BOOK REVIEW: Angel, Archangel by Nick Cook

Angel, Archangel by Nick Cook
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Allies are advancing on Berlin in the dying days of the Second World War, but the Russians are plotting much more than the end of the Third Reich. Operation Archangel's aim is for Soviet troops to blast their way straight to the English Channel.

With fake Soviet tanks lined up near the German border in Czechoslovakia, two British spy pilots stumble across this elaborate charade. Wing Commander Robert Fleming and Rhodesian expatriate Piet Kruze become the front line in the effort to defuse the Russian scheme. But they must first penetrate the heart of the Nazi defences and steal the one weapon that can possibly destroy Archangel: the cream of the new generation of German jet fighter bombers.

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A fairly decent World War Two story story set during the later days of the war in Europe. The story is told from two sides, as Soviet generals prepare for a final assault that will finish off Nazi Germany, and a secret Royal Air Force test unit that tries to intervene in their plans, for reasons which become apparent through the story. The action is quite good and is plentiful and the characters are good, developed enough for the story and a fine mix of decent folks and devious bastards. This is one of those stories where I found my favourite character in one of the "baddies", a British traitor serving with the infamous Nazi SS Britisches Freikorps and who performs a crucial role in the final mission. A decent yarn with good action, intrigue and enough plot twists to keep it interesting. The story cruises along for the first 50% or so, and then ramps up rather nicely in tge second half. The ending is action-packed and ends rather abruptly, which is my only real criticism if the whole book. However, it's still a belting good yarn and I give it a solid 3.5 stars.

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