So, finally, the time arrives for me to review the first of my holiday books, now that I have recovered and the holiday has become romanticised as part of the distant past. And for the matter I didn’t see the sea at all during my drive/camping family holiday in Germany, Austria and France (we utilised the Channel Tunnel), but the sun played a major part and The Sand s Of Sakkara did to, for it was a most enjoyable read (I get the feeling I wasn’t meant to say that till the end of the opinion).

So what were “The Sands Of Sakkara” doing in the middle of Europe? Well, as it pretty obvious really it’s a book (it says so at the top of the page!) by Glenn Meade, an author I had never heard of previously, and neither, apparently, had ciao. Anyway she (at least I think it’s a she although if anybody knows for certain a comment would be most helpful) has written two other novels, “Brandenburg” and “Snow Wolf”, both bestsellers and both winning praise from the likes of the Sunday Times and even the New York Times.

☼The Plot☼

Set in Egypt during World War II the story follows the exploits of various figures of the espionage world. Specifically Hitler has sanctioned an audacious plan to assassinate Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D Roosevelt when they meet in Cairo in November 1943. Abwehr’s (German wartime intelligence) most competent agent, Major Johann Halder leads the mission to land in Egypt, get to Cairo, break into the heavily fortified compound and eliminate one and preferably both of the inspirational war leaders, throwing the allied plans into chaos and potential turning the war in Germany’s favour. However US and British military intelligence get wind of an attempt Nazi sting (although they don’t know what the mission is) and the mission starts to go wrong as Halder and his team have to utilise every bit of their skill and ruthlessness to survive and continue with the planned assassination, and this leads the to the Sands Of Sakkara where they believe a 3,000 year old tunnel can give them access to the secure compound where the keys to the allied war effort are locked away…

Needless to say the book 650 page book is crammed full with commando style action that is a bit extreme at times but generally not no far off in the realms of fantasy. The plot is full of twists and is completely gripping, not least because Meade cleverly portrays the mission as a desperate last plan and so the Abwehr officers have just three eventful days to do their dirt deed. And furthermore their commanders in Berlin have a surprising ace up their sleeves…

☼The Characters☼

These are all superbly constructed and inter-connect beautifully, so much so that they would probably have made the book excellent even if the plot wasn’t quite such superbly gripping wham-bham action (and that’s just me turning the pages LOL). Anyway, I’ll still try to avoid any major spoilers, but I will let on that at least one of the characters isn’t quite what they seem (but I will merely say what he/she seems at first to be).

~Major Johann Halder: Head of the mission to assassinate the war leaders, his wife was killed in a huge allied air raid on Hamburg and his young son was seriously injured, and only Halder’s success in the mission will guarantee him the best possible treatment. It is hard to know whether to treat him as a hero or a villain (the story is interestingly given from various perspectives- more on that later) but there is no doubting his ruthlessness and brilliant ability to disguise himself (especially as a British officer). However he is as humanitarian as is possible when it comes to his work and avoids killing wherever he can; it is obvious he has few sympathies for the Nazis, but coming from a noble Prussian family he feels he has to do his duty to his country. He is also a lifelong friend of Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Weaver.

~Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Weaver: A childhood and subsequently lifelong friend of Johann Halder and his dad used to work as a caretaker for Halder’s wealthy Prussian parents. Despite this class difference the two formed an exceptionally strong bond and the both conducted archaeological digs together in, surprise surprise, Sakkara, prior to the war. However, being a yank he is on the opposite side to his best friend (no prizes for spotting where this is going) and becomes the American intelligence officer in charge of counter-intelligence in Egypt.

~Rachel Stern: Also part of the pre-war Sakkara digs along with her father (a professor and known anti-Nazi) and her similarly archaeology-orientated half-Jewish mother she has held the hearts of both Halder and Weaver, although they have never been more than extremely good friends to her. Soon after the war breaks out she and her family decide to go to Turkey, but on the way their boat sinks and she is rescued by a German ship. She is bunged in a concentration camp but manages to survive the horrendous conditions for 4 years, only to be taken out of the camp to be used as an “expert” in the mission to Egypt (after all se speaks excellent English and Arabic and furthermore knows the whereabouts of the tunnel that leads into the aforementioned secure compound, as she discovered it while at Sakkara). Her loyalty is bought by the promise that herself and her father (who has also miraculously escaped death in his concentration camp) will be given a passage to Sweden. If not, then they both go to one of the new extermination camps. Easy choice really.

~Major Kleist: Another of Halder’s team, and SS not Abwehr. He is a real, ruthless, cold-hearted baddy who apparently gets thrills out of killing people. He and Halder despise each other, but although Halder is in charge Kleist is there to see to it that he does the job. Or else!

~SS Feldwebel Doring: I thought I’d better mention the fourth member of the team, but this character is not really significant really! He sticks to Kleist like glue and appears to be pretty similar, if not quite as nasty.

~Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred Sanson: A top guy in the DDMI (I), British military intelligence. His methods are ruthless but he gets results, and turns out to be right all the time. However he and Weaver, his subordinate, do not really get on and so it makes for some added tension and drama, as does the relationship between Halder and Kleist.

There are of course many other characters, but these are the main ones. It is impossible to do them any justice in such a short amount of space, but I assure you they are all superbly developed and the personalities, although apparently simple, are well constructed and pave the way for the unexpected surprises (well they won’t be quite so unexpected now LOL). The three meeting before the war makes it sound soppy and typical, modern Hollywood-style, but in fact it is essential to the plot and is not in the slightest bit tacky (unlike a similar love-triangle in Pearl Harbor). In fact Rachel does not cause any real jealousy between Johann and Harry because they refuse to let a girl get in the way of their friendship (but does it remain so once the war begins…?).

☼The Writing Style☼

It is always hard to say what makes a great book; one that is completely gripping and compels you to turn “just one more page”. I read this six hundred-page epic in a couple of days, so I think that shows the addiction (or perhaps that I had nothing better to do- well I was on holiday)! However while the plot and characters are essential even the greatest ideas in the world can fall short if the writing style isn’t good (I suppose that is true of opinions too). The writing style is always hard to define; either it is compelling or it isn’t. However I’ll give it my best shot!

The book starts in the present day with the death of an old man, and the interest in the death of two people, one of whom is a journalist and the other, who is ex-Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Weaver. Not altogether surprisingly the old Harry Weaver recounts his 60 year old tale, and after that the story is told like any other, until the epilogue, when we return to the present day. This is very modern and “trendy”, but not something I particularly like as it means the story takes longer to get into.

The text is broken up a lot as we keep switching between the characters and therefore their different perspectives on events (although it is written in third person except the introduction and epilogue, so the we have to ‘read between the lines’ to gather the thoughts of the characters). The time is given at the start of each section, so we can keep track of the events, and it is interesting because the investigators might discover a murder two hours after it has been committed, but these sections will be next to each other in the text, showing then investigators so many hours behind the infiltrators and therefore making for a gripping finale as we will them to catch up. It is hard to say any more, but as with the characters, you have my assurances (no, they aren’t legally binding- no suing me please)!

☼Conclusion☼

This is superb book in every respect and fully deserves greater fame and acclaim. I recommend it to anybody vaguely interested in thriller/spy books (one critic quoted claims Meade to be “a worthy contender to and successor to Forsyth). I personally prefer the Sands Of Sakkara to any Frederick Forsyth novel and as it is more thriller and less spy, and therefore even more exciting to a pleb like moi. I also recommend in for anybody interest in historical or “alternative history” novels (although a historical note at the end says a similar plot may have existed), and for that matter anybody who enjoys reading and has good taste!

Published by Coronet Books and Hodder & Stoughton it was written in 1999 and set me back £5.99 (the RRP) from WHSmith. Amazon quotes £5.59. For more information go to your nearest respectable bookstore/library and read the blurb on the back, or visit www.amazon.co.uk and read their opinions on the novel (although they only give it 3/5 stars, a disgrace)! This book is a MUST read so get of your lazy backsides and read it….