Set in WWII, and based on a true story, this is a well written and engaging story about an official in the German Foreign Office passing on military and other secrets to the Americans.

The use of two time settings, and the narration of the story to two journalists was effective, and ensured that there was sufficient momentum in the story.

Not being aware of the true story, I enjoyed this novel.

This is an unusual novel for fans of the WWII genre. It's well written and carefully plotted. A good read.

I had a different idea of this book. Not bad, it is just "not my cup of tea". I did not know that the author was German. I would read other German authors before him.

I enjoyed this book. I would recommend The Honest Spy to those who like spy books. I just kept turning page after page.

ABOUT THIS BOOK-During one of history’s darkest chapters, one man is determined to make a difference.

In the tradition of Schindler’s List comes a thrilling novel based on the heroic true story of Fritz Kolbe, a widowed civil servant in Adolf Hitler’s foreign ministry. Recognizing that millions of lives are at stake, Kolbe uses his position to pass information to the Americans—risking himself and the people he holds most dear—and embarks on a dangerous double life as the Allies’ most important spy.

Summoned from his South African post to return to Nazi Germany, Kolbe leaves behind his beloved fourteen-year-old daughter, a decision made for her safety that nonetheless torments him. And as he lives under the constant threat of arrest, he wrestles with the guilt of putting Marlene Wiese, a married nurse and the love of his life, in danger as they collaborate on Kolbe’s clandestine work.

But no matter the personal cost, Kolbe will not be deterred. In scenes that pulse with suspense, he emerges as a towering figure who risked everything to save innocent lives—and Germany from itself.

MY REVIEW-'Lest we forget'. Because we never should.

This is another riveting example of historical faction set in the darkest days of WWII. Based on the true story of a wartime hero, The Honest Spy by Andrea Kollender no doubt takes many liberties with the truth, but in doing so provides us with an interestingly different slant on a spy story, one that I found equally compelling and intriguing.

The author has written a tense and suspenseful story of the courage shown by one man in standing up for his beliefs and daring to make a difference. I found it difficult to put this book down.

Highly recommended 4.5 stars for this, the second excellent book I have read by this author.

Thank you to Amazon Crossing for providing a digital copy of The Honest Spy by Andrea Kollender for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

This book was beautifully written. It takes you away to that time in history.

Written by German author Andreas Kollender, this book is based on the life of Fritz Kolbe a member of the German Diplomatic Service during World War 2 who had access to top secret information. He provided this information to the Allies for ideological reasons and not for personal gain and smuggled hundreds of top-secret files to American intelligence from 1943 onwards, continuing undetected until the end of the war.

Allen Dulles, who became head of the CIA , but then an OSS officer in Switzerland said of Kolbe "No single diplomat abroad, of whatever rank, could have got his hands on so much information as did this man; he was one of my most valuable agents during World War II."

Although based on Kolbe, the book doesn’t follow his personal life exactly and certainly creates a fiction that allow the author to portray more depth to the man in his personal life and struggles with his conscience.

The book is framed within a fictional post-war interview with a pair of journalists and starts with Kolbe in South Africa at the declaration of war which is interesting in itself, showing how German embassy and legation staff were treated upon the outbreak of war.

There’s good colour to the OSS station on Berne with some of the early career of Allen Dulles being illustrated as well as the contrasts between life in neutral Switzerland versus late war Germany.

Steve Anderson has translated this book from the German and he’s done a great job as the text flows well and moves along at a good pace. Whilst I’d not call it an absolute page turner, the author keeps the tension as the fear of capture and death increases with each day.

If I had to criticise anything it would have been the use of Kolbe’s real name alongside an obvious fiction. Although all history is subject to someone’s interpretation, I have mixed feelings around taking the name of a real person of honour and heroism and creating fiction around them, especially as a fictitious name appears to be used for Kolbe’s friend in Bern.

That being said, this was as entertaining read and a good insight into the quandaries and challenges that faced Kolbe during World War 2.

Based on a true story, this is the fictionalized account of Fritz Kolbe, who used his position in the civil service to pass on information about Reich activities, including locations of important industrial complexes, and even a detailed map of the Wolf's Lair, Hitlers alpine hideout, to the Americans. Forced to return from South Africa to Germany, having left his young daughter behind for her own safety, Kolbe struggles with his conscience when evidence of the appalling Reich policies , including the Final Solution cross his desk, and eventually on a work trip to Switzerland he approaches the Allies with some important and convincing information. The section of the book dealing with this first trip was probably the most dynamic and exciting of the book, there was a palpable tension throughout. As well as the dilemma he faces in his work, Kolbe's life is further complicated by his feelings for a married woman, and when the information he provides results in the death of a close friend he begins to reconsider his actions.
While the true story behind this book is no doubt an interesting one, I really struggled with the way it was written, it jumped back and forwards in time and from one country to another with very little to clearly delineate when or where the reader is, This made it difficult to stay focused on the story being told, instead I found myself trying to figure out what was really going on.
In general I am a fan of this genre , but this book was something of an uphill struggle for me.

A slow start, but once into the actual story, it's quite interesting. Being a spy in WWII was a harrowing experience, never knowing when the Gestapo would catch on and come for you, not knowing if you would be lucky enough for a quick execution when caught, and what would happen to your loved ones. A great story.

The true story of Fritz Kolbes and his espionage work during WWII is very well-told in this historical fiction book. Taking life-threatening chances to pass Nazi documentation to the United States, Kolbes is a hero of our times.

Ienjoed reading this book and found it very interesting to be written from this point of view. Well worth recommending.

The Honest Spy has most of the ingredients for a terrific book: a fascinating true story set at a time of considerable interest to the English-reading public. And yet, this attempt to fictionalize the story does not succeed. The fault likely lies in the quality of the original language writing and it’s translation. Instead of a fabulous tale that we can’t bear to put down we get a plodding narrative that fails to explain Kolbe’s multifaceted motivations. A man who so deeply despised Hitler would not, on the surface, walk away from his daughter and return to Berlin from a country where he might have launched other types of anti-Nazi activities. The feeble pleas of his boss surely would not be enough to have lured him back. Kolbe’s fixation with Marlene is somewhat understandable but the deep clefts in their relationship, overcome mostly by their mutual attraction, are poorly depicted. And the ultimate physical result of the “accident” is too ironic to be believed. It might be factually true, but its presentation beggars belief. This is a fascinating story that I hope a more skilled writer will attempt to tell.

http://manoflabook.com/wp/book-review-the-honest-spy-by-andreas-kollender/

Very well written spy story from WWII, actually based on true events. Very insigtfull, the author brings the characters to life. Very good read, can only recommend.

This was a gripping story, told somewhat simplistically. Based on a real-life WWII espionage case, the book portrays a German man who avoids the nationalistic frenzy of the Third Reich. Fritz Kolbe is depicted as a man for whom the ties of family and friendship transcend social pressures to conform. He is an unlikely hero, one whose company I enjoyed. Still, it felt a bit as if I were being led along and educated as I read. I was given a Netgalley advanced reader's copy of this book.