Rating: 
Summary: Brandenburg
Review: A fascinating story of incredible events. There is repeated and glaring lack of logical sequence, reasoning or analysis. Bothersome repetitious phraseology with seemingly endless cliches. Totally shallow. In short, a cheap thriller
Rating: 
Summary: a great read,sleep has to wait,unputdownable.
Review: a great debut,a book that stumbles apon action with every turning page
Rating: 
Summary: A great read! Read UK edition too--it's better than US one
Review: A really great book! However, a small point-I first read the UK edition of this book, and then came across a US edition while in the US on hols--and noticed there are noted differences. For some reason the US editors must have decided on changes for the US market, or maybe vice versa, but for my money the UK edition is definitly superior, in pace and style. Read for yourself and see what I mean--they're almost like two different books. (I'd especially recommend the above advice to those American readers who absolutely rhapsodised about Snow Wolf--thinking it without question the best book they'd ever read--but thought Brandenbrug was perhaps not quite as good--my advice is, read the UK edition and then pass judgement! It's a terrific read, one that kept me hooked to the very end.
Rating:
Summary: Read Snow Wolf instead
Review: After reading Snow Wolf, I looked forward to diving into Brandenburg. Somebody drained the pool. The pace was turgid, the characters - for the most part - shallow and the plot contrived. Even Meade's skill with the language seems to have deserted him. Everyone's eyes either sparkled, were knowing or were intelligent. The weapons all "exploded" in the shooter's hand. This was a plot which limped forward on its cliches. On top of that, the editing was abysmal. Treat yourself to Snow Wolf if you haven't read it yet, but don't waste money on Brandenburg.
Rating:
Summary: If you like Ian Flemming, then you'll probably love Meade.
Review: Although I was a fan of the James Bond movies for many years, I never picked up an Ian Flemming Bond novel until a few years ago. The novels were so good I didn't like the movies nearly as much after reading all of the books. The most disappointing thing with reading all of Flemming's Bond novels is that Flemming is long dead and no other author can seem to capture his style or ability to create a spectacular plot. Or so I thought.Then I saw Brandenburg and picked it up. If I were one to believe in reincarnation, I would swear Flemming's spirit lives on in Meade. Rather than give anything up about the book itself--the synopsis on the book is all you'll ever need--I should just say that if you like Ian Flemming or spy and mystery-suspense novels, this is about the best one I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A fine hybrid of fact and fiction
Review: Before anything else is to be said about Meade's Brandednburg, it must be noted that the book is far, far too long, particularly for its genre. My Australian edition is almost 700 pages in length! Having said that, I must admit I am perplexed at the widespread criticisms of the book. I found the exotic settings particularly tantalising. The strong contrast between the lush tropical setting of Latin America and the bleek and very wintry Europe bring out the very nature of both. I for one enjoyed the attention to detail that Meade pursued. It also has to be said that the author knows his stuff - the places, down to the very street names are legit. Having travelled to many of the destinations myself made Volkmann's journey even more real. Meade clearly knows his WWII history too - and his story - historically - checks out. Some say it was all too cleche-riden but I liked it anyway - the backbone of the novel - its plot - was historically and geopgraphically plausible and actually quite original. So some of the one-liners leaned on the corny side, but in the end, do such idiosyncratic details really matter??? A fine read to all those with ample time on their hands to read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow, boring and uneventful.
Review: Brandenburg by Glenn Meade is a slow, boring story with a plot that is hard to follow since I put the book down a lot. I was very dissappointed, the premise seemed very interesting since I generally like books of this type.
Rating:
Summary: A meandering mess
Review: Brandenburg is a novel with WWII background set in the present day. The novel opens with Paraguayan journalist Rudi Hernendez working on a story. With some equimpment he records a secret conversation between several Germans living in his country. What is on that tape is enough to get him in deep trouble, and he is abruptly killed about 1/6 into the novel. So far, the novel is interesting and captivating. The rest of Brandenburg destroys all of that goodwill it built up in the first 80 pages by detouring into a convoluted mess of characters and clues and ultimate boredom. Joe Volkmann is part of a European "FBI" and joins up with Rudi's cousin, Erica Krantz, to find out what happened to Rudi. They traverse Paraguay looking for clues and find a picture at an abandoned mansion from 1931 of German girl on the arms of a soldier. Who owned the mansion and who is the girl and what do German extremists have to do with it. At this point, the novel degenerates into uselessness. The best way to describe it is Volkmann going on a massive investigation. Each step turns up new characters, each interview reveals little. Any new information is usually info to aid Volkmann in his next interview, and has nothing to do with the ultimate plot. Soon, all of the characters run together and overwhelm what little evidence the plot has given me. This novel is way to long. The search for the truth is tedious and boring. I don't recommend you read this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Classic thriller debut from Meade
Review: Brandenburg opens with the gruesome murder of a Paraguayan journalist who had uncovered the horrific link between three seemingly unrelated deaths in South America and Germany. The journalist's cousin brings these four deaths to the attention of Joseph Volkmann, a member of an elite European security force (the multinational equivalent of the FBI,) suggesting they might be related. What Volkmann assumes is a drug smuggling case turns into something much more diabolical,involvinguranium, Hitler's son, and a neo-Nazi plan to establish a Fourth Reich. By blending fact with fiction, Glenn Meade combines riveting action and fascinating characters with a story that may very well be unfolding today.
Rating:
Summary: Unoriginal and unexciting.
Review: Glenn Meade has done an incredible job of making an attempt to resurrect the Third Reich into a boring, run-of-the-mill thriller. Most of the novel tracks the protagonists, a half-Jewish British agent working for the EU's security apparatus and a Paraguayan police detective, as they work along a threadbare string of clues that link a brutal murder in Paraguay to a neo-Nazi coup d'etat in Germany. A few exciting moments punctuate this Boys From Brazil knockoff, but with characterization that makes Ian Fleming look like James Joyce, it wasn't enough to sustain my interest.
In an afterword, Mr. Meade states that some details of his plot (not to give anything away) are grounded in fact. I'm not sure if he's trying to be cute or if he's serious.
| 
