I bought and read this book over 20 years ago. I had never heard of Furst then, but on the back of the book it said the book was like 'watching Casablanca' for the first time. It was. I have read every book Furst has written since reading Dark Star. He puts you right there in the middle of Europe on the verge of war in the 1930's. No one comes close to him in that genre.