Historic Fiction Review

Reviewed By Christian Sia for Readers’ Favorite

Islands of Deception by Constance Hood is a captivating story set against the harsh reality and the historic landscapes of World War Two.  In 1939 we meet Hans Bernsteen, a practical man with an honest appraisal of Nazi propaganda at the time. In a meeting with Esther, his sister in Amsterdam, he tries to convince her to move with him, but to no avail. Hans goes alone to New York where he hopes to start a career in photography. Hans will become slowly absorbed into politics, serving in the US Military Intelligence under the pseudonym “Hank.” Esther, his sister, follows a unique path filled with threats from the Nazis. She will use her charm, stealth, and intelligence to survive. As the war intensifies in the different continents, can these siblings survive? Read on to discover the rapture of great storytelling, the masterful use of suspense, and a historic setting that will take you back to very significant moments in history.

The author makes you feel what it was like to grow up as a Jew in a world riddled by Hitler’s policies by letting you follow the journey of two interesting characters in two different contexts. Read on to discover their heartaches, their will to survive in a merciless world, and their quest for inner freedom. You’ll be absorbed in the story from the beginning, but it was the compelling cast of characters that grabbed my attention, and the author’s unique knack for creating very intense and dramatic scenes.

The writing is stellar and the plot so well paced it becomes impossible to stop reading. Islands of Deception features great literary elements and I particularly like Constance Hood’s masterful use of suspense, developed around the switch in the plots.