Eden's Gate [Mass Market Paperback]

David Hagberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 2002

A wall has gone up and come down since the end of the Second world War, and Germany is once again united. As Berlin rebuilds, the German authorities ask the U.S. for help. Ex-Stasi Captain Helmut Speyer is wanted in his homeland for crimes committed in East Germany under the communist regime. And now Speyer and his group of commandos are up to something in their Montana compound--something that has Germany looking over its should in fear.

Former National Security agent Bill Lane and his wife mount an operation to stop Speyer and his commandos. Racing him to the infamous bunker Reichsamt 17, the site of some of the Nazi's most horrific experiments, Speyer is after one of the deadliest weapons ever made. now, Bill Lane is in a race for time with Washington D.C. as the hostage.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This latest thriller by David Hagberg (aka Sean Flannery) is the fourth in the Bill Lane series. This time, intrepid secret agent man William Lane (just think "Rocky the Flying Squirrel") and his ever lovely wife and partner, Frances Shipley ("Bullwinkle" with a Brit accent), are on the trail of former East German secret policeman Helmut Speyer and his wife, Gloria Swanson (a la "Boris and Natasha"), who at the behest of secret organization strongman Thomas Mann have discovered a secret Nazi treasure trove submerged in a demolished bunker beneath a German lake. The sartorially splendid Lane, who never travels without his Pierre Cardins and Armanis, infiltrates Speyer's secret outfit and is immediately whisked to Germany, where his expertise as a diver allows him to recover the lost strongbox. He survives the sinking of a ship, and then returns to the U.S., where he foils the villainous plot with 11th-hour feats of derring-do that would shame James Bond. This is one of the goofiest thrillers to come out since the Three Stooges took on the Third Reich. There are enough aliases to fill a smalltown phone book, but readers needn't worry about keeping them straight, for as soon as a character is developed, either Lane or Speyer kills them off. Lane, the fashion-conscious hero, is gloriously over the top; the Germans are replicas of fish-eyed Nazis in East German drag; the women are sexy, beautiful and expert at everything; the politicians, military and honest cops are bungling idiots. For readers who like their thrillers with frills, this is catnip; those averse to blithe implausibility should look elsewhere. Major ad/promo.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Here's a gripping techno-thriller from the popular author who also writes genre fiction under the name Sean Flannery. No matter which name he uses, he delivers the goods: fast-paced plots, sturdy characters, and plenty of high-tech action. His latest, set in the present day, features superspy Bill Lane, who infiltrates a Nazi organization--based in Montana, of all places-- lead by a former Stasi captain who seems to think a long-buried Nazi bunker holds the secret to a superweapon of almost unimaginable power. This is a vintage tough-guy book, with lots of slick violence and clench-fisted wordplay. OK, so the plot is pretty much by-the-numbers stuff, and the characters are not the most original you've ever met, and some of the dialogue is a tad wooden--if it's action and hardware you're after, you'll eat this book up without a single concern about the lack of stylish prose or scintillating conversation. There aren't any recipes, either. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (July 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812544404
• ISBN-13: 978-0812544404
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #857,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

DAVID HAGBERG is a former Air Force cryptographer who has traveled extensively in Europe, the Arctic, and the Caribbean and has spoken at CIA functions. He has published more than twenty novels of suspense, including the bestselling Joshua's Hammer, Soldier of God, and Allah's Scorpion. He makes his home in Sarasota, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 stars, June 8, 2001

By 

Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eden's Gate (Hardcover)

Former National Security agent Bill Lane returns in this fast-paced international thriller, to battle a former East German Stasi officer, Helmut Speyer. It seems there is a secret buried in an old german bunker under hundred's of feet of water. A secret not even the present day Germans want made public. With the help of his wife, Frances Shipley, he infiltrates Speyer's operation, and in doing so, helps recover this secret. The action is non-stop, taking you from the mountains of Montana to the countryside of eastern Germany. From the high seas of the Atlantic to the D.C. area. Ambushes, sinking ships, narrow escapes(quite a well dressed hero we have here)along with some underwater action, all bring this hard to put down novel a high edge of excitement.

Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ALL the elements of a finely tuned & very fun thriller, August 16, 2001

By 

Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Eden's Gate (Hardcover)

David Hagberg sure does know how to weave a spell of excitement. Some of his best stuff has been written with his CIA adventure seeker, Kirk McGarvey, but the character of Bill Lane originally started under his pen name, Sean Flannery. Just as fun as anything else in his impressive repetoire of literary home run's, 'Eden's Gate' is just plain fun. The easiest way to describe this tale is a dash of James Bond, a bit of Indiana Jones and a touch of Dirk Pitt all rolled into one. Adventure that moves at a brisk pace throughout the novel from Montana to Germany to the High Seas, this story just never let's up. What exactly is it about Nazi atrocities, from the true to the entirely fictional that keeps us coming back for more? I can't exactly say as I have the answer to this question, but I will say that as long as the story is as compelling and as fun as this one, you can bet we'll keep buying them up.

This was my first Bill Lane novel, but rest assured I am going to find the earlier ones and tear into them as well. Word has it that Hagberg is working on his final Kirk McGarvey novel, which leads me to believe that Bill Lane may be Hagberg's answer to the soon-to-be-asked question: What happened to Kirk? If the other Bill Lane novels are as exciting as 'Eden's Gate', rest assured, we won't feel the sting of McGarvey's loss nearly as much. Kudo's to Hagberg, this is really a fun story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent thriller, July 3, 2001

By 

Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Eden's Gate (Hardcover)

Hagberg has crafted a solid thriller. I'll spare you the plot since other reviewers have already described it well.

Bill Lane is another almost believable super-hero. You suspend your credulity while he does his derring-do . . . endlessly. As with most thrillers, the plot is inherently unbelievable. But Hagberg does the trick of getting you so engrossed in the action, that you forget about reality.

All in all, an excellent choice for whiling a day or two away while your pulse beats just a bit faster.