AustLit

'Joseph St George is a young New Zealander, the son of diplomats in 1930s Berlin.

'But the Nazis are on the rise and the world is on a spinning path to destruction.

'Joe’s world is about to change, violently.

'After a narrow escape from Germany with his mother, Joe is recruited by British Intelligence and given a mission to infiltrate the Hitler Youth movement.

'From vital convoys across the frozen North Atlantic, to the terror of the London Blitz,
to the shadowy world of the French Resistance, this is Joe’s world.

'Inspired by true events, Katipo Joe is a story of incredible heroism, unlikely friendships and unbearable tragedy, set against the backdrop of World War II.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'"I have been accused of whitewashing the Nazi leadership in my memoirs. Some people say I make them seem human. But therein lies the problem. I saw these men up close. They were human. If we think of them only as monsters and demons we may lose sight of the fact that they were very much like you and I. They had the same number of eyes, ears and limbs. If we forget what humans are capable of, we risk it happening all over again."

'In Spycraft, Falkner's masterful telling of the astonishing journey of Joseph St George (Katipo Joe) continues. A teenage boy recruited by MI5, is this time on a mission to infiltrate an elite group of Hitler Youth.

'Joe travels to Germany, to the very heart of the Nazi spider web, where Adolf Hitler is making plans that will change the course of the war, and the course of Joe's life. In a world where one wrong word could bring catastrophe, he must compete with the other young people for a prize beyond his wildest dreams. But the consequences of failure are torture and death.

'From the war-torn skies over Germany, to the heights of the Eagles Nest, this is Joe's story. Set amidst actual events, Joe's story is once again a tale of incredible heroism, unlikely romance and unbearable tragedy.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'On the eve of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Adolf Hitler is preparing to move from Bavaria to the ‘Wolf’s Lair’, his top secret headquarters in East Prussia. Little does he know that among his entourage is a British spy, teenager Joseph ‘Katipo’ St George, playing the part of a keen Hitler Youth who has been chosen as Hitler’s successor.

'Already under suspicion by German counterintelligence, Joe has been given a risky new task by his handlers at MI5: the assassination of Hitler before he can lead Germany to victory over Russia.

'The attack is to take place on the Führersonderzug, Hitler’s Special Train, en route to the Wolf’s Lair. But a perilous night-time crawl on the outside and roof of the train, in an attempt to poison Hitler’s water supply, ends in failure, as does an air raid the following day.

'With Hitler safely ensconced at his new headquarters, the invasion begins, and Joe sits horrified in the daily briefings as German troops blitz their way into Russia. Aided by Sofie, a German girl disillusioned with the Nazi regime, he embarks on an even more audacious assassination plot, a plan that is complicated when he discovers that his father – arrested three years earlier on Kristallnacht – is among the prisoners working as forced labourers at the complex.

'With German counterintelligence closing in, Joe and Sofie must now try to help Joe’s father escape, while continuing their plans for a powerful bomb right in the heart of the Wolf’s Lair.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.