I have been absolutely loving this latest series by historical fiction author Eoin Dempsey, set in 1930’s Berlin during the years leading up to WW2. Seamus Ritter brought his children from the US to Berlin in search of a better life. Now Michael Ritter is going to be running in the Olympic games against American sensation Jesse Owens. Maureen Ritter is working with the rebel underground. A younger daughter, Fiona, has fallen in with a Hitler Youth group. The way that Dempsey writes this, the social pressures that all in the family face, is extremely well done. Seamus’s wife Lisa and her daughter are in danger because they’ve discovered they have Jewish grandparents they didn’t know about.

In this fourth book of the series, Willi, a newspaper stand boy who was involved in a previous book where Lisa and Seamus covered up a murder, comes to Seamus because he needs his help. The Nazis are rounding up Roma families and locking them in camps around Berlin. They’re being starved and Willi fears they’ll soon be taken away from the city to who knows where. Maureen (one of my favorite characters) works with the underground and a new character Monika, a love interest for Michael that I very much like, to try to save Willi’s family. I love the way Dempsey has developed these characters with so much heart and does such an outstanding job showing the history of the time period. Every time I see there is a new installment of this series ready, I am so excited to see what is in store for the Ritter family next.

I received a complimentary copy of The Grand Illusion from the author and NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The Grand Illusion is the 4th book in The Lion's Den series. Having not read the first three books in the series I thought I would have a hard time following the plot, but it was no problem. The book was full of historical events and described how Hitler covered up the horrors continuing during the 30's while Berlin, Germany prepared for and hosted the Olympics.

The brainwashing of young people is horrifying. It is just so hard to imagine children turning against there parents.

The story of families torn apart and the events that occurred is hard to read, but a story that needs telling

Thank you NetGalley the author, Eoin Dempsey for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Highly recommend.

Mission of Mercy

A story of how the Nazi's hid their evil deeds during the 1939 Olympics and attempted to look good in the eyes of the world.

While the Olympics is going on and the world's eyes are on the stadium, the Nazi's are building a concentration camp and rounding up those that are undesirable to them such as the Gypsies.
Michael Ritter is a runner for the German team, however, he is American living in Germany and he is not sympathetic to the Nazi's. When he hurts his ankle running and is invited to a party at the American Embassy he meets a beautiful young girl that will change his life as he knows it.

When Seamus Ritter relays information about a desperate family in the new concentration camp he never believes that his daughter will orchestrate an event that will put the life of her brother and herself in danger. This mission turns into a nightmare.

It shows in the story, that not only did the Nazi's cover us what was happening in Germany during the Olympic games, but they indoctrinated the young children pitting child against parent until the parents were no longer able to trust their children with details of their lives.

It was a good story and I did enjoy reading it. I would recommend this story.

Thanks to Eoin Dempsey for writing a great story, to The Book Whisperer for publishing it, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

The Grand Illusion is actually the 4th book in The Lion's Den and not having read the other 3 I was a bit worried that i might not follow this book or feel a bit lost. However I found it was all fine as there is enough reference back to keep you on track. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought the authors writing style really brought the characters alive. The contrast between those who were accepted in the German regime and those such as Jews, Roma or anyone who didn't fit the bill is quite stark. The experiences are totally different. The shocking treatment of the Roma family is shocking.. I was in tears when they are torn from their home and carted off to an awful camp that they clearly won't be leaving once the glitz and glamour of the Olympics is over.
The Grand Illusion is the perfect name for this book. An Illusion indeed. Clearing the streets of "So called" undesirables to make Nazi Germany appear to be a wonderful place to be, accepting and welcoming.
One character, Fiona, who belongs to the League of German Gils, really makes you see how the young can be drawn in by rhetoric and lies, almost brainwashed. Although Fiona's Step Mother is half Jewish, a mischling, she truly believes that the Jews are bad, devils almost and must be removed. Her father, an American is beside himself and tries to open her eyes. She meets his Jewish friends who make her doubt her strong beliefs but still she goes back to her League of Girls, but with a slightly more open mind and she admits, to herself she is actually there for the outings and good looking boys..
This is a truly compelling and engaging read that I loved from start to finish. An historical novel that shows both sides of the Nazi Germany coin during the mid 30's and the Olympics.. A book that makes you think and takes you on an emotional journey that really challenges you to think and understand just what happened during these years.

The Grand Illusion by Eoin Dempsey was the fourth book in The Lion’s Den Series. I have read other books by Eoin Dempsey and have enjoyed them but this was the first book I read in this series. I am sure that it would have been preferable to have read the other three books in the series before I read this one but in my opinion, The Grand Illusion, read fine as a stand alone book. The Grand Illusion was well written and impeccably well researched. All the characters were well developed and believable. The title, The Grand Illusion, was perfectly chosen. As journalists, reporters and tourists flocked to Berlin for the 1936 Olympics, Hitler made sure that Berlin, Germany was seen as a thriving, cultured and pleasant city to be living in. He made sure to flaunt his presence and put on a show for the whole world to see. Hitler might have fooled most of the world and the people who came to see the Olympics but a few of its citizens were not fooled in the least. While Hitler spared no expense to put on a good show, the Nazis continued to rid the streets of Berlin of all its “undesirables “. While all the bells and whistles were being delivered, Concentration Camps were being constructed to house the “undesirables” right under the noses of those attending the 1936 Olympics.

This was a family saga that explored different sentiments within one family. It portrayed those that resisted and tried to help those that were being targeted by the Nazis despite the consequences they would probably suffer. . The Grand Illusion showed how the younger generation was being taught to believe unconditionally in Hitler and and the Nazis and resist against their own family’s thoughts and beliefs. The discrimination and treatment of the Roma population by the Nazis was focused on in great detail. This was a book about choosing, courage, trust, friendship, family, allegiance, hope, survival, and love. I enjoyed reading The Grand Illusion by Eoin Dempsey and hope that he decides to write another book in this series. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to The Book Whisper for allowing me to read this ARC digital version of The Grand Illusion through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Publication is set for July 5, 2022.

The Grand Illusion by Eoin Dempsey is the fourth book in The Lion's Den series about the rising terror of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. I'd read his bestseller White Rose Black Forest and really enjoyed it so was pleased to be offered an Advance Reader Copy by the publisher and NetGalley.

The Grand Illusion continues the saga of the Ritter family specifically during the Berlin Olympics. It was interesting and the characters are engaging, however, I didn't know enough of the back story (having not read the earlier books in the series) to really appreciate this book. The author worked some of the backstory into this book, but it wasn't enough. I may go back and read the earlier books. As a stand-alone book, I can only give 3 stars. If I had read the earlier books, my rating (I suspect) would be higher.

I picked up this ARC from an email I received from the publisher because the description sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it was part of a series where I haven’t read the first few books. I gave it a try but after several chapters, felt like I was missing something and had to put it down.