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The Quest for Anna Klein
Thomas Danforth has lived a fortunate life. The son of a wealthy importer, he traveled the world in his youth, and now, in his twenties, he lives in New York City and runs the family business. It is 1939, and the world is on the brink of war, but Danforth’s life is untroubled, his future assured. Then, on a snowy evening walk along Gramercy Park, a friend poses a fateful question.
As it turns out, this friend has a dangerous idea that can change the world. Danforth is to provide a place where a “brilliant woman” can receive training in firearms and explosives. This is to be the beginning of an international plot carried out by the mysterious Anna Klein—a plot that will ensnare Danforth in more ways than one. When the plan goes wrong and Klein disappears, Danforth’s quest begins: it is a journey of ever-shifting alliances and betrayals that will lead him across a war-torn world in search of answers. Now in his ninety-first year, at the dawn of a troubled new era, he sits in luxury at the Century Club and tells his tale to the young man from Washington he has summoned, for reasons of his own, to hear it.
As it turns out, this friend has a dangerous idea that can change the world. Danforth is to provide a place where a “brilliant woman” can receive training in firearms and explosives. This is to be the beginning of an international plot carried out by the mysterious Anna Klein—a plot that will ensnare Danforth in more ways than one. When the plan goes wrong and Klein disappears, Danforth’s quest begins: it is a journey of ever-shifting alliances and betrayals that will lead him across a war-torn world in search of answers. Now in his ninety-first year, at the dawn of a troubled new era, he sits in luxury at the Century Club and tells his tale to the young man from Washington he has summoned, for reasons of his own, to hear it.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 21, 2011
52 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Thomas H. Cook
97 books355 followersThere is more than one author with this name on Goodreads.
Thomas H. Cook has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. He is the author of more than 30 critically-acclaimed fiction books, including works of true crime. Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980. Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop.
He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books including the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993). He lives and works in New York City.
Awards
Edgar Allan Poe – Best Novel – The Chatham School Affair
Barry Award – Best Novel – Red Leaves
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – The Chatham School Affair
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – Red Leaves
Herodotus Prize – Fatherhood
Thomas H. Cook has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. He is the author of more than 30 critically-acclaimed fiction books, including works of true crime. Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980. Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop.
He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books including the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993). He lives and works in New York City.
Awards
Edgar Allan Poe – Best Novel – The Chatham School Affair
Barry Award – Best Novel – Red Leaves
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – The Chatham School Affair
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – Red Leaves
Herodotus Prize – Fatherhood
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
April 30, 2012
A couple of reasons I picked up The Quest for Anna Klein
I have read Thomas H. Cook before and have liked what I've read.
I heard an interview with Thomas H. Cook and he thinks this book is one of his best including history, sweep, characterization and atmosphere.
I love the cover with its Union Cases, picture of Hitler on the left and perhaps, Anna Klein on the right.
If you are strictly a mystery fan, I'd say don't read The Quest for Anna Klein.
If you are a thriller fan I'd say skip The Quest for Anna Klein.
If you love spy novels, maybe The Quest for Anna Klein would fit the bill.
It's not that The Quest for Anna Klein is not a mystery as it has those elements but not in the cozy sense or the crime/police procedural vein.
It's not that The Quest for Anna Klein is not a thriller as it definitely is, but if you're looking for quick, non-stop, snappy suspense, this is not going to thrill you.
Thomas H. Cook has won the Edgar and other awards for mystery writing but he doesn't subscribe to the McDonald's happy meal comfort zone, where what you got the last time will be what you get this time. He has written a series but decided the same ol' is not for him. He says he likes to write stories that are about moral crisis and I think you'll get that here.
The Quest for Anna Klein stands alone and stands alone quite well. It is a multi-layered story with a complicated plot and you are going to have to work but it's worth your time and effort. The story opens in 2001, a few months after America's wake up call September 11th. Thomas Danforth, an importer in his nineties has summoned Paul Crane, a young man from Washington with high expectations and ideas on how to respond to 9/11, for an interview he promises will change this young man's view of the world as he knows it. Switching back and forth from 1939 to present day, Danforth unfolds a tale of an anti-Nazi conspiracy called The Project. Danforth agrees to allow his Connecticut home to be used as a training base for a woman, Anna Klein, a gifted linguist. Anna is being trained as assassin and spy. Captivated by Anna from the get go, Danforth follows her to Europe and here the plot expands, taking on on a life of its own. As Crane interviews Danforth in the New York of 2001, we are continually swept back to 1939 and the happenings of that time and the fate of Anna.
Thomas H. Cook is a thoughtful writer and there are some excellent quotes, even when take out of context. Consider:
Danforth view of what Anna must think of him "What a prissy little wedding cake figure of a man she must think him, he decided, she who would be on the front one while he remained in America, having brandies at his club, his life compared with hers almost grotesquely free of care".
Danforth to Paul as he massages an ache in his knee (New York City 2011) "In memory most people come and go," he said. "But a few leave parts of themselves inside you." He released his leg and drew back. "Like shrapnel."
This last quote sums up my feelings of this book:
"He wanted me to know that he had something on his mind. He wanted me to be curious about what it was. It's the simplest way to draw someone into a plot. You make them want to know what you know."
And so Thomas H. Cook has...given me an inkling of a story, made me curious and drew me in to his web. He asks that you give a new author a chance. If you've never read Thomas H. Cook before, please do.
I have read Thomas H. Cook before and have liked what I've read.
I heard an interview with Thomas H. Cook and he thinks this book is one of his best including history, sweep, characterization and atmosphere.
I love the cover with its Union Cases, picture of Hitler on the left and perhaps, Anna Klein on the right.
If you are strictly a mystery fan, I'd say don't read The Quest for Anna Klein.
If you are a thriller fan I'd say skip The Quest for Anna Klein.
If you love spy novels, maybe The Quest for Anna Klein would fit the bill.
It's not that The Quest for Anna Klein is not a mystery as it has those elements but not in the cozy sense or the crime/police procedural vein.
It's not that The Quest for Anna Klein is not a thriller as it definitely is, but if you're looking for quick, non-stop, snappy suspense, this is not going to thrill you.
Thomas H. Cook has won the Edgar and other awards for mystery writing but he doesn't subscribe to the McDonald's happy meal comfort zone, where what you got the last time will be what you get this time. He has written a series but decided the same ol' is not for him. He says he likes to write stories that are about moral crisis and I think you'll get that here.
The Quest for Anna Klein stands alone and stands alone quite well. It is a multi-layered story with a complicated plot and you are going to have to work but it's worth your time and effort. The story opens in 2001, a few months after America's wake up call September 11th. Thomas Danforth, an importer in his nineties has summoned Paul Crane, a young man from Washington with high expectations and ideas on how to respond to 9/11, for an interview he promises will change this young man's view of the world as he knows it. Switching back and forth from 1939 to present day, Danforth unfolds a tale of an anti-Nazi conspiracy called The Project. Danforth agrees to allow his Connecticut home to be used as a training base for a woman, Anna Klein, a gifted linguist. Anna is being trained as assassin and spy. Captivated by Anna from the get go, Danforth follows her to Europe and here the plot expands, taking on on a life of its own. As Crane interviews Danforth in the New York of 2001, we are continually swept back to 1939 and the happenings of that time and the fate of Anna.
Thomas H. Cook is a thoughtful writer and there are some excellent quotes, even when take out of context. Consider:
Danforth view of what Anna must think of him "What a prissy little wedding cake figure of a man she must think him, he decided, she who would be on the front one while he remained in America, having brandies at his club, his life compared with hers almost grotesquely free of care".
Danforth to Paul as he massages an ache in his knee (New York City 2011) "In memory most people come and go," he said. "But a few leave parts of themselves inside you." He released his leg and drew back. "Like shrapnel."
This last quote sums up my feelings of this book:
"He wanted me to know that he had something on his mind. He wanted me to be curious about what it was. It's the simplest way to draw someone into a plot. You make them want to know what you know."
And so Thomas H. Cook has...given me an inkling of a story, made me curious and drew me in to his web. He asks that you give a new author a chance. If you've never read Thomas H. Cook before, please do.
December 25, 2019
If you keep hunting through the stacks you may eventually strike a gold vein, and that is what I am calling my discovery of this author Thomas H. Cook. I have not read any of his work previously but intend to read more now that I have completed this book.
This is so different from the usual espionage thriller. There are really moving sentiments expressed, layers upon layers of secrecy and lies as well as believable plots worked out toward the effort to kill Hitler.
The structure is that of a present day interview of a spy, now 91, alternating with events during WWII.
To describe the plot would ruin it for other readers, so I will not do that. It does start out in America where some characters are initiated into something referred to as The Project. Training in languages and warfare takes place at a country home in preparation for what they will be asked to do.
This is so different from the usual espionage thriller. There are really moving sentiments expressed, layers upon layers of secrecy and lies as well as believable plots worked out toward the effort to kill Hitler.
The structure is that of a present day interview of a spy, now 91, alternating with events during WWII.
To describe the plot would ruin it for other readers, so I will not do that. It does start out in America where some characters are initiated into something referred to as The Project. Training in languages and warfare takes place at a country home in preparation for what they will be asked to do.
December 23, 2011
This book was so good, it really reminded me of why I love to read. Gripping story, well-told. Surprise tears in my eyes at the end. WWII tale of espionage, with all the complexities of conflicting loyalties and confusion over who to trust, mixed in with a love story at its core. What's not to like?
June 9, 2011
I really liked this book. It had it's slow moments and ones where the author shouldn't have used his conversation change technique, but it left me changed and I admire books that do that. This book is more than a spy novel, it's a novel about love and the decisions one makes and the consequences and life path changes that one has to live with. There was one (to me) glaring mistake, but I guess it could be understood... on the very first page, the narrator stated that he was a part of a Soviet Think Tank that never knew that Soviet Russia was going to fall. Now I was in Europe in the early 80's and listened to Radio Free Europe a lot, which was run by the CIA and they made it clear that they knew that the Soviet economy was kept afloat by their 'acquiring' other countries, hence their need to absorb Afghanistan, and that if that was prevented, the Soviets would collapse in 10 years, which is what happened, but most Americans were ignorant of this so the author not knowing would be understandable and I don't know if knowing it would have changed the story in any way.
This was the first Thomas Cook novel I've read and I hope it won't be the last because I understand it isn't considered his best, and if there are better, then I definitely want to read more. I highly recommend this book.
This was the first Thomas Cook novel I've read and I hope it won't be the last because I understand it isn't considered his best, and if there are better, then I definitely want to read more. I highly recommend this book.
July 7, 2011
I stumbled upon this by accident on the best seller shelves at the library. It sat at the bottom of my to-read stack, a book and author of which I had no previous knowledge. It turns out to be one of my favorite summer reads so far. Set in two main time periods, 1939 and 2001, each year is important to the plot. Much research into historical events and locations is evident, occasionally daunting the reader to keep them straight. But the weaving of all the elements to end in surprising but very satisfactory ending left me thoughtfully contemplating the task Mr. cook had set for himself in the writing of this novel. I enjoyed it immensely.
September 22, 2011
This book has a few twists and I found it intriguing...I wanted to know who Anna Klein was and it kept me captivated the whole way through. It ends in a way that makes you think about people's heritage and life experiences in ways you might not otherwise. You have to suspend a little disbelief but it's worth it for this great, quick read.
September 14, 2012
A most unusual book, which gave me so much to think about and so many references to research. The line between fiction and non-fiction often seemed to be blurred. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is interested in that period of history.
July 14, 2011
This story is told by a man in his nineties remembering the days when he was in his twenties and recruited to help in what was becoming the struggle against Germany in the days leading up to WWII.
Thomas Danforth lived a pampered life. On a wintry night, his friend persuades him to provide a place and cover for a young woman, Anna Klein. She was to be trained for a secret operation inside Germany; her training involved firearms and explosives.
The action is presented in alternating chapters of Danforth's life today and his narration of the action in the pre-war days.
Written with intelligence and literary excellence, we witness Anna facing her assignment with a fatalism "...like a woman walking toward her future just as religious martyrs walked toward their execution sites..."
The reader knows what was going on inside Hitler's Germany with his program against Jews, but we're not sure that Anna does. We witness her bravery and stoicism which makes us appreciate her as a character.
In the story, we are able to see glimpses of the evil in Germany and the brave few who were attempting to do something about it. It's a world of deception and treachery and we follow Anna and Thomas in nervous anticipation. Something goes wrong and Anna disappears and Thomas attempts to find her.
The theme seems to be believing in oneself and having the courage to do something when there is a bad situation. Thomas H. Cook's work is always entertaining and with the characters that come to life and an interesting plot, he's demonstrated his literary excellence in story telling.
Thomas Danforth lived a pampered life. On a wintry night, his friend persuades him to provide a place and cover for a young woman, Anna Klein. She was to be trained for a secret operation inside Germany; her training involved firearms and explosives.
The action is presented in alternating chapters of Danforth's life today and his narration of the action in the pre-war days.
Written with intelligence and literary excellence, we witness Anna facing her assignment with a fatalism "...like a woman walking toward her future just as religious martyrs walked toward their execution sites..."
The reader knows what was going on inside Hitler's Germany with his program against Jews, but we're not sure that Anna does. We witness her bravery and stoicism which makes us appreciate her as a character.
In the story, we are able to see glimpses of the evil in Germany and the brave few who were attempting to do something about it. It's a world of deception and treachery and we follow Anna and Thomas in nervous anticipation. Something goes wrong and Anna disappears and Thomas attempts to find her.
The theme seems to be believing in oneself and having the courage to do something when there is a bad situation. Thomas H. Cook's work is always entertaining and with the characters that come to life and an interesting plot, he's demonstrated his literary excellence in story telling.
November 20, 2013
Start was really boring.
Writing style was very irritating - very forced? I felt like I could spot all the writing techniques we used to learn about in class -foreshadowing, suspense yada yada- which is awkward and unpleasant. Too many analogies (bad and irrelevant ones) and too many 'this is something I will think about for the next fifty years of my life'. I get it, all you have ever done in your life is think about Anna Klein and every single conversation you have had with her. Enough.
Author also went on and on about how Danforth was such a romantic, but I didn't feel it. "Are you serious, you mean he actually loves her? Since when and how what whuh?" is what I often thought.
For all the book's verbosity, there was not enough on his love (did he even love her).
All these problems aside, the twists and turns were rewarding in the last bit of the book. I also enjoyed the little stories/asides found in the book.
Decent read, but not worth the time.
Writing style was very irritating - very forced? I felt like I could spot all the writing techniques we used to learn about in class -foreshadowing, suspense yada yada- which is awkward and unpleasant. Too many analogies (bad and irrelevant ones) and too many 'this is something I will think about for the next fifty years of my life'. I get it, all you have ever done in your life is think about Anna Klein and every single conversation you have had with her. Enough.
Author also went on and on about how Danforth was such a romantic, but I didn't feel it. "Are you serious, you mean he actually loves her? Since when and how what whuh?" is what I often thought.
For all the book's verbosity, there was not enough on his love (did he even love her).
All these problems aside, the twists and turns were rewarding in the last bit of the book. I also enjoyed the little stories/asides found in the book.
Decent read, but not worth the time.
July 4, 2011
An extremely convoluted tale that takes quite a while to develop. If you are used to action thrillers, this will not be your cup of tea. At times the narrative is maddeningly slow, reflecting the rambling nature of the ninety-one year old protagonist. However, the plot is well constructed, if not very believable, and the story gets more interesting in the final third of the book. Set mostly in 1939 in Europe and the US prior to the outbreak of WWII, the book does a fair job of reproducing the atmosphere of these troubled times, but is not in the same league in this respect as Alan Furst. Nevertheless, an enjoyable read and engaging characters.
June 10, 2019
Slow moving but excellent, this author is not only great with words but is very well educated and intelligent, which really enhances his story. He brings lots of history to the plot, it reads like nonfiction.
I loved learning the origin of the word saboteur and why we use the expression “beyond the Pale.” He throws in a lot of these little goodies as well as many literary quotes. It is a real treat to read something that has brains and isn’t formulaic.
I just read his nonfiction Even Darkness Sings and now I see how his novels inspired his true life adventure to come to the pages of that book.
I loved learning the origin of the word saboteur and why we use the expression “beyond the Pale.” He throws in a lot of these little goodies as well as many literary quotes. It is a real treat to read something that has brains and isn’t formulaic.
I just read his nonfiction Even Darkness Sings and now I see how his novels inspired his true life adventure to come to the pages of that book.
April 23, 2021
To read a novel requires a certain amount of concentration, focus, devotion to the reading. That kind of concentration and focus is hard to come by It is hard to find people who have those qualities...
February 8, 2025
Another fabulous book by an author who has quickly become a favorite. It is almost a trifle long, and I was prepared to be disappointed by the ending. But, ahh….
August 25, 2011
A cataract, and the surgery to remove it, stopped my reading cold for a couple of months this summer; so I didn’t get around to reading the latest novel by Thomas H. Cook, one of my favorite writers, until this week.
“The Quest for Anna Klein,” which was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in July, is Cook’s first foray into the spy novel genre. However, the structure of the book will be familiar to fans of the author’s finest crime novels including “The Fate of Katherine Carr” and The “Last Talk With Lola Faye.”
Once again, the main character is struggling to come to grips with something that happened in the distant past – an event that changed the course of his life. And once again, it was an event that he didn’t fully understand because of his tendency to deceive himself and because key information was withheld from him.
The novel opens shortly after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Paul Crane, a young foreign affairs expert who has just penned a tract calling for vengeance, is dispatched by a Washington think tank to interview an aged former intelligence officer who says he has thoughts that could assist American policy-making on the terrorist threat.
Crane meets Thomas Jefferson Danforth in the latter’s posh New York City club, hoping to get the interview over quickly and rush back to Washington ahead of an expected snow storm. But Danforth has other plans. He has a story to tell—“a little parable,” he calls it – and he’s determined to spin it out in his own time.
After Hitler rose to power in Germany, Danforth explains, a U.S. intelligence officer asked him for permission to use his remote Connecticut estate to conceal a mysterious young Jewish woman while she was being trained in the use of firearms and explosives in preparation for an undercover assignment in Europe.
Danforth agreed; but as he watched Anna Klein prepare for her assignment, he became entranced by her. Eventually, he broke off his engagement to a wealthy woman and volunteered to accompany Anna on her perilous assignment.
In Germany, things went bad. Anna and another operative were arrested by the Gestapo, and Danforth barely escaped with his life. Convinced that he and Anna were betrayed by a double agent, Danforth returned to Europe after the war to search for her, to discover who betrayed them, and to wreak revenge.
But the deeper he looked, the more he realized how little he understood about Anna and their assignment. Eventually he began to think that Anna herself may have been a double, or event triple agent.
Cook structures his story as a conversation between Crane and Danforth, the narrative flashing back and forth between their talk and the vivid details of the espionage assignment and Danforth’s quest.
His search for answers, and revenge, we gradually learn, has consumed him, causing him much hardship and eating decades of his life. This superbly well-written, literary novel has more twists and turns than a John le Carre thriller; and in the end, there are three surprises you’ll never see coming.
“The Quest for Anna Klein” is more than just another spy novel. It is at once a tormented love story and a morality tale about betrayal and vengeance. And most importantly, Danforth (and Cook) gently prod Crane (and the reader) toward an understanding of the high cost of zealotry.
“The Quest for Anna Klein,” which was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in July, is Cook’s first foray into the spy novel genre. However, the structure of the book will be familiar to fans of the author’s finest crime novels including “The Fate of Katherine Carr” and The “Last Talk With Lola Faye.”
Once again, the main character is struggling to come to grips with something that happened in the distant past – an event that changed the course of his life. And once again, it was an event that he didn’t fully understand because of his tendency to deceive himself and because key information was withheld from him.
The novel opens shortly after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Paul Crane, a young foreign affairs expert who has just penned a tract calling for vengeance, is dispatched by a Washington think tank to interview an aged former intelligence officer who says he has thoughts that could assist American policy-making on the terrorist threat.
Crane meets Thomas Jefferson Danforth in the latter’s posh New York City club, hoping to get the interview over quickly and rush back to Washington ahead of an expected snow storm. But Danforth has other plans. He has a story to tell—“a little parable,” he calls it – and he’s determined to spin it out in his own time.
After Hitler rose to power in Germany, Danforth explains, a U.S. intelligence officer asked him for permission to use his remote Connecticut estate to conceal a mysterious young Jewish woman while she was being trained in the use of firearms and explosives in preparation for an undercover assignment in Europe.
Danforth agreed; but as he watched Anna Klein prepare for her assignment, he became entranced by her. Eventually, he broke off his engagement to a wealthy woman and volunteered to accompany Anna on her perilous assignment.
In Germany, things went bad. Anna and another operative were arrested by the Gestapo, and Danforth barely escaped with his life. Convinced that he and Anna were betrayed by a double agent, Danforth returned to Europe after the war to search for her, to discover who betrayed them, and to wreak revenge.
But the deeper he looked, the more he realized how little he understood about Anna and their assignment. Eventually he began to think that Anna herself may have been a double, or event triple agent.
Cook structures his story as a conversation between Crane and Danforth, the narrative flashing back and forth between their talk and the vivid details of the espionage assignment and Danforth’s quest.
His search for answers, and revenge, we gradually learn, has consumed him, causing him much hardship and eating decades of his life. This superbly well-written, literary novel has more twists and turns than a John le Carre thriller; and in the end, there are three surprises you’ll never see coming.
“The Quest for Anna Klein” is more than just another spy novel. It is at once a tormented love story and a morality tale about betrayal and vengeance. And most importantly, Danforth (and Cook) gently prod Crane (and the reader) toward an understanding of the high cost of zealotry.
April 18, 2022
Un début difficile plein de phrases sibyllines pour faire espionnage. Une histoire qui ne tient pas la route. Mais un romantisme échevelé qui m'a emporté (bonne poire !). Du coup, j'ai adoré.
July 19, 2014
4.5 stars... and I'll tell you why at the end.
If you are going to read Thomas H cook, bring your A-game. These are not books you can bluff your way through, skimming over some descriptive paragraphs, looking for "the action." Every word counts. You might have gotten away with that with some of his earlier works, sure. But those days are gone; Cook gets tighter and tighter with each tale.
If you pick up this book, settle in: this story is best read with no other distractions, in a couple short stints. You need to keep the tension, but you'll also need time to digest a bit, to mull over what you think of each character. They're plotting to assassinate Hitler in 1939. Yet some in their midst are playing games; no one is known enough to be trusted.
This story is an homage to things that seem lost to a bygone age: honor; loyalty; single-minded determination; commitment; the passion of true vengeance; a quest; and a love tested by the most brutal forces. It is a grand tale, told across 4 continents and almost 100 years, encompassing the horrors of the Armenian genocide up to September 11th. The characters Cook introduces us to are by all means extraordinary in their experiences and accomplishments. But he holds true by sharing their scars, not extolling them only as virtuous creatures or innocents or hapless victims.
The only flaw comes in the last couple paragraphs. The narrator (and thus the reader) finally learns the truth underpinning and tying together everything that makes Anna Klein, and thus what drives this story. But it refers back to a person mentioned once on page 166. If you do not remember this story, the impact of the reveal will be lost until you go back and find it. As much as I respect Cook for tying the story up so well, it was so deftly hidden that even a reader expecting a trick like that wasn't quite ready for it. Perhaps a second mention, even just in passing, to remind the reader of this presence, would have helped. Tom Danforth is circling back throughout his story, and this is the ultimate circling back. But while I caught every other one, this one eluded me. I had to find it, re-read that passage, and then re-read the last page to get the full impact.
I still highly recommend this novel, and any other book by Thomas H Cook. I have yet to be disappointed. He is an American treasure, and books like this should be read by everyone. It is one of the finest, purest examples of true literature I've come across in the past 5 years, up there with The Goldfinch.
If you are going to read Thomas H cook, bring your A-game. These are not books you can bluff your way through, skimming over some descriptive paragraphs, looking for "the action." Every word counts. You might have gotten away with that with some of his earlier works, sure. But those days are gone; Cook gets tighter and tighter with each tale.
If you pick up this book, settle in: this story is best read with no other distractions, in a couple short stints. You need to keep the tension, but you'll also need time to digest a bit, to mull over what you think of each character. They're plotting to assassinate Hitler in 1939. Yet some in their midst are playing games; no one is known enough to be trusted.
This story is an homage to things that seem lost to a bygone age: honor; loyalty; single-minded determination; commitment; the passion of true vengeance; a quest; and a love tested by the most brutal forces. It is a grand tale, told across 4 continents and almost 100 years, encompassing the horrors of the Armenian genocide up to September 11th. The characters Cook introduces us to are by all means extraordinary in their experiences and accomplishments. But he holds true by sharing their scars, not extolling them only as virtuous creatures or innocents or hapless victims.
The only flaw comes in the last couple paragraphs. The narrator (and thus the reader) finally learns the truth underpinning and tying together everything that makes Anna Klein, and thus what drives this story. But it refers back to a person mentioned once on page 166. If you do not remember this story, the impact of the reveal will be lost until you go back and find it. As much as I respect Cook for tying the story up so well, it was so deftly hidden that even a reader expecting a trick like that wasn't quite ready for it. Perhaps a second mention, even just in passing, to remind the reader of this presence, would have helped. Tom Danforth is circling back throughout his story, and this is the ultimate circling back. But while I caught every other one, this one eluded me. I had to find it, re-read that passage, and then re-read the last page to get the full impact.
I still highly recommend this novel, and any other book by Thomas H Cook. I have yet to be disappointed. He is an American treasure, and books like this should be read by everyone. It is one of the finest, purest examples of true literature I've come across in the past 5 years, up there with The Goldfinch.
October 18, 2011
This book is very different to most of the previous books I've read by Thomas H Cook and at times I had to remind myself I was reading Cook and not something by Robert Goodard, another of my favourite authors. The story is far reaching in both time and space with the main story taking place in New York in 2001 with flashback that begin in 1939 and cover decades and continents.
Whilst Cook peppers his work with many interesting and individual recollections and stories concerning various atrocities that have occurred throughout 20th century, I felt a lack of intimacy with the main character and his story, something that Cook has never failed to do for me before. Perhaps this was because the story was so far reaching and removed from his usual 'southern gothic' style novels that rely on a tight character point of view that it lost something in choosing a broader canvas.
The ending left me searching back through the book for the relevant names and places before I fully understood its significance and even now I am not sure I fully understand the significance of exactly who Anna Klein was.
Despite all of this, the book kept me interested and I finished it in three days. Cook's writing is a brilliant as ever, however I did notice one or two sloppy sentences which is something unheard of in his other books. I'll put it down to bad editing as I do believe that Thomas H Cook is one of the greatest writers around.
In closing I think this is a book that would be enjoyed even more with a second reading. Highly Recommended.
Whilst Cook peppers his work with many interesting and individual recollections and stories concerning various atrocities that have occurred throughout 20th century, I felt a lack of intimacy with the main character and his story, something that Cook has never failed to do for me before. Perhaps this was because the story was so far reaching and removed from his usual 'southern gothic' style novels that rely on a tight character point of view that it lost something in choosing a broader canvas.
The ending left me searching back through the book for the relevant names and places before I fully understood its significance and even now I am not sure I fully understand the significance of exactly who Anna Klein was.
Despite all of this, the book kept me interested and I finished it in three days. Cook's writing is a brilliant as ever, however I did notice one or two sloppy sentences which is something unheard of in his other books. I'll put it down to bad editing as I do believe that Thomas H Cook is one of the greatest writers around.
In closing I think this is a book that would be enjoyed even more with a second reading. Highly Recommended.
June 10, 2016
“If the crimes of a people go on through time, then why shouldn’t our revenge?”
Those are the words of a wounded man that distinguishes Thomas H. Cook’s 23rd moving novel, “The Quest for Anna Klein.”
In the throes of post-9/11, 91-year-old Thomas Danforth, a wealthy, New York businessman-turned-educator, turned spy, retells his frightful experience when his socialite friend Robert Clayton recruited him for a “project” in WWII Germany. The shady operation involved finding a beautiful, mysterious woman named Anna Klein.
Danforth tells his story to a young journalist/researcher, Paul Crane, who has written an article challenging a vengeance-filled response to 9/11.
Spanning six decades, the story is told through a conversation between two men. Danforth presents his side of the story to a skeptical journalist whose interest is piqued to learn of Danforth’s attempt to help Klein seek an anti-Nazi force to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
But Danforth explains that their plan was foiled, and that he and Anna were separated during this time. Danforth tells Crane that Gestapo captured Klein and that Danforth was deported from Nazi Germany because of his father’s connection.
“The Quest for Anna Klein” is a nail-biting work of fiction, coupled with the understanding of life’s complexities of the moral choices humans make to survive. An adventurous story told by one of the best writers working today, fans of thrillers are in for a captivating few hours of solid storytelling.
Those are the words of a wounded man that distinguishes Thomas H. Cook’s 23rd moving novel, “The Quest for Anna Klein.”
In the throes of post-9/11, 91-year-old Thomas Danforth, a wealthy, New York businessman-turned-educator, turned spy, retells his frightful experience when his socialite friend Robert Clayton recruited him for a “project” in WWII Germany. The shady operation involved finding a beautiful, mysterious woman named Anna Klein.
Danforth tells his story to a young journalist/researcher, Paul Crane, who has written an article challenging a vengeance-filled response to 9/11.
Spanning six decades, the story is told through a conversation between two men. Danforth presents his side of the story to a skeptical journalist whose interest is piqued to learn of Danforth’s attempt to help Klein seek an anti-Nazi force to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
But Danforth explains that their plan was foiled, and that he and Anna were separated during this time. Danforth tells Crane that Gestapo captured Klein and that Danforth was deported from Nazi Germany because of his father’s connection.
“The Quest for Anna Klein” is a nail-biting work of fiction, coupled with the understanding of life’s complexities of the moral choices humans make to survive. An adventurous story told by one of the best writers working today, fans of thrillers are in for a captivating few hours of solid storytelling.
June 29, 2015
Again the library bought me another Thomas H Cook book....
Well this one is better than the previous one I read of this author, but still. in my opinion,s incredibly verbose and pretentious. The main character keeps spouting various literary references, which have not a thing to do with the plot as far as I can see, and seem to be his way of appearing clever, which he obviously is as you can tell from him having worked in the circles he worked in (sorry, no spoilers in my reviews :)).
The book itself is slow at first, but then towards the middle becomes more fast-paced, although a lot of changing settings occurs (primarily it appears to allow the character to segue into another of his references).
You do get a good sense of the situations that occur in the book, and, (this is not really a spoiler if you look at the cover especially), tell a fairly good account of life in the Second World War for the people who were oppressed so terribly by the Germans.
Still not sure if I truly like the author, but as is my wont, as long as they keep bringing me his books, I will keep wading through them.
Well this one is better than the previous one I read of this author, but still. in my opinion,s incredibly verbose and pretentious. The main character keeps spouting various literary references, which have not a thing to do with the plot as far as I can see, and seem to be his way of appearing clever, which he obviously is as you can tell from him having worked in the circles he worked in (sorry, no spoilers in my reviews :)).
The book itself is slow at first, but then towards the middle becomes more fast-paced, although a lot of changing settings occurs (primarily it appears to allow the character to segue into another of his references).
You do get a good sense of the situations that occur in the book, and, (this is not really a spoiler if you look at the cover especially), tell a fairly good account of life in the Second World War for the people who were oppressed so terribly by the Germans.
Still not sure if I truly like the author, but as is my wont, as long as they keep bringing me his books, I will keep wading through them.
January 14, 2015
Another solid story from the greatest writer of all time(imo). A tale of doomed love like many Cook's books but with a WWII aspect. It involves a couple of spies and their plans to stop Hitler, but in addition, deals with life changing decisions, betrayal, and revenge that occurs among the main characters involved. The setting took place in the States as well as in Europe. What Cook does better than anyone is write memorable characters and paints the setting in a way to make you feel like you were there with those characters and experienced everything they experienced. The twist was perfect and I gotta admit that I have read many mystery books, figured out many twists way before hand, but that wasnt the case here. What I thought was the main twist was only the build-up to the real twist. Great book if you like good stories with a mystery aspect that will leave an impression on you. 5/5 stars.
July 4, 2011
Although I have read every Thomas H. Cook book and loved them all, The Quest for Anna Klein is the first title I hardly enjoyed and won't recommend to other readers. I found the book slowgoing and while it steamed along it never really got up to full speed. I even read the last few pages twice to see if I could understand this better. While I did get most of the ideas about the bookthe betryals and allegiances were too many too often. And who was Anna Klein? Seems to me as if she had little background that the reader really knew about. To sum it up I found this book utterly confusing and not worth the time I speant reading it.
October 11, 2011
THis book was a great read with a twisting plot and mysterious characters. I generally like this genre but lately have been disappointed in how few plots continue to weave in and out of history. Most take an occurence and linger. This follows various events in various locations all the while going back and forth between different time periods.
The author's ability to place characters in situations was really good. As I read, I saw what the protaganist saw but then my view differed upon more information. I could never quite be sure what to believe was true. And as any good spy story, isn't that the point? Just like spies.
The author's ability to place characters in situations was really good. As I read, I saw what the protaganist saw but then my view differed upon more information. I could never quite be sure what to believe was true. And as any good spy story, isn't that the point? Just like spies.
May 11, 2015
At times the plot seemed to lose its focus and it definitely took commitment to finish, but well worth it in the end. It was a terribly sad tale, developed over decades of European history, and the reader is still left guessing about who Anna Klein actually was. I am mulling over all the events and it certainly kept me guessing right until the end, but I'm not sure if enjoyable would be the word to describe reading it. If you want a thought-provoking mystery read then give it a try, but the jury's still out for me.
June 6, 2012
THe Quest for Anna Klein By Thomas H. Cook This book was disappointing. The events in the book took place in 1939. The reader missed all the action of this spy novel. The time line jumps back and forth from 1939 to 2001. Two men met in Bars and Clubs to discuss Anne Klein and all the wonderful things she was capiable of. The reader get left out.
July 17, 2011
This was a book that held my attention, with twists that were unexpected. The only thing that distracted and annoyed me was that the author kept alluding to the fact that something Anne Klein did or said may have been done or said to throw off the main character, Danforth. Readers can figure that out on their own. By telling the reader this it just takes some of the mystery out of it.
July 24, 2011
I enjoy most of what Cook does HOWEVER this one was not one of his best. Character development
for even the main people was poorly done. I had no point of reference for actions taken by even the top characters in the story. The plot line was interesting and I loved wandering around foreign cities.
for even the main people was poorly done. I had no point of reference for actions taken by even the top characters in the story. The plot line was interesting and I loved wandering around foreign cities.
February 1, 2012
Different. Interesting. Brilliant.
You have to be patient with his back and forth. I got annoyed at one point, but there is method to his madness and it helps build the story. In the end, I respected it. Great read.
You have to be patient with his back and forth. I got annoyed at one point, but there is method to his madness and it helps build the story. In the end, I respected it. Great read.
June 23, 2014
My first book by T Cook. More than a thriller- really good character development. What are you willing to risk, and do, to protect eh world from a mad man? Or the person you love? Intricate plot twists. More emotionally complex than a typical thriller.
December 29, 2018
The author is an excellent story teller. This has history, mystery and intrigue.
March 10, 2019
This is a WWII Spy Novel told by an old spy to a young New York think tank member after the events of 911. I found it well told and very powerful.
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