Black Gat No. 63
A simple yet satisfying espionage/revenge novel about a WWII POW believed to have been executed during internment, who returns to Paris to bring the Nazi sympathizer who ordered his death to justice.
Although there is plenty of action and a reasonably fast pace, this is a character-driven story, introspective and intelligible. Albrand is a master of examined emotion, internal conflict, and torn loyalties. First published in 1946, the hero’s gut-wrenching struggle between his heart and the greater good reminded me at times of Casablanca (1942).
It’s always sobering to find a passage in a novel like this, written decades ago, that so clearly expresses modern day sentiments:
“No, thought Chet. This is no mistake. This all has been well planned. The same old forces working again, the same forces that have always led to war. And, as always, they are using the same methods of murder, lies and the defamation of those who try to fight them, accusing their opponents of the very same crimes they were committing.”