Overall, what do you think of The Nazi Conspiracy? (no spoilers in this thread, please)

Overall, what do you think of The Nazi Conspiracy? (no spoilers in this thread, please)

I liked the overview of the war and what was happening. It was told in a manner I could easily follow and understand. That's not always true of all war books. Learning about the spies was interesting. The three rulers of their countries were interesting people and their jockeying for control. Hitler and the Nazi's are relentless and ruthless. Yet, it's good to read about what they did so it doesn't happen again.

Exceptional--it made history interesting and personable. It was not dry, though factual. It was revealing of the Nazi logic and planning of the Jewish solution with enough depth to elicit horror and sorrow without being overly explicit . The people involved on all sides were made three dimensional and real---some so real that it was impossible to believe that any humans could be so cold and calculating when it came to determining the fate of others.

I love Brad Meltzer's work. He makes history exciting and thrilling - which it is. Lots of History books seem to work hard to make the past as boring as possible. Taught well, History class in grammar, middle, high school and college should be riveting and informative. Most students find memorizing dates with no understating of the story part of history incredibly boring. I would love for Meltzer to be hired to revamp our entire history curriculum. STEM is important but in my view, being knowledgeable about how our country and our world became how it is today is critical for our survival. If children are taught that every thing in our past was fair and perfect (an outright lie) they will be totally unprepared to be future leaders striving to continue to improve our union.

I enjoyed reading the book and found it very interesting. I learned new information about several people and events. However, every time I told my husband some new interesting fact, he already knew about it and could expand on it. He is an inveterate reader of all history so perhaps this book is for ordinary readers. The device of ending many chapters with statements like this: "their mission is about to change into something no one could imagine" or "for the undercover agents, more surprises are on their way" did not feel like a contrivance, but rather hooked the reader to keep going.

It was an easy to read history of part of the war relationship between the three major leaders. It brought to light a more in-depth analysis of their dealings with each other from 1943-44 and the difficulties in coming to an agreement on the D-Day invasion. Much of the history has been told in various publications but the focus on the possible assassination plot was new history and though it still remains somewhat uncertain there were plausible facts given.

Loved it. The Nazi Conspiracy is history book that reads like thriller. Particularly enjoyed the sections on Big 3 politics…. Roosevelt cozying up to Stalin, and the push for a sooner D-Day.

Interesting. I was a little put off at first by the back and forthing through time.

I have never enjoyed reading non-fiction, however, I found this book fascinating and I learned more about WWII than I had known before.

I adore Brad Meltzer's mysteries, but he needs to let this genre go. For people who have not read or studied WW2, I could understand their liking a book like this to summarize superficially about something that was so great a part of the 20th century. They would truly be remiss in not reading better works to understand the great devastation caused by this war.

WWII is complex and fascinating in so many ways. Trying to make sense of the history is difficult. Meltzer and Mensch added still another layer to that complexity. It is said that politics makes strange bed fellows. Stalin and Hitler were more alike than different, yet Roosevelt and Churchill became allies with Stalin. A conspiracy to eliminate all three leaders seems very real. I keep trying to peel the onion, and the authors offered still another perspective on those times.

I really liked this book! I have read several histories of WWll and this one was very well done.

An engaging and interesting WW2 history book, seemingly well researched.

I learned some things I didn't know - such as the rescue of Mussolini by Skorzeny.

I have read a fair amount of books on WWII, but none that addressed this specific topic. I really enjoyed learning about some of the meetings that took place and the actual conspiracy theory. I felt like it was well researched and written.

As a voracious reader, I found this book well-informed and researched, but not memorable in comparison to recent favorites like The Splendid and the Vile; and The Daughters of Yalta.

On the other hand, I also chose to read this as a longtime youth services librarian and literacy advocate. With its straightforward account and overview of WWII causes and events, this makes a good introduction for teens and/or newcomers to American history. The personal narratives such as the teen who spied for Russia, are particularly engaging.

And as many posts in this discussion have already noted, we need to continue to teach and share these stories, so that we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

I started the book hoping it would not get too bogged down in dates and that I would enjoy it enough to finish reading the book. I was hooked from the first page and could not put the book down. I really appreciated how the authors wove all three theaters together without getting too technical or too chronological. Yes, as noted above, the authors went back and forth chronologically at times. Overall, this was minimal and did not distract from the story.

For the most part, I enjoyed the book. I, too, have read "The Splendid and the Vile" and "The Daughters of Yalta." I found those books to be much more in-depth a read and I learned more from them than I did from "The Nazi Conspiracy." I am glad I read Meltzer's book as it just adds more to my knowledge of this period. All 3 books would be great supplemental reading for high school students taking American History.

I quite enjoyed this book. I liked the jumps in time that others mentioned. I did not find them irritating but giving good background information at just the time it was needed. I found myself even starting to like Stalin a bit, even knowing how horrifying he became later in history. Meltzer was able to intimately convey the personalities of the people involved in the conferences and the "spy" story. I was a bit disappointed in the "conclusion" of the spy story, but still give the book a high rating for readability and information.

I thought the book was interesting and very easy to read. I would have liked a few more pictures. But I learned a lot of information that I didn't know and it filled in background on some things that I had just heard about.

Since this was a subject I had never know of, I really enjoyed the book as a whole. It was easy to read and kept you interested. First Meltzer book l have read and would certainly read another.

Although Nonfiction History, The Nazi Conspiracy is as fast paced as any espionage thriller. About the Nazi plot to assassinate the three supreme WWII Allied leaders; Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin; during the Teheran Conference in the Fall of 1943, it delivers the planning and events leading up to the conference from the perspectives of each of the participating countries and Nazi Germany. I was particularly taken by the book's identification and crediting of the individuals behind the scenes who put their lives on the line to protect the Allies' leaders. The book outlines in the first few chapters how Hitler and the Nazis took control of Germany in a few short years which should US citizens pause given the current political situation in our country.

This is my first Brad Meltzer book. I am enjoying the pace and the way he presents his historical research. I am a little tired of a supposed cliffhanger at the end of each chapter, and yet I read on. Overall, a good read about a chapter of WWII that is new to me.

This was a good example of a fast paced reading experience. Of course we know how the plot failed burt it is always interesting to see how the spirals of war can catch everyone up. I like this approach. There clearly has been enormous research involved.
Unfortunately it remains important to tell the story of how wars far away can still influence the present and the future.

Fantastic! I loved that this story was historically accurate and written as a thriller. I learned a lot of detail about what was going on politically among the big three leaders (Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin) during WW2. The assassination plot and the detail provided about all participants was outstanding. I am in awe of the research involved in this. The backstory of the Nazi "final solution" was truly horrifying.

Unfortunately due to personal circumstances, I was unable to begin reading this book for several weeks. Once I finally got to it, I was hooked from the first page.

The extensive use of both primary and secondary sources helps to make this an informative read. My knowledge of this event was enlarged not only by the text, but even by some of the footnote explanations.

The authors write in a style that is fast paced and readable, unlike most history books. The descriptive passages give the reader an inside look at the emotions, hopes, fears, and political motivations of the all three of the main characters.

Although I have read many books on World War 2, this one gave me great insight into:
(1) the military thinking that went into the strategies behind Operation Overlord, Operation Husky,Operation Citadel,Operation Torch, and the battles of both Stalingrad and Leningrad; and,
(2) the diplomatic thinking and machinations going on behind the scenes of the various diplomatic communiques and conferences.

Furthermore, the book reminds us of the formidable price exacted upon both military and civilians alike during the this particular war and, thus, any war. The Russians alone suffered at least 24 million deaths; the Chinese 20 million;Germany 7 million; Japan 3 million; 6 million European Jews; etc. These horrific statistics fail to include the number who were injured and maimed during the war. This is a lesson that humans seem incapable of remembering for more than a few short years beyond the bloody carnage of each conflict.

While the title is The Nazi Conspiracy, to my mind, the conspiracy itself was a mere sidebar. The intrigues of the men involved were interesting, but in the long run, the conspiracy, if it occurred at all, was a "flop". To learn at the end of the book that the Tehran plot was seen by many to be nothing but a hoax on the part of the Soviets was quite a let down. Why write an entire book around an event that might not have taken place at all?

Historical Fiction is my preferred genre. As much as I love history, I have never been able to fully grasp the unfolding of military conflict. That is until Brad Meltzer's "The Nazi Conspiracy." From the first page, I was hooked. He is able to narrate the actual cold facts with the personal facts of each party involved. It reminds me of drawing a spiral circle with the center being the final event. Starting at the outside of the circle each party was introduced with notable points of view based on their perception of this potential crisis. Meltzer brilliantly continues to evolve the story tighter and tighter. Amazing!