Post WWII West Berlin with all the intrigue, spies, double agents and ex-Nazi’s is the backdrop for Before the Storm. While West Berlin is surrounded by the Russian Army, the US is flying supplies in daily and working on winning the hearts and minds of the German people…defeated and exhausted after many years of war. Sara, a young German woman works as a secretary in the US Office of PR after having lost her parents and brother during the war. She’s sent to investigate a anti-Semitic incident and meet Max, a Jew returned from the concentration camp and his brother Karl. Max and Karl returned to Germany to hunt down Heinz Hoffmann, the Nazi SS officer who ran the horrific slave labor program at Germany’s, ultimately unsuccessful, nuclear bomb lab. Max and Sara chase across Germany to find and arrest Hoffman, falling in love on the way. So many twists and turns, secrets, lies and double crosses made this a engrossing and fast paced book.

An interesting story of post WWII Germany with so much jockeying for control of the territory and the stronger powers determined to punish Nazi war crimes. In an office representing the U.S. interests, Sara, a secretary, works diligently to help two Jewish brothers, Max and Karl, recover from an anti-Semitic attack on their store and to enlist them in an effort to capture Dr. Hoffman, a Nazi war criminal who is about to escape to South America.

The action adventure aspect of the story is exciting and sustains a good level of tension. Sara, Max and Karl set out to capture Dr. Hoffman who is being protected by an assassin, Otto (sent by Odessa to protect the Doctor) and Sara’s obnoxious co-worker Jeffrey continually interferes in hopes of gaining the glory of capturing a Nazi war criminal. This action is the greater part of the book and takes several unexpected turns, including a visit with a crown prince in his castle in Bavaria. After a lengthy chase everything turns around, the bad guys become good, there are revelations of actual identities and the real bad guy is silenced.

I received an Advanced Copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest voluntary review. The story was good, some of the minor details seemed too fantastic and the revelations left me feeling a bit duped, but it did leave the possibility of another adventure.

'Before the Storm', set in 1948, depicts an interesting, though less written about, period of time after WWII, when Berlin was divided between the allies and the Russians and the Americans began to worry about the threatening spread of communism.

Sarah Sturm, a West Berliner employed by the US Department of Public Affairs, is sent to investigate the vandalism of a shop owned by two Jewish brothers, to see if the Department can help. After talking with them, Sarah learns of their harrowing war story and the Nazi who not only betrayed them but still enjoys his freedom, despite being on a wanted list. Together, Sarah and the brothers plot to find and bring the Nazi to justice.

'Before the Storm' has all the hallmarks of a great piece of WWII historical fiction; filled with espionage and a bit of romance. However, I felt the characters lacked depth, the pace felt unrealistic, and overall their escapades seemed a bit 'lucky'. Although the end is filled with a number of unforeseen twists, which perhaps go a way towards explaining the characters retrospectively, overall it felt incohesive.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I had never heard of Beate and Serge Klarsfeld before so after the book I was glad to read this novel then learn about them after. This story had what I was looking for and it had a great plot going on. The use of World War 2 was used perfectly and am glad I was able to go on this journey. The characters were interesting and did everything that I was hoping for. I enjoyed the way James D. Shipman wrote it.

"He nodded, handing her the weapon and the flashlight. Sara stepped around and opened the door, helping Heinz out of the car. He looked at her meaningfully but she turned her head, motioning for him to walk ahead of her. They took a few steps into the forest. Max reached down, picking up a serviceable branch he could use as a cane. He broke off the shoots and leaves as best he could and then nodded to Sara. The three of them moved off into the darkness, heading east."

I really enjoy historical fiction and thrillers so was looking forward to diving into this. Aspects of this were really interesting, focusing on many aspects of WW2 history that are not often addressed in books depicting that era. I particularly enjoyed the fact that while many WW2 novels end as soon as the war is over, this in fact highlighted the complexities in global recovery.

That said, I did find the book quite tedious at times and a bit of a slog to get through because the characters just felt superficial. In the end, I didn’t really have strong feelings on any of them.

Overall, I would recommend this to fans of the genre, but would advise to keep going since there is an interesting twist.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.
There is an endless amount of stories from the WWII era. I've come to believe that for every person who lived during that time, there is a unique and fascinating story of survival. This story takes place just after the end of WWII but during the Berlin occupation when the city was divided up into four sectors: US, France, Russia, and UK. The anti-Semitism hasn't subsided. The book opens with the destruction of a shop owned by two Jewish brothers. A young German woman from the US war office of Public Affairs is sent to talk with them although she is quickly displaced by an arrogant, rich, entitled American who believes only he can help and she is just "a girl".

The book is dedicated to a couple who help track down Nazi murderers in the years following the end of the war. In this book, the young woman, Sara, and one of the brothers are given the job of tracking down a Nazi scientist who is on the run in hopes of making it to South America.. Of course, the arrogant American gets in the way many times and as an American, I found myself wincing a lot at how close to the truth the description of this man was. He made a good foe for Sara.

I liked the book. The research was accurate and woven into the story well. The ending was a bit too pat, the explanations of who was who and why certain things happened all told to us, the reader in a few pages. Not that they didn't make sense, they did. But there was a feeling of tying up strings to end the book.
However, it didn't take away from my enjoyment. Not a great book but a good chapter of the never-ending book of trying to explain the horrors of WWII.

James D. Shipman has done it again with his newest release, Before the Storm. Another favorite written by him. Five stars.

Before the Storm by James D. Shipman is an excellent post-WWII era historical fiction that had me gripping the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed this HF set in the years after WWII where the instability is still dominating the landscapes of Europe. The author does a great job in taking this concept and adding intrigue, espionage, mystery, suspense, a bit of romance, and a bit of cat-and-mouse pacing to create a wonderful story for the reader.

Set in the 1948 Cold War era encompassing multiple locations within Germany and pushing towards the newfound Soviet borders, the reader is taken into a world-wind of a story to find out if good can truly triumph over evil.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/21/23.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4930999294