V2

A novel of World War II

By: Robert Harris

Narrated by: David Rintoul

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Conclave, Fatherland, and Munich comes a WWII thriller about a German rocket engineer, a former actress turned British spy, and the Nazi rocket program.

The first rocket will take five minutes to hit London. You have six minutes to stop the second.

Rudi Graf is an engineer who always dreamed of sending rockets to the moon. But instead, he finds himself working alongside Wernher von Braun, launching V2 rockets at London for the Nazis from a bleak seaside town in occupied Holland. As the SS increases its scrutiny on the project, Graf, an engineer more than a soldier, has to muster all of his willpower to toe the party line. And when rumors of a defector circulate through the German ranks, Graf becomes a prime suspect.

Meanwhile, Kay Caton-Walsh, a young English intelligence officer, is living through the turmoil of war. After she and her lover, an RAF officer, are caught in a V2 attack, she volunteers to ship out for newly liberated Belgium. Armed with little more than a slide rule and a few equations, Kay and her colleagues hope to locate and destroy the launch sites. But at this stage in the war it’s hard to know who, if anyone, she can trust.

As the death toll soars, these twin stories play out against the background of the German missile campaign during the Second World War. And what the reader comes to understand is that Kay’s and Graf’s destinies are on a collision course.

Critic reviews

"Spies and informers lurk. Period details are piquant. . . . Above all there’s suspense. As Graf and Kay plot and counterplot, questions rise and fall like rockets. . . . V2 will keep you pinned on a compelling trajectory."
—The Sunday Times

"Weav[es] a personal thriller on to a major historical tapestry. . . . The joy is in the history as much as the story."
—The Financial Times

"Engrossing. . . . Harris brings the past to life through vivid characterizations and clever plotting. Fans of superior historical fiction will be rewarded."
—Publishers Weekly

"A veteran historical novelist homes in on one of Hitler’s last desperate hopes. . . . [An] enjoyable thriller with plenty of well-researched historical nuggets."
—Kirkus Reviews

"[An] historical-fiction master. . . . Crosscutting between those launching the rockets and those on the receiving end proves to be a superb narrative device. . . . [This] novel combines fascinating technical detail with a wartime drama that finds human ambiguity on both sides of the battlefield."
—Booklist

Interesting listen

I really enjoyed the back and forth and series of events between Kay and Dr. Graff and how one chapter would be the English side of events and the next would be the German side of events. You begin to feel bad for and root for Kay and the same for Dr. Graff. Great listen

WW2 historical fiction at it's best!

interested in rocketry since my early years, a friend gave me this book.Iit was a fascinating read that kept my attention from start finish. Well performed and an excellent story very true to the facts of the time frame. It gave great insight to what could have been going through people's minds at the time. Highly recommended.

Outstanding…

An absolutely gripping and fascinating narrative about a little understood theatre of the war in Europe…

Good story, great narration

David Rintoul's narration is so excellent he can make a bad story pretty good. But this is a good story that Rintoul makes into a great audio book. I just wish it were a little longer.

A most enjoyable read

Yes, it was a most enjoyable read. I wasn't sure of what to expect but found the lives of the main characters interesting and I did learn new insights about the V2 program. Also, reading the novel did spur some additional interest in Von Braun.