Howard Linskey (http://www.howardlinskey.co.uk) is the author of more than a dozen books. Hunting the Hangman was published in 2021. It is the 75th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

This book is a dramatized account of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. He was the second most powerful man in the Nazi SS. Heydrich was the chief of the Reich Security Main Office, as well as the Acting Reich-Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. He was one of the most brutal of the SS officers. Many considered him to the natural successor to Adolf Hitler. In his role as Reich Protector, he had moved to Prague.

Czechoslovakia had been occupied by the Germans. Heydrich was ruthlessly implementing the ‘final solution’ for Czech Jews. The Czech government in exile in London decided to eliminate Heydrich.

This book dramatizes the process of selecting and training the two Czech nationals, Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík, who were to carry out the mission. It follows them as the two parachute into Czechoslovakia, and they begin to stalk their victim. It continues with the assassination and the aftermath.

I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 321-page novel of WWII-era historical fiction. I had the opportunity to read one of Mr. Linskey’s other books, Ungentlemanly Warfare. It was every bit as enjoyable as this one. While a work of fiction, many historical facts are woven into the plot. I do like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.4 (rounded to 4) out of 5.

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Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

An engrossing, novelized version of the plot to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, one of the architects of the so-called "final solution" envisioned by Nazi Germany, by Czech partisans trained by the British.

Knowing their survival after the assassination attempt - regardless of whether said assassination attempt was successful or not - was unlikely, the two Czechs go forward with their training and the attempt in any case, as the sacrifice of their lives may save many, many others.

The training sequences are the weakest, but only because the other events in the book - including glimpses of the Hangman's family life - are much more fascinating. This is not a detraction from the book, however, which is a great fictional rendition of factual events read for anyone interested in WWII, the Holocaust, or Nazi Germany.

Solid five out of five read.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

The Third Reich is in control of the majority of Europe. Nazi general Reinhard Heydrich is the Reich’s Protector of Prague and all of Czechoslovakia; a cold-blooded killer who considers every Czech to be a sub-human. He is considered directly in line to govern if Hitler is killed.

Members of the Czech army in exile, Josef Gabcik and Jan Kubis are being trained to go back into their country and wipe out this menace. The odds of returning from the mission are extremely low.

This book shows the efficiency of the German SS and security forces. Training Strategic Operation agents was a brutal and unforgiving exercise. The object was to create someone who would accomplish his/her mission or die trying.

General Heydrich was a methodical, sadistic and egocentric commander. When Germans were killed by foreign operatives the retribution was sometimes a hundred to one. In some areas, entire villages were taken out and killed; no one was left to relate the reason for the entire destruction of the village!

The arrogance and personal feeling of invincibility of General Heydrich was his ultimate undoing. Can the SOE assassins complete the mission and survive? This author has done an excellent job of supplying the answer. This superbly written novel shows the lengths that patriots will go to in order to help attain freedom for their countrymen. I couldn’t stop reading! 5 stars – CE Willliams

An interesting read on a little known event in WW2. The development of the characters and the story are great and makes this a must read book. Plenty of action and suspense to hold anyone’s interest.

Thank you to #NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.