival" by Kyle Palmer.]
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5 out of 5 stars
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“The Last Rival” by Kyle Palmer is a historical fiction story about President Truman’s strategy for dealing with the Adolf Hitler problem. In this book, President Truman comes to a point where he needs to deal decisively with the challenges posed by the Hitler-led Nazis. He recruits former OSS operatives to form a secret agency to carry out a task codenamed “Operation Louveterie.” William “Wild Bill” Donovan, General George Marshall, and Dr. Stanley Lovell will spearhead this secret agency. The team’s core members are James “Jim” Bolden, Lewis “Lew” Weinman, Al Myers, Carl Toms, Harry Marshak, and Jack Powell. Others include Charles Berg, Frank Morrison, Hans Von Fischer, and Felix Winger. Does this team have the capacity to help President Truman take care of Adolf Hitler?

I am a fan of history and never fail to seize any opportunity to take a trip down history lane. When I read the description of this book, I was intrigued and could not wait to get into it. Before now, I already read about President Truman’s escapades: his coming into power two weeks before the death of Hitler, the creation of the CIA, and the authorization to use the atomic bomb. It was amazing how the author used these elements of history to create a fictional story. If you aren’t familiar with historical events, you might stand the risk of assuming everything that happened in this book was not fictional. However, if you are a history buff, you will be thrilled by the author’s depiction of pivotal historical moments in American history. The author deserves all the accolades he can get for this book.

I liked how the author used the first few chapters to introduce key characters early in the story before the action kicked in. The author showed their backstories and what unique nature they would bring into the story. That way, I could connect with the characters and their proclivities. For instance, Weinman had a weakness for women. If you ever suspected someone was flirting with a lady in the story, that would most likely be Weinman. This was his response to Al’s request to go to Washington: “Al, my dear friend, you should know better by now. I’m not going to Washington for the politics. I’m going for the prostitutes.” There were other unpredictable characters, like Hans Von Fischer. His role was such that you’d find it hard to figure out where his allegiance was.

Even though this book is lengthy, readers won’t feel it because of the author’s skillful writing. I can’t find anything to fault the book with. Therefore, I rate it a 5 out of 5. Lovers of fictional historical narratives will enjoy this book.

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The Last Rival
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Kelvin Omollo
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Post by Kelvin Omollo »

I guess we have something in common about history. I am a history enthusiast too, especially politics. Your review is well detailed, making me want to explore this Truman-designed mission.
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Muhammad Tamoor Jan
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Post by Muhammad Tamoor Jan »

Kyle Palmer zeroed in on his historical fiction novel "The Last Rival" about President Truman's calculating drive to do battle with Adolf Hitler. Weave of three well-formed characters, and historical fact arts, fiction, offered zu zahlen ubac, story hvad jeg have knitting. A great read for history lovers and fiction fans!
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