Customer Reviews

The Valhalla Exchange

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

 

 

Although the subject is'nt that original and the plot seems to be at times far fetched and not very beliveable the story is still quite enjoyable.

PS. The Finnish SS-men who appear in the book were in reality discharged from the Waffen-SS in Spring 1943 and not in 1945 but I understand that Patterson/Higgins had to bend the facts a bit to include the Finns in the book.

altough I don't like some books of J. Higgins that are about the IRA, the story is as good as "The Eagle Has Landed" which is one of the best books I've ever read. Higgins tells the story in a way that you feel it's true. Especially the name of Bormann and his real life story makes you curious if the events really took place. On the other hand, the love story in the book is very affective and roses are the main reason that you cannot forget the story for days&nights. I've read this book for a few times as I've read The Eagle Has Landed and there are only few books that I've read and read, like Cussler's Night Probe or Tolkiens Ring story or Philip Kerr books

This is a good read for World War II buffs. I hope there's a movie. I first read this book back in the mid-1980s. The premise is that Martin Bormann, Hitler's private secretary, and convicted war criminal at Nuremburg, (in absentia), in Bolivia. Nobody knows where he went so why not South America? After all, after World War II, the safe havens for the Nazis were Argentia, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and ironically enough, the United States. Men in their eighties have been denaturalized and deported. Even if they were low- level Nazis. Is Martin Bormann dead or alive? We may never know. It was only discovered that Josef Mengele, the notorious Nazi Angel of Death, had drowned in Brazil in 1979. That was accomplished with DNA fingerprinting. Erich Priebke, an SS officer, was arrested in Argentina and brought back to Italy to stand trial for a massacre in caves outside of Rome.

"The Valhalla Exchange," is an excellent book constructed around the principle of a high-ranking Nazi Leader escaping from Berlin during the final days of the Third Reich, and using POW's to negotiate for his own freedom. Filled to the brim with action, realistic characters, and exotic locations, "The Valhalla Exchange," is a must for not just Jack Higgins fans, but for anyone looking for a good adventure.

I think Jack Higgins is at his best when he's writing about World War II or the IRA. I've never really enjoyed his War on Terror stuff nearly as much as the WW2 thrillers he pumped out in the late 70's and 80's. Valhalla is classic Higgins' WW2 prose with good guys in the SS, a Martin Bormann double and the feeling that Higgins was in the Fuehrer Bunker himself in April of 1945. Jack, if you ever read any of these reviews, how about a couple more WW2 thrillers before it's all said and done? Cheers.

I read this book almost 20 years ago and I remember it being one of Higgins' best. The story
was written under Jack Higgins' real name Harry Patterson. The story revolves around the
hunt for Martin Bormann by a team of American soldiers.
Yes, the story is somewhat hard to believe as it involves a body double, but it is very well executed. The story
takes place in WWII Berlin and is full of action with an ending that is quite memorable.

I have always liked this author; I can always count on him for a good story. This book came through for me although it was not one of his best, I think this was the period of time when we used another name and was really pumping the books out. There are other books that capture this period in time better and the plot was moving to the "no way" factor for me. He did a good job with an interesting story