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When starting a new book by author Jeffery Deaver, expect to have the wool pulled over your eyes. His plots twist and turn and juke and jive like no others, never ending as expected and always including a jaw-dropping plot development. His latest effort, Garden of Beasts, is no exception. Amazon.com caught up with Deaver to discuss plotting, characters, and the perils of soap opera acting.
224th out of 1,091 books
—
1,055 voters
Garden of Beasts
by
Jeffery Deaver (Goodreads Author)
Jeffery Deaver's Garden of Beasts introduces anti-hero Paul Schumann, a notorious rubout man for the New York Mafia known for his cold and professional approach to his job. But the jig is up when he is duped by high-ranking feds who give him a choice--prison or one more impossible job: assassinate the man who's running Hitler's plan for rearming Germany. The hard-nosed Ger...more
Mass Market Paperback, 515 pages
Published
by Hodder & Stoughton
(first published 2004)
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Jan 14, 2009
Ed
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Thriller, Spy, WWII, fans
Recommended to Ed by:
Heidi
Shelves:
spy-political-thriller,
reviewed
I'm not so sure that Deaver shouldn't stick to his Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs novels. They are so much better than his other efforts.
This story started off as a two star effort at best, ended as a four star offering hence the three stars I gave it.
I'm not sure why I endured through the almost childish early part of the story. I guess I'm a sucker for WW II novels, especially if they involve intrigue.
Staged against the backdrop of the preparation for the 1936 Olympics, the protagonist Paul Schum...more
This story started off as a two star effort at best, ended as a four star offering hence the three stars I gave it.
I'm not sure why I endured through the almost childish early part of the story. I guess I'm a sucker for WW II novels, especially if they involve intrigue.
Staged against the backdrop of the preparation for the 1936 Olympics, the protagonist Paul Schum...more
This was not Jeffrey Deaver's best effort. He seems a little stiff writing historical fiction. But it's clear that he did his homework, and if I hadn't already read so many books set during the Third Reich (most notably Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series), I might have enjoyed this more. As it was, I found it hard to identify with the main character, not because he is a professional hit man, but because it was hard to get a handle on his motives. (Does he just like to kill? If so, is it believa...more
Recently I've read a few books about 1930's Berlin so this was slightly deja vu. It had a similar style of using all the lead Nazi officials as minor characters with plenty of spying and backstabbing by they populace. Then there are the constant threat of Brownshirts or SS officers ruining your day. Actually this was a lot like like, Straight into Darkness. There is a cop untainted by Nazi ideals whose children are all affected differently by them. The twist made sense and didn't actually comple...more
Oh dear! Nice idea; distinctly average execution. The obvious faults with this effort have been mentioned elsewhere so I won’t labour these. The plot, too, has also been given a good ‘going over’ so again, I’ll refrain from sticking the boot in here. It’s okay for a holiday read if nothing else is available; let’s put it this way, if I had lost the book half way through it would not have bothered me.
Deaver writes first-rate thrillers featuring a compelling hero in Lincoln Rhyme but, in common wi...more
Deaver writes first-rate thrillers featuring a compelling hero in Lincoln Rhyme but, in common wi...more
This book wasn't perfect, but I must say, it far exceeded my expectations.
Every time I thought the plot was getting predictable, it featured a nice, surprising turn. Furthermore, I really appreciated how the assassination target, Ernst, is originally set up as a pretty decent, hardworking guy, but then you find out there's a lot more to the character.
I did think Deaver tried too hard to make the American assassin, Paul, likable. He was a mafia hitman, but he only killed "bad" people. I thought t...more
Every time I thought the plot was getting predictable, it featured a nice, surprising turn. Furthermore, I really appreciated how the assassination target, Ernst, is originally set up as a pretty decent, hardworking guy, but then you find out there's a lot more to the character.
I did think Deaver tried too hard to make the American assassin, Paul, likable. He was a mafia hitman, but he only killed "bad" people. I thought t...more
The many storylines are compelling. You get to meet Hitler and other real characters like Himmler and Goring. The Cryptos search for Paul is a cat and mouse game that forces Paul into the shadows. There are a few there to help Paul complete his heady task of killing Ernst. And the men pulling the strings back in New York are not exactly what they seem. There is also love and national loyalty at play.
This novel has plenty going on and there were many things I really liked about it. I thought the...more
This novel has plenty going on and there were many things I really liked about it. I thought the...more
spannend verhaal dat afspeeld in de tweede wereldoorlog..nederl titel is BRANDEND IJS..ga zeker meer lezen van jeffery deaver.
1936. Het is de zomer van de Olympische Spelen in Berlijn, waar niemand weet wie te vertrouwen is en wie niet. Veel mensen, zoals ex-onderwijzeres Käthe Richter en zwarthandelaar Otto Webber, worstelen om zich staande te houden in het steeds grimmiger wordende Duitsland.
In New York wordt hitman Paul Schumann, een Amerikaan van Duitse afkomst, voor een bijzondere keuze ges...more
1936. Het is de zomer van de Olympische Spelen in Berlijn, waar niemand weet wie te vertrouwen is en wie niet. Veel mensen, zoals ex-onderwijzeres Käthe Richter en zwarthandelaar Otto Webber, worstelen om zich staande te houden in het steeds grimmiger wordende Duitsland.
In New York wordt hitman Paul Schumann, een Amerikaan van Duitse afkomst, voor een bijzondere keuze ges...more
Curious about Deaver as he is the next James Bond continuation author and is supposedly a local author. I selected Garden of Beasts as this was the novel that brought him to the attention of the James Bond publishers. For James Bond, Deaver has decided that the iconic spy needs to be reinvented as a post-star wars baby and in doing so become younger, more fit and technologically savvy.
So the irony is that the protagonist in Garden of Beasts saw action in WW1.
Set in 1936 Berlin, Garden of Beasts...more
So the irony is that the protagonist in Garden of Beasts saw action in WW1.
Set in 1936 Berlin, Garden of Beasts...more
Jeffery Deaver- Garden of Beasts (Pocket Star Books 2005) 4.5 Stars
It’s 1936 and Germany is trying to hide the fact that they are rearming. Paul Schumann is an assassin for hire and has just been caught by the government. He is given two choices either he does one last assassination, this time for the government, or he will be in line for the electric chair. Acting like a freelance sports journalist coming to Berlin for the Olympics, Schumann has been told to locate and eliminate Reinhard Ernst,...more
It’s 1936 and Germany is trying to hide the fact that they are rearming. Paul Schumann is an assassin for hire and has just been caught by the government. He is given two choices either he does one last assassination, this time for the government, or he will be in line for the electric chair. Acting like a freelance sports journalist coming to Berlin for the Olympics, Schumann has been told to locate and eliminate Reinhard Ernst,...more
Garden of Beasts was a pleasant surprise. I have read and enjoyed the Lincoln Rhyme series by Deaver, but the setting of Germany in 1936 was presented so powerfully that I was left shaking my head. Characterization was very, very important in this novel as we follow American Gangster Paul Schumman, a hired killer, who is blackmailed into an assasination plot. The goal is to assasinate one of Hitler's men who is responsible for the rearming plan for Germany. The character is fictional, an amalgam...more
Deaver, come ho scritto tante volte, è uno dei miei thrilleristi preferiti, per cui ho sempre aspettative molto alte nei confronti di ciò che scrive.
Quando poi si avventura su un romanzo tanto atipico per lui quanto questo “Giardino delle belve” allora si aggiunge un rischio aggiuntivo dovuto all’osticità dell’argomento.
In effetti mi è stato difficile ingranare da subito con la storia: i romanzi ambientati nel passato ed, in particolare, durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, hanno la tendenza ad o...more
Quando poi si avventura su un romanzo tanto atipico per lui quanto questo “Giardino delle belve” allora si aggiunge un rischio aggiuntivo dovuto all’osticità dell’argomento.
In effetti mi è stato difficile ingranare da subito con la storia: i romanzi ambientati nel passato ed, in particolare, durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, hanno la tendenza ad o...more
With an implausible plot line and thin characterizations, I found the book largely of interest in its setting in the Nazi Olympics of 1936. Unfortunately, the Olympic setting has absolutely nothing to do with the plot line other than to explain how easy it is for the antagonist to have gotten into to Nazi Germany in the first place (by pretending to be a sports reporter travelling with American Olympic athletes). Cameos by Jesse Owens and others having no bearing on the plot were thin and distra...more
Mr. Deaver ensnared me with his trickery. If you've peeked at some of my reviews you'll see I've got a bit of a fascination with Nazi Germany. So, Mr. Deaver didn't have to work too hard to win me over. He had me at heil. Then I started reading, and oh how I lamented. There was great wailing and gnashing of teeth. So very hokey. Cheesy. Man, he corny. I also have some strange compulsion to finish every book I start, feeling guilty for months afterwards if I don't (alright, I'll confess - I never...more
Hitler's Germany has been fertile grounds for many a work in both the literary and the silver screen. Even though they are numerous, I have let myself onto very few of them. If someone were to ask me as to what made me pick up this book, the only answer I have would be the acquaintance with the Lincoln Rhyme series.
Upfront I would rate it to be a good entertainer of a novel. Using the backdrop of Germany in the 1930's the plot tells of an assassination attempt in the highest orders of the gover...more
Upfront I would rate it to be a good entertainer of a novel. Using the backdrop of Germany in the 1930's the plot tells of an assassination attempt in the highest orders of the gover...more
This work of historical fiction takes place during the years preceding the Second World War. In this novel Paul Schuman a professional hit-man, who only targets the bad guys, is caught red handed and then given the opportunity by the Office of Naval Intelligence (preceding the CIA), to rid Germany of Reinhard Ernst - the mind behind Hitler's rearmament movement. Jefferey Deaver keeps us entertained with twists and turns and both the investigating German detective in the hunt for Schuman and Schu...more
I shall preface all reviews for Deaver books as follows: they are generally mysteries/crime thrillers usually containing fairly dark subject matter, and if that doesn't sit well with you, I'd avoid them.
This one is right up there with Praying For Sleep, runs a close second. You can read your own synopsis on the plot, for this review I'm just including my personal experience reading it.
When I briefly lived in Norman, OK, I had tickets to a rock concert I was very much looking forward to, and on t...more
This one is right up there with Praying For Sleep, runs a close second. You can read your own synopsis on the plot, for this review I'm just including my personal experience reading it.
When I briefly lived in Norman, OK, I had tickets to a rock concert I was very much looking forward to, and on t...more
i wasn't sure what to expect, given that a) i love deaver, b) usually dislike historical fiction, and c) know a crap load about the interwar period in germany.
turns out it was surprisingly good. i mean, it won awards, but see the second two points up there. normally i wouldn't even read this, but. i am glad i did. i wasn't sure what the twists were going to be, or how, given that we all know how history plays out.
i liked that deaver created a fictional character for the enemy, because it didn'...more
turns out it was surprisingly good. i mean, it won awards, but see the second two points up there. normally i wouldn't even read this, but. i am glad i did. i wasn't sure what the twists were going to be, or how, given that we all know how history plays out.
i liked that deaver created a fictional character for the enemy, because it didn'...more
Deaver classic. The reading was not any disappointment. I had to read it through as I always do when it comes to Jeffery Deaver.
The plot of the novel takes place in Nazi Berlin dated in 1936 and it offers a great insight of german society at that time. The story is a set of issues related to political movements, ideologies, bureaucracy, diplomatic decissions and of course primary purpose - love to money.
In the story you will meet figures who are real and who are not but as a complex the story pr...more
The plot of the novel takes place in Nazi Berlin dated in 1936 and it offers a great insight of german society at that time. The story is a set of issues related to political movements, ideologies, bureaucracy, diplomatic decissions and of course primary purpose - love to money.
In the story you will meet figures who are real and who are not but as a complex the story pr...more
A hired killer (Paul Schumann), caught by the authorities, agrees to travel to Hitler's Berlin on the eve of the 1936 Olympics to assassinate Germany's 'rearmament tzar' Reinhard Ernst in an attempt to halt Hitler's rise to power. All goes as planned. Schumann arrives in Berlin along with the US Olympic team, he meets his contact and sets out to plan his kill. With 1 or 2 minor problems, he find himself outside the Olympic stadium, rifle in hand, ready to finish his mission.
Then, in excellent De...more
Then, in excellent De...more
Admittedly a great read on historical fiction but still lacks Deavers thrills.But it has its fair share of turns and twists and this book will make you guess all along the read.But somethings are absurd like American Olympic Gold medalist Jesse ownes being ridiculed on some scenes with the protagonist.But one thing if I have to tell you better read it to fail your guessing. You cannot predict even a single thing or a twist in this plot.I would like Paul Schumann more if he was portrayed as a mor...more
This was a fun read for me for a couple of reasons.
The first was because I love Jeffery Deaver and his Lincoln Rhymes books. They never disappoint me and I was glad that this one didn't since it was the first non-Lincoln Rhyme series book that I read by him. It was classic Deaver. A book full of twists and turns, fast pacing, good suspense and interesting facts.
The second was because of the setting this book took place in. Being interested in the history World War 2 and Nazi Germany, it was fun...more
The first was because I love Jeffery Deaver and his Lincoln Rhymes books. They never disappoint me and I was glad that this one didn't since it was the first non-Lincoln Rhyme series book that I read by him. It was classic Deaver. A book full of twists and turns, fast pacing, good suspense and interesting facts.
The second was because of the setting this book took place in. Being interested in the history World War 2 and Nazi Germany, it was fun...more
I got this mp3 book from the library and (I guess since I didn't see the cover) I got it confused with "In the Garden of Beasts" by Eric Larson! I just figured that out! No wonder it was a different story than the one I expected. This one is fiction, a mystery. It is a wild ride of a story starting in the US and moving to Berlin with the Summer Olympics of 1936 and includes Hitler and his ministers. I enjoyed it - but not what I expected. The story twists and turns and when I had to leave it - I...more
I GAVE UP!
This is the first time in all the years I have given up on a book (179 pages in). I couldn't connect with any of the characters, the story wasn't gripping for me at all.
I am sure it will appeal to someone, the story is based on a hitman going to Berlin to take out the next in line if anything happens to Hitler and the next in command. Apart from not connecting with anyone stuff like refering to a hitman as a button man totally got on my nerves.
I honestly can't comment on anything else...more
This is the first time in all the years I have given up on a book (179 pages in). I couldn't connect with any of the characters, the story wasn't gripping for me at all.
I am sure it will appeal to someone, the story is based on a hitman going to Berlin to take out the next in line if anything happens to Hitler and the next in command. Apart from not connecting with anyone stuff like refering to a hitman as a button man totally got on my nerves.
I honestly can't comment on anything else...more
This was my first Jeffery Deaver book. It was a good read with a nice little twist in it. Before I got the book I had learned all about the author and read that he was really good at writing mystery/thriller type novels. Though this book had exciting parts to it, it wasn't the most "thrilling" book I've ever read, but it is entertaining and is definitely worth reading. Especially if you are a Deaver fan. I was honestly expecting a more complex twist at or near the end because of what I have read...more
Plenty of surprises keep you listening to this well plotted tale of Germany in the years before the war when no one is safe and the various arms of the police state keep secrets from each other and plot against one another. So well done that your can empathize with many of the characters....good and bad alike. An interesting look at the early days of the Third Reich.
It was also a great companion read to the non-fiction book by Eric Larson entitled In the Garden of the Beasts. Same time period bu...more
It was also a great companion read to the non-fiction book by Eric Larson entitled In the Garden of the Beasts. Same time period bu...more
This book is great if you enjoy historical fictions and spy books like I do. I hope Deaver decides to write more "spy" books like this because I've noticed a shortage of fast-paced, thrilling, spy novels. Obviously there are classic writers like LeCarré but the way Deaver enriches the characters and keeps you drawn to the story is different. Schumann reminds me a little of Agent 47 mixed with some Bond, which I found to be very entertaining.
Deaver is one of my favorite writers based on entertai...more
Deaver is one of my favorite writers based on entertai...more
I was used to the Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffery Deaver, but this book was a pleasure to read. For some reason, I am fascinated by World War II, and though fictional, there was a terrific feeling of what it would have been like to be in Berlin at the time of the Olympics. It is very strange to be rooting for a killer, but Paul Schumann was sent to do a righteous act. The civil policeman Kohl is an intelligent and interesting character. Ernst is portrayed as both a loving grandfather, and a ruth...more
This stand alone novel is quite different from the other Deaver I have read. Set against the backdrop of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, an American mob hit man is hired to "eliminate" someone in Hitler's inner circle. But there is a complicating "accidental" murder. One of the few remaining honest, hard working German detectives who has not bought into Nazism, is assigned to that case, and finds himself possibly in out of his depth. Meanwhile, the sympathetic hit man is having his own misadventure...more
A good story - in some spots a page-turner, but badly written. Deaver spends a lot of time with clumsy background exposition. Some of it is helpful and informative, but too much of it seems like he's just showing off what he knows. He also feels compelled to sprinkle in too many details about the time period, as well as pointing out German-English language translation issues. Again, interesting in some cases, but not smoothly handled.
The characters are rather one dimensional and film noir-ish....more
The characters are rather one dimensional and film noir-ish....more
I thought that this audiobook started out a bit so-so but it gathered speed as I got into it. It is a good "cat and mouse" type spy thriller based on a few historical events during the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the ascension of Adolf Hitler and his regime. Paul Schumann, a New York mob guy is given the choice of either going to jail or going to Germany, posing as a journalist, to assassinate one of Hitler's top ministers. If assignment is completed, Paul comes back stateside to a clean record and...more
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Jeffery Deaver was born outside of Chicago in 1950. His father was an advertising copywriter and his mother was a homemaker. Deaver worked as a magazine writer, then, to gain the background needed to become a legal correspondent for The New York Times or Wall Street Journal, he enrolled at Fordham Law School. In 1990 he started to write full time. Deaver has been nominated for six Edgar Awards fro...more
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Oct 24, 2012 11:48am