Cassie H. (Irishcoda) reviewed on + 88 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Originally published in 1986, I didn't come across Daddy by Loup Durand until I saw it at a library sale last year. I was attracted by the cover: a blue eye with the relfection of a swastika. I enjoy historical fiction a lot so I picked it up. It's a suspense thriller and I usually don't enjoy that genre but this is one of the best I've ever read. I think what appealled to me most was the cat-and-mouse game going on between the young hero, an 11 year old boy named Thomas and the perverted man hunting him down for the Nazis, Gregor Laemmle. There's another hero, too, an American playboy type, David Quartermain, who's almost like a third wheel.
In fact the one thing I didn't like about the book was a sudden sidetrack into what was going on with Quartermain after he was caught by Laemmle (okay, I gave something away). The story moved along very quickly and I was on the end of my seat, biting my nails, and then it came almost to a screeching halt at just about that point. I didn't like it. It was a terrible interruption of the flow. What was it for? I have no clue.
There are lots of pursuit stories out there and many with Nazi villains and heroes with secrets trying to get away. A couple of things were different about this one. The boy is a genius, entrusted with a secret by his mother. She used his genius in such a way that turned him into a cold little thinking machine. The villain seems to be something of a genius too. They are always outwitting each other. I don't want to give away any more of the book. I'd rate it a 9 out of 10 and definitely would recommend it!
In fact the one thing I didn't like about the book was a sudden sidetrack into what was going on with Quartermain after he was caught by Laemmle (okay, I gave something away). The story moved along very quickly and I was on the end of my seat, biting my nails, and then it came almost to a screeching halt at just about that point. I didn't like it. It was a terrible interruption of the flow. What was it for? I have no clue.
There are lots of pursuit stories out there and many with Nazi villains and heroes with secrets trying to get away. A couple of things were different about this one. The boy is a genius, entrusted with a secret by his mother. She used his genius in such a way that turned him into a cold little thinking machine. The villain seems to be something of a genius too. They are always outwitting each other. I don't want to give away any more of the book. I'd rate it a 9 out of 10 and definitely would recommend it!
