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Assignment Prague
Anton Janak is a dedicated member of the Czechoslovakian Resistance working against the Nazis, and he values anyone who can help his efforts. But when he learns that the young spy sent by the OSS to Prague is a woman, he has misgivings about working with her. He had expected a man—a man who could handle his assignment with the help of Janak and his fellow Resistance workers. It doesn’t take long, however, for Janak to realize the beautiful blonde spy has enough daring and resourcefulness to do what it takes in the occupied city. The Nazis are everywhere, but Tereza’s knowledge of Czech and German allows her to fit right in.
Both of them have an unspoken determination to keep their relationship professional, to keep distractions at a minimum, but is that going to be possible when every day might be their last? The bond that develops between them can only be destroyed by death, but that’s a real possibility for covert activists in Nazi-occupied Prague.
Both of them have an unspoken determination to keep their relationship professional, to keep distractions at a minimum, but is that going to be possible when every day might be their last? The bond that develops between them can only be destroyed by death, but that’s a real possibility for covert activists in Nazi-occupied Prague.
Unknown Binding
First published August 3, 2012
55 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Helen Haught Fanick
21Ìýbooks46ÌýfollowersHelen Haught Fanick is a member of a large family of writers. Her mother published many children's stories, her brother is a newspaper editor and nonfiction writer, her son is a successful mystery novelist, and nearly everyone else in the family writes poetry or short stories.
Helen grew up in West Virginia and now lives in Texas, and both states provide settings for her novels. Her work includes cozy mysteries, suspense novels, a World War II espionage novel, and short stories, all available through Amazon for Kindle. The novels are also available in paperback.
A short story impressed Helen’s fifth grade teacher, and she’s been writing ever since. She’s won several local and state awards and two national awards in the Writer’s Digest Competition. Moon Signs, Book I of the Moon Mystery Series, was a quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards.
Helen grew up in West Virginia and now lives in Texas, and both states provide settings for her novels. Her work includes cozy mysteries, suspense novels, a World War II espionage novel, and short stories, all available through Amazon for Kindle. The novels are also available in paperback.
A short story impressed Helen’s fifth grade teacher, and she’s been writing ever since. She’s won several local and state awards and two national awards in the Writer’s Digest Competition. Moon Signs, Book I of the Moon Mystery Series, was a quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 20, 2018
In this World War II story, while the Czech Resistance is being helped by the free world and the Americans, as an agent for the resistance Tereza Valentova of OSS jumps from a plane but her parachute doesn’t open fully and she falls and gets tangled in a tree becoming seriously injured.
Tereza is to be Anton Janek’s partner and Anton is disappointed that they sent him a woman at first, but seeing what Tereza could do, as injured as she was with a broken leg, concussion, and several bruises, Anton begins to feel for her. Until Tereza’s wounds heal, Anton takes care of her, as well as completing his assignments and keeping up with the other resistance members.
In addition, there are several secondary characters Anton deals with. These people have many problems, mainly finding food and fearing the Nazis who have eyes and ears everywhere. Despite all the problems, Anton and Tereza fall for each other. There are some sex scenes but they aren’t overdone. In fact, nothing is overdone to the degree of deflecting the attention from the main point of the story.
The story is very well written and with a good amount of nail-biting suspense. Character portrayal is excellent both for the primary and the secondary characters.
The prose may feel brisk or even dry to some readers, but I liked it because of its briskness, as it heightens the emotion by focusing on the action. In such a dramatic, action-filled story, florid descriptions, excess focus on emotions, and fancy language would cut into the flow of the plot.
Tereza is to be Anton Janek’s partner and Anton is disappointed that they sent him a woman at first, but seeing what Tereza could do, as injured as she was with a broken leg, concussion, and several bruises, Anton begins to feel for her. Until Tereza’s wounds heal, Anton takes care of her, as well as completing his assignments and keeping up with the other resistance members.
In addition, there are several secondary characters Anton deals with. These people have many problems, mainly finding food and fearing the Nazis who have eyes and ears everywhere. Despite all the problems, Anton and Tereza fall for each other. There are some sex scenes but they aren’t overdone. In fact, nothing is overdone to the degree of deflecting the attention from the main point of the story.
The story is very well written and with a good amount of nail-biting suspense. Character portrayal is excellent both for the primary and the secondary characters.
The prose may feel brisk or even dry to some readers, but I liked it because of its briskness, as it heightens the emotion by focusing on the action. In such a dramatic, action-filled story, florid descriptions, excess focus on emotions, and fancy language would cut into the flow of the plot.
June 15, 2013
During World War II, after the Nazis occupied Czechoslovakia, the resistance movement worked to help defeat Germany. When ASSIGNMENT PRAGUE opens, Anton Janek is watching a woman, Tereza Valentova, fall from a plane as part of an assignment which brought her to Prague. Her parachute didn’t open until just before she was able to maneuver it into a tree. The partially open chute plus and branches helped break her fall, but she was injured. He was able to get her and the remains of the parachute out of the tree. She suffered several injuries, including a badly broken leg.
The remainder of the plot describes how this resistance cell dealt with their assignments and obstacles. Who could they trust? Who could help them get information to help their cause? What would they have to do to gain or retain access to these people? It also describes the conditions the Czechoslovakians endured, primarily lack of food and restrictions on their movements.
One thing that had too much emphasis was all the emphasis on sexual relationships. (I’m glad they are not detailed.) Other forces, like how they decided who to trust, deserved more attention. I also don’t believe Tereza would have confessed to a priest she had never met about who she really was, what her assignment involved, and what she had done. She had no way of knowing which side he was on at that point and whether he would honor the confidentiality of a confession. She also didn’t know for sure that he was actually a priest.
The story flows smoothly and is well-written. I cared about the main characters and wished there was an epilogue to know what happens to them after the war ended.
This book was a free Amazon download.
The remainder of the plot describes how this resistance cell dealt with their assignments and obstacles. Who could they trust? Who could help them get information to help their cause? What would they have to do to gain or retain access to these people? It also describes the conditions the Czechoslovakians endured, primarily lack of food and restrictions on their movements.
One thing that had too much emphasis was all the emphasis on sexual relationships. (I’m glad they are not detailed.) Other forces, like how they decided who to trust, deserved more attention. I also don’t believe Tereza would have confessed to a priest she had never met about who she really was, what her assignment involved, and what she had done. She had no way of knowing which side he was on at that point and whether he would honor the confidentiality of a confession. She also didn’t know for sure that he was actually a priest.
The story flows smoothly and is well-written. I cared about the main characters and wished there was an epilogue to know what happens to them after the war ended.
This book was a free Amazon download.
June 20, 2016
I enjoyed the intrigue and thought it was well done. I didn't know what to expect but felt the author made the tale both realistic and possible. I would have liked an ending with a more positive spin, but then it may not have been as realistic and at least the potential of happiness was there.
July 10, 2018
I wasn’t much of a fan of this book, unfortunately. The storyline was good, and had the potential to be great, but it just lacked the depth that is needed in a novel. I feel there was not enough emotion to any of the characters or scenes, so I just didn’t care what happened. I hate to say it, but I was bored.
February 26, 2019
Set in WWII and in a beautiful city was intriguing to me. The story was a little flat with a weak ending.
Interesting to read about the under ground resistance fighters pitted against the occupying Nazis.
Interesting to read about the under ground resistance fighters pitted against the occupying Nazis.
February 26, 2019
Characters and story read like history, not fiction. Could not put book down.
Very disappointed when it ended. Loved the wedding, wanted to know if the couple were able to reconnect after the war, which is why I rated it a 4/5 instead of 5/5.
Very disappointed when it ended. Loved the wedding, wanted to know if the couple were able to reconnect after the war, which is why I rated it a 4/5 instead of 5/5.
February 26, 2019
Credible. Well-written. Too short!
follow up would be nice. Whoever decided that reviews have to be 15 more words on more is a fool a short pithy comment is better than a long rambling one.
follow up would be nice. Whoever decided that reviews have to be 15 more words on more is a fool a short pithy comment is better than a long rambling one.
March 14, 2019
Great resistance tale
Loved this tale. Well written, interesting plot, believable characters, plenty of suspense and some misdirections. Highly recommended reading. Looking forward to more.
Loved this tale. Well written, interesting plot, believable characters, plenty of suspense and some misdirections. Highly recommended reading. Looking forward to more.
July 28, 2018
WWII Historical Romance
A good read. The story flows well and I became immersed within it as soon as I started reading. I hope Helen Haught continues this story
A good read. The story flows well and I became immersed within it as soon as I started reading. I hope Helen Haught continues this story
February 18, 2019
Brave People
Interesting peak at Resistance Prague in WWII - straight forward characters in story told with little diversion.. a good story.
Interesting peak at Resistance Prague in WWII - straight forward characters in story told with little diversion.. a good story.
August 22, 2014
Since I'm half Czech, stories set in Prague always catch my attention. So when I saw this book with the Charles Bridge on the cover, I was immediately intrigued.
Assignment Prague is set during World War II. The main character is Anton Janak, a Czech who is a member of the Resistance fighting against the Nazi occupation of what was then Czechoslovakia. As the book opens, Anton is participating in the nighttime parachute drop of a spy working for the OSS -- a woman whose mission is to infiltrate Nazi headquarters in Prague. But her chute fails, and she ends up with a broken leg and a concussion. Anton takes on the responsibility of caring for her, which not only entails getting her medical care and food, which are both in short supply, but also keeping her presence in his apartment a secret from everyone he knows.
The spy, whose cover name is Tereza, and Anton do their best to keep their relationship professional. But proximity and danger work their magic, and soon they find themselves falling for one another. When the danger heightens, each wonders whether their love will survive the war.
Fanick trained as a journalist, and it shows. I know from my own background how easy it is to fall prey to delivering just the facts, even when writing fiction. However, a novelist also has to portray the characters' emotions -- not just a description, but actually showing them feeling their feelings -- and I thought that was in short supply here. Because of it, I didn't get as close as I could have to Anton and Tereza. And because of that, the dramatic scenes didn't have the same punch to the gut that they should have.
Still, I liked Assignment Prague. If you like stories set during the time of the Nazi regime, you might want to give this book a try.
***
Originally published at .
Assignment Prague is set during World War II. The main character is Anton Janak, a Czech who is a member of the Resistance fighting against the Nazi occupation of what was then Czechoslovakia. As the book opens, Anton is participating in the nighttime parachute drop of a spy working for the OSS -- a woman whose mission is to infiltrate Nazi headquarters in Prague. But her chute fails, and she ends up with a broken leg and a concussion. Anton takes on the responsibility of caring for her, which not only entails getting her medical care and food, which are both in short supply, but also keeping her presence in his apartment a secret from everyone he knows.
The spy, whose cover name is Tereza, and Anton do their best to keep their relationship professional. But proximity and danger work their magic, and soon they find themselves falling for one another. When the danger heightens, each wonders whether their love will survive the war.
Fanick trained as a journalist, and it shows. I know from my own background how easy it is to fall prey to delivering just the facts, even when writing fiction. However, a novelist also has to portray the characters' emotions -- not just a description, but actually showing them feeling their feelings -- and I thought that was in short supply here. Because of it, I didn't get as close as I could have to Anton and Tereza. And because of that, the dramatic scenes didn't have the same punch to the gut that they should have.
Still, I liked Assignment Prague. If you like stories set during the time of the Nazi regime, you might want to give this book a try.
***
Originally published at .
July 18, 2016
This book interested me, well, mainly because of the title appropriate for Around the World project I do (from time to time). The plot was all right, but narrative was kind of repetitive. Everything had to be said twice even thrice just in case we didn't remember it was said before. And it was somehow too simple I dare say shallow. I am probably too demanding reader - I require more than just plot moving facts in order to become attached to the characters and the story. Pity - I feel it might have been quite good novel had there been some more enriching elements in it, and some cuts on the other hand.
July 21, 2013
Really can't recommend this book. Thee characters are wooden and the dialogue is stilted. Actually the dialogue sounds like Americans sitting around talking. (Actually the female protagonist is from America but that doesn't excuse the rest) You get no sense of being in a foreign capital in the early years of WWII. That said, why did I read it through to the end? The plot line was interesting and even if I didn't like the characters much (other than the old aunt and the landlady) I wanted to know what happened to them
April 13, 2013
This is an interesting tale. I was drawn to it because my father was Czech-American and served in Europe during WWII. He never spoke about the war so this book was a good way to get some of the flavor of the area and what went on at a more personal level than you get in history books. The spies in love aspect adds to the better than average book. I will make note to look for more by this author.
August 10, 2014
Who do you trust? The citizens in war-torned Nazi occupied Prague live in constant fear. American Alexandra, an OSS spy, is sent to Prague to work for Nazis gathering intelligence to aid the Allied forces in World War II. She speaks both German and Czech a skill gained by spending time with her grandparents.
Stilted dialogues
No graphic sex or violence
Stilted dialogues
No graphic sex or violence
September 12, 2022
Interesting and exciting read
Great, quick read. Romance driven, yet with interesting snipets of wartime life, and the life threatening chances people take for freedom. Loved the ending.
Great, quick read. Romance driven, yet with interesting snipets of wartime life, and the life threatening chances people take for freedom. Loved the ending.
August 31, 2014
Ok but ended a bit suddenly
March 28, 2013
A very interesting war story.
March 9, 2014
would not recommend. poorly written and uneventful story line
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
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