Review: Orders from Berlin - Simon Tolkien

Orders from Berlin is the fourth novel by Tolkien. The story takes place during World War II, in 1940. William Trave, known from some of his previous books, and his boss John Quaid investigates the murder of Albert Morrison, former chief of the mysterious MI6. At the same time, in Germany, Adolf Hitler wants to get Winston Churchill out of the picture, once and for all. The head of the Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst, Reinhard Heydrich, thinks he has the solution for that problem. But he needs help from London. 

Trave doesn’t always agree with Quaid how to run the investigation. While Quaid is certain he knows the identity of the killer, Trave is not so sure of it and goes against the will of Quaid as he tries to solve the murder mystery. And how is Hitler’s wish to kill Churchill related to the death of Albert Morrison? What about the mysterious little notes that Trave and Quaid find during their investigation? At the same time, bombs are falling over London. The Germans have started Operation Sea Lion, their code name for the invasion of England.

Everything is not as it first appears in this story. Even readers might be led into believing they know who the killer of Albert Morrison is, only to learn that they have been thinking about the wrong person.

The killer presents himself to the readers halfway through the book, which might disappoint some readers who whished to play alongside Trave and Quaid and for themselves figure out the truth. But despite that, the second part of the book is filled with action. Will they be able to stop the assassination of prime minister Winston Churchill?

I have not read the previous novels by Tolkien, so I can not compare this novel to the other novels. I found the novel a bit slow in the beginning, but it got better as the book progressed. And in the end it was even better. There are some intense moments, especially when a bomb falls over London, almost killing Trave and Alec Thorn, who is one of the suspects. 

The scenes are very well described and you clearly get a picture of what it was like in London during 1940. I do recommend the book for readers interested in that era of the history as well as for fans of murder histories.

(Read by Anna who stops in once or twice a year. I also tried to make her a new button)