The Quest For Anna Klein Paperback – June 26, 2012

The "Quest for Anna Klein" was written by Thomas H. Cook. The book is an espionage mystery novel with a historical setting. This is one of several books written by Cook. He received the best novel Edgar for The Chatham School Affair as well as the Martin Beck Award, the Herodotus Prize for best historical short story, and the Barry for best novel for Red Leaves.The writing style is conversational; questions, answers and a tale are woven into alternating time periods - present and past. The prose is rich in structure and salted with moral and philosophical ideology. The setting begins in America and Europe circa 1939 when Germany and Hitler was rising to power.The tale is about one Thomas Jefferson Danforth, son of a well to do importer, living in New York city. Primed by his best friend, Robert Clayton, the unfulfilled and callow young Danforth, gets caught up in a plot of espionage that the conspirators name "the project". As Danforth is progressively drawn in by Clayton, Clayton introduces him to Anna Klein, a spy in training. Needing a location for training Anna Klein, Clayton convinces Danforth to provide his summer house in Connecticut (Winterset) for that purpose.As Danforth observes Anna's training he is slowly and inevitably attracted to her; finally abandoning his current life to follow her to Europe as a co-conspirator in "the project". After arriving in Europe and initially completing some surveilance 'the project' is abandoned and a different more ambitious conspiracy is hatched. Before this new plan can be implemented, a traitor exposes the conspirators. Anna Klein is captured and taken away, Danforth is released. This begins Danforth's life long quest to find Anna Klein and to reveal and kill the traitor.The tale from here takes many twists and turns and Danforth's steadfast resolve is slowly broken by the truths he invariably discovers: truths that are sometimes stark for "he knew the question had never been whether [he] would live or die, for that had been decided long ago." Danforth's struggle to confront his lost life and find meaning in his quest is brought to the reader as the final pieces of the puzzle are exposed.I thought the book was quite good. I imagine that the prose and style would appeal to a mature and seasoned reader as I would also imagine that a lessor student would find the reading tedious. My knowledge of events, names and places often forming a part of the novel backdrop was not polished and I felt I missed some of the historical drama the author intended. However, I felt that if you have the steadfastness to read the entire novel, you should not be disappointed. I found at least one instance where I had to go back and reread a passage as the linkage (a 100 pages or so) between a name [Kulli Demir]and the character was lost to me. There was also one mystery that seemed to leave an open question....why did Alma give Paul the neckless?All and all I would recommend this novel be added to your reading list.

Excellent plot with unforgettable characters.

This is the third "Quest for . . ." book I've ordered. I've sent copies to others. I would have sent mine, but I was afraid that it wouldn't get returned. My daughter-in-law "borrowed" the copy I sent to my son. typical. I've read the book twice. The second time it was a relaxing trip through the writing, total pleasure, unhurried.

World War II and the resulting chaos is fertile ground for good thrillers and mysteries and The Quest for Anna Klein is one of the best. Told in Thomas Cook's intimate first person voice, Anna, caught in a war that tore up Europe, is fascinating. Her romantic rescuer tells the tale from the vantage of years later.I've recommended it to all my reading friends

I will admit it took a bit longer to get into this book than it did for me to get into all of Thomas H. Cook's other novels. However, when I finally settled into it, I couldn't put it down and, as usual, I didn't want it to end.

Enjoyed the story line, the main character and the narrator.

I have read almost all of Thomas Cook's books and this is one of his best.

I've long been a Cook fan; I identify with his Lone Reader characters and their tragic flaws. I love his small ficitional towns with their epic dramas and odor of old regret. I happily bought Anna Klein in anticipation of a new arena where Cook's skills could roam.I was disappointed by page seventeen. I soldiered on, though, only to find myself jerked from one narrator to the other before I could really hear each character's individual voice. Consequently, the characters seemed the same--pedantic, arrogant, superficial, empty. The book reminds me of those old, B&W television serials that lasted for thirty minutes where the characters scurried around encountering all sorts of mayhem between commercials. Then, the show would end for the week.The book also suffers a bit from what I call the Dickens curse--shrinking the world to the point that all mysteries are solved, all stories neatly concluded, all lost people found, all villains punished, all heroes win, etc. A contrived world that beats the reader over the head with its message.I shall reread Red Leaves and Master of the Delta to force Anna Klein out of my head.

I enjoyed this book immensely, I found it to be a real page turner! So why only 4 stars and not 5? Well, as others have commented, Cook's writing is in quite a mature style that won't appeal to everyone, and also the ending appears to cause some confusion until you re-read an earlier chapter! But don't let that put you off an otherwise worthy read.The book twists and turns between pre- and post-war Germany, USA and USSR amongst other places, and post 9/11 USA. It also refers to the 1915 Armenian genocide, and it's here that you should note the name Kulli Demir as his name reappears at the end in a surprising way...Danforth is the protagonist of the story. In the aftermath of 9/11 he has invited Paul Crane, a young intelligence worker, to meet with him to provide him with 'information'. The novel jumps between Danforth describing events to Crane in one chapter, and the next chapter is set 'in the moment' i.e. 1939 or whatever year that part of the story is set. I found this a bit irritating initially, but as the book progressed this style worked well.Danforth tells Crane how, in the run up to WWII, he became involved in 'The Project'. We are not given precise details of The Project, but that doesn't really matter as the goal soon changes to a plot to assassinate Hitler. Along the way Danforth falls in love with Anna, but it appears to be unrequited love.I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone so I won't go into details, but in brief, Danforth and Anna are separated and he spends many years searching for her and the truth about what happened. I'd suggest paying attention to even the smallest of details about the main characters in the early chapters as it will help the later chapters make sense...This book has plenty of surprises along the way, and quite an interesting take on the classic storyline of love and betrayal. I must admit I also learned a little bit of history too! I'm now planning to read some of Cook's other novels...One last point, for those who have queried the 'star and crescent' necklace: I believe the star and crescent was the symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and they certainly appear on modern day Turkey's national flag (white star and crescent on a red background). Though I'm not entirely sure of the relevance of Alma's giving the necklace to Crane, I suspect it has nothing to do with 9/11, and more to do with her family's history and acceptance that vengeance is futile..?

I finished this book yesterday, and am still reeling - but don't be mistaken - this isn't one of those books that mercilessly pulls on your heart strings and brazenly attempts to make you fall victim. No, this is a rare literary find, a story that feels brutally honest, full of intrigue and poignancy, with layer upon layer of twists and turns you can't possibly predict. This is the first book by Thomas H Cook I have read, and I will certainly be reading many more.The story in brief: Paul Crane, a young man working for a foreign affairs think tank, is invited by Thomas Jefferson Danforth to hear his story of WWII and its aftermath, on the premise that he may be able to provide valuable insight into the horrors of 9/11. Danforth, now in his nineties, begins his story when he was a young man in 1939, and became involved in an American espionage and sabotage `Project' in Europe.The key person in this `project' is Anna Klein, a mysterious young woman who can speak at least nine different languages, and whose resolve and steel in the face of adversity is apparently unbreakable. Danforth finds himself increasingly falling under Anna's spell, and when suddenly their cover is blown and the pair are separated, learning Anna Klein's fate becomes Danforth's life-long obsession - and so the Quest for Anna Klein begins.At every stage of Danforth's quest he faces both physical and psychological peril; he must question everything he thought he knew to be true about Anna, learn the horrors of the depths of human depravity and betrayal. In telling his story Danforth is brutally honest, as his quest for Anna leads him to seek the true meaning of innocence and to understand the need for revenge.A story masterfully told, intelligent literary excellence - I recommend it to everyone.

Thomas H. Cook is a consistently good author and this is another great novel from him. Post 9/11 Paul Crane, from an American think tank, is sent to interview Thomas Jefferson Danforth, an elderly intelligence officer. Paul is full of anger about what has happened in his city and, at first, is impatient with Danforth's story as it unwinds slowly. This story ranges from 1939 until the present and encompasses Berlin, London, France, Russia, New York and many places in-between. It tells the tale of Danforth's life as a young man and his being approached before America even entered WWII to help with a 'Project'. At first, his involvement is peripheral, merely to give a safe place and a cover identity for the training of an agent called Anna Klein. However, gradually, Anna becomes important to Danforth and he accompanies her to Europe.What follows is a tale of Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia and encompasses meeting Hitler, the gulags and the work of spies. Mostly, it is a tale of revenge, of love and loss and bitterness. As Paul is to find, revenge is no new emotion and the tale, which seemed irrelevant to a young, impatient man, teaches him much about himself. This is a wonderful novel from a great author, who deserves more recognition in this country than he currently receives.

I think I have bought some 900 books on Kindle and have never written a review. I picked one of Thomas H Cook's books on a daily deal and was hooked. Since then I have bought several more and will continue buying. I do not know why I have not heard of him and why there are so few reviews. To be honest the books to date follow the same format albeit one which is enjoyable and of the American crime genre. The Quest for Anna Klein veers away from the norm and would make an excellent film. The writing is of a high calibre and I hope to see more in the future...

This book covers a lot of ground - in time, between the present and the past from the build-up to WWII forwards, and in geography between New York, pre- and post-war Europe, Eastern Europe and further. The narrative switches backwards and forwards between the present, when the story is being told, and the past. This device works very well and gives the tale context. The plot constantly twists and turns as it follows the main character's quest. The story is constantly engrossing and the plot keeps you on edge until the very end. I guess one would call it a spy story but one with a difference. Very enjoyable.