Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

When President Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein advising him to get some of his fellow scientists out of Germany, he calls on Captain Jacob Welker to accomplish this. These are people working on advancements that could lead to a super weapon and they must not fall into the hands of the Nazis. Arriving in Paris, Walker is met by Lord Geoffrey and Lady Patricia Saboy. With war declared by England and France, they have been sent to establish their network of intelligence operatives. Their primary agent is Felix, a German officer in Berlin, but contact is becoming increasingly harder and more dangerous. The Saboys inform Felix of Welker’s mission and ask for his help.

Professor Joseph Brun is a Polish physicist on the run from the Gestapo. As changes became evident in Germany, a group of like-minded academics vowed to help each other. Now he has traveled to Berlin, where the Gestapo would not expect to find him. His plan is to make contact with members of the group and have them escape to Britain or America. At a time when people lived in fear of betrayal by friends or neighbors it would take a miracle for this to succeed. Luckily, the Saboys are masters of deception and dabble in magic. With help from Felix and Welker they may just pull this off.

Michael Kurland takes you to Washington as Roosevelt prepares for a possible war and to Paris as France is mobilizing. He imparts the real sense of danger faced by Brun and his associates but offsets this with the banter between the Saboys, which is often filled with humor. This is a tale of espionage set in the early days of WWII that is sure to entertain his readers. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House publishing for providing this book for my review.

‘We need ten – no, fifteen – men. Prisoners.’

September 1939. Germany has declared war on Poland. Meanwhile in America, Albert Einstein believes that the Germans, aware of advances in atomic science, could win the race to develop a new super weapon. He knows that there are a small group of scientists within Germany with the knowledge. President Roosevelt is concerned and hands a special assignment to Counter-intelligence agent Jacob Welker. Welker’s job is to find the scientists and get them out of Germany. In German Pomerania, Professor Josef Brun, one of those scientists, is already on the run from the SS. He carries a suitcase of secret documents which could change the course of the war. Can he survive?

The story unfolds through several different viewpoints set in Paris, Germany, the USA and the UK. Welker, in Europe unofficially, enlists the aid of his British friends posted to Paris: Lord Geoffrey Saboy and his wife Patricia.

Brun is aware that his former colleagues are being rounded up, and there is plenty of tension in this part of the story. Less satisfying, for me, were the interactions between the Saboys and Welker. While I found their interactions humorous at times and they certainly lightened the tension, I was as often irritated as I was amused. However, there are a few twists in this story and it held my attention from beginning to end.

This is the second book so far in Mr Kurland’s Welker & Saboy series, and I liked it enough to add the first book to my reading list.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Michael Kurland is a veteran author. Since the early 1960s he's published dozens of novels and non-fiction books. This longevity suggests he is a good writer. Whatever The Cost helps prove it
Set against a backdrop of the early months of the Second World War this is a spy thriller with a clever, fast-paced plot. I was particularly impressed by the rapport between the well-drawn characters. They all have a real lust for life.

Michael Kurland's previous title in this new World |War II series, The Bells of Hell, was highly acclaimed. This sequel, I think, is even better as FDR's counter intelligence agent Jacob Welker is sent to Europe to extradite scientists involved in helping Germany produce new super weapons. With the help of his UK diplomatic friends in Paris, Lord Geoffrey and Lady Patricia Saboy - who also lead unconventional lives of their own in the service of the Allies - Welker succeeds in his mission. But not without some highly entertaining, improbable and hair raising adventures en route. This isn't high suspense and drama, but it is very entertaining, with many humorous scenes along the way. Suspend judgment on the improbability, and just enjoy the romp.

Very well developed characters and an extremely engaging story. Well thought out and very suspenseful story line that keeps the reader guessing until the final twist! This is the book to read this year! Highly recommended!

Set in the early stages of WWII, predominantly in Paris and Berlin, this story involves American diplomats, English spies, and German scientists who are being hunted by the Nazis so they can help with the creation of an atomic bomb. The American diplomat and British spies join together to attempt to get some of the German scientists out of Germany, but they have to be able to find them in an increasingly dangerous Germany first. This book was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the writing style and got sucked in. There were a lot of characters and events going on, so it was fast paced but had the potential to be confusing. Some loose threads of the story are, presumably, there to set the stage for events in a sequel, but can add to the confusion. I think the plot was a fantastic concept but the writing of the climactic event at the end wasn't as gripping as the events that were happening implied it should be, so that the ending was good, but less than it could have been. I did enjoy this story and I am hoping there is a sequel or this is the start of a series. The author is great at coming up with adventurous twists and colorful characters.

This is a breezy spy thriller set in the early days of World War II.

Counter-intelligence agent Captain Jacob Welker is handed a special assignment from President Roosevelt in September 1939. Einstein believes that the Nazis are aware of a new super weapon made possible by advances in atomic science and is concerned that the Germans will win the race to develop an atomic weapon. Roosevelt wants Welker to go to Europe in an unofficial capacity and extract these scientists. Meanwhile Professor Josef Brun is already on the run from the SS, with a suitcase of secret documents that could change the course of the war. Enlisting the help of his British friends in Paris, Lord Geoffrey and Patricia Saboy, Welker must find Brun and the other scientists before it is too late.

Kurland mixes a variety of viewpoints in this engaging tale about spying and secret missions in the early days of the war. The various storylines in Paris are agreeably light and are balanced by the tension of Brun’s plight in Germany. Some of the sub-plots serve no real purpose, but keep the story bubbling along.

Kurland is adept at quickly sketching characters and the scenes in Germany, as Brun realises that his former colleagues are being rounded up by the Gestapo, ring true and are quite suspenseful. The dialogue is serviceable and the banter between the Saboys and Welker is witty and amusing, but very stagey.

A light, easy flowing novel that provides a pleasant reading experience, while also throwing light on some forgotten aspects of the early stages of the War.

Whatever the cost by Michael Kurland.
A good read with likeable characters. I didn't realise this would be historical. But I read it anyway. 3*.