Traitor's Gate

De: Michael Ridpath

Narrado por: Seán Barrett

Conrad de Lancey has seen enough of evil: the shadow of fear on the faces of innocents; the sudden lull before the slaughter begins. Franco's bloody insurrection taught this Englishman all about hell.

Arriving in his mother's country, the now Nazi Germany, Conrad is sick at heart. Even Berlin—infamous haven of decadence—salutes fascism. Himmler's black-shirted troops rule the city, and every German arm bears a Swastika. But does every German heart belong to Hitler?

When Conrad is arrested by the Gestapo on suspicion of spying, he is rescued by Theo, an old friend from university, now a lieutenant of the Wehrmacht. Together they are drawn into a world of danger and deceit, of plots and paranoia where the brave few are united by a single ambition: to free the fatherland from the Führer.

©2013 Michael Ridpath (P)2022 Isis Audio

Strong setting, weak character psychology

The historical setting is excellent. Ridpath vividly captures prewar Germany, and the mystery and espionage kept me engaged throughout. I enjoyed the story and appreciated the obvious research behind it. He did try to keep it a little PG-13, which I thought was a strange choice. It’s hard to understand this period without a little more detail.

My only significant criticism is the protagonist. Conrad is introduced as an intelligent, educated young man who has some understanding of history, war, and the growing threat of Nazi Germany, yet he repeatedly behaves with a level of emotional immaturity and naïveté that feels inconsistent with everything else we know about him. His self-pity, selfishness, and immature emotional intelligence made him difficult to like and even harder to believe. Also, authors, making their protagonists authors or journalists is something I never really cared for. Find another plausible reason that he’s in Germany.

Flawed characters can be compelling, but Conrad’s behavior often felt manufactured for drama rather than true to his character. It’s a shame because the setting and plot are strong enough that, with a more convincing lead, this could have been an exceptional novel. A worthwhile historical thriller despite a protagonist I never quite supported or trusted.