Spies of the Balkans

April 12, 2010
Set in Greece in 1940, this powerful WWII thriller from Furst (The Spies of Warsaw
) focuses on Costa Zannis, a senior Salonika police official known for his honesty and ability to settle matters “before they got out of hand.” As the Nazis’ intentions for Europe’s Jews becomes clear, Zannis goes out of his way to aid refugees seeking to escape Germany. When Mussolini’s troops invade Greece, Zannis joins the army, where he meets Capt. Marko Pavlic, who as a policeman in Zagreb investigated crimes committed by the Ustashi, Croatian fascists. With their similar politics, Zannis and Pavlic soon become friends and allies. Subtle details foreshadow the coming crimes perpetrated by the Nazis in the Balkans. For example, Zannis learns from a colleague that someone has been taking photos of the contents of a synagogue so that the Germans can more easily identify what to plunder. Furst fans will welcome seeing more books set in less familiar parts of Europe.

Starred review from November 1, 2010

It is 1940, and Greece is on the brink of Nazi invasion. Constantine "Costa" Zannis finds that his job as a senior police official in the northern port city of Salonika offers unique tools enabling him to assist a grass-roots effort to smuggle Jews out of Germany. As the war moves closer to Greece, the danger of getting discovered by the Gestapo grows exponentially. Author Furst (alanfurst.net)--whose preceding novel, The Spies of Warsaw (2008), is also available from Recorded Books/S. & S. Audio--is masterful here at building characters, crafting dilemmas, creating suspense and excitement, and leaving the exact outcome uncertain. Engagingly read by actor Daniel Gerroll, this audio is an excellent choice for anyone enjoying spy stories. [The New York Timesbest-selling Random hc also received a starred review, LJ 5/15/10.--Ed.]--Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., Providence

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