This book had a lot to offer. Mysterious recordings of a plot that changed the German strategy of WWII, several historical figures, oil fields in Alaska, and a female MC and her twin brother in the midst of all this.
Given the above mentioned, this should have been a 5-star book. Sadly, it ran out of steam around the middle of the story. Other reviewers said, the ace picked up and got thrilling but it didn't for me. It was all very predictable, to me, once the different sets of the story had been set up.

I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book ambitiously combines the WWII histories of Germany, Russia, USA and England with famous historical figures (Nostradamus, Noel Coward and the Kennedys) and the present day political situation up to and including a Donald Trump-ish president. It has a lot of promise, but for me it failed to deliver. I found the sections where Lara is learning about the past to be the most interesting. But when it switched to the present day, I struggled to stay attentive as there seemed little tying the two timelines together.

After a slow middle, the book concluded very quickly and somewhat unbelievably.

Ok, incredibly unbelievably for me. Where did that last reconciliation come from? Why would the characters agree to that with nothing developing the relationship in that direction in any kind of way before that.

In the end I was left with more questions than I like and a real struggle to get through this book that seemed to be perfect for me.

Two separate time lines 1940 and 2017. The first was turbulent. No one knew where Hitler's tentacles would reach next. In Belgium the German armies are about to invade a small monastery and steal as much art as they could. A British spy has another plan. His idea is to plant a bible amongst the treasures, one that will foretell and could change the course of history.



Fast forward to 2017. Here the story gets complicated. We have a discovery of a long forgotten murder in London, a Russian historian whose knowledge is legendary in history but who leads a very simple life back in Russia and then the appearance of six dictaphone tapes purported to be made by Noel Coward for Winston Churchill and then to crown it all the well documented activities of an American President with his counterpart in Russia.



The story was good, it was formidably plausible but there was too much going on that the scenes got a little crowded. I think we could have got rid of both the Presidents and the story would still be a very credible one!!!

Goodreads review posted on 9/1/2017. Amazon not permitting reviews as yet. Review on my blog on 10/1/2017

An intriguing set up, and full of suspense. Interesting characters and i really wanted to get through the book to discover more.. fully recommend and hope to see another book from this author soon!

I want to thank Netgally and the publisher for the ability to preview this book. This book has a full gambit of history, politics, espionage, and subterfuge. The "players" go from Ian Fleming, Churchill, John Kennedy, Hitler and barely disguised Trump.. The professor Lara is roped into a scheme to discredit America and their involvement with the switch of Hitler 'letting up ' on England and focusing instead on Russia..
I will admit that the author really linked the past and present well and in a believable way. He had me until about midway through the book. I found myself re-reading because it just was not holding my interest the later half of the book was a struggle to get through. 3 stars but only because of the historical context.

Mitch Silver's erudite, yet sensible, protagonist introduced a very promising academic thriller. I loved the concept of the book, and the character development, but the plot let me down.

It was fun to engage with Noel Coward , JFK , and a literary version of the current President of the United States through the intrigue, but the "action' bogged me down in my reading. I understand the value of blurring the distinction between the evil-doers and the "good guys" but I finished this book without a sense of satisfaction.
The premise was potentially engaging, but it didn't work for this reader.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read and comment on this book.

Addictive and thrilling. Not exactly what I was expecting, but I thoroughly enjoyed the read. The present meets the past in a mystery/thriller that will keep you riveted until the end.

The novel opens during early WorldWarII. A man dressed as a monk is seen entering a monastery which is not his own located in Germany. He is carrying a book and actually doing his best to sneak it in hiding it from the monks that live there. He finds a place in which religious tomes are kept and proceeds to place it with the others clearly in a section designed to allow for the discovery of the item when required.
The plot of the novel starts to unfold with the appearance of people famous during the period under discussion. These include Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward and the infamous Adolf Hitler. A scheme is hatched by Noel Coward to prevent the Nazis from launching an invasion of England. Interestingly enough the plan relies on something written in the book left in the monastery.

The book shifts to Moscow, Russia after the end of the war with Larissa Mendelova Klint a college professor doing research instead of going on summer vacation like most of her colleagues and students. She comes across references to the book hidden during WWII unearthing an outline of the scheme hatched by Noel Coward. Fascinated she launches a full scale search for the book and enters full force into that task.

Mr Silvers novel flows smoothly bringing the reader from the mysterious placement of the book through the initiation of the plot and termination of those events. The ending of the novel terminates with a trip to Moscow by the President of the United States. And in a very neat way events provide a logical setup for another book by Mr Silver with Larissa M Klint. A very well done novel indeed.

I did not finish this book at 10%. While I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this one, it just wasn't for me. I found the beginning too slow and confusing with characters I honestly formed no attachment with.

Since a star rating is required I have matched the current Goodreads rating for the book of 3.4 (rounded down).

Oh, my, where do I start? I guess I’d start with the easiest part. I’ve read the book. I made myself to finish it. I perceived. I am actually proud of myself for doing so.

I’d wanted to tell you that it (book) gets better with the course of narration. It does not. It actually gets worse.

I think publishers should think twice or even re-think it at all if they want to market this book to Russian-speaking readers. The author should have done his research properly. Oh, an idea, he should have gotten a native Russian-speaking consultants. Mr Silver silvers the narrative with Russian words and phrases. Some of them are so ridiculous they are not even funny. Others are incidental and out of place. The rest… the rest are just plainly stupid.

Starting from the main character: her name is all wrong. A woman like her (Jew/Muslim, a daughter of exiled parents) could have never been allowed to work in Military Archives… Hello…

The rest is even better. Excuse my Russian, but the whole narrative of this book, including all the plot lines are ‘pritianuta za ushi’ are so far-fetched they stop being interesting very early on.

As for the main idea of the book. Hello, please open Google



Prediction:

‘From the depths of the West of Europe,
A young child will be born of poor people,
He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop;
His fame will increase towards the realm of the East.’

Also …

‘Beasts ferocious with hunger will cross the rivers,
The greater part of the battlefield will be against Hister.
Into a cage of iron will the great one be drawn,
When the child of Germany observes nothing.’

What happened: On April 20, 1889 Hitler was born in Western Europe, to very poor parents.

Hitler moved Germany to action in the years following WW I, in part, (who by his tongue)through his over the top oratory skills.

(His fame will increase towards the realm of the East.) The Axis alliance with Japan in the East. Hister is believed to be a spelling error.

The German Army invading France (Beasts ferocious with hunger will cross the rivers) and the ‘greater battlefield’ refers to the Allied Powers defeating Hitler.

Here it is in black and white. There is no need to make a mystery out of it.

What makes this book is a bunch of ridiculous, unbelievable situations that somehow got wrapped up at the end. Starting from Military Archives, to the convoluted trip around Moscow, to speeding on the Ring Road and firing guns on Red Square.

Yes, Moscow in The Bookworm is a place of decay and ruin…. What the

We live in the global village. We have access to the internet. Why are we still made to believe in ‘bears on the streets’ and ‘rations and shortages’…

Russian salad of ‘beets and cucumbers, no lettuce’ really takes the cake…

Don’t waste your time.

I requested this book as i thought it might be a good read, I just did not get along with it.
Some you win, some you loose

This book had me hooked from the start when I was reading about Alaskan oilfields and wondering how this would tie into the title. The author takes the reader on a journey which is varied and intriguing. At times I was not totally sold on the plot and some of the twists, but overall this is an enjoyable read. The combination of modern day and events from World War II added to the overall enjoyment. I am certainly tempted to pick up other novels from Mitch Silver.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A conspiracy between the American president and the Russian government? This story reads like it just came off the front pages. Dr. Larissa Klimt is a Russian historian who spends her time teaching and researching her new book. On an otherwise ordinary day, a bag full of old Dictaphone cartridges is given to her along with a mysterious message. Before she knows what’s happening, she finds herself trying to unravel a decades old mystery that has a tremendous impact on current events. Suddenly, her life is in danger and Larissa doesn’t know who to trust.

Hold on to your seats, readers, because this is a thrill ride of a story, made even more exciting because it’s all so current and feels very real. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this one. I also really liked the character of Dr. Larissa Klimt. She’s not exactly the stereotypical history professor, but then again, she kinda is. In any case, she’s as complex as the story she is telling. And then there’s the ex-husband who I just loved to hate, but sometimes he is a bit charming, and he’s cute. I believe this is a stand-alone novel, but I wouldn’t be sad to see more books with these characters as they really grew on me by the end. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It will definitely satisfy the appetite of the conspiracy theorists out there, and it’s a good mystery too.

Promising, but didn’t quite deliver for me

This book had a lot going for it with an eclectic cast of historical figures from Nostradamus to Noel Coward, Churchill to Kennedy and with a barely disguised Trump, Putin & Hitler in there too.

Mitch Silver has woven an interesting tale of world war 2 and present day deceptions. The early parts I found were the strongest, but felt the book lost its way somewhat later on leading to a quick and action packed finish.

Don’t get me wrong, this was an entertaining read, but I did feel overall the delivery could have been better.

Love that this book had some of everything, mystery, crime, historical events, politics. Very captivating read.

I found The Bookworm by Mitch Silver to be a mixture between political and historical mystery. Thank you Netgalley and Pegasus Books for giving me an opportunity to read this book. There are two story lines going on at the same time in this novel, and I thought both stories were intriguing, but I didn't quite understand how it all tied together. It almost felt like there were two different novels? The plot of the story was exciting, and I read the story quickly because it kept me interested, but I was a little disappointed at the outcome. However, I would recommend it to other history lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pegasus Books for allowing me to read this novel!
The Bookworm is a thrilling story about a former chess champion and current Russian professor, Lara, who finds a secret about the Allies in WWII from records that were given to her by one of her students. This secret could change the course of history and ruin her career as a history professor. Throughout the novel she struggles with an ex-husband, a romantic partner, and historical secrets that could shatter everyone's perception of history as they knew it.

This novel clearly has ties to certain political figures that we currently have in office and the resemblance is funny to see. The Bookworm is clearly a modern novel, seeing as the President resembles the current American President, Trump. It also has ties to the Russian and American relationship that is currently unfolding.

This novel has a little bit of everything, historical events, mystery, crime, and politics. Silver does an excellent job with keeping mysteries and intrigue going throughout the novel. I was captivated the entire time that I read the novel, however I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the novel. I do however look forward to other novels by Silver in the future.

There are two different plots in this book: one about a Russian historian who is given crucial new information about WWII, and another about a political oil scheme in Alaska. I thought for sure eventually, they'd somehow come together but by the end, I still felt like they really didn't have anything to do with one another. It just didn't make much sense and too much of the plot(s) and premise felt contrived.

The writing was okay, and the characters started off well, but wound up doing things which also didn't make much sense. Characters who don't even know what's going on somehow wind up involved but don't even question it, they just jump right in.

(spoiler) The ending was the worst of this - Lara gets back together with the husband that constantly cheats on her and tried to steal half her furniture and possessions? It felt like the author was just trying to make the ending unexpected, but instead it just felt like it didn't make sense.

Then there's the fact that the "bad guys" who got her to investigate the WWII recordings were supposedly doing it to get her to track down Hitler's Bible, which they apparently couldn't do on their own, even though it proved incredibly easy. Lara found it in a matter of hours with some simple internet searches. She didn't use any kind of special resources or skills, yet we're supposed to believe this makes her a master internet detective and the only one who could track down this bible. It's beyond ridiculous.

Needless to say, the premise felt flimsy, the plots disjointed, and the characters artificial.

Advanced review copy from publisher via Net Galley. My opinions are my own.

I really like the author's concept of mixing historical, political, romance and suspense elements into one book. An ambitious attempt and the author does it well. The pace is tight, and the plot is exciting but sometimes I find the story is a just bit dragging.

Rarely I would skim through any book but I did when reading "The Bookworm." Even though I skimmed through quite a number of pages (but only towards the last 1/3 part of the book after getting some idea of the possible lead of the story and knowing all the key players,) I don't think I have missed much of the essence of the plot. The author has the gift of creating an intriguing story yet the execution is slightly disappointing. Nevertheless, "The Bookworm" is still a good, quick read with a little flaws; I would consider reading the future works by the author as he has the ability to think outside the box.

This is a copy of what I posted on Goodreads:

I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to start reading this book because of the description. I love anything involving Russia and also Nazi history so I thought this would be a slam dunk. Unfortunately, it just fell a bit flat for me and I'm not entirely sure why.

I didn't really get attached to any of the characters and I found them a bit unbelievable. I didn't care about any of the relationships that developed and the I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. I was expecting so much more from the plot. The information contained in the book and on the reels was interesting but underwhelming.

I think my expectations were too high for this and I was disappointed. I liked it, I just didn't love it.