What a story! Phew! A concoction of suspense and nail-biting adventure, this book is the best one by Derek Lambert. The Germans are on the brink of defeat. The only reason they are fighting is because of one man's dreams to save his Rhineland. Jews are captured and either sent to concentration camps or killed mercilessly. Italy is also on the brink to surrender to Germany.

Maria's father is murdered by the Gestapo for no reason. Her mother is almost dying when her father is taken away, right in front of her eyes. Maria vows to take revenge on the SS commander who killed her father. Kurt Wolff, a merciless killer and soldier is loyal to Hitler and Germany. His story reminded me of Captain America - from zero to hero. As a young boy, Kurt was always sick and lean. After being rejected by the Army, Kurt decides to become strong and healthy. After a strenuous six-month stay at a health camp, Kurt is now strong and muscular. Liam Doyle is a priest who falls in love with Maria.

The story takes a turn when two men, unknown to each other, change the course of history forever. One is a petty thief named Ziemann. The SS decides to make him a dummy - with dental works, Ziemann's teeth now resembles that of Hitler's. Minute details such as Hitler's tympanic membrane damage are also taken care of - in Ziemann. Landau is a jew imprisoned in a concentration camp. With Germany losing the war, he decides to escape from the camp in order to complete a mission of his own.

What I loved about the story - the concept of Operation Grey Fox, Landau and Ziemann's role in the story and Kurt Wolff! Kurt's decision in the end is an exciting twist. Landau's role was unexpected. One might think what mission might this guy be on, but believe me, it is all revealed in the end! A shocking and unexpected revelation!


The Saint Peter's Plot is a spectacular, nail-biting and gripping thriller by Derek Lambert.

WW2 thriller set mainly in Italy and Germany, about the plot to save Hitler as Germany falls to the Allies. There are many threads to this plot and several characters, some of which crossover the storylines. All are absorbing, and the intrigue and horror of Europe in the grip of the Nazis is chilling.

Wolff is a believable character, as are the partisans and priests who help people to escape the wrath of war. The final twist makes the ending a foregone conclusion, but as with the rest of the story, it is action-packed and tense.

I received a copy of this book from Collins Crime Club via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the third book by Lambert I've read and is the first I don't find wholly satisfying. [The Saint Peter's Plot] takes place in Germany and the Vatican during WWII and splits its attention between a group of Nazis planning an escape route for Hitler should defeat become inevitable, a motley group of Italian partisans, a Roman Jewish woman working with a priest to help Jews escape Europe, and Fascist-sympathizers within the Church. With all the different threads he has going it's perhaps not surprising that Lambert never manages to really develop most of them or tie them together in any meaningful way.