Midwest Book Review:
A simply riveting read from cover to cover, "The Keller Papers" by Ellis M. Goodman is a fast-paced, deftly crafted, consistently compelling espionage story that is based in 1980s Eastern Europe, and includes factual events and personalities of the times -- some of whom having once again become relevant in today's strained East/West political environment. "The Keller Papers" clearly documents novelist Ellis Goodman as a master of the suspense/thriller genre. While certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Keller Papers" is also available in a Kindle format.
Chicago Tribune (by Kevin Nance):
Set in Eastern Europe in the early 1980s, "The Keller Papers" is a spy yarn that begins to unfold when Erik Keller, a famous nuclear physicist and professor, is shot in Vienna as he is attempting to defect from Poland at the height of the Cold War. The would-be assassins appear to work for the Austrian industrialist Karl von Schuyler, actively involved at a critical moment in his country's political upheavals of the times. Keller has left his all-important papers, containing complex calculations, solutions, notes and sketches, with a close academic friend at Warsaw University, so the British secret service devises a plan to retrieve them... To read the entire coverage, please click here.
5 out of 5 stars rating by Nancy Witt from NetGalley
Alex Campbell who is in the spirits business does work for MI6 once in a while. He is to help get a scientist out of Poland and it is supposed to go very easy. Dr. Keller is shot and his wife killed and Alex finds himself working with an MI6 agent to try to get the doctor to safety. Things don't go according to plans but eventually Dr Keller is in London and safe. Then the problems are to get his papers out as well which he did not have with him when he left. Lots of history and some interesting characters in the whole story. Well worth the read.
A simply riveting read from cover to cover, "The Keller Papers" by Ellis M. Goodman is a fast-paced, deftly crafted, consistently compelling espionage story that is based in 1980s Eastern Europe, and includes factual events and personalities of the times -- some of whom having once again become relevant in today's strained East/West political environment. "The Keller Papers" clearly documents novelist Ellis Goodman as a master of the suspense/thriller genre. While certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Keller Papers" is also available in a Kindle format.
Chicago Tribune (by Kevin Nance):
Set in Eastern Europe in the early 1980s, "The Keller Papers" is a spy yarn that begins to unfold when Erik Keller, a famous nuclear physicist and professor, is shot in Vienna as he is attempting to defect from Poland at the height of the Cold War. The would-be assassins appear to work for the Austrian industrialist Karl von Schuyler, actively involved at a critical moment in his country's political upheavals of the times. Keller has left his all-important papers, containing complex calculations, solutions, notes and sketches, with a close academic friend at Warsaw University, so the British secret service devises a plan to retrieve them... To read the entire coverage, please click here.
5 out of 5 stars rating by Nancy Witt from NetGalley
Alex Campbell who is in the spirits business does work for MI6 once in a while. He is to help get a scientist out of Poland and it is supposed to go very easy. Dr. Keller is shot and his wife killed and Alex finds himself working with an MI6 agent to try to get the doctor to safety. Things don't go according to plans but eventually Dr Keller is in London and safe. Then the problems are to get his papers out as well which he did not have with him when he left. Lots of history and some interesting characters in the whole story. Well worth the read.
Lies, deceptions, betrayals, fear, loyalties and friendships are tested, but who will ultimately get the coveted Keller Papers and who will benefit from world-renowned nuclear physicist Erik Keller's research? The end result will surprise you in "The Keller Papers."
The ending of "The Keller Papers" will spark further interest in the reader in how crimes are covered up and how the guilty sometimes are forgiven. Author Ellis Goodman takes us deep inside the Nazi regime in his new novel.
-Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ magazine
4 out of 5 Stars, Jennifer O'Neil
Goodman writes clearly and concisely and doesn't mince on words. He is able to clearly articulate the picture is trying to portray and make it come to life. The terror he instilled when writing about WWII was real. It takes a talented author to be able to do this.
~ Jennifer O'Neill , Great Expectations Book Blog
Full Text of Jennifer O’Neill’s review from above:
Jennifer O'Neill (Reviewer) Great Expectations Book Blog
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Full Text: Alex Campbell sometimes does "little jobs" for MI6. This time he is helping Dr. Keller, a physicist, defect from Poland into England when things go wrong. Someone has found out they are leaving the hotel and shoots Dr. Keller twice in the chest at close range. Rushed to the hospital, he is in intensive care and Alex Campbell and another MI6 agent, Anna Kaluza, are rushed back to England. After Dr. Keller recuperates and gets into England, MI6 finds out he's left his research papers in Poland and they have to go back to get them. What transpires is a harrowing journey to get these papers full of double dealings and unmitigated adventure. A little slow at first, when this book does pick up it takes you for a ride! Full of historical characters, it references WWII and taught me a lot I didn't know. Alex Campbell and Anna Kaluza are likeable characters - they pull on your heartstrings, especially Anna's story. Born in a Russian refugee camp, taken to Africa after WWII and then moved to Australia with her mother and brother she's had a rough childhood. A character I particularly disliked was Tim Bevans, the MI6 agent who keeps on recruiting Campbell for these "little jobs". He's quite manipulative. Goodman writes clearly and concisely and doesn't mince on words. He is able to clearly articulate the picture is trying to portray and make it come to life. The terror he instilled when writing about WWII was real. It takes a talented author to be able to do this.
The ending of "The Keller Papers" will spark further interest in the reader in how crimes are covered up and how the guilty sometimes are forgiven. Author Ellis Goodman takes us deep inside the Nazi regime in his new novel.
-Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ magazine
4 out of 5 Stars, Jennifer O'Neil
Goodman writes clearly and concisely and doesn't mince on words. He is able to clearly articulate the picture is trying to portray and make it come to life. The terror he instilled when writing about WWII was real. It takes a talented author to be able to do this.
~ Jennifer O'Neill , Great Expectations Book Blog
Full Text of Jennifer O’Neill’s review from above:
Jennifer O'Neill (Reviewer) Great Expectations Book Blog
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Full Text: Alex Campbell sometimes does "little jobs" for MI6. This time he is helping Dr. Keller, a physicist, defect from Poland into England when things go wrong. Someone has found out they are leaving the hotel and shoots Dr. Keller twice in the chest at close range. Rushed to the hospital, he is in intensive care and Alex Campbell and another MI6 agent, Anna Kaluza, are rushed back to England. After Dr. Keller recuperates and gets into England, MI6 finds out he's left his research papers in Poland and they have to go back to get them. What transpires is a harrowing journey to get these papers full of double dealings and unmitigated adventure. A little slow at first, when this book does pick up it takes you for a ride! Full of historical characters, it references WWII and taught me a lot I didn't know. Alex Campbell and Anna Kaluza are likeable characters - they pull on your heartstrings, especially Anna's story. Born in a Russian refugee camp, taken to Africa after WWII and then moved to Australia with her mother and brother she's had a rough childhood. A character I particularly disliked was Tim Bevans, the MI6 agent who keeps on recruiting Campbell for these "little jobs". He's quite manipulative. Goodman writes clearly and concisely and doesn't mince on words. He is able to clearly articulate the picture is trying to portray and make it come to life. The terror he instilled when writing about WWII was real. It takes a talented author to be able to do this.
"In this groundbreaking mix of fast-paced historical intrigue with heartbreaking genealogical mysteries, Goodman offers a fresh new take on thriller/espionage writing. Incident-filled and packed with edgy details and startling incidents, this book is a thinking thriller-lover's thriller. The suspense never lets up, and each detail moves the plot at a breathless pace. Couldn't put it down."
Suzanne Seed, author of Saturday's Child
"Ellis Goodman’s new novel, The Keller Papers, is a story of intrigue, espionage, murder, and mayhem on a grand scale. Its globe-trotting cast of characters include beautiful women, handsome men, spies from east and west, a nefarious ex-Nazi SS officer, and a business executive who occasionally does “little jobs” for M16. With action and suspense galore, Ellis Goodman takes the reader on a wild ride that ends up not only exhilarating but challenging, with informed references to global commerce, as well as European politics, history, and tragedy—the Holocaust plays a sad but prominent role in nearly every character’s life. A gripping tale, well worth the reading."
Gary Wilson, author of the novels Getting Right and Sing, Ronnie Blue
"The Keller Papers is an exciting read, a worthy sequel to the family saga Bear Any Burden, but it stands very much on its own. The well-paced narrative is full of thrills and surprises, and the setting in Eastern Europe during the Cold War in the early 1980s, provides an interesting glimpse into the political and economic turbulence of the times. Highly recommended."
Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China
Suzanne Seed, author of Saturday's Child
"Ellis Goodman’s new novel, The Keller Papers, is a story of intrigue, espionage, murder, and mayhem on a grand scale. Its globe-trotting cast of characters include beautiful women, handsome men, spies from east and west, a nefarious ex-Nazi SS officer, and a business executive who occasionally does “little jobs” for M16. With action and suspense galore, Ellis Goodman takes the reader on a wild ride that ends up not only exhilarating but challenging, with informed references to global commerce, as well as European politics, history, and tragedy—the Holocaust plays a sad but prominent role in nearly every character’s life. A gripping tale, well worth the reading."
Gary Wilson, author of the novels Getting Right and Sing, Ronnie Blue
"The Keller Papers is an exciting read, a worthy sequel to the family saga Bear Any Burden, but it stands very much on its own. The well-paced narrative is full of thrills and surprises, and the setting in Eastern Europe during the Cold War in the early 1980s, provides an interesting glimpse into the political and economic turbulence of the times. Highly recommended."
Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China