Killing Rommel

Starred review from March 31, 2008
After five novels about conflict in ancient times (Gates of War, etc.), Pressfield effortlessly gives fresh life to wartime romance and the rigors of combat in a superior WWII thriller. Framed as the memoir of a British officer, the book is based on an actual British plot to assassinate the \x93Desert Fox,\x94 German field marshal Erwin Rommel, during late 1942 and early 1943 in North Africa. The author painstakingly sets the stage for later fireworks by charting the prewar career of R. Lawrence \x93Chap\x94 Chapman, especially his relationship with the brilliant but doomed Zachary Stein, Chap's tutor and mentor at Oxford. Chap also falls in love with sexy Rose McCall, whose brains and brass later get her posted to naval intelligence in Egypt. As a young lieutenant, Chap joins the team assembled to go after Rommel. Pressfield expertly juxtaposes the personal with the historical, with authentic battle descriptions. Crisp writing carries readers through success, failure and a final face-to-face encounter with Rommel that's no less exciting for knowing the outcome.

Starred review from November 1, 2007
Pressfield, author of five war novels set in antiquity (most recently "The Afghan Campaign"), turns to desert warfare in late 1942. Lt. R.L. Chapman, 22, a tank officer in a British armored brigade, finds himself seconded to a special-ops force in North Africa, the Long Range Desert Group. The LRDG has been tasked with creating havoc behind enemy lines. If they can track down and kill Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, they may avert a looming catastrophe. Rommel's "Panzerarmee" has routed the British Eighth Army and is poised to take Egypt, Suez, and the Middle East. If his troops gain the oil fields, Hitler will crush the Red Army. In these desperate straits, Chapman and his fellow commandos work to carry out their mission. Pressfield's story, remarkable for its historical accuracy, is dense with detail. At times, like war, this can be a hard slog, but readers will be rewarded with a vivid and gripping re-creation of the North African campaign. A signal achievement recommended for all collections of historical fiction.Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2008
The authors previous military fiction has been confined to ancient times, but in this new venture, he transports readers to the North African desert during the autumn of 1942. The Nazis have overrun Europe, and after routing the British Eighth Army, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps are advancing on the valuable oil fields of the Middle East. If the Desert Fox and his panzers gain control of these reserves, Hitler will have all the fuel he needs to power a successful offensive against the Soviets. The British government gambles with a desperate plan: send a small, highly skilled team of commandos, the Long Range Desert Group, behind enemy lines to assassinate Rommel. Told from the point of view of a young tank officer and second in command of the team, R. L. Chapman, this gripping novel is chock-full of evocative, historical details that readers of military fiction will voraciously devour. This World War II secret-mission saga is recommended as a good read-alike for fans of W. E. B. Griffin.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)