Invitation to Valhalla :

Rating:
Summary: An Intricate Plot
Review: A great deal of research went into this book. It was well worth the price. Cheers to the author.

Rating:
Summary: Can't Believe It Went on Right Under My Nose!
Review: A real spy thriller takes place in and around the shipyards where World War II ships are being built. A real and exciting insight into the operation of a German spy in a midwestern town. Dare you to put it down! Looking forward to more from Mike Whicker!

Rating:
Summary: Simply brilliant
Review: Although I live in Evansville (the city at the heart of the novel), I had to be turned on to Invitation to Valhalla by someone on the other side of the world. The recommendation I received, from a friend in Australia, demonstrates the story's universal appeal. I am not usually a fan of the genre, but Invitation was so brilliant I read it three times in a row. Everything from the setting to the characters is brilliant, and obviously painstaking research makes the story undeniably accurate. The approach Whicker takes is refreshingly open. The Nazis are simply Nazis, not glorified or sympathetic, but not demonized either. The metallurgist Mayer is not made to be an impossibly pious representation of his people; this is becoming increasingly rare in books dealing with the era. The heroes are heroes because of their actions, and the villains are such for the same reason. I enjoyed the novel as a Midwesterner, a Jew, and as a historian. Most of all however, I enjoyed the novel as a book lover. You will enjoy this book, and like me you will be waiting anxiously for a second helping of Whicker.

Rating:
Summary: Expect alot - Got more than I expected! Incredible
Review: Being tired of reading best seller fiction, I went to the depths of Amazon reviews during a late night marathon browsing session. "Invitation to Valhalla" was the first spy genre novel I have read. It is also one of the best written novels. Fellow Amazon reviewers were right on the money on this one. A classic which should get far more exposure.

DWC

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating story
Review: Fascinating well-written story, with most of it taking place in authentic familiar local sites. Recommended by a friend, read almost straight through it, and have recommended it to many others. Would make a great movie! I hope Mike Whicker will write another book soon, perhaps the story of the wonderful old men who recently sailed one of the few remaining LSTs across the ocean and brought it to visit U.S. cities.

Rating:
Summary: WW II homefront history buffs.
Review: For all those homefront history aficionados this one's for you! I am one of you and I just finished Invitation to Valhalla. It was fun reading about the homefront in the Midwest during the war. I was a in grade school at the time but I do remember the gas rationing and the meat shortages. Also, this book is a well done spy/adventure story. I enjoyed it very much.

Rating:
Summary: Darn good suspense.
Review: From someone who worked at the Evansville shipyard during World War II, I really enjoyed the book. It kind of leaves you hanging at the end a little more than I like, but the suspense keeps you reading from chapter to chapter, no doubt about that.

Rating:
Summary: Well-written, thriller actioner in unique setting
Review: Great book with compelling characters, interesting setup, and unique settings. Very well researched and moves along very quickly. Couldn't wait to get to the next chapter and was unhappy when it was over. Includes insightful look at the internal politics in the Nazi high command, fascinating account of the training program for German spies, and a thoroughly entertaining and suspenseful trip through the Mid-West in wartime.

Rating:
Summary: Comments from Destin....
Review: Having once lived in Evansville, I mentally walked the streets with the characters, ate at the same restaurants. I hesitated starting the book, but once I began I could not put it down! An exceptionally well written book. I felt I knew the characters. What a treat! And to think it was based on truth!!!

Rating:
Summary: Easy reading, history based novel, a hit!
Review: I am a history buff and love local history. Being born and raised on the westside of Evansville, IN, I related to the places and events in Whicker's book. The plot held my interest, many times I fought off sleep, to read just one more page. Some of the subject matter would be a bit spicey for anyone with a weak stomach. The book was easy, and enjoyable to read. Whicker did an excellent job researching the events in the book and I appreciated the excellent epilogue. I would highly recommend this book to any one interested in Evansville's involvement in WW II or just as an gripping spy novel. A person would not have to be from Evansville, IN to enjoy this book.
My Mother gave me this novel for my birthday and had it signed by the author. I wish it would have come out in hard back. By the time I finished reading the paperback, it was in pretty rough shape.