We Shall Not Sleep (World War One Series #5)

This is more than a mystery it is a human epic saga

The year is 1919 and the allies are taking back what they have lost to the German soldiers. The Reavley siblings all play different parts in this war but all are united on figuring out who was the man they call the Peacemaker is. They call him that because he was maneuvering on creating an Anglo-German empire so that under their rule war could never break out. He failed but he is still trying to manipulate the outcome with England losing to Germany. If that fails too he has hopes that he can get good terms for Germany in the armistice so that in a few years it will be a power once again.----------------- Matthew Reaves gets word that one of the Peacemaker¿s top minions wants to meet with him and tell him and eventually the prime minister what is going on behind the scenes and who the Peacemaker is. They arrange to meet when Joseph, a chaplain in the trenches is administering to his men. When Matthew arrives there he finds the man he comes to meet is injured and a nurse has been brutally mutilated, raped and killed and the policemen in charge arrests Matthew since he can¿t explain why he is there. His sister Judith, an ambulance driver, starts asking questions and eventually is able to keep her brother from prison. Time is running out but the three Reaves siblings must find out who the killer is if they want to see England safe and ferret out a traitor.--------------------- This is more than a mystery it is a human epic saga that describes the affects of war on the line soldiers. As the war nears it ends, people are wondering how they are going to fit into a world that is some much different than the one they have known before the war began. The mystery is top rate but is the human drama that will move the hearts of the readers who empathize with the people adjusting to incredible societal changes. Anne Perry raises awareness as the audience will question their government¿s war decisions.---------------- Harriet Klausner

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

have enjoyed all in series

I found it difficult to stay interested enough to finish this book and read it through to the end, unlike the previous books. The book kept going over and over the same story background, the same questions to the same people regarding the murders. But I will eventually finish reading and find out who the Peacekeeper is and bring the family back from war! Anne Perry is one of my favorite authors and I read as many of her books as I can.

Great world war one series

I was sad to be finished with this book. I love all of the Anne Perry books. She makes it seem like you personly know the characters and that they are friends. Very good book.

We Shall Not Sleep will not let you sleep.

The skeleton for Anne Perry's grim murder mystery goes like this:
World War I is in its last days.
A shadowy figure known as "The Peacemaker" is trying to take control of the peace making process is such a way as to practically guarantee another war.
A nurse is raped, mutilated and murdered at a British Army field hospital in northern France.
A high ranking German official is coming through the English lines with information that sill expose The Peacemaker.
A British Army chaplain at the field hospital and his sister, a nurse, undertake to solve the murder and get the German official safely to London to prevent the Peacemaker from succeeding in his designs.
The doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and others at the hospital are so bonded by their shared experiences with the horrors of trench warfare that they lie to investigators about the murder to protect their own. Even the chaplain's sister becomes involved in lying to protect a friend.
The German official is wounded as he comes through the lines and is treated at the field hospital where he becomes a suspect in a second incident.

Anne Perry skilfully blends all these ingredients into a plot that draws the reader in with each page. She mixes romantic love and love for one's companions into the plot and then subtly adds a dollop or two of suspicion about various people in the hospital.
Since the field hospital is located in recently fought over trenches, and the fall weather provides enough rain to leave the area muddy, the reader gets not only the feeling and tensions of the people in the hospital, he also gets a sense of the horror of battle itself.
Perry builds pressure as the pages turn by placing the German official under suspicion and making it a race to prove him innocent in time to get him to London to foil The Peacemaker.
The final twists to the plot involve the chaplain and his sister in a race to London with the freed German official where they have to discover where their murdered parents had hidden documents that prove The Peacemaker's involvement in an earlier plot to align England with Germany against France as World War I loomed and to get those documents to the Prime Minister, That part of the story even involves the chaplain himself in violence.
It is a real tribute to Perry's skill that she manages to weave all these disparate threads into a strong story that keeps her readers turning the pages.

Another Winner from Anne Perry

This book was the last in the series but lost none of the wonderful color, diaglogue, and perception of the preceding books. Ms. Perry is a master at presenting the depths of humanity without destroying hope and goodness. I loved this entire series and was sorry to see it end. But I am looking forward to her new release in the Monk series.

Can the Series be Continued?

We Shall Not Sleep is another excellent story of the WWI era. My father was a WWi veteran but I confess I knew little about what happened during that time. He did not talk about it except to relate humerous incidents or non-combat information. I wish he were live so that I could tell him how much I appreciate the sacrifices all of the soldiers made to win that terrible war. It would be interesting to see what happens to the character when they return to civilian life. There could be several books in a seris. Ms. Perry, remains my favorite female author.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Always waiting for a new Anne Perry novel -

I have read every novel Anne Perry wrote and I loved them all. The older ones that I could not find in the book store or the library, I found in a used book store while on vacation. The combination of unforgetable characters, historic detail and mystery always create a great adventure. This series on WWI has not let me down, in fact I learned things about this great war that I never knew.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Another Outstanding Story by Anne Perry!

I am such a fan of Anne Perry and have read and enjoyed all of her books. I love her fun characters and exciting storylines. Where does she get all of her ideas for stories? Wherever she gets them I'm glad! If you have not had a chance to read and enjoy any of her books then this is a great book to begin with! I know you will enjoy this book as much as I did!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.