Review: The Hunt (previously titled 27)

If the book title in my headline is confusing, it’s because the publisher made it confusing.

See, the version I have actually came out in 1990, when it was titled “27.” A few years later, the publisher (perhaps thinking “27” was a lousy book title) changed it to “The Hunt.”

Regardless -

The author is the late William Diehl, the same guy who penned “Primal Fear,” (also a good book) which was turned into a hit movie with Richard Gere and Edward Norton, in his film debut.

But “27/The Hunt” is nothing like “Primal Fear.” It’s a period piece, set in the turbulent years leading up to World War II.

The number in the title is the secret code name for a spy who has been planted in the US, not unlike the premise of the hit TV show, “The Americans.” Only here, it’s not a Russian spy, but rather a hand-picked agent by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

A wealthy American playboy takes on the task of hunting down this spy (for reasons I can’t tell you without spoilers). Suffice to say, the American, a man named Francis Keegan, has serious personal motives for wanting to exact revenge on the Nazi party.

Diehl creates a series of believable and fascinating characters, on both sides of the impending war. It’s a rollicking adventure, a book I read 30 years ago and just now dug up and enjoyed again.

Highly recommended for thriller fans. I’m supplying an affiliate link here if you’d like to check it out.

If you enjoyed this review and want to buy Dom a tea or a beer (right here), he would never turn it down.