Customer Reviews

Cold Lonely Courage

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a phenominal book. Easily my favorite in many years, and I read nearly all the latest releases. I was lucky enough to pick up a copy fresh from the presses, having been recommended to me by a friend. I love discovering newer authors like this, that just blow me away with their talent. Something that hardly ever happens. Petrek has that rare ability to lock you into the story, where your mind never wanders or steps back out. I put this in line with all of my very favorite WWII thrillers by Follet, Wouk etc. Great story line. Great characters. Great fiction centered around historical fact. Very well written. This book is going on my collection shelf as a first edition. I understand Petrek has more books in the works, and I cannot wait to read them. Bring'em on!

Madeleine Touche is a terrifying new hero. Petrek's love of the period and setting in which this story takes place brings humanity and life to the characters he lovingly creates. I did not anticipate the level of emotion I would feel living for a time through Madeleine's eyes. There's nothing quite like settling into a read and having a story take hold like this one did. The French Resistance has recently given us a number of stories that have been brought to the big screen. This story may be the most worthy of them all.

Cold Lonely Courage

"Cold Lonely Courage" is an excellent example of an under-represented literary genre; the underground resistance movement in World War II. We have all read accounts of the concentration camps and other Nazi horrors; it is important that these accounts continue to be told so that we don't repeat the same horrors. After all, World War II era Germans did not come from another planet. I'm sure I'm not alone when I think; What if they knew? What If the world knew? What if they had guns?

"Cold Lonely Courage" follows Madeleine, a French resistance fighter. Leaving behind her family and elderly parents, the family restaurant, and the other trappings of warm familiarity, Madeleine responds in kind to the hard times brought upon by Nazi occupation. Joining the resistance movement, she operates solo, with occasional direction from her contacts. Blending seamlessly into her surroundings, she dispatches Nazis efficiently and without emotion. After all, confrontation, emotion, and ultimate detection are the enemy of the fighter who wants to defeat her enemy and return to her family.

The resistance movement has been captured recently in film. "Defiance," starring Daniel Craig, told the story of Jewish people who survived in the Wilderness and fought the Nazis. "Inglourious Basterds" by Quentin Tarantino was the fictional re-telling of aspects of World War II; blessed sweet relief and a great film but unfortunately not true. "Cold Lonely Courage" would be a good candidate for the big screen, with the under-represented resistance movement and the personal, realistic perspective of Madeleine. I highly recommend "Cold Lonely Courage" as a tense as well as satisfying telling of the World War II resistance movement.

I had an enjoyable weekende reading this book. Madeline is an exciting and dangerous woman in World War II who takes her revenge on the Nazis in France and Europe and finds love at the end. I was truly impressed with how Madaline's adventures fit in seamlessly with the real historical events of the war. She is a truly appealing heroine.

This is a must read. I literally couldn't put the book down. The main character Madeleine is brought to life in front of your eyes by the outstanding writing by the author. There are many unsung female hero's from World War II it is wonderful to see such a well written book bring this fact to public. Petrek does it again with his newest book Angel's don't Die, another must read.

I was drawn into the story line of Cold Lonely Courage within the first couple of pages, and then I could not put it down. The author takes a small part of WWII history and brings it to life with this detailed and emotion-filled story. The characters were richly developed; Madeleine's inner courage and growth from girl to woman endeared her to me. I look forward to reading more by Petrek.

Cold Lonely Courage by Soren Paul Petrek blends the horrors of war, rich details, and a strong female lead to create a World War II novel that readers of this genre will enjoy.

Madeleine Toche races to the front to find her mortally wounded brother, Ives, as the Germans continue their attack on France. Her twin now lost to her forever, Madeleine grieves with her parents until she is brutally raped by a SS Stormtrooper. Hell bent on revenge, she becomes a trained assassin who seeks out her targets in the name of France and all she has lost.

This is a superb story from talented debut author Soren Paul Petrek. The author has taken his years of studying World War II, the stories he listened to while living in France and England, along with his imagination, and molds them into an engaging story that draws the reader in early and keeps a firm grasp until the final page.

As a lover of historical novels, I appreciated the level of detail Petrek adds into this story. The reader feels, lives, and breathes France during WWII. The author creates a strong heroine in Madeleine, but still manages to make the reader care for this trained assassin--not always easy to do. My one tiny nitpick is that the narrative overpowered the story and did not allow me to get into Madeleine's head, or the other characters' heads. I wanted a deeper point of view.

Cold Lonely Courage is a fascinating historical novel with a hint of romance. World War II history buffs should like this one.

Some books you can take and some you can leave and some simply take you. This book is one of the latter.

Set in France during the German occupation, this book follows the exploits of Madeleine, a French woman recruited by the British as a lone assassin, her expertise being so formidable and unrelenting she becomes known by the Germans as L'ange de la Mori...the Angel of Death.

The book is very well written and edited and it moves with purpose through its totality, never becoming boring or far fetched. The author creates some great characters and develops them perfectly within the bounds of their contributions to the story. Not being a war historian, the book seemed to me to be very well researched and accurate.

This was an exciting story, one which was well told, so I suggest that you don't decide to read or not read it based on the subject matter alone...to do so might disallow you the enjoyment this tale offers. A solid five star read.

I have read a lot of WWII fiction and this was a first for me with a woman protagonist.

I read the book straight through to the finish in one sitting. Loved it!

Captivating and unique! I found the the the representation of the female, French resistance fighter Madeleiine Touche to be captivating! She undertakes a lonely, brutal, and important journey in the battle against the Nazi regime This is a story that provides a unique perspective into the lives of the characters, the many sacrifices they chose to undertake, and a peek into a very pivotal time in world history. Wonderfully done!!