Previous publications of Warren Adler (The War of the Roses) and James C. Humes (Churchill: The Prophetic Statesman) promise an educational and pleasurable read in this historical thriller, and it delivers. Target Churchill, set in the 1940s, has all the breathless pacing of a strong thriller, but adds historical accuracy and insights into the character of Churchill and others that give the book a satisfying sense of completeness. A few chapters in the beginning give the feel of “OK, your turn now,” as nasty Soviets and Nazis give way to celebration of Churchill that can’t resist just another quote or anecdote. But soon things settle out as we go from one location and cast of characters to another, all converging on Churchill’s famous Iron Curtain speech in Fulton, Missouri on March 5, 1946.

Adler and Humes skillfully interweave details and show us both the process of a famous statesman crafting an important speech and the human beings behind the “stock characters” of spies and assassins and those who protect us from them. The pacing (beyond the opening awkwardness) is masterful, and an afterword surprises with historical details I thought were imagined for the sake of the thriller…” Continue Reading on Historical Novel Society

TARGET CHURCHILL Book Trailer