The Soul of a Thief Lib/E

In the spring of 1944, I realized that I was not going to survive the war...Shtefan Brandt, adjutant to a colonel of the Waffen SS, has made it through the war so far in spite of his commander's habit of bringing his staff into combat, and a pair of secrets that are far more dangerous than the battlefield. Shtefan is a Mischling and one of the thousands of German citizens of Jewish descent who have avoided the death camps by concealing themselves in the ranks of the German army. And he is in love with Gabrielle Belmont, the colonel's French mistress. Either of those facts could soon mean his end, were Colonel Erich Himmel to notice.Colonel Himmel has other concerns, however. He can see the war's end on the horizon and recognizes that he is not on the winning side, no matter what the reports from Hitler's generals may say. So he has taken matters into his own hands, hatching a plot to escape Europe. To fund his new life, he plans to steal a fortune from the encroaching Allies. A fortune that Shtefan, in turn, plans to steal from him...Atmospheric and intense, The Soul of a Thief captures the turbulent emotional rush of those caught behind the lines of occupied France, where one false step could spell death, and every day brings a new struggle to survive.

About the Author :
STEVEN HARTOV is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller In the Company of Heroes, as well as The Night Stalkers and Afghanistan on the Bounce. For six years he served as Editor-in-Chief of Special Operations Report. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, and most recently the History Channel's Secret Armies. A former Merchant Marine sailor, Israeli Defense Forces paratrooper and special operator, he is currently a Task Force Commander in the New York Guard. He lives in New Jersey. Matthew Waterson is an experienced audiobook narrator who has recorded everything from mysteries to nonfiction. His voice can also be heard on video games, the Netflix series Trollhunters, and radio. He earned a BA at Tufts University in Boston and continued his education with graduate work at LAMDA in London. Born in Los Angeles, he grew up in Britain and spent time in New York before returning to LA.

Review :

"A fast-moving plot and vivid characters make this a most satisfying read."

"A literary tour de force...Outstanding."

"A war drama, a cat-and-mouse thriller and a coming-of-age love story, all wrapped into a terrific and compulsive read. Hartov offers a novel and human perspective of the German side of the Second World War through the eyes of one young reluctant recruit and the enigmatic colonel whom he admires, fears and, ultimately, plots to outwit."

"An old-fashioned 'ripping yarn' from a master writer who knows how to keep the characters vivid, the plot twisting, and the action coming hot and heavy."

"Packs a lifetime of human experiences into a year of European wartime."

"Shtefan is a flawed hero who struggles with a sense of duty and loyalty, combined with his own personal convictions of right and wrong. The first-person narrative reads as if written by a man longing for redemption but unsure he will ever find it."

"Shtefan tells the story, and the young man's thoughtful, epistolary style makes scenes of desperate battle and budding love come alive with remarkable power...A wondrous and utterly captivating novel."

"The wealth of details about Shtefan's dangerous position as a Mischlinge makes for an engrossing account of a lesser-known side of the war."