Codeword Janus
As a 16-year-old, Max Steiner was compelled to serve in Hitler's Youth Army and was present in the secret bunker when Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide. Although the brutal experience scarred him, he has become a successful journalist. When his newsmagazine sends him to interview liberal German politician Sigmund Walther, Max has no idea the interview will reopen the past and change his life. Following the interview, while Max is chatting with Walther, two assassins shoot the politician, who speaks a single word as he dies: "Janus." Max realizes he has heard the word before--from Hitler's brother-in-law, who was tortured in front of Max, then shot by a firing squad in Hitler's bunker. But what does Janus mean, and why would two men, dying decades apart, utter it in their final moments? Max, with the help of Walther's beautiful widow, sets out to find the answer. Palpable suspense, a nerve-jangling plot, foreboding ambience, and a vivid sense of the Nazi legacy make Anthony's latest a must-read.Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved