About this item
In the spring of 1944, I realized that I was not going to survive the war ... Shtefan Brandt, adjutant to a colonel of the Waffen SS, has made it through the war so far in spite of his commander's habit of bringing his staff into combat, and a pair of secrets that are far more dangerous than the battlefield. Shtefan is a Mischling and one of the thousands of German citizens of Jewish descent who have avoided the death camps by concealing themselves in the ranks of the German army. And he is in love with Gabrielle Belmont, the colonel's French mistress. Either of those facts could soon mean his end, were Colonel Erich Himmel to notice.Colonel Himmel has other concerns, however. He can see the war's end on the horizon and recognizes that he is not on the winning side, no matter what the reports from Hitler's generals may say. So he has taken matters into his own hands, hatching a plot to escape Europe. To fund his new life, he plans to steal a fortune from the encroaching Allies. A fortune that Shtefan, in turn, plans to steal from him ... Atmospheric and intense, The Soul of a Thief captures the turbulent emotional rush of those caught behind the lines of occupied France, where one false step could spell death, and every day brings a new struggle to survive.
About the Author
Steven Hartov was born in New London, Connecticut, attended public schools in New England and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University. In 1973, he joined the U.S. Merchant Marine Military Sealift Command, beginning a series of adventures that would later appear in his non-fiction pieces and fictional works. In 1977, he volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces Airborne Corps, serving first as a paratrooper and later in a Special Operations branch of Israeli Military Intelligence. He subsequently spent 13 more years as a reservist in the IDF, and currently serves as a Task Force commander, rank of major, in the New York Guard.In the mid-1980s, he began writing a series of espionage novels based in the Middle East. His trilogy, "The Heat of Ramadan," "The Nylon Hand of God" and "The Devil's Shepherd," earned nominations for the National Book Award, top ten placements in the Book of the Month Club and translations into six foreign languages. In 2003, he co-authored the New York Times non-fiction best seller, "In the Company of Heroes," and most recently co-authored "The Night Stalkers" and "Afghanistan on the Bounce." His new novel, "The Soul of a Thief," a thrilling adventure set during WWII, will be released by Hanover Square Press in April, 2018. He is the former Editor-In-Chief of Special Operations Report, a professional journal on military and law enforcement special tactics. His works are recommended readings by the U.S. Army War College.
