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Deal With the Devil, Part Two
Wehrmacht Major Faust has a dangerous he likes England. But it’s May 1940 and his Panzers are blasting the British Army off Dunkirk’s beach, so he keeps his mouth shut even though it hurts. When the Waffen SS try to murder their English prisoners of war, Faust helps the POWs escape. Now it’s treason, with his neck on the line.
Then a friend gets him drunk, straps him into a parachute, and throws him out over Oxford during a bombing run. He’s quickly caught. Because he helped type the battle plan for the invasion of England, Faust cannot allow himself to be broken in interrogation. Two German armies depend on it. But every time he escapes, someone rapes and murders a woman and the English are looking for someone to hang. He’s risking disaster if he stays, someone else’s life if he runs, and execution by the Gestapo if he makes it home.
Major Stoner, professor turned British intelligence officer, sees three possibilities. Faust perhaps was joyriding in that bomber, as he claims. Or he’s on a reconnaissance mission for the German invasion. Or he’s a spy. Stoner must break Faust to learn the truth, no matter how it strains his old heart. He must save England, and his granddaughter.
Their battlefield is confined to a desktop. Only one of them can win. Someone must break. Someone must make a Deal with the Devil.
Then a friend gets him drunk, straps him into a parachute, and throws him out over Oxford during a bombing run. He’s quickly caught. Because he helped type the battle plan for the invasion of England, Faust cannot allow himself to be broken in interrogation. Two German armies depend on it. But every time he escapes, someone rapes and murders a woman and the English are looking for someone to hang. He’s risking disaster if he stays, someone else’s life if he runs, and execution by the Gestapo if he makes it home.
Major Stoner, professor turned British intelligence officer, sees three possibilities. Faust perhaps was joyriding in that bomber, as he claims. Or he’s on a reconnaissance mission for the German invasion. Or he’s a spy. Stoner must break Faust to learn the truth, no matter how it strains his old heart. He must save England, and his granddaughter.
Their battlefield is confined to a desktop. Only one of them can win. Someone must break. Someone must make a Deal with the Devil.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2011
About the author
J. Gunnar Grey
26Ìýbooks51ÌýfollowersHi, I’m Gunnar Grey. I write books. I’m a historian, political junkie, target shooter, and retired adventurer and equestrian. I read avidly and post reviews or at least ratings for most of the books I read. Occasionally my poor husband surfaces from beneath a pile of paperbacks, gasping for airâ€� but I shouldn’t bore you with personal issues.
I live in Humble, Texas, just north of Houston, with four parakeets, the aforementioned husband (who’s even more entertaining than the birds), an orange betta fish with no manners, a fig tree, the lawn from the bad place, three armloads of potted plants, and a coffee maker that’s likely the most important item we own.
I live in Humble, Texas, just north of Houston, with four parakeets, the aforementioned husband (who’s even more entertaining than the birds), an orange betta fish with no manners, a fig tree, the lawn from the bad place, three armloads of potted plants, and a coffee maker that’s likely the most important item we own.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 30, 2011
J. Gunnar Grey stole my afternoon! I'd planned on accomplishing so much, but decided to start reading Deal With The Devil - Part Two first. The book captivated me so completely that all my chores were left undone.
The superb characters and mesmerizing plot kept me clicking to the next page and the next and the next on my Kindle until I reached the very satisfying end. Major Faust's struggle against his British captors created a compelling plot; his internal struggle added depth to his character and gave a very good picture of the man. The murder of young women in the village (with Faust as a suspect) upped the stakes, as did his growing enchantment with his captor's daughter. All the threads came together in the end in a stunning conclusion.
Anyone who loves a good mystery, history, and character study with a hint of romance thrown in will thoroughly enjoy Deal with the Devil - Parts One and Two. I'm delighted to give the book five stars.
The superb characters and mesmerizing plot kept me clicking to the next page and the next and the next on my Kindle until I reached the very satisfying end. Major Faust's struggle against his British captors created a compelling plot; his internal struggle added depth to his character and gave a very good picture of the man. The murder of young women in the village (with Faust as a suspect) upped the stakes, as did his growing enchantment with his captor's daughter. All the threads came together in the end in a stunning conclusion.
Anyone who loves a good mystery, history, and character study with a hint of romance thrown in will thoroughly enjoy Deal with the Devil - Parts One and Two. I'm delighted to give the book five stars.
August 6, 2011
My review:
I decided to combine the reviews of Deal with the Devil Part One and Part Two because they belong together, it is the same story. Besides that I could read part Two right after part One. Deal with the Devil is a very well written historical novel. J. Gunnar Grey did an excellent work with both books and I have to admit that it is one of the most interesting experiences I have had lately with reading historical novels. Well done! It was written with such a gracious attention on the details and it made the reading experience like watching the best historical movie ever. J. Gunnar Grey was able to create clear picture and vision of the world she wanted reader to see and experience.
Regarding the plot:
J. Gunnar Grey created a setting which takes place during the Second World War where two very different persons meet and collide. One of them is a German who is getting caught in England and who likes England and an Englishman who needs to get secret war plans out of his German counterpart. The “game� between them is serious, but very beautiful for the reader; it is a game of minds. Besides that there is a murder mystery where it would be very easy to blame “the enemy� � the German major Faust. The plot is not just a description of a war where there are good sides and bad sides; it shows that people are just humans and no more. J. Gunnar Grey has succeeded to have so many layers in the book, so it is fascinating!
Regarding the characters:
The devil is in the detail is said and J. Gunnar Grey is an artist painting the details of the characters with many different colors. Characters had depths, wittiness, they were smart, and they all had likable and dislikable characteristics, no character was perfect and I loved that! It was just beautiful read!
Generally:
As you can already understand, I loved this book! Even if you are not the biggest fan of historical novels, I would highly recommend reading it. You are guaranteed to have an experience of a superb writing.
5 stars out of 5.
I would like to thank J. Gunnar Grey for providing me with both books.
I decided to combine the reviews of Deal with the Devil Part One and Part Two because they belong together, it is the same story. Besides that I could read part Two right after part One. Deal with the Devil is a very well written historical novel. J. Gunnar Grey did an excellent work with both books and I have to admit that it is one of the most interesting experiences I have had lately with reading historical novels. Well done! It was written with such a gracious attention on the details and it made the reading experience like watching the best historical movie ever. J. Gunnar Grey was able to create clear picture and vision of the world she wanted reader to see and experience.
Regarding the plot:
J. Gunnar Grey created a setting which takes place during the Second World War where two very different persons meet and collide. One of them is a German who is getting caught in England and who likes England and an Englishman who needs to get secret war plans out of his German counterpart. The “game� between them is serious, but very beautiful for the reader; it is a game of minds. Besides that there is a murder mystery where it would be very easy to blame “the enemy� � the German major Faust. The plot is not just a description of a war where there are good sides and bad sides; it shows that people are just humans and no more. J. Gunnar Grey has succeeded to have so many layers in the book, so it is fascinating!
Regarding the characters:
The devil is in the detail is said and J. Gunnar Grey is an artist painting the details of the characters with many different colors. Characters had depths, wittiness, they were smart, and they all had likable and dislikable characteristics, no character was perfect and I loved that! It was just beautiful read!
Generally:
As you can already understand, I loved this book! Even if you are not the biggest fan of historical novels, I would highly recommend reading it. You are guaranteed to have an experience of a superb writing.
5 stars out of 5.
I would like to thank J. Gunnar Grey for providing me with both books.
October 14, 2014
I love history.
What's not to like about a premise like this, when a German soldier is captured in England during World War II? The details in this book are spot on, the characters fascinating--major (heh heh, forgive the pun) and minor--with plenty of emotion and tension between the protagonist, German prisoner Major Faust, and a retired but brought back to serve Englishman, Major Stoner. The suspense is well crafted and I didn't want to stop reading. The romance takes a while to ignite, given the heroine Jennifer's grief over her murdered sister. When a second murder occurs, and both killings have occurred when Faust is "on the loose" -- well, I've got my list of suspects.
The best part of Grey's writing are the wonderful, evocative setting descriptions - not overdone, just right, giving the reader the sense of being there. Next is her deft handling of Point of View, where characters take part in the search for the escaped Faust, and stumble upon the murder scenes. This is a wonderful historical novel for any history buff. The settings are realistic along with the characters' actions, and the tension is ratcheted up with wonderful action scenes.
This is one DEVIL of a read. Enjoy!
What's not to like about a premise like this, when a German soldier is captured in England during World War II? The details in this book are spot on, the characters fascinating--major (heh heh, forgive the pun) and minor--with plenty of emotion and tension between the protagonist, German prisoner Major Faust, and a retired but brought back to serve Englishman, Major Stoner. The suspense is well crafted and I didn't want to stop reading. The romance takes a while to ignite, given the heroine Jennifer's grief over her murdered sister. When a second murder occurs, and both killings have occurred when Faust is "on the loose" -- well, I've got my list of suspects.
The best part of Grey's writing are the wonderful, evocative setting descriptions - not overdone, just right, giving the reader the sense of being there. Next is her deft handling of Point of View, where characters take part in the search for the escaped Faust, and stumble upon the murder scenes. This is a wonderful historical novel for any history buff. The settings are realistic along with the characters' actions, and the tension is ratcheted up with wonderful action scenes.
This is one DEVIL of a read. Enjoy!
October 11, 2011
This is part two of Deal With the Devil. This second part picks right up with where the first part left off. These two parts could really be a part of the same book. In order to understand what is happening in part two, you definitely should read part one.
Faust is a Nazi who finds himself in England during WWII. The English that find him are convinced that he's the enemy. Faust is hiding his own secret; he actually sort of likes the English. Stoner is convinced that Faust may be to blame for recent murders in town. Jennifer, Stoner's daughter, is convinced that Stoner may not be seeing all of the different sides to Faust.
I felt that this part gave a little more insight into why the characters are the way they are. We learn more about Faust and what he's thinking as he goes through this period of being in enemy territory. We get to see more about the relationship between Stoner and Faust as Stoner suspects Faust is to blame for the recent murders. We also see more about the budding relationship (or is it) between Jennifer and Faust.
This is a great book as a whole for historical fiction lovers.
Faust is a Nazi who finds himself in England during WWII. The English that find him are convinced that he's the enemy. Faust is hiding his own secret; he actually sort of likes the English. Stoner is convinced that Faust may be to blame for recent murders in town. Jennifer, Stoner's daughter, is convinced that Stoner may not be seeing all of the different sides to Faust.
I felt that this part gave a little more insight into why the characters are the way they are. We learn more about Faust and what he's thinking as he goes through this period of being in enemy territory. We get to see more about the relationship between Stoner and Faust as Stoner suspects Faust is to blame for the recent murders. We also see more about the budding relationship (or is it) between Jennifer and Faust.
This is a great book as a whole for historical fiction lovers.
June 29, 2011
I loved reading Deal with the Devil pt 1 and pt 2. The well-crafted prose weaves a suspenseful plot on the richly described background of WWII England. Add complicated and compelling characters and I was turning pages late into the night. I eagerly await Grey’s next book.
December 18, 2011
This is a continuation of part 1. Great characters and a super, action filled plot.
September 21, 2011
“Deal With the Devil� is a historical murder mystery, set during the World War II. Hans-Joachim Faust, a German, finds himself in trouble. He wakes up in the night, not knowing where he is and what’s happened. Soon he realizes that he has fallen out of a plane with his parachute and is currently somewhere in England. But why is he in England and how will he find the way back to Germany? He finds his way to a farm, but unfortunately he is pretty soon captured and brought into custody. What he doesn’t know is that a young woman from the farm is missing and he is obviously a suspect.
Things only get worse for Faust when he learns that the missing girl is found dead. He is now a suspect in a murder case. And that’s not all. Stoner and the other investigators at Margeaux Hall also suspects he might be a spy. Faust does not do much to clear his name by running away several times from the people who is supposed to guard him. The freedom is short lived, as he always finds himself back at Margeaux Hall, back in his cell.
When the second young woman is found dead, the Scotland Yard joins to investigate. Could it be that Faust is innocent? Stoner certainly doesn’t think so. But Stoner might be wrong. Arnussen and Hackney from the Scotland Yard more and more starts to suspect that it is one of the investigators that is the killer. The question is whether Scotland Yard is on the right track or if they need to look somewhere else for the killer.
The book was released in two parts, with the second part being a bit shorter than the first part. The second part begins where the first part ends, with no summary. This means you have to read part 1 in order to understand what is going on in part 2. Personally I don’t really understand the need in separating the two parts. Why not release the story as one book?
J. Gunnar Grey writes novels that are mysterious, adventurous and romantically suspenseful, as stated in the “About the Author� section of the book. “Deal With the Devil�
is certainly mysterious and adventurous, with a little bit of romance. She has a degree (MA) in Writing Popular Fiction. She has been a secretary, a legal assistant, a Starfleet lieutenant commander, a stable manager, among other things. She uses the knowledge she has gained from being all those things, in the book.
I liked the second part of the book better than the first part. It took me a while to get into the story and to understand it. The end is really full of action, which is quite good. I do recommend the book for those who like historical murder mysteries.
Things only get worse for Faust when he learns that the missing girl is found dead. He is now a suspect in a murder case. And that’s not all. Stoner and the other investigators at Margeaux Hall also suspects he might be a spy. Faust does not do much to clear his name by running away several times from the people who is supposed to guard him. The freedom is short lived, as he always finds himself back at Margeaux Hall, back in his cell.
When the second young woman is found dead, the Scotland Yard joins to investigate. Could it be that Faust is innocent? Stoner certainly doesn’t think so. But Stoner might be wrong. Arnussen and Hackney from the Scotland Yard more and more starts to suspect that it is one of the investigators that is the killer. The question is whether Scotland Yard is on the right track or if they need to look somewhere else for the killer.
The book was released in two parts, with the second part being a bit shorter than the first part. The second part begins where the first part ends, with no summary. This means you have to read part 1 in order to understand what is going on in part 2. Personally I don’t really understand the need in separating the two parts. Why not release the story as one book?
J. Gunnar Grey writes novels that are mysterious, adventurous and romantically suspenseful, as stated in the “About the Author� section of the book. “Deal With the Devil�
is certainly mysterious and adventurous, with a little bit of romance. She has a degree (MA) in Writing Popular Fiction. She has been a secretary, a legal assistant, a Starfleet lieutenant commander, a stable manager, among other things. She uses the knowledge she has gained from being all those things, in the book.
I liked the second part of the book better than the first part. It took me a while to get into the story and to understand it. The end is really full of action, which is quite good. I do recommend the book for those who like historical murder mysteries.
January 27, 2012
To be honest, there's not a lot that I can add to the review of Part Two about the quality or style of writing. It is still, very obviously, extremely well written and well researched. The characters, once again, grabbed me and drew me in. The suspense still kept me on the edge of my seat. The intellect behind the verbal sparring of Faust and Stoner is still intriguing and mind boggling, especially if you think about all the consequences and things that need to be considered before they utter a single word to each other. The growing interest between Faust and Jennifer, Stoner's granddaughter, becomes more and more interesting throughout the book.
The suspense builds as the story continues to unfold. The question of who is committing the murders continues to plague the small community culminating in a fast paced, action packed series of events with twists and turns galore. The two detectives made me think of the famous duo of Holmes and Watson and made me smile. I was, naturally, trying to solve the mystery before I learned who it was through the book along with our two detectives. Usually, in most books and movies, I can figure out who it is before the big reveal. This one kept me guessing all the way through!
I definitely enjoyed my trip back to the world war two era, which surprises me since it's not an era I have ever really been interested in. I love books where I can learn things that I didn't know before and these two books certainly accomplished that. They kept me entertained, on the edge of my seat and trying to figure out what was going to happen before it happened. If you enjoy these types of books, I would definitely encourage you to check them out.
The suspense builds as the story continues to unfold. The question of who is committing the murders continues to plague the small community culminating in a fast paced, action packed series of events with twists and turns galore. The two detectives made me think of the famous duo of Holmes and Watson and made me smile. I was, naturally, trying to solve the mystery before I learned who it was through the book along with our two detectives. Usually, in most books and movies, I can figure out who it is before the big reveal. This one kept me guessing all the way through!
I definitely enjoyed my trip back to the world war two era, which surprises me since it's not an era I have ever really been interested in. I love books where I can learn things that I didn't know before and these two books certainly accomplished that. They kept me entertained, on the edge of my seat and trying to figure out what was going to happen before it happened. If you enjoy these types of books, I would definitely encourage you to check them out.
January 14, 2012
It was not worth the money .Story is boring ....could not wait to finish , I actually skipped a lot of parts .Do yourself a favor and read something else .
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