Derek Lambert (1) (1929–2001)

In this Cold War thriller a group of Russian-born radical Zionists plot to kidnap the Russian Premier and ransom him in exchange for exit visas for ten Jewish scientists.

Lambert style is crisp and direct, and he builds tension with both the constant presence of the KGB and the reminders that the train route takes them through the land of the gulag. He also does an excellent job at showing his characters as human beings with complex motivations.

Received via NetGalley.

This is the third book by Lambert I've read and is the first I don't find wholly satisfying. The Saint Peter's Plot takes place in Germany and the Vatican during WWII and splits its attention between a group of Nazis planning an escape route for Hitler should defeat become inevitable, a motley group of Italian partisans, a Roman Jewish woman working with a priest to help Jews escape Europe, and Fascist-sympathizers within the Church. With all the different threads he has going it's perhaps show more not surprising that Lambert never manages to really develop most of them or tie them together in any meaningful way.

Received via NetGalley. show less

Lambert's tale of two snipers hunting each other during the Battle of Stalingrad is a hell of a page turner. His lean, unadorned prose perfectly captures the feeling of the beleaguered city.

Received via NetGalley.

Every person Lambert and his wife met in Spain somehow managed to be delightfully eccentric; is Spain really like this or does Lambert bring this out in others? No matter. A sparklingly fun read. If I was twenty years younger and single, Spanish Lessons would send me off to join the Lamberts in their new life.