The Great Impersonation

Rating:
Summary: An absolutely thrilling story.
Review: I first read The Great Impersonation twenty-five years ago and the memory of that first reading still keeps me breathless each time I reread this masterful story. The characters are well drawn (although they are typical of the genre - Pre-WWI, English upper class, and "foreign" royalty), the pace is swift, and the plot is both simple and ingenious. Although I consider myself savvy when it comes to "thrillers", Oppenheim kept me in great suspense until the very last page. In subsequent years, I have read as many of Oppenheim's books and stories as I can get my hands on - about a dozen, obtained from used book stores - (he wrote hundreds - practically all of which are out of print), and these certainly vary in quality, but I can state, unequivocally, that The Great Impersonation is his best, and, in fact, one of the best stories of all time.

Rating:
Summary: A Case of Mistaken Identity
Review: This 1925 story begins with Sir Everard Dominey wandering lost through German East Africa, and finding an outpost commanded by Sigismund Devinter, a school mate at Eton (now Leopold Baron von Ragastein). There is a remarkable resemblance between these two, and they tell each other their life stories. Both were exiled after killing a man over a woman. But the German Baron plans to kill Dominey and return to England in his stead. This will allow undercover work during the coming war to crush England! The Baron travels to meet Seaman in South Africa and find the wealth needed to carry out the impersonation.

People notice some differences in the returned Sir Edward, who cleans up the mess he left behind. His wife gets proper care and begins to recover from her long illness. "Dominey" runs into the Baroness whose husband he killed in that duel; she is not fooled and now wants to marry. "Dominey" can do nothing as this could reveal his secret and overturn his life as an English country squire. A visitor brings a warning from Africa, then disappears from his room! There is the conflict between those who warn against a war with Germany and those who seek peace. But the conflict between Austria and Servia begins; countries mobilize for war, ending the hopes for peace. At the end the impersonation is unmasked. The backgrounds provide a description of life for the English gentry and their villagers that will disappear in a generation (it reminds me of Agatha Christie's stories).


Rating:
Summary: Looking for a Jolly Good Read?
Review: This is storytelling at its peak. Although a rather just-state-the-facts author, Oppenheim created a delightful story by doing just that: weaving facts into a web that cannot be deciphered until the final chapter. He led the reader through a seemingly straightforward spy novel, only dropping hints at what was to come. This is a great read for anyone who likes their classics served with a twist.