Patrick K. O’Donnell explores one of the most intriguing stories out of World War II - clandestine operations led by ex-German Jews against Nazi Germany – in his book They Dared Return: The Untold Story of Jewish Spies behind the Lines in Nazi Germany.

The book generally describes the planning and execution of several operations conducted by the American Office of Strategic Services (precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency) against the Nazis in German-occupied Austria and Yugoslavia.  The operations centered around a group of Jewish soldiers who were German expatriates and who wanted to help the Allies defeat Nazi Germany – most of them had family members in the concentration camps.  O’Donnell focuses mainly on Operation Greenup – an effort to find out about and try to thwart the Nazis’ plan to build a heavily fortified area for their last stand against the Allies.

O’Donnell tells a gripping story about how the Jewish soldiers, local Austrian resistance members, and captured German soldiers who volunteered to help the Allies (these men went on the missions even though there were some doubts about their loyalties) went deep behind enemy lines to thwart the Germans.  The story is well-researched and supported by materials from the National Archives, confidential documents, and personal interviews.

The book is a fine tribute to a group of men and women who risked their lives to stop one of the cruelest regimes in modern history.  Other than showing gratitude to their adopted country, the Jewish soldiers wanted to bring an end to the war and possibly save the lives of their families and friends.

At 156 pages, the book is an easy read.  In addition, the book has several appendixes, including debriefing reports on some of the operations.  There are eight pages of black and white photographs of the main participants in the operations and the areas in which the operations occurred.

Publishers Weekly

Revisiting one of the most dangerous WWII missions ever, O’Donnell (We Were One) examines the planning and execution of a 1944 strike by Jewish soldiers against a top-secret target in Austria that, it was believed, could shorten the conflict. He fleshes out the tale of sacrifice, spies, courage and betrayal organized by the American Office of Strategic Services to take on Gestapo troops in a heavily fortified district, Alpine Redoubt, the site of a planned bunker where Nazi leaders would hide after the Allies arrived in Germany. Under the command of Frederick Mayer—a German-Jewish refugee, naturalized American citizen and Wildcat Ranger—Operation Greenup was a brazen military exercise behind enemy lines, using a core of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany and locals to gather intelligence and reduce the resistance from SS soldiers. Armed with research in the National Archives, confidential documents and personal interviews, O’Donnell tells a heart-stopping tale of sabotage by men and women who placed everything on the line against a seemingly unstoppable tyranny.

–> The Murder Business: How the Media Turns Crime Into Entertainment and Subverts Justice by Mark Fuhrman

Synopsis

Crime stories fascinate the public. But between factual news stories, overblown “human interest” reports and salacious murder mystery exposés, it’s difficult to tell where news ends and entertainment begins. Mark Fuhrman, best-selling author of Murder in Brentwood, explores this fine line and how it is increasingly being crossed, revealing new and shocking details on such highprofile cases as JonBenet Ramsey, Martha Moxley and Chandra Levy. In The Murder Business, Fuhrman argues that the media’s approach to covering crime (“if it bleeds, it leads”) has allowed many criminals to get away with murder and impeded the search for justice. The Murder Business presents a compelling plea for journalists, cops and citizens to demand higher ethical standards in the pursuit of justice.

Retired LAPD detective Mark Fuhrman is the New York Times best-selling author of Murder in Brentwood, Murder in Greenwich, Murder in Spokane, Death and Justice and A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963.