The Swiss Courier was only just released a few weeks ago, and there are already a ton of great reviews out all over the web. Based on all the reviews I’ve seen, I had really high expectations of it, and I was really anxious to read my first book by Tricia Goyer. Even though it was a really great story, there were just too many things that kept bugging me throughout the whole story, and I just can’t help but give my honest opinion.

First of all, the title alone is somewhat misleading. I look at the cover and see a woman along with the book’s title, The Swiss Courier. So, I expect that she will be the main character in the book. Well, she wasn’t. During the first half to two-thirds of the book, she appears about every 3rd chapter at best. While the rest of the story was good, there’s so much other activity going on, and her character almost gets lost in the shuffle. Because of this, I think that’s why I didn’t connect with her or any of the other characters throughout the story.

Another thing that disappointed me was a portion of Joseph Engel’s story. I really enjoyed the beginning of it when I was learning about him, and what he’s on the brink of discovering. But then, it just stops abruptly once he’s in hiding. It was like I got to meet him for 10 minutes, and then he was gone.

Lastly, I think it would’ve been a huge help if there had been some sort of glossary enclosed in the book. I don’t know the slightest bit of German, not to mention that my knowledge of WWII in general is limited, and can’t tell you how many times I was confused along the way. In addition to this, I think it would’ve helped tremendously to have a “fact or fiction” segment at the end of the story just to establish what was real and what wasn’t.

You’d think from all those criticisms that I didn’t like the book one bit, but I really did. It is quite evident that there was tons of research that was poured into this book, even down to the plane ride at the end. There were even a few twists and turns that caught me by surprise…so much so that I was practically holding my breath hoping that things would end the right way! Overall, I would have to give it 3 stars—a middle-of-the-road rating because even though it was a good story, there were a lot of things that could’ve made it better.

If you know me, then you know I’m a grad student majoring in history. If you know me really well, then you know I detest European history. Not that I have anything against those across the Atlantic, but I’m a US history buff and (minus British history) it’s just hard for me to remember all those facts about Germany, Italy, France, etc. Therefore I usually avoid reading books about European countries because it just really doesn’t interest me. However I do make exceptions when one of my favorite authors decides that most of her books will be set in Europe. Therefore I was totally geeked to read this new offering from Tricia and Mike.

If you’ve watched the movie Valkyrie, this book takes place right after the story ends. The best part of this book is that it takes a story that is not know to the average American reader. I tire of reading books based during WWII that used the same storyline and same events over and over again. I really liked Gabi’s character because she’s the strong, take charge type of female lead who doesn’t wait for a guy to rescue her. Joseph’s story is very interesting and brings to mind secret daring rescues. The characters are all multi dimensional and really bring the story to life because you can relate to them even if their situations are a lot more dangerous than ours. There’s a lot of historical detail in the book but it’s not like reading a history book. It’s never boring or dry. You really get into the story and I was pleased with the outcome. If I ever decide to write a historical fiction novel, this would be the type of book I would want to write.

I really enjoyed reading this as I have every other of Tricia’s books. This is another book that flows very smoothly and you can’t tell when one author writes and when the other picks up. I felt that the combination of historical facts with the dramatic storyline blends well together. This book made me (gasp!) eager to learn more about the events that took place during this time period. One thing I did find interesting is that the war in the Pacific is never mentioned at all, probably due to the fact that war in Europe is so prevalent. It’s interesting how it’s like that part of the war was totally separated. Overall this is probably one of my favorite historical fiction books read this year, and definitely one of the best WWII books I’ve read in a long time. I would love to read more from this dynamic writing team. HIGHLY recommended.