The Honor of Peter Kramer: A Thriller

Set both during World War II and in the present, this first novel is a sprawling, occasionally unwieldy political thriller. Peter Kramer, U.S. President Simon Jensen's Special Ambassador, is about to conclude an Arab-Israeli peace treaty. Before he can do so, Kramer is forced to reveal his past identity; he is in fact Hans-Dieter von Bergdorf, a decorated SS general. In an extended flashbackthe book's strongest sectionFerrera describes how, during WW II, the honorable von Bergdorf is trapped by Martin Bormann and other Nazis into bartering the lives of Jews for hard currency. Von Bergdorf agrees to this devil's pact in order to save as many Jews as possible. After the war, he ""becomes'' Peter Kramer and secretly uses the treasure he amassed to help establish and defend the Jewish state. Told the truth by Kramer, Jensen goes into a frenzy that threatens the treaty. The plot is further complicated by the reappearance of Bormann demanding his loot and a powerful international financial cabal that will stop at nothing, including the assassination of Jensen, to fulfill its aims. The extremely well-drawn wartime section of the novel is far more successful than the incredible plot devices of the present action that keep this Forsythe-like thriller from being a more compelling read. Major ad/promo. (May)