The Berkut [Mass Market Paperback]

Joseph Heywood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1988

PAPERBACK

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 568 pages
• Publisher: Dell (November 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440202116
• ISBN-13: 978-0440202110
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,219,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Rhinebeck, New York. Grew up as Air Force brat. 1961 graduate of Rudyard High School in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Michigan State graduate, BA-Journalism, 1965. USAF, 1965-1970. Graduate studies in English Literature at Western Michigan University in mid-1970s. Former adjunct professor of professional writing at Western Michigan University. Author, cartoonist, painter, poet, photographer, fisherman, hiker, Heywood spends up to a month a year in trucks on patrol with Michigan conservation officers to gather information for the Woods Cop mystery series. The experience helps make the stories authentic. Almost everything in the series has happened to a CO somewhere in the state. His blog, rich in colorful and interesting photographs, is "Joe-Roads," on his web-site, www.josephheywood.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Escape of Adolf Hitler!, October 7, 2000

By 

Cody Carlson (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Berkut (Hardcover)

Joseph Heywood's novel 'The Berkut,' is a fast-paced thriller set in the aftermath of World War Two. SS Colonel Guther Brumm arrives in besieged Berlin by glider to do the impossible- fake the death of Adolf Hitler and take the Fuhrer from the war torn capital of the Reich to safety. And that's the easy part. Brumm, along with Hitler and a small group of followers, makes his way south through Germany. But close on Brumm's tail is Vasily Petrov, leader of a team of Soviet investigators who will stop at nothing to find Hitler- or face Stalin's wrath. The story that follows is one of action and terror as Brumm plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with Petrov through the bombed-out wastelands of Europe. Author Heywood's research is first rate as he re-creates the end of the Second World War. Though the basic premise is a little far-fetched, Heywood successfully pulls it off with flying colors. The characters are many but mostly well-drawn and the story's anti-hero, Brumm, is a creation that brings to mind another cold blooded adventurer, Frederick Forsyth's 'Jackal.' If World War Two era intrigue is something you enjoy you might want to check this one out.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A forgotten gem, August 4, 2004

By 

J R Zullo (São Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Berkut (Hardcover)

I found Heywood's "The Berkut" in a used-books store, thrown in a corner, gathering dust, forgotten. I bought it because the synopsis seemed interesting, and because the cover had a great rendering of Hitler's face. Given these circumstances, I wasn't expecting much, but once I noticed the praise in the reviews at Amazon.com and I started reading it, I was instantly captivated.

Heywood goes from the premise that we don't really know what happened to Hitler and his body once he noticed his war was over. The author tells the story of a back-up plan made up by Hitler and his trusted SS major, Günther Brumm, where they deceive everybody, escaping Soviet-occupied Berlin and running through the Austrian Alps. But Vasily Petrov, the Berkut, confident of Joseph Stalin and head of a Special Operations group, knows something is not right. "The Berkut" is the fast-paced, interesting and thrilling narrative of this pursuit, that lasted exactly one year.

Heywood was in no hurry writing his masterpiece. He details everything, from Hitler's cover-up death to intimate portraits of his characters. The sequence of events is logical, with no unbelievable plot twists, nor deus-ex-machina thrown in in the middle of the story. The epilogue is one of the most gruesome, horrible, yet plausible book-endings I've come across in my life.

"The Berkut" is a great story, unfortunately almost forgotten by the editing companies and general public.

Grade 9.1/10

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books ever written!!!, August 22, 2004

By 

sleeper30 "tom" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Berkut (Hardcover)

This is one of the best books ever written. A story so believable - the way it's described. Hitler escapes his bunker during the last moments of WWII with the aid of special SS team. Stalin sends his own to find Hitler and bring him alive to Moscow. The pace is furious, character study amazing. The ending is incredible. A great gem, a great achievement in fiction, a great book. GET IT!!!