Rating: 
Summary: Best Thriller I've Read in Years
Review: A friend from work gave me this book and told me I absolutely HAD to read it. I must admit, I was skeptical. The description on the back of the book did not seem especially riveting. But, I started the book and found that I could not put it down. This book has absolutely everything you want in a thriller -- it is action-packed, the characters are fantastic and well developed, the plot moves like lightening, and the subject matter is truly moving. The book is unbelievably well-written and just superbly done. I actually cried at the end, and that is rare. I have never read anything by John Katzenbach before, but you can be sure I will now read everything he has ever written. This is one of the best books of this genre that I have read in YEARS (and I read ALOT of books).
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: This was an amazing story that will make you burn the midnight oil. I keep wanted to find out what and why Trader Vic was kill. When it was time to find out who and why it was fantastic. This is my first Katzenbach book and it won't be my last. A must read for all fans.
Rating: 
Summary: A Big Letdown
Review: I began this book with high hopes, as the plot set-up sounded particularly interesting. Unfortunately, the prose was turgid, cliche-ridden and imprecise. The grammar was bad. And the court scenes were embarassingly melodramatic, filled with ludicrous speeches that were intended to show the characters making cogent points, when in fact all they did was to wave the flag. This book was so intellectually flabby I was embarassed for the author. And I'm embarassed for the state of literature that so many reviewers seemed to think this bilge was compelling.
Rating:
Summary: a few good men and a few bad ones, too
Review: At a POW camp for Allied airmen, a prisoner is murdered. Suspicion immediately falls on Lincoln Scott, the only black man in the camp and a target for the dead man's racism. Bomber navigator and law student Tommy Hart is ordered to defend Scott in what is clearly going to be little more than a polite form of lynching. But as Hart begins his investigations, he soon realises that nothing in the camp is what it seems...This is a superb twist on the legal-thriller genre, the twist being of course that all the protagonists are captives. By confining himself to such a restricted world, Katzenbach must rely on storytelling ability - there's no chance for sex scenes, chase scenes, or various other stock distractions. He succeeds admirably; it's been a while since I read a story with such good pacing and tension. (Conversely, the Stalag environment means that other typical genre things such as characters creeping round in the dead of night to find evidence make a lot more sense). What lifts Hart's War further above the genre are the characters and the tensions between them: while the basic theme is concerned with racism, little else could be considered black-and-white. Most intriguing are the Germans, who may be The Enemy but aren't necessarily the "bad guys". There are several sides playing off each other, and much of the intrigue (and entertainment) comes from trying to decide who gains from what. Topping it all off are some honest musings on heroism and courage.
Rating: 
Summary: scott's war
Review: dramatic w.w.two historical setting-a trial where all the participants are themselves prisoners of war. america's racism is center stage for nazi observers of the u.s. judicial process. excellent pre-trial prep and courtroom scenes.narrator's tendency to rephrase slackens the pace without adding nuance to the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Harts War
Review: The book is riveting. One of those page-turners you stay up till 1 am. John Katzenbach has captured the realistic life in a WWII German prison camp. A great deal of intrigue, suspense and details for the post war generation of enthusiasts.
Rating: 
Summary: An adequate book
Review: It looks like I'll be taking the minority position on this one, however I didn't find Hart's War as compelling as many of the other reviewers did. The story revolves around the murder of "Trader Vic", a southern good-old-boy who can get anything for anyone. However Vic swaps threats and racist words with newly incarcarated black flyer Lincoln Scott and Vic is found dead Scott is the prime suspect. It doesn't help that Scott is is only black in the whole camp and has kept to himself shunning the other prisoners. Tommy Hart, self-taught lawyer, is ordered to defend Scott in the ensuing courts martial. My feeling is that while the basic story is a good one it was drawn out way too much. The book is a bloated 546 pages and I found myself skimming some of it. It seemed to take almost 200 pages before it got interesting. I found the characters bordering on the sterotypical. The angry black who wants help from no one, the good Nazi, the bad Nazi, etc. The book has its moments but there is quite a bit of overblown melodrama. I think the book could have benefitted from some tighter editing. All in all I found it to be a three star book. Not bad, but not great either.
Rating:
Summary: Tangled Web Plot - Fast and Fun
Review: Just hate to pick up a book like this. Missed the gym - read the book. Kept you wondering and wishing. Graphic interactions among the POWs were so real. Discription of camp closely matched my father's recollection - he was the pilot of "Green Eyes."
Rating:
Summary: A superb thriller and a sensitive reflection on the war.
Review: This is certainly Katzenbach's best. He provides us with a highly original setting for a legal thriller and he certainly delivers on the courtroom drama. This alone should be enough for a good and enjoyable read. The book is, however, much more. It is exciting in creating the atmosphere of a camp of officers in the war with all its desparation, petty fights and daily boredom amidst a very explosive and for the inmates generally dangerous environment. Than God, Katzenbach does not go for a black and white description of the Allies and the Germans; there are very bad characters among the inmates and there is some good old European ethics left in some of the Germans . It is quite clear that some of those (Fritz e.g.) faced a "prisonors dilemma" as often as the real inmates. In this Katzenbach provides us not only with an exciting thriller but also makes us pause and reflect on human behavior in this most adverse of circumstances; a POW camp. I can't wait to see the movie.
Rating:
Summary: an historical thriller with depth
Review: Hart's War is a thriller par excellence.Taking place during WWII in a German prisoner of war camp,it is so convincing in it's details both human and historical,that you wonder whether the plot is based on actual events or is a product of the author's imagination.While being very suspenseful,the character developement and human drama that takes place is what sets this story far above almost any thriller that you will read.
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