Ronald H. Balson https://www.ronaldbalson.com is the author of eight novels. An Affair of Spies was published in 2022. It is my 66th book to complete in 2022.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R. The main character is US Army Staff Sargent Nate Silverman. He was born and grew up in Germany. He left his family and emigrated to the US in the late 1930s. Not long after the outbreak of war with Germany, he enlists in the US Army. While he is in training for a combat role, he is recruited to be a spy for the Manhattan Project. His fluency in German and the fact that his father was a theoretical physicist make him the ideal candidate.

He is paired with the young physicist Dr. Allison Fisher. The two are sent to Germany to find out how far the Germans have come in their work on atomic weapons. Hopefully, they will be able to escape through France. They are to contact a German scientist who is willing to defect and help him escape.

They are taken by boat to France, then they make their way to Paris. From there, they travel by train to Berlin. Along their journey, the relationship between the two develops. Will they be able to avoid the German authorities and escape war-torn Europe?

I enjoyed the 9 hours I spent reading this 328-page historical fiction novel set in WWII. I enjoyed the story, but some of the operational security employed is laughable. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 3.4 (rounded down to a 3) out of 5.

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A wonderful and exciting spy adventure worthy of James Bond with a happier ending, I was glad to see that the author took the time to research the era and the actual status of the Nazi Nuclear program rather than making up where the Nazis were in history.

While usually a huge Ronald Balson fan, this book fell short for me. Reminded me a lot of his book Eli's Promise - I enjoyed it, but it wasn't one of my fav books ever like Once We Were Brothers is.

I really enjoyed Eli’s Promise by this author, so I was interested in this book, even though I’m a bit tired of novels about WW2 in Europe. An Affair of Spies focuses on the Manhattan Project, the (successful) attempt to develop an atomic bomb before Germany could. Unfortunately, there were more than one “info dump” sections where the reader got bombarded with scientific information, especially about nuclear fission, and also an info dump on Nazi atrocities and dangers. Because of the scientific info dump, the book was fairly boring for the first 25% or so, until the two main characters get to Europe and actually start their mission. We have Nathan, a German Jewish young man who escaped Germany in 1938 and signed up to fight for the Americans, and we have Allison, a young (and of course beautiful) female nuclear scientist, who are sent to find out what they can about the German atomic efforts and to bring back a German nuclear scientist who wants to defect.

The action in Europe is fast-paced but was not particularly believable. Example: although there’s widespread food rationing in Occupied France, our protagonists apparently have no trouble finding bakeries well stocked with croissants and other delights. Also, and this would be the fault of the fictional US Army, but Allison doesn’t speak German and Nathan doesn’t speak French, so they can only converse in English. And Nathan doesn’t know how to drive a car! (This was actually fairly realistic, as I grew up in New York City and didn’t need to learn to drive a car, so I learned later in my teens than most Americans.) There were just too many absurd coincidences and terrible decisions made along the way for me.

Nevertheless, once I suspended my disbelief and critical eye, I enjoyed reading Nathan and Allison’s adventures.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Fred Berman, did a good job with the various voices and accents. All opinions are my own.

WOW! This book really highlights the courageous individuals and many who risked their lives for the greater good. I think it needs to be at the top of your list!

Loved this one as I did all of Ron's books. Love the continuation of characters and the fast pace of this one!
Well done!

A great plot, rich in historical detail. I loved it.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

AN AFFAIR OF SPIES by Ronald H. Balson is an interesting view and take on WWII. The novel felt well-researched by Balson, full of scientific and technical information. I like that it included a smart heroine who somewhat understood what she was getting into. On the flip side, I felt that neither Allison nor Nathan was fully prepared or understood the magnitude of their mission. Nathan drove me crazy with his short-sighted actions that continually put everyone involved in danger. I understand he wanted to find what happened to his family, but at every step he compromised someone, and he was not able to think clearly about the ramifications. I also had a hard time when they were in public, which they shouldn’t have been, talking, and it had to be in English, which would also compromise them.
Overall, it was a novel that I enjoyed. The storyline was interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat. I kept turning pages to see what would happen next and find out whether they would complete their mission.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#AnAffairofSpies @RonaldHBalson #StMartinsPress #WWII #WorldWarIINovel

I was a bit disappointed reading this book. While I love the references to real scientists and the Manhattan project, I found a lot of what was written hard to believe. I also didn't appreciate the anti-Catholic references, there were many priests, religious and others who were killed in the concentration camps as dissidents, just like everyone else. I think this being written in this book further propagates historical inaccuracy.

I also found it hard to believe that an American spy who was known as the son of a prominent Jewish scientist and an American scientist who doesn't know a word of German can go traipsing through Nazi Paris and Germany without getting caught, especially when they have to communicate to each other in English.

I think this story had great potential, but the above took away my enjoyment of it.

I was provided with a free advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I always learn from Balson's book and this one is no exception. Details of the Manhattan Project are revealed juxtaposed against Germany's knowledge and implementation of its nuclear program. The romantic interludes of Nathan Silverman, trained to be an American spy, and Dr. Allison Fisher, a brilliant, budding scientist, creates a tale of excitement, and tension until the story's end. Great read!

If Nathan and Allison had really been assigned to make their way into Berlin during WWII, find out Germany's nuclear secrets, and smuggle out a nuclear scientist who wanted to defect, I'm afraid their mission would have been a terrible disaster. Despite his training, Nathan wasn't a very good spy at all. But, this is a work of fiction, set against the backdrop of a very real war, and it was an enjoyable read.

I especially liked the way the author explained the science and the basics of what was going on in that area of the war in an easy-to-understand way that didn't feel out of place at all in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC - which did take me a while to get to and read, so the book is now available wherever you get your books.

I love when I can stumble across a WWII novel about a story/timeline that I don't know as much about. This book was very fast paced and I felt on the edge of my seat the entire time. I did not know much about the Manhattan Project era and how many German scientists had left Germany before the war had really started. I also did not know much about Germany's nuclear program either, so this book showed a lot of interesting perspectives. Certainly frightening how science that started innocent, quickly turned so dangerous. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

An Affair of Spies, by Ronald H. Balson, is a fast-paced spy story, set during WWII and centers on the development of nuclear weapons by the US and Nazi Germany. Balson is meticulous in his research, both historical and scientific, and this adds a lot of credibility to the story. The main characters are thoroughly engaging, and readers will want to cheer them on as they complete their mission. This is somewhat challenging as one character struggles with a conflict that puts the team at risk. It also adds to the suspense! I really enjoyed this book and recommend it. It will make a great movie. One caveat…this is a stand-alone novel and not an entry in the Liam Taggart/Catherine Lockhart series. Nonetheless, there is some overlap of subject matter. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a pleasure.

Suspense, a little romance, the constant fear of the job at hand...tie that in with a historical fiction and you have Balson's An Affair of Spies. This newest work kept me turning page. As a well-paced, full of action, spy-thriller, it isn't my usual go-to genre (at least not since I was a kid), but I was entertained completely. The usual lulls that make me lose interest in many spy-thrillers is no where to be found in this. The If you like works that keep you turning the page, great writing, and a compelling story you should definently pick this one up. Will be recommending to many of my friends.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

It was fine. I really enjoyed the intertwinement of the Manhattan Project and nuclear power development. But I felt like more could've been done there. There wasn't really much of a conflict though...they all resolved relatively easily and the male MC made stupid decisions and was fairly bland as characters go. This is relatively simple as far as historical fictions go.

Ronald Balson's novels always draw me in, and An Affair of Spies was no exception! This WWII spy novel was the perfect mix of history, war, science, and character development. Nathan's character was so well developed - he was a young German Jew who managed to leave Germany just before the war, yet returned home as a US soldier turned spy to gather information about Germany's nuclear weapons program. On the way, he falls in love with a US scientist and tries to learn about the family he left behind in Germany. This book was fast paced and absolutely addictive. I rated it 3.75 stars, rounded up... the slight downgrade from 4 stars was because all the scientific jargon became a bit of mumbo jumbo to me after awhile. Great book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.

I can’t believe that I forgot to review this book when I read it earlier this year. All of Ron’s readers look forward to September when his next book is often released! And this book was worth the wait. It is as entertaining and riveting as his prior books and you will enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fast-paced, action packed historical -fiction -thriller written by Ronald Balson, yes please! A team of spies from the US goes into Berlin during the war to extract a defector. Danger and tension lurk around every corner. Clever story and smart, likable characters.

An Affair of Spies is a historical fiction. I wouldn't really classify it has a thriller, but it's not a cozy one either. It's just a very well researched historical fiction books, too me.

Nathan Silverman is a German Jew, whose parents sent him to New York to live with his aunt. He joins the Army, when German citizens are allowed. Because he is fluent in German, he gets tapped to go on a secret mission for the Manhattan Project.

Dr. Allison Fisher is a physicists work on part of the project in Chicago. She gets tapped because of her knowledge.

As I said, I could tell that Balson did a lot of research. The characters repeated some facts told earlier in the book, but it wasn't so much that it bogged the book down. Character development was good. The story moved along at a good pace, also.

If you like historical fiction dealing with WWII, I recommend you give the book a try.

Published September 13, 2022

Thanks to Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#netgalley
#stmartinspress

📚 Happy Reading 🙂📚

Another excellent WWII thriller by Ronald Balson. Sergeant Nathan Silverman is a German Jewish refugee, who fled Europe at the urging of his family, and has enlisted in the US army, where he has been transferred into an intelligence unit because of his fluency in German. He is sent to NY City to meet a General and Robert Oppenheimer, and introduced to Dr. Allison Fischer, a nuclear physicist. Together, they are asked to sneak into Nazi Germany to evaluate whether a Dr. Snyder can help the U.S. effort to build a nuclear weapon and to determine what progress the Nazis have made in their own efforts to build one. Nathan's father (Josef) worked with Snyder and Nathan is desperate for news of his family, and fears the worst. Nathan impersonates a Wehrmacht officer and Allison is supposed to be his French girlfriend. Of course, they encounter many difficulties along the way, and because of compartmentalization, Snyder only has a partial picture, causing the Berlin chief of station to assist in an unsanctioned daring mission. Very good, 4.5 stars.