This book was a complete surprise, very original and very fast moving. Great characters and a truly believable but unpredictable story, much like these past couple of years. I thought the author handled the conflicting realities of war and ordinary life realistically; balancing fear, anxiety and purpose, commitment and courage. Looking forward to new stories from Mr Balson!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an honest review. This is another outstanding Ronald H. Balson novel that deals with the holocaust ,Nazi controlled countries and the atrocities of war. The story begins at Camp Richie, Maryland, 1943 when Staff Sergeant Silverman is reassigned to a special and very dangerous assignment in Nazi Germany. Albert Einstein sent President F. D. Roosevelt a letter on August 2, 1939 that warned him that the Nazis were working on “the most lethal danger of the 20th century”. Silverman and a female scientist have to go to Germany to help a leading scientist Dr. Gunther Snyder defect to the USA .They also have to investigate and determine how close Germany is to developing a bomb . The story is fictional even though it is based on real people in the military and in Germany .

Thank you to NetGalley, Ronald H. Balson, and St. Martin’s Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. Just wow. I am a sucker for a good historical fiction with romance story. This story was amazing, powerful, and suspenseful. I had a hard time putting it down. I had a constant need to know what was going to happen next.

I would 10/10 recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction during the WWII era. Can’t wait to read it again!

This review will be posted to my Goodreads and Amazon accounts immediately and to my instagram account @ginganinja333 upon publication on 9/13/2022.

A marvelous read with an easy to follow story. This was about the race between the United States and Germany as to who would create the atom bomb first. A suspenseful and powerful story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ronald Balson is one of my favorite authors, and i couldnt wait for a chance to read this book!! I was so excited to have a chance to read it. It did not disapoint......Mr Balsons' books are so hard to put down. The human element with the interaction of the charactersis is amazing and makes for fast reading while also educating you about the war and also atomic energy research looking forward to reading whatever his next book will be!

Another 5 star thrilling historical novel from Ronald Balson!

In 1938, Nathan Silverman was able to secure a sponsor and visa to escape Nazi Germany for the safety of the USA. He had to leave behind his parents and sister and that scared him to death because of the tightening reins on the Jewish community. His father was a well known scientist and his work was vital to the department of weapons and that kept them safe. As Nathan began to settle in to life in America, he answered the call to sign up and serve his new country and home.

Not just his last name but his skill set caught the attention of the big wigs in the war department, specifically those working on the Manhattan Project. He had been chosen to go back to Germany undercover and help another German scientist who wanted to defect. To be sure that this scientist was authentic and could be of value to their program, a physicist would be joining him on this mission…Dr Allison Fisher. The mission was to get in, get the information and get out but complications follow them. With the gestapo on their tail more than once and with the help of other undercover operatives in Berlin, the two manage to find the German scientist. They then begin their journey home but the challenges persist. The determination, bravery and grit makes these characters and their mission one that will keep you on the edge of your seat with each page you turn.

While the story and many of the characters are fictional, the race for nuclear science was a very real part of WWII though it was kept tightly under wraps for obvious reasons. It’s thrilling, it’s complex, it’s scientific but along with so many other WWII novels…it’s sheds light on the brave men AND women who were willing to put their lives on the line for the greater good.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St Martins Press and Ronald H Balson for early access to another amazing read!

An Affair of Spies by Ronald H. Balson

World War II is in full swing, and Nathan Silverman, a Jewish German emigrant, has joined the Richie Boys, a group of expats trained in intelligence to go back to Germany and fight the Nazis.

The atom bomb is close to discovery, and America must find out how close the Germans are to its development. Nathan has been pulled from his regiment and Dr. Allison Fisher has agreed to accompany Nathan to Germany and ask the right scientific questions.

Pledging to keep Allison safe every step of the way on this dangerous mission, Nathan takes many unnecessary risks to find the fate of the family he left in Germany. Are they still alive, or were they killed by the Nazis?

Miss something? No worries. The author recaps nearly everything that happens in every chapter. The writing is simple enough and the story is predictable, but there were some exciting scenarios in this story.

Good for a WWII buff who likes a little chivalry and romance thrown in, I give it three stars.
My thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for my copy for review.

I have always been drawn to world war 2 era stories and the emotions that they bring. It is a reminder of what human kind can is capable of in the face of the horror before them. The power to overcome. The power to rise above. This book is one of those stories, although it didn't bring as much emotion as I am so used to with this genre.

Ronald H. Balson has a way with words. His story was easy to follow and his characters are beautifully carved, but I found the emotion of the era lacking. I really wanted to love this story, but couldn't find reading cadence that put me in the mood. It was as if there was a story in front of me that had no soul.

Still, in my disappointment I found an adequate story from start to finish.

I want to thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review An Affair of Spies by Ronald Balson. I’ve been a fan of this author for many years.
This book is dedicated to Mr Balson’s ancestors from Odessa.
The story is about the creation of the atom bomb and a race to see if the United States or Germany will get there first. Unfortunately I think the scientific information kept coming between the main characters of the story and slowed it down.
I held my breath every time Nathan and Allison faced another hurdle and there were many!
I miss his characters Catherine and Liam from some of his previous novels.
An Affair of Spies publishes 09/13/2022.

The setting is World War II. Nathan Silverman, a German Jewish refugee who has enlisted in the US army and Dr Allison Fischer,a physicist are both tasked with sneaking into Nazi Germany to learn how far the German nuclear program has progressed and to help German physicist Dr.Snyder to defect. This story is historical fiction with many factual events and people included although the main characters are all fictitious. This is. A thriller with many twists and turns.
As with all of Ronald Balson’s books,I enjoyed every minute spent reading this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It’s 1943 and World War II had been raging in Europe for three years. The race for an atomic bomb is on and the United States needs to learn how far along Hitler and his physicists are in successfully manufacturing one. Sergeant Nathan Silverman is ordered to report to the Engineering Department of the Army but he isn’t an engineer. What he is, tho, is a native German Jew sent to the United States by his family to escape Nazi German whose father just happened to be a renowned German scientist. His mission is to infiltrate the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, discover the status of their atomic bomb program and help one of their esteemed scientists to defect, while at the same time, bringing along one of our non-German speaking physicists to interpret the laboratory data. A plot of a story destined to bring chills and thrills.

I had higher hopes for this book than what it delivered. Some of the things that the main character did seemed so out of character for a trained military Sergeant used to following orders—like telling his old German girlfriend the address of the safe house, or the purpose of why he was back in Berlin. Additionally, sub-plots that took Silverman from the main mission—stopping the development of the atom bomb by the enemy to look for his father—made the character appear naive That said, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers who enjoy spy fiction.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication. It is always a special treat to get a preview.

"An Affair of Spies" was a fun story with a serious theme. Staff Sergeant Nathan Silverman is Jewish and from Germany, lucky enough to make his way to America when Nazi persecution increased. When the US Army opened enlistment to foreign nationals, he enlisted, hoping to return to Europe and help end the Nazi menace. He started out as infantry and then was reassigned to an intelligence unit, and now has been chosen for a special assignment, which comes with a promotion to lieutenant. Dr. Gunther Snyder, a German physicist, and colleague of Nathan's father, wants to defect to America. The US military, and especially the officials in charge of the Manhattan Project, are interested in helping him defect, hoping that he can provide information about German efforts to build an atomic bomb. Lt. Silverman is being tasked with sneaking into Berlin and meeting up with Dr. Snyder, accompanied by Dr. Allison Fisher, a physicist working in Chicago who can properly vet the information provided by Dr. Snyder and identify what further information is needed.

Of course, this mission is not easy, and a number of problems will develop. Some of the problems are the direct result of unwise decisions by Nathan, who at times lets his heart/emotions override common sense. This places him and others in danger, and at times has deadly consequences. However, this aspect of Nathan's character/personality adds to his appeal as a character in the story, making him more relatable. The interaction between Nathan and Allison is quite good, and I enjoyed watching their friendship/relationship progress. The author has created a good cast of supporting characters. Throughout the story there is discussion of nuclear power and nuclear weapons, and whether the potential peaceful applications of nuclear power outweigh the dangers of nuclear weapons. The discussion is informative and handled well.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I have read all of Ronald Balson’s books and have always enjoyed them. I did enjoy this one but not on the same level as his previous novels. I just didn’t find some parts of this story to be realistic. This is the story of Nathan, a German Jewish man, serving in the US army training to go back to Germany during WWII. However, he is removed from his unit and sent on a secret mission to take an American female scientist into Germany to discover how far along Germany is on making an nuclear bomb, while possibly helping a German scientist to defect to the US. Along the way Nathan is trying to find his family in Germany. The book is well written and you really get a picture of the characters. While some of the characters are real people this book is historical fiction.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St Martin Press for allowing me to read this book and give an honest opinion. I am a sucker for all things World War 2. This book did not disappoint. It starts with Nathan, a German Jew, who is one of the Ritchie boys, training to go to war back in Germany. Instead, he is plucked out of the Ritchie group to go on a top secret mission to help a scientist who was working on the nuclear bomb in Germany. Nathan's father is a brilliant scientist but Nathan did not know all that was needed to be known in order to know if the scientist was the real deal or not. So that is how Allison comes in. A beautiful scientist who has to pretend to be Nathan's lover. This book was better than I expected, with tons of twists and turns. I love the way the escape goes. This is a must read!

Ronald Balsam always tells a good tale. I've read all his books and he always manages to draw you in and keep reading.. This one did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read. This was a fantastic read. As a chemistry teacher, I loved all the references to the real scientists and the Manhattan Project. It was a suspenseful, unputdownable read!

An Affair of Spies by Ronald Balson is an interesting book relating the story of a young Jewish Army lieutenant traveling into Germany in 1943 in an attempt to obtain certain information pertinent to the government in connection with Germany’s progress in the development of the atomic bomb.

The novel is considered to be historical fiction since it is based on actual events and several real people are depicted throughout the saga. However, the main characters and most of the events are fictitious.

The reader quickly becomes engrossed in the plot and, despite knowing that all will work out, is anxious to see what difficulties occur next. Some readers may be dismayed by the plethora of scientific references and discussions throughout the book.

This reader found the book to be similar to The One Man by Andrew Gross— an historical fiction novel set in Germany during World War II, which also has the main character named Nathan.

This departure from Mr. Balson’s usual excellent books left this reader yearning for more of Liam and Catherine and their exploits.

I thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy of an interesting novel.

I am only about one-third through this new work by Balson. And I love it as I have all of his works. I was only introduced to his books a few short years ago. I not only enjoy how he spins the tale, but that I learn some history I did not know along the way. This should get a broad read. It is great and relevant in light of the times in which are living.

Nathan, a German Jew escaped Nazi Germany and is living in the US training to be an intelligence officer when he is plucked from training to do another job.

He later meets Dr Allison Fischer, a brilliant physicist who is also tasked with the mission.

The mission: determine the progress of Nazi Germany’s nuclear program and help a German scientist defect to the USA.

What follows is a clever spy thriller full of twists, spy craft, intrigue and danger.

Often heart-pounding, this novel is un-put-down-able!

I fully recommend it to readers of spy thrillers, those who enjoy period pieces, WWII hist fic and anyone wanting a great fast read!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a fascinating story! Dr. Allison Fisher is a scientist in Chicago working with nuclear reactors. Nathan Silverman was born in Germany and escaped to America. He comes a soldier in the American army. Nathan and Dr. Fisher are sent to Germany to determine how far along they are in the race to build a nuclear weapon.



The story kept me turning the pages for the adventure and the risk that the characters were willing to take. It makes the reader think about the cost of war on both sides.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.