THIS third book in Bear Grylls’ Will Jaegar series starts with a scene in Austria in 1945 just as the war is ending in defeat for the Germans, and SS General Hans Kammler must oversee the blowing up of one side of a mountain.
In truth, this is merely a cover for his own plan to hide uranium in the mountain. He hopes that this hidden stash can be later used to establish a Fourth Reich.
Kammler is captured by the allies, but instead of being imprisoned, he is recruited into working for the Americans after the war.
The story then shifts to the present day, and Will Jaeger, who is staying in Austria, learns that old Nazi tunnels have been discovered in nearby mountains.
Out of interest, he goes to investigate and is horrified to find a number of bodies there – not old skeletons, but new ones that have recently been shot.
And he also uncovers evidence that a hoard of uranium has been stolen from an old Nazi bunker in the mountains.
It soon becomes clear that the entire operation was executed by one of Kammler’s descendants, who is intent upon continuing his ancestor’s plans for the birth of a Fourth Reich.
Kammler’s descendant is part of a group known as The Kameraden, all of whom are descendants of high-profile Nazis who were recruited by the allies after the war.
Jaegar discovers that The Kameraden plans to attack seven different countries with improvised nuclear devices (INDs), leaving a “pure race” that will rise out of the ashes of the destruction.
Jaeger and his team have to locate the INDs, and also their intended targets before these madmen launch their attack.
Making things worse, Jaegar discovers that the Nazis have kidnapped someone close to him to use as a hostage, making things personal.
The fast-moving plot is made all the more realistic by Gryll’s intimate knowledge of how the SAS operate, as he was a former member.
The Hunt (Orion Publication) is a recommended read.
