Swastika (Mass Market Paperback)

New Slade character Dane Winter tracks two serial killers in Vancouver. Unknown to Winter, the murderers share a unique link that traces back to secret weapons developed by Nazi Germany. He's also unaware as hitmen from the Pentagon track his progress, with intent to kill if Winter unearths the still-hidden secret.

This is the eleventh in Slade's Special X series about murderous psychos tracked by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. If you haven't read Slade, normally I recommend starting at Headhunter, Slade's first novel. But Swastika is an enjoyable book on its own. If you've read Slade but aren't sure what to expect, Swastika is a fine-tuned machine that melds familiar elements with jaw-dropping surprises. For anyone who likes exciting and smart reading, Slade gives you the best of both worlds with Swastika.

As a lover of Slade's past Mountie epics and an avid reader of all things WWII, this book was a dream come true. It contains all the hallmarks of Slade's books...factual historical background, fascinating police procedures, gut-wrenchingly gory set pieces, vile and dispicible villains and endearing, enduring characters.

Slade's meticulously researched historical jaunts are a trademark of the series. They're interesting, informative, entertaining and, most importantly, never boring. Every time I've finished a Slade novel, it's lead to more reading on my part. Past novels have prompted trips to the library to find books on such diverse subjects as the RCMP, the Zulu, Jack the Ripper and the history of the guillotine. In this case, it was Project Paperclip, Roswell, and quantum physics. Don't worry, though. Slade, as always, makes it all very accessible to the average reader. While some of the characters (Streicher in particular) are fictional for dramatic purposes, they're based on real people.

Bottom line, if you're new to Slade's universe, feel safe in starting with SWASTIKA before moving on to HEADHUNTER, GHOUL and the rest. If you're a long-time reader like myself, SWASTIKA will not disappoint.

The strength of Swastika is its story, which is fast-paced page turning executed to perfection. Slade is a master of using history to create a memorable story, and this book is no different: the action moves flawlessly from World War Two era Germany to modern day and then back again, making for an entertaining history lesson woven in between suspense-filled chapters.

Fans of Slade will not be disappointed, and those not yet initiated into the realm of Special X will find Swastika to be an excellent place to start.