I didn't like this book as much as the other Erik Larson books. While I find the subject fascinating (I'm intrigued by how Hitler and the Nazis were ever able to gain so much power before the world was aware) a good deal of the book drug due to not being able to constantly intertwine the Nazi story with the Dodd story. As for gaining a better historical picture of Ambassador Dodd I found that interesting. By the end of the book I was really feeling for the poor guy. He really understood where things were leading when others wanted to remain oblivious and everyone turned deaf ears on him. I also learned a few interesting facts about the Russians and the KGB. I would still recommend reading this but I believe it reads more like an account of historical facts than a "story" like other Erik Larson books do.