Review: Espionage and romance in the dying days of the Third Reich
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 25, 2013
The strength of Winner Lose All lies in the intricate dialogue and the various layers of the relationships between the characters. The motivations of the individuals was fascinating and made for a fast and engaging read.The author should have done more research on weaponry and geography. For example, on his first drop into Nazi Germany Scanlon, the protagonist, flies in a Junkers JU-52. Reminiscing on that flight a few weeks later, the author refers to a DC-3, the civilian version of the American C-47! On a number of occasions the author refers to Allied Spitfires and Hurricanes, the latter of which was taken out of front line service two years earlier and used only for training and mail delivery by 1945.Geographically, references to the length of the April days in Moscow is incorrect. In a scene in Stalin's office he writes about the first hints of the new day at 4 AM. A simple internet search confirms that the sun doesn't rise in Moscow until 7 AM that time of year.I'm not a fan of Tom Clancy detail-overkill, but some is needed to add realism. For example, there is no reference to any landmarks in the city of Leipzig. Rather than wandering down some generic tree lined boulevard, it would have added credibility to at least mention the name of the main square in the city, the largest cathedral or the name of the main streets to show the author actually knew more than randomly picking the name of the city for the setting.A recommendation would be for the author to commission a new cover. The one shown on Amazon looks like a cartoon and the content bears no relation to the story.