Following up his previous nonfiction book that dealt with OSS exploits in World War II, Patrick K. O’Donnell shines a light on five men who were the real deal, in THEY DARED RETURN: THE TRUE STORY OF JEWISH SPIES BEHIND THE LINES IN NAZI GERMANY. In other words, this isn’t INGLORIOUS BASTERDS.
These men risked their lives in suicide missions — not only for being spies, which was enough to get them killed, but for being Jewish spies on top of that. We are introduced to them as they go through training to become OSS members, with the focus pointed squarely at one Fred Mayer. He comes off not only incredibly likable, but probably one of the unsung heroes of that war.
Under his guise as a spy, Mayer was responsible for getting crucial information to the allies, such as the location of Hitler’s bunker, and intel that would lead to the destruction of numerous German trains. He also accepted the surrender of Innsbruck personally. He seems like the stuff of men’s adventure fiction, except being all true.
What will floor readers is the inclusion of Mayer’s own photographs of his comrades. There’s also a photo of Mayer today; he looks like someone’s very spry grandfather. His exploits would make some truly gripping movies. But it was not all easygoing for him in his duty. In blunt description, we are told of the time when he was tortured by a group of sadistic Nazis. No spy fiction has ever been this brutal.
This book is a testament to these men who, after escaping Germany, went right back in to fight for their new adopted country, with no regard for their own safety. O’Donnell once again has taken real history and made it so much readable than most fiction. THEY DARED RETURN makes a great companion piece to his THE BRENNER ASSIGNMENT, and hopefully should get as many accolades. —Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• THE BRENNER ASSIGNMENT: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE MOST DARING SPY MISSION OF WORLD WAR II by Patrick K. O’Donnell
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- The Brenner Assignment: The Untold Story of the Most Daring Spy Mission of World War II
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- The Real Office: All the Office Questions You Never Dared Ask
- A Descent Into Hell: The True Story of an Altar Boy, a Cheerleader, and a Twisted Texas Murder
- The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
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Wow. This sounds amazing.
O’Donnell is a master story teller. His “investigation” into the under belly of his writings is superb. He is one of those writers that gets to the guts of a story, and brings out the story so anyone can understand it completely. He has walked- the-walk with Marines in Iraq. He wrote
“WE ARE ONE” from an advantage point that others have not – he went through combat in Iraq with a Marine Squad. He suffered the same ordeal as the Marines. He involved himself in their fight and gained their respect. O’Donnell is not a stay on the porch writer that tells the tale from a distance. If there is any doubt, ask the Marine he was with in Iraq… He is a stand up guy… The literary world best take his very serious. He is a winner… Semper Fidelis Pat…