When the Enemy Turns to Dirty Tricks - an Editorial Review of "Cold Victory'

Book Blurb:

You know you're winning when the enemy turns to dirty tricks ....

With the Airlift gaining momentum, the Russians turn to more devious tactics to thwart the forces of democracy. Key players — or their loved ones — are targeted in unscrupulous attacks. Simultaneously, the policy of "collective guilt" has been replaced by "collective amnesty," enabling former Nazis to worm their way back into positions of power. Yet throughout this dangerous dance with the henchmen of dictators, women are steadily rebuilding Berlin and Germany.

Award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader takes the reader away from the limelight and into the shadow side of the Berlin Airlift to explore the social, psychological and long-term impact of this seminal event.

Based on historical events, Cold Victory reminds readers that standing up to tyrants isn't easy — but it is necessary.

Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/oK54M

Author Bio:

Award-Winning and Best-Selling Historical Novelist

Author of 26 Historical Fiction and Non-Fiction Titles, Winner of numerous literary accolades

“Helena Schrader’s in-depth stories, fantastic characters, and ability to write an unforgettable tale make her one of the best authors out there!” Feathered Quill

For readers tired of clichés and cartoons, award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader offers nuanced insight into historical events and figures based on sound research and an understanding of human nature. Her complex and engaging characters bring history back to life as a means to better understand ourselves. Her motto is: Understanding ourselves by Understandig the Past. Helena’s chief areas of expertise are Aviation, the Second World War, Ancient Sparta, and the Crusader States.

Helena's current project is the three-part "The Bridge to Tomorrow Series," which shows how the West stopped Russian aggression without war during the Berlin Crisis of 1948/1949. The series goes beyond the political chess game and logistical achievements of the Berlin Airlift to explore the social and psychological impact of this pivotal historical event. The characters -- women and men, British, American, German and Ukrainian -- enable the reader to see the unfolding events through different perspectives. As the reader gets drawn into their lives, the historical tensions rise, and the trilogy accelerates the pace to that of a thriller. "The Bridge to Tomorrow Series" is about winning a war with milk, coal and candy bars.

The first book in the series, "Cold Peace," won six literary accolades including GOLD for Military Fiction in the Historical Fiction Company's 2023 Book Awards, Gold in the 2024 Feathered Quill Awards, runner-up for the Historical Fiction Company's prestigious BOOK OF THE YEAR award in 2023, an Indie BRAG medallion and a Maincrest Media Award. For an overview of all Helena's awards please visit her website.

Helena holds a PhD in history from the University of Hamburg, which she earned with a ground-breaking biography of a leader of the German Resistance to Hitler, and served as an American diplomat in Europe and Africa. She grew up sailing the Maine coast, was a passionate horsewoman, and is now retired and living with her husband and two dogs.

Editorial Review:

“Merer had a smooth, round face, bushy eyebrows, a moustache and watery blue eyes. He wore wings earned in the First World War, but the ribbons below them were sparse. Although a sober and diligent airman with an impressive portfolio of qualifications on everything from fighters to flying boats, he was not a combat pilot. He had spent his career in the background — transporting aircraft to the ends of the Empire. He’d flown to Cape Town and Cairo, Karachi and Khartoum, Sidney and Singapore. Everywhere his contribution had been essential, but never spectacular or glamorous. That didn’t bother Merer, and he hoped it was not about to change, either.”

It may be showing this reviewer’s age (surely, only slightly) but as a young adult, time passed immersed in the pages of such classics as The Odessa File, Goodbye Mickey Mouse and Winter. Now, more time has passed, and, no longer a young adult, this reviewer is once again gripped by tales of a long-ago world, where World War Two is barely over and a war of a different kind is occurring. A war of ideals, of blockades and determination. “Cold Victory” by Helena P. Schrader is set in the late 1940s, during the time of the Berlin Airlift (1948-1949). This book follows two earlier books in the series. Yes, it can be read as a standalone, as this reviewer initially did, but readers will inevitably be drawn to the other two tomes, because Schrader’s world-building is superb. 

If (inexplicably) readers are determined to only confine themselves to the one novel, then “Cold Victory” includes summaries of the earlier two books and character details that will make it even easier to let the day, and possibly the night, slide by as the pages turn and  spouses/children/pets look knowingly at each other like, oh, this book must be GOOD. 

Those readers of military history novels will know what elevates a book into the truly memorable – it is not only talk of technology, of airplanes and the enemy. It is the human side too, the characterization, the attention to historical detail, the empathy created and the shades of ambiguity explored. “Cold Victory” is also a novel about social change, and human behavior.

“The thought hit Galyna in the middle of the night. She had spent the previous two days trawling through the Soviet press for information about the air ambulance, but on the day of the crash, she’d been too shocked to be efficient. The white Wellington was more than just one of hundreds of Airlift aircraft, it was Gatow’s unofficial mascot. Everyone recognised and loved that Wellington in its white and red livery. The notion that the former bomber was now an angel of mercy appealed to their imagination, and it had come to symbolise the humanitarian nature of their mission. Besides, everyone knew that Mrs Priestman flew Moby Dick, and Priestman was a popular station commander.”

The language and tone of the dialogue is authentic, although there is perhaps a tendency for some conversations to be expository, rather than a discussion between adults (who already know what they are repeating to each other). That occasional tendency doesn’t take away from the richness of the background detail and the complete sense of being there. The focus on the Berlin Airlift (and its social and political consequences) is welcome; this reviewer has gained a greater understanding about what was a pivotal historical moment.

“The next person Robin called to his office was the Senior Flying Control officer, Squadron Leader Garth. After asking Garth to sit, he explained, “The Mosquito that arrived last night belongs to Group Captain Chesire.” Again, the name had the desired effect. Robin took advantage of this to declare, “It has been loaned to us for a special operation that you do not need to know about. It will be flown by two RAFVR pilots, who will not wear uniform. The aircraft will operate under the following ID.” He scribbled the ID on a slip of paper and pushed it across the desk to Garth. “They will observe all instructions from your controllers and can be expected to respect Airlift procedures whenever they are in Berlin airspace. What they do beyond Berlin airspace is not your concern and it would be better for everyone if there were to be no speculation about it. The less said about the aircraft the better.””

“Cold Victory” by Helena P. Schrader is a completely immersive read. It is trite to say it’s a novel about the Berlin Airlift when the plot packs in so much more, giving the reader a full picture of the social, military and political situation of the times. The extent and vividness of the author’s world-building is a tribute to her historical research and writing skill – the people within the pages will linger in the reader’s memory for some time. 

*****

“Cold Victory” by Helena P. Schrader receives 4 ½ stars from The Historical Fiction Company

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