The Bleiberg Project by David Khara, translated from the French by Simon John, is a best-selling international thriller in its first English-language edition (available April 30, 2013.)
A Mossad agent, a CIA agent, and a Wall Street Trader walk into a bank. What happens next is no joke.
I loved this thriller. Written by former journalist David Khara, The Bleiberg Project, keeps you involved, whether you’re in the midst of a flashback to Nazi activities or following modern-day bad guys with links to some truly evil men from World War II.
Jay Novacek has more money than he’ll ever spend and he’s one of the unhappiest people on earth. One night of debauchery brought him a pain so deep it never leaves his conscious thoughts. Then, when two representatives from the United States Army show up to inform Jay of his father’s death, he finally has something to celebrate.
Daniel Corbin left his family 25 years earlier and didn’t look back. Jay was so scarred by it that he took his mother’s maiden name and never uttered his father’s name without disdain and hatred. His mother, however, couldn’t recover from the loss of her soul mate and still pines for her husband from the nursing home where she lives in ill health.
Bernard Dean is Jay’s boss and surrogate father. He is the only person who sees what’s beneath the surface of Jay’s excessive drinking and deep depression, but what he tells Jay after learning of Daniel’s death changes the younger man’s life forever. That information starts Jay on a quest that pairs him with a beautiful CIA agent assigned to guard him from the Mossad agent who is tailing them.
Secrets, lies, and a hidden prize put them on the trail of events that date back to Hitler’s time in Landsberg Prison, where he lived in luxury and met with some of the richest people in the world to make plans for his rise to power. What does all that have to do with current events? None of the atrocities perpetrated by Hitler’s followers are going on today. Right?
This book kept me completely involved from the first page. The suspense is incredible because all the events take place in a matter of days. And they are action-packed days. Khara did his research and used it to weave a tale so believable you’ll find yourself shuddering because it could be happening right now. This is one of those books I wanted to end so I could know what happened, but then I went back to the first page and started reading again because I know there were details I missed.
Once again I also learned historical facts I didn’t know. That’s why I love the Internet. I can read something I don’t remember or haven’t heard before and then verify whether it really occurred in a matter of seconds. I did that a lot with this book. Some of it is true; some of it isn’t. But all of it makes for a great story with a shocking but totally satisfying ending.
In this scene Jay was going home after discovering a number of things that he thought were absolute truths in his life were undeniable lies. And then Men in Black start chasing him:
A major scoop! St. Peter is black. And he’s looking at me with a worried expression. It’s not St. Peter, it’s Bernard. I must be alive. Apparently I can turn my head. Move my toes. And hands. But my hooter’s killing me. A quick glance tells me I’m in my bedroom, on my bed. What am I doing in my boxers and socks? Think, Jay. I was supposed to be on a plane headed for Switzerland with Bernard at my side. Instead, I’m half-naked at home, and Bernard’s looking at me as if I just popped out of the womb. There’s got to be a gap in my memory somewhere.
Oh shit, it all comes back to me. The men in black chasing me, the bald giant, the right-cross to the snout. Gradually, I begin to focus. Bernard is talking, but not to me. A chick comes out of my bathroom. Blonde, no more than five-four, cute, small boobs, pretty. Late twenties, tops. What’s she doing here? She shakes her head, making her hair twirl. Her jeans and red blouse are a tight fit. I like her. I prick up my ears.
“Happy now, sir?”
Is it me, or is she taking the rise out of the old man?
“Thank you. Sleeping Beauty has finished his nap,” snaps Bernard.
Hey! I’ve had some nicknames in my time, but none that have so offended my alpha male sensitivities. The chick looks at me like a dog eyeing a juicy steak. Get an eyeful, baby. Make the most of it.
“A hot little Beauty,” she opines.
They’d better cut out the Beauty stuff right now. It’s my cue. “Why am I in my bed? Why were two guys chasing me? How come you’re here, Bernard? And who’s Buffy?”
“Four questions on the bounce. I’m glad to see you’re fully functioning again. Allow me to reply, one by one. You’re in your bed because someone put you here after knocking you out cold. Your two attackers are dead. Their bodies have vanished into thin air somehow. I’m here because your Good Samaritan called me. He found my number in your cell phone. As for ‘Buffy,’ her name’s Jackie, and she’ll be your chaperone for the trip to Switzerland.”
All this and you may discover the secret behind events in the Bermuda Triangle. But not from me. My lips are sealed, and you’ll be glad. You’re gonna want to read this one yourself.
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Leigh Neely is a former journalist and editor who now writes fiction fulltime. She and her writing partner, Jan Powell, are anticipating the release of their novel, Second Nature by Neely Powell, in late spring. Details on their website: www.neelypowell.com. Leigh also writes for the popular blog, womenofmystery.net and for neelypowell.wordpress.com. Her short story, “A Vampire in Brooklyn” is in the anthology Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices.