Book Review: Discovery of Shtefan’s secret means instant death

I should perhaps start by saying this is not a review of a ‘nice’ book, and nor is the book meant to be nice. That said, it has obviously been written for a specific number who read, even enjoy – if that’s a contextually appropriate term – stories about World War Two.

The Soul Of A Thief by Steven Hartov is the story of Shtefan Brandt, and how he spends the second half of the war. Shtefan is a Mischling, or a person with a Jewish background who has managed to hide away within the Nazi world. He is taken by Waffen SS Colonel Erich Himmel from a position as a hospital attendant, created corporal, and made the colonel’s adjutant.

This raises many unanswered questions including, why would a decorated war hero with a Knight’s Cross and two Iron Crosses do this? And why, especially, when the patriotic warrior is aware of the young man’s secret? It has nothing to do with sexual predilection, (Himmel is otherwise inclined, as the reader learns), so is it due to the 19 ear old’s tall, straight, blonde looks, his appearance of Aryan superiority? Whatever, he becomes the colonel’s trusted righthand man.

Warfare and battles consume a great deal of the storyline, but the ‘human’ side of war has a major part to play, too, including Shtefan’s deflowering and Himmel taking a beautiful French girl as mistress, under huge duress. The colonel may have a heavenly name but he is most certainly not so inclined by nature. The book contains a number of especially ugly scenes on both scores.

Love blooms between two young people thrust together under such dramatic circumstances, but greed, want and self-preservation come to the fore with the story heading to its dramatic conclusion. But will there be a happy ending or is that not meant to be… ?

The Soul Of A Thief by Steven Hartov is available in digital or printed editions from the publisher HQ Fiction.