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Readers and Editorial Reviews

kirkus reviews - a shot across the bow - book - historical fiction

This engaging tale deftly captures the complexities that gave birth to the modern Middle East.

In this historical novel, a German Jewish journalist witnesses the rise of Zionism and the ramifications of the Armenian purge following his assignment to Constantinople on the eve of World War I.

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TESTIMONIALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

A Time Of Extreme Significance In World History

A magnificent work of historical fiction, and with real characters too. This is a fantastic story. Truly, a one-of-a-kind story which has not yet been told in any WW1 book. Constantinople is brought to life in this must-read book.

– Dan L | December 2022

Richly descriptive – it’s like watching a movie while reading

Entertaining, informative and above all – it’s as though you’re in the story

– Deborah, Amazon Books

Part history, part thriller, part travelogue, and a fascinating education!

A Shot Across the Bow transported me to a time and place I knew very little about — Istanbul, Israel and Berlin, between the wars. Although the likable young protagonist and deliciously wily villain were pure fiction, much of the rest of the novel is based on real events and personages that shaped 20th Century history. It shows how history is not always cut-and-dried cause-and-effect, but often shaped through seemingly non-related events, such as the genocide of the Armenians indirectly influencing the creation of the State of Israel. Another facet of the novel that appealed to me is the singular writing style: very European and era-appropriate, making the novel even more cinematic. Whether you are a fan of history or historical fiction, or just looking for an involving read, I definitely recommend this novel!

– Victoria L., Amazon Books

A very good novel

The 2021 409-page novel “A Shot Across the Bow” by Lorenz Waldmann is very enjoyable. It is a gripper from start to finish, hard to set aside. It is fiction but based on interesting facts. It is easy to read and eye-opening. We enjoy the tale and learn much about the events just before and after World War I, the mindset and acts of Germans and Jews, and why Jews needed to establish a Jewish state. We read about evil Templers, the struggling Zionist organizations, and in two chapters about a remarkable sensational trial, a fictional adaptation of an actual event, an assassination, publicized in 1921. The protagonist in the tale is Harry Haller, a young German-Jewish journalist from Berlin who is assigned to a post in German-controlled Constantinople, where he learns of a conspiracy and meets friendly and non-friendly, indeed dangerous, people. He travels to Palestine and discovers intrigues there as well.

– Israel D., Amazon Books

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ABOUT THE BOOK

A Shot Across the Bow is a captivating historical novel set during a time of great upheaval as Harry Haller, a Berlin journalist, takes up a new post in Constantinople on the eve of WW1.

Through the actions and thoughts of the book’s characters, both real and fictitious, author Lorenz Waldmann brings this era to vivid life.

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