Customer Reviews

Ss-Gb

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That's the setting for this novel. It's 1941 and Germany is victorious, at least in Western Europe. The US and Germany are not at War. Deighton mentions one of the characters in the book, Barbara Barga, a US journalist (and later the love interest of the main character) having come over to the UK on the inaugural London to New York Lufthansa flight. A flight he slyly mentions Himmler and Goring were on. What business these German power brokers had in the States and who they were meeting the author does not say, nor is it in the least bit important to the story's plot. It's just a neat way of providing information in passing, and to me, shows how attentive to detail and how much fun Deighton has with this 'alternative history' or 'What if' novel.

The story centers on Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer of Scotland Yard and his Sargeant, the elderly Harry Woods who make up the 'Yards murder team, and who are called in by their German superiors to investigate what looks like a simple murder case involving a blackmarketeer. The case quickly develops into something with a wider scope. The SS in Berlin shows interest and sends a senior officer, Standartenfuhrer Huth to supervise Archer. The underground movement, politicians, the German police, the SS, a small resort town in southern England, the King and finally US Marines all have a role to play in the unravelling of the plot.

Ambition, greed, love, jealousy, and political plotting are all motives that drive the characters along. The characters are not stereotypical. Huth, far from being evil SS is one of the more principled, sympathetic and even likable characters in the book.

The only complaint I have is the rather rapid tying up of loose ends in the last few pages, it feels forced. Also, Archer having proven how smart a detective he was throughout the book, suddenly seems rather naive and daft even, as Huth has to explain all the political machinations and subtleties of the plot to him.

SS-GB is undoubtedly Deighton's best work of fiction. The basic premise presupposes a Nazi victory over Great Britain sometime in early 1941, (Presumably after a failed evacuation from Dunkirk and a disasterous Battle of Britain.) The story itself takes place later that year and earily accounts a Nazi occupation of England. While the protagonist falls a little too often into the 'cop on the edge' cliche, the fast paced plot, centering around the rivaly between the S.S. and Wehrmacht, will keep the reader riveted. Must reading for all fans of 'What If' history and more than enough tension for readers of international suspence.

I have enjoyed, as far back as I can remember, fiction dealing with a victorious Germany in WW2. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I read Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" when I was 8. SS-GB is one of the classics in this sub-genre of speculative fiction.

Britain invaded and under the heel of the Nazi jackboot...what does a career detective do? If he resigns, who will look out for the rights of the people and track down those who are truly guilty? There is still real crime in a conquered country, after all. Is there a time to sacrifice the duty of a policeman for the greater good of the country as a whole?

That's a good part of the appeal of the novel; that is, how does a man of virtue and honor deal with this situation? Especially when one is trying to get the King out of the clutches of the Jerries and on to the USA to give the British Empire a figurehead to rally round. Can it be done? Buy this novel and find out....

This was an interesting story. I have read a large number of World War Two historical fictions and this is the first time I have come across this topic. The detective is a good character, sure there are a lot of stereotypes with him but we all expect that and the author uses them to his advantage. The ending was a bit fast; a few more pages would have done the book justice. Overall a good effort that should not take you too much time to read. If you are a fan of this author then you defiantly should read the book

By far the best of Len Deighton's works, SS-Gb works so well because Deighton focuses upon the ordeal of an "everyman" character. In this instance, a detective who becomes caught up in events that are out of his control. A must read for anyone interested in alternative history tales.

SS-GB is what a history teacher of mine in high school called "iffy history." What does this mean? In a nutshell, the Battle of Britain was the turning point of World War II in the West. The period between 1933 and 1940 was an example of what in the Vietnam era was called "the domino theory." The domino theory what like this: "If Vietnam falls, then every country will fall." The first domino to fall to the Nazis, strictly speaking, was Germany itself. Then Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. Half of Western Europe was under German domination. By 1940, there was serious doubt that Britain would survive. The Battle of Britain was won by Britain because of the RAF. However, it could have been different.