What do you think?
Rate this book
Angels Fallen
During WWII, senior Nazi party and Vatican officials plotted the most brazen robbery of all time.
Sixty years later, multi-millionaire Hans Dieter, in a death bed confession, reveals to his son, Jim Dieter (retired Navy SEAL) and his best friend, Dan Flaherty (ex-IRA) his role in the robbery.
The Vatican becomes aware that their closely guarded secret is unraveling and activates their own security forces, Interpol, and British MI-6 to press for Dan and Jim’s whereabouts. This sets the stage for a dramatic race across the European Continent with Dan and Jim barely able to stay one step ahead of their pursuer as they search for the remainder of the gold Hans had secreted during the closing days of WWII.
Sixty years later, multi-millionaire Hans Dieter, in a death bed confession, reveals to his son, Jim Dieter (retired Navy SEAL) and his best friend, Dan Flaherty (ex-IRA) his role in the robbery.
The Vatican becomes aware that their closely guarded secret is unraveling and activates their own security forces, Interpol, and British MI-6 to press for Dan and Jim’s whereabouts. This sets the stage for a dramatic race across the European Continent with Dan and Jim barely able to stay one step ahead of their pursuer as they search for the remainder of the gold Hans had secreted during the closing days of WWII.
Nook
First published January 11, 2011
48 people are currently reading
549 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 29, 2013
An Exceptional Piece of Writing
The plot is exceptional and the writer seems to have a genuine gift. This is about the only way to properly describe my introduction concerning this author.
This captivating and worthy of note work had me immersed from the beginning. The story flows from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows excellent skill when it comes to storytelling. This author delivers every time for me.
As much as this genre can be conventional, I found this tale of military intrigue to be refreshingly imaginative. There are twists and turns in this page turner that will take the reader on a gripping journey. Also, the writing style is straightforward which makes for an enjoyable read.
As usual with my reviews, I'm giving nothing away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery!
A highly recommended read!
The plot is exceptional and the writer seems to have a genuine gift. This is about the only way to properly describe my introduction concerning this author.
This captivating and worthy of note work had me immersed from the beginning. The story flows from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows excellent skill when it comes to storytelling. This author delivers every time for me.
As much as this genre can be conventional, I found this tale of military intrigue to be refreshingly imaginative. There are twists and turns in this page turner that will take the reader on a gripping journey. Also, the writing style is straightforward which makes for an enjoyable read.
As usual with my reviews, I'm giving nothing away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery!
A highly recommended read!
April 15, 2013
This book starts off by laying out the ground work of an intriguing story that takes place in WW2. The story then switches back to present day and the real story begins.
During WW2 Captain Hans Dieter of the German army plays a role as one of the people that help move the vast amount of treasures seized during the occupation of European countries.
The treasures were then transferred to the Vatican bank for safe keeping and to be used to pay off officials and help hide the movement of German officers after the war was over.
Hans on his deathbed tells his tale to his son Jim and Dan Flaherty, asking them to right all his wrongs. Jim being a former Navy SEAL and Dan being and ex-IRA operative are the unlikely match but that adds to the story as well.
This is where the story really begins and this leads our two heroes down a path of nonstop action and adventure. The book is a real page turner that has you on your toes wondering what will happen next. Our heroes find themselves in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the people that do not want their secrets to be known to the outside world.
This book has a great plot and storyline that is full of adventure and will have you wanting more and more. If you’re the type who like adventure, action, spy / espionage, and a splash of military action than this is the book for you. This is an amazing read that thoroughly enjoyed all the way through.
During WW2 Captain Hans Dieter of the German army plays a role as one of the people that help move the vast amount of treasures seized during the occupation of European countries.
The treasures were then transferred to the Vatican bank for safe keeping and to be used to pay off officials and help hide the movement of German officers after the war was over.
Hans on his deathbed tells his tale to his son Jim and Dan Flaherty, asking them to right all his wrongs. Jim being a former Navy SEAL and Dan being and ex-IRA operative are the unlikely match but that adds to the story as well.
This is where the story really begins and this leads our two heroes down a path of nonstop action and adventure. The book is a real page turner that has you on your toes wondering what will happen next. Our heroes find themselves in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the people that do not want their secrets to be known to the outside world.
This book has a great plot and storyline that is full of adventure and will have you wanting more and more. If you’re the type who like adventure, action, spy / espionage, and a splash of military action than this is the book for you. This is an amazing read that thoroughly enjoyed all the way through.
January 11, 2013
Take any one of Tom Clancy’s novels and mate it with the movie “National Treasure “, add in a healthy dosage of world war II Nazi intrigue and you have Francis Smith’s “Angels Fallen”.
Smith casts a plethora of characters that will keep any action lover turning the page.
The story flip flops in time to give a solid background of the events that are occurring in our modern day. With sneaky Holy See action and a slippery than slick main character that manages to escape danger I would recommend to this book to anyone who loves a altruistic happy ending and a road fraught with danger to get there!
Smith casts a plethora of characters that will keep any action lover turning the page.
The story flip flops in time to give a solid background of the events that are occurring in our modern day. With sneaky Holy See action and a slippery than slick main character that manages to escape danger I would recommend to this book to anyone who loves a altruistic happy ending and a road fraught with danger to get there!
March 29, 2013
Page Turner
Riveting and suspenseful thriller. The author did a masterful job drawing me into the plot of the characters and used plausible WWII events to base the story. The clever turns kept me turning the pages for more. Highly recommend this thrill ride!
Riveting and suspenseful thriller. The author did a masterful job drawing me into the plot of the characters and used plausible WWII events to base the story. The clever turns kept me turning the pages for more. Highly recommend this thrill ride!
July 13, 2013
Well crafted!
It was well worth the time. I just have to say this the book is the kind which you can not put down before finishing it. My recommendation don't start if you have some other important work lined up. I also found it one step up from most books in this genre.
It was well worth the time. I just have to say this the book is the kind which you can not put down before finishing it. My recommendation don't start if you have some other important work lined up. I also found it one step up from most books in this genre.
May 8, 2013
Kept me burning through the pages. Good beach read!
August 14, 2022
Entertaining. Historical Fiction. Would not claim too much to be factual or accurate but it is an entertaining read. Set as a WWII back drop and then moves to modern day. Some of the characters are a little cliché like the drunken Irishman and the Jamaican taxi driver. I finished the book but it isn't anything I would really recommend.... but it is a light, entertaining read..
April 5, 2018
This tried to be like the Jack Higgins Sean Dillion series but failed. The storyline was ok but the execution was poor. Wasted a few hours of my life.
December 27, 2020
Don't waste your time
Seemed like the author got bored. Really a complete waste of time. No character development and an under developed plot.
Seemed like the author got bored. Really a complete waste of time. No character development and an under developed plot.
June 9, 2012
Present day Vatican secret security officials are hunting gold given by the Nazi's to Pope Pius XII by the Nazi's to be held in the Vatican Bank in WW2. Also part of the agreement was safe escape for high ranking Nazi officials in exchange for Nazi's to stop killing Jews (at the end of the war no less when 6,000,000 were already dead). The gold was stolen by an officer in the German army officer, Hans Dieter, and hidden on his family family farm in Germany. Dieter eventually emigrates to America and settles down to life in upstate NY. Upon his death 60 years later, he sends his son, a Navy seal and his friend Dan Flaherty, ex IRA, to retrieve the gold. With Vatican security, Interpol and MI-6 on their tails, can James Dieter and Dan Flaherty successfully retrieve the hidden gold and outrun those in pursuit. TITLE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO ANGELS FELL due to legal issues according to amazon who is promoting it. While I enjoyed the plot the ending was not what I had expected, but it was too abrupt.
October 17, 2013
Angels Fallen is one of those books that keep you up at night when you know you have to get up early the next morning. I could not stop reading, and just kept saying to myself: I'll read just a little more, just a little more...
The plot concerns a Vatican cover-up, Nazi gold, and documents that could blow the Catholic church apart. It's a familiar plot from the last several years: Catholic Church cover-ups and travelling across several countries to both escape them and solve the mystery. This author, however, took this plot and rocked my world with it. It's fun, the action never lags, and you never really know what is going to happen next. I never saw what was coming, as the author never telegraphed his plot. No guessing here; you have to keep reading to find out what's going to happen, and the answer is always interesting and, at times, mind-blowing.
I loved it, and I will be sure to read this author again. The history is right, the dialogue and action realistic, and it held my interest for long hours. I didn't even miss the lost sleep. Definite 5 stars.
The plot concerns a Vatican cover-up, Nazi gold, and documents that could blow the Catholic church apart. It's a familiar plot from the last several years: Catholic Church cover-ups and travelling across several countries to both escape them and solve the mystery. This author, however, took this plot and rocked my world with it. It's fun, the action never lags, and you never really know what is going to happen next. I never saw what was coming, as the author never telegraphed his plot. No guessing here; you have to keep reading to find out what's going to happen, and the answer is always interesting and, at times, mind-blowing.
I loved it, and I will be sure to read this author again. The history is right, the dialogue and action realistic, and it held my interest for long hours. I didn't even miss the lost sleep. Definite 5 stars.
October 12, 2014
I would honestly give "Angels Fallen" just under three stars rather than two because it's a pretty decent read, but it falls short when there are so many other more capable alternatives in the genre. The plot is good and the story moves quickly, but I found the characters to be way under-developed and more caricatures than believable. The biggest problem for me was the banter that would go on all too frequently between the two protagonists, which sounded more like a couple of college frat boys planning some hijinks than a former Navy SEAL and IRA activist outwitting the SAS, Interpol and Vatican Guard. There was also too little -- or no -- back story on what had occurred at the end of World War II that sets up the rest of the current action. There just wasn't enough motive beneath the action, so the plot plays out -- with some interesting turns -- but very little emotional investment to make it very resonant.
May 13, 2014
This book was an OK read, but I wasn't impressed. I do think the writer did a good job in not giving away hints on how it would end. I really wasn't sure what would happen, so that was nice. However, I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. The conversations between the 2 main characters were so cheesy. I am not a man, but I know many men and wasn't born yesterday - 2 men do not talk to each other in the dialogue Francis Smith wrote. I was looking forward to finishing the book. The story behind the fortune is interesting and really the only part I enjoyed is when they told the back story. I've read many WWII novels, both first-hand accounts and fiction and this book goes at the bottom of my list.
January 3, 2015
This book is a must read.I would honestly give "Angels Fallen" just under four stars rather than two because it's a pretty decent read. I could not stop reading, and just kept saying to myself: I'll read just a little more, just a little more.
The characters are so developed that you find yourself smiling and laughing along with them during good times and feeling stressed during times of trouble. Highly recommended.
The characters are so developed that you find yourself smiling and laughing along with them during good times and feeling stressed during times of trouble. Highly recommended.
September 25, 2013
I loved this book. My only complaint-it made me late for everything! One more chapter...one more chapter.. ok,just one more. This was a truly creative and enjoyable book to read, no dull moments. There were several different stains of the story going on and he wove them together perfectly. It was well written, well developed and a really good read. If you're hesitating about getting it - don't!
September 25, 2013
This book is a must read. I was drawn in from the first chapter. The story is written so vividly that one imagines that they are intertwined with the story. The characters are so developed that you find yourself smiling and laughing along with them during good times and feeling stressed during times of trouble. Would recommend!
November 5, 2013
This book grabs you and doesn't let go. I really enjoyed the setting and the I think the author did a really good job of making it believable. The character's I found were well written and likeable for the most part. I am a sucker for any type of historical fiction and with this leading into a modern day spy game it didn't disappoint. A good read if you are looking for something fast-paced!
January 30, 2014
I made the mistake of starting to read this in order to relax before I went to bed. Big mistake! It kept me up way past my bed time. It was just so absorbing, it pulled me right in with what i would classify as a Fun Read. Luckily I could finish over the course of the weekend. I should have listened to one of the previous posts.
September 17, 2013
I have to agree with an earlier post by someone: this book is like Clancy and the movie National Treasure tossed together. This was a really fun read, uplifting book that didn't leave me depressed after I finished. I am going to give it a few months and re-read it. It was that good.
September 25, 2013
This was a great book, right up there with Dan Brown! I love books that stretch my mind and make me question things and this book certainly did that! Can't wait to read the next one!! Francis Smith's is an excellent writer!
July 4, 2014
Our Bookclub selection for May. I found it to be an excellent story, nicely told. The kind of story one gets lost in (and that makes my wife happy I have an illuminated Kindle Paperwhite at three in the morning!).
August 6, 2015
I read mostly at night and this book kept me up past my bed time on numerous occasions. I really enjoy books like this. I would recommend this to all Thriller junkies. Also, the ending left you thinking there will be a sequel. I certainly hope so.......
March 24, 2013
more like a 2 1/2
August 27, 2013
This was one of those old fashioned fun books that I did not want to end. Loved the characters and the storyline. Can't wait for the follow-on book.
April 17, 2014
Good read
a very catchy story line with believable content and characters. I was especially shocked by the ending though I am not sure why Nazi history/fiction intrigues me.
a very catchy story line with believable content and characters. I was especially shocked by the ending though I am not sure why Nazi history/fiction intrigues me.
April 26, 2015
Nice Read!
A good 4 star read. Nice storyline, great characters!! Every chapter had some sort of excitement to it. Never got bored reading it. Read if you have the chance!
A good 4 star read. Nice storyline, great characters!! Every chapter had some sort of excitement to it. Never got bored reading it. Read if you have the chance!
September 2, 2015
Not good...
Full of common places, the characters are stereotyped and not interesting. The plot is good, but the delivery is bad.
Full of common places, the characters are stereotyped and not interesting. The plot is good, but the delivery is bad.
Read
January 1, 2016I love books about WWII and Nazi's. The book was not as much as from WWII, but more in the current day. I would read Francis Smith again though.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews