Publishers Weekly
When Mouse Weiss, a hit man for Jewish mafia boss Meyer Lansky in 1943 New York City, screws up a hit by leaving a witness alive, he is sent to war-torn Europe to rescue thousands of Dutch Jews before they can be shipped to concentration camps in this suspenseful tale of wartime conspiracy and betrayal. Cynical Mouse, resentful of the assignment, plans to steal the $100,000 Lansky gives him to fund the plot as soon as he gets a chance. But he has his hands full dealing with his unorthodox partners: a crazy German Jew and a resistance cell of idealistic Dutch patriots infiltrated by traitors and collaborators. The plan is to highjack a train of Jewish prisoners and race to the Dutch coast where fishing boats will pick everyone up, but German counter-intelligence is very good, and soon the resistance is on the run. Ambushes and shootouts lead to a riveting showdown, and then to a moment of truth for Mouse, who must take responsibility for the fate of those in his charge and for that of Reka, a fierce Jewish resistance fighter with whom he has fallen in love. Nail-biting wartime action is heightened by charged moral decision-making in this strong first novel with a surprisingly tragic ending. Agent, Don Maass. (Aug.) FYI: Jeffery Deaver's forthcoming Garden of Beasts ( Forecasts, May 3) also concerns a mob hit man sent on a mission to Nazi Europe. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
In 1943, a group of Danish Jews wants to show the world that they can fight the Nazis by stealing a train bound for the death camps. They get cash for arms from American crime lord Meyer Lansky, who sends "Mouse" Weiss, a disgraced hit man (he left a witness alive), to protect his investment. Mouse's first impulse is to figure out how to steal the money without Lansky's knowledge, but his anger at what he sees happening to the Danish Jews inspires him to furious action. He becomes an active member of the underground resistance and finds both redemption and an unlikely romance as the plan unfolds. Written primarily from Mouse's perspective, Keizer's taut and exciting first novel does an excellent job of conveying the gritty horror of the Nazi occupation and the destruction of innocent people. Jeffrey Deaver's Garden of the Beasts also uses the device of a hit man in Nazi Germany, but it is not quite as successful in creating a tense, threatening mood. Highly recommended for most collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/04.]-Robert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
