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Katipo Joe: Wolf's Lair

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An emotional rollercoaster filled with suspense

An emotional rollercoaster filled with suspense

It’s 1941. World War Two is raging and Germany has taken over almost all of Western Europe. Russia still stands, but Germany plans to invade any day.
Now Hitler’s unofficial heir, Joe St George is still in Berchtesgaden – a small town in the Bavarian Alps. His previous mission of infiltrating an elite Hitler Youth programme is complete, and he’s become a part of Hitler’s trusted inner circle. But unlike the rest of this select group, he’s a spy. And not Hitler’s spy. He’s a spy for MI5.
Now MI5 has a new job for Joe. They want Hitler dead. And they want Joe to be the one to kill him.
Under suspicion from the Gestapo and the SS, Joe must navigate a precarious and potentially fatal path between the rivalry and politics of Hitler’s right hand men, the dangers of his new mission, and his own feelings and opinions. Make one tiny mistake and everything’s over.
Wolf’s Lair by Brian Falkner is an emotional rollercoaster, with a perfect blend of excitement, romance and suspense. After reading the first two books in the Katipo Joe trilogy I had high hopes for the finale and I wasn’t disappointed.
As I raced through page after page I was on the edge of my seat. The tension and conflict felt so real – nobody is safe and anyone could die. Throughout the read my thoughts were a cycle of what’s going to happen next? and will everything turn out all right? As you can probably tell, I didn’t get much done that day – apart from succeeding to read the whole book!
Compared to Blitzkrieg and Spycraft, Wolf’s Lair really amps up the action – which is saying something, as both the previous books were also totally gripping and fast-paced. I think this is partly due to having Hitler at the forefront of the story. Falkner has included Hitler as a ‘living, breathing character’ as opposed to ‘only seen from afar’, and it certainly adds to the tension and terror to have Hitler looming over everything.
Another reason is character growth. Joe definitely matures over the course of the book, but it is his girlfriend, Sofie, who I thought changes the most. From a shy, timid girl who refuses to play any part in Joe’s missions, she becomes the driving force behind a plan to assassinate Hitler.
The setting also influences the mood of the novel. Though the story starts in the sunny hills of Bavaria it soon moves to the creepier and more eerie Wolf’s Lair – the seemingly impenetrable Nazi headquarters which is protected by dense forest, three security zones, guards and a minefield.
‘It feels more like the setting for a Gothic horror story. A tale of vampires and demons, and monsters that live in the shadows.’
Wolf’s Lair is the last book in the Katipo Joe series, but I felt like there was the potential to have more. I would have loved this! The epilogue does leave the reader hanging and it could have elaborated further on what happened after the war (did Joe keep working for MI5? Did he go back to New Zealand? What happened to Sofie?) Mind you, maybe I’m just trying to find reasons for the series to go on a bit longer!
All in all, Wolf’s Lair is a great end to the Katipo Joe trilogy, and if you’re looking for a riveting spy story, I highly recommend it.
Hooked on Books
March 2022
Don’t miss this one or the whole series, it is riveting

Don’t miss this one or the whole series, it is riveting

The epic conclusion to this action packed spy thriller about Katipo Joe, a teenage spy during WW2 whose skill and intellect outwitted the Nazi enemy.
In book 1 he escaped Nazi Germany with his mother, witnessed the Blitz and was trained as a spy to kill a leading Nazi in France. In book2 he penetrated the Hitler Youth Movement and was accepted to compete with other leading German youth to become Hitler’s successor at the Eagles Nest in the Austrian Alps. Both books are great action stories and are reviewed elsewhere on this blog.
Wolf’s Lair is Hitler’s hideout and strategy fortress in East Prussia from which he masterminded Operation Barbarossa or the attack on Russia.
Joe is ensconced as Hitler’s youth successor under the name of Jurgen and he travels to Wolf’s Lair on Hitler’s special train Der Fuhrersonderzug and the action and tension is plentiful. His mission is to kill Hitler and we know from the start he is going to fail.
Arrival at Die Wolfsschanze (Wolf’s Lair) with his German youth classmates Thomas, Heike and Sophie is tense as they witness the invasion of Russia, the persecution of the Jews and Poles and the cruelty of the SS.
The highlight of this final episode is the personification of Hitler and his Nazi cronies Himmler, Goring Goebbels and Bormann, the biggest challenge Brian Falkner had with this novel. I think he succeeds but you the reader can decide for yourself.
The series as a whole has been the best action writing I have read from a New Zealand writer and rivals any overseas novelists. Don’t miss this one or the whole series, it is riveting.
Needless to say all the loose ends and side stories are sorted out as is Joe’s future. There is a couple of moving characters in Sophie and Polish girl Felka. If you miss this you will kick yourself.
Bob's Book Blog
March 2022
So good! I really couldn’t put this book down.

So good! I really couldn’t put this book down.

Joseph St George begins his story as a school boy in Berlin before the beginning of World War Two. His ordinary world is turned upside down when his British father is arrested as a spy. Joe and his mother escape Berlin but when they become separated Joe is sent to New Zealand. His return sometime later, sees him caught up in a world at war and his search for his parents sees him infiltrate the Hitler Youth movement. His loyalty is all a lie, of course, as it becomes clear that in order to find his parents he must become a spy. This puts him in constant risk of being found out and life becomes more and more dangerous. Survival becomes everything.
Joe’s orders are to get closer to Hitler and this works well. He begins moving in the same circle as Hitler. Indeed, Hitler sees him as his protégé. Joe then makes connections to the best and worst of the people surrounding and protecting Hitler. Joe’s order is huge, absolutely dangerous and will be life-threatening if caught. There is always the question about who to trust. Who are the good guys, and who are the bad? As he draws closer to Hitler he becomes aware that someone is watching him but he has no idea who. He also finds himself attracted to Sofie, a fellow Hitler Youth member, but their friendship could ruin everything. As his feelings for her grow, it puts them both in danger.
Joe does things that go against his natural kindness and caring. He struggles at times with guilt, and the realisation that some of the things he does, no matter how abhorrent, are actually necessary. War brings out the best and worst of people.
The suspense is palpable. I could almost hear the bombs in the background and feel the fear. This is a solid, gritty read and at times, quite confronting. While Joe’s story may be fiction, many of the events and people are real. This makes the series more realistic, more believable. Joe grows as a character, but he also retains a vulnerability, especially around people he cares about, which makes him more likeable. His flaws and strengths are real.
I loved the first two books and have been hanging out for the third for ages. I was hooked from the moment I sat down to read. I couldn’t put the book down. I sat on my bed reading instead of getting ready for work. I was in danger myself, for being late as I just wanted to know what was going to happen next in Joe’s world.
Like the previous books in this series, there is action, suspense, danger, history, a bit of a romance and a few surprises too. I’ve said it in previous reviews of this series, but this really has everything. Great writing, great story, from a great writer.
There are a number of photos in the back of the book of the real people in this narrative, which provides interesting details.
Totally recommend this YA series. I would love to see these books as a movie or TV series. An audio version would also be great.
Booktrailers 4Kids and YA
April 2022
A riveting spy story with deep themes

A riveting spy story with deep themes

Joe is back at it again, still deep undercover as Jürgen Weyl, in Brain Falkner’s third and final book in the Katipo Joe series. Published in 2022 by Scholastic, we join Joseph St George again, this time with even more danger and secrecy. This is the closest that any British spy has gotten to Hitler, and Joe must work hard to maintain this cover, but it won’t be easy! Although Joe has friends who know who he is, that just means there is more of a chance to get discovered. And people are starting to get skeptical. Will Joe be able to evade suspicion and remain under cover?
After spiriting his mother away to safety Joe decides to return to the belly of the beast, but is soon questioning this decision. People are starting to get suspicious, and the head of the Gestapo is onto him. Thankfully Hitler is on Joe’s side, thinking that he is the loyal Jürgen Weyl. But in a way, isn’t he? Joe has immersed himself so fully into this character, out of necessity, out of a need to survive, but has he gone too far? Joe is already starting to lose himself and he must take care not to fall too far into the web of lies he has constructed and risk getting stuck. He has managed to infiltrate Hitler’s inner circle, but has their thinking infiltrated his mind?
Joe must travel across the country at the side of Hitler to the Wolf’s Lair, closer to the Russian front where Germany is now invading, and closer to danger and exposure. This is a precarious position for Joe as now he is living in close quarters with Hitler, acting as his left hand man. Having the most feared man in Germany, and arguably the world, on your side has its perks, but it also means Joe must constantly have his wits about him. Many times Joe has gotten himself into trouble, but will he be able to talk himself out of it again? Or will he trip up and jeopardise the mission, and his life? And this time it’s not only Joe’s life at stake, but the lives of his loved ones. Will Joe be able to perform with the weight of these lives on his shoulders? He must tread carefully, and not only because the camp is surrounded by a minefield.
This is another stunning book by Falkner and a great end to the Katipo Joe series. I commend him as he has managed to tie off the series really well, while still leaving a suitable amount of mystery and unknown. Some authors leave too much of a cliffhanger, but Falkner was able to give us a satisfactory amount of information while still leaving some stuff to fate. Through this book we see the characters continue to grow, and we, as readers, grow with them, learning more about the war effort and the sacrifices made by many.
Again we see the devastation of war, and the atrocities committed by Hitler and his inner circle to try and win the war. We are confronted with the grim reality of life during the Second World War, and we glimpse the fear felt by those on the other side of the German Reich. This is not, however, from the direct perspective of these people, but Joe, who must stand by and witness it all without being able to do anything. This in itself conveys a powerful statement, and in a way all of us can relate. Many people have witnessed the horror of what Hitler has done, not all of us first hand, and we can’t do anything. We are helpless, in our case, because it has already happened, but also for those who fought and gave their lives to try and stop Hitler. They succeeded but still millions died.
Through Joe we learn that even though we may not be able to make a direct impact and change things immediately, every tiny thing we do is a step toward the right direction. The soldiers who bravely gave their lives were the reason we were able to win the war, but spies like Joe also made a sacrifice. They constantly had the threat of torture or death hanging over them, and we can see this through Joe and his internal struggles. Even the wives and children who spent months, or even years without their husbands, fathers and sons, contributed to the
Hooked on Books
July 2022

Brian Falkner

Katipo Joe: Wolf's Lair