Review: Final Test: Kill Your Mother
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 27, 2012
"Doppelganger" by Chuck Driskell is an excellent, though at times a seriously gruesome, story about Nazi spies trying to infiltrate the US Armed Forces during WWII.The writing hardly ever succumbs to stereotypes or stick figures. Even the most secondary characters have depth of personality. The two primary figures, who fully carry the story from start to finish, are complex men who defy categorization or easy dismissal.Within-military espionage is the core issue, even if what's spied upon could be considered penny ante. In the latter part of the book we meet General Patton, the only historically real person to enter and enliven the story.The entire finale and especially the final chapter (which is an epilogue really) are sort of let-downs, after all the thrills earlier in the book, but Driskell had to wrap up this complex tale somehow. Like traveling, getting there is half the fun, and like most voyages you "take," really the trip takes you, rather than you taking it. Hence the story resembles this kind of travel, an adventure which carries you along.The tale becomes violent and murderous with several episodes quite vividly ghastly. I lost track of the number of people killed or maimed. Even the 2 major characters are physically and seriously injured, even self-inflicted, during the course of their -- at times -- hateful conduct.The story relies on action and more action, narrow escapes, clever (devious) scheming, and double crossings to further the themes of espionage and traitorous behavior through to the end.It's a thriller all right, gruesome, shockingly deadly (like being commanded to kill your mother, for instance, a challenge faced by one of the main characters), and not for the light at heart.  So fasten your seat belts and enjoy!I give it a 4.499, not good enough for 5 stars, but almost. Thus, it gets 4 stars from me.