Provenance of Ashes

In Ulin’s historical-meets-contemporary spy thriller, the Israeli intelligence agency helps a married couple bring down a secret network of Nazis.

In 1944, as bombs fall all around the great Alte Pinakothek Museum in Munich, Obersturmbannfuhrer Dieter Mullenhauer (who’s the equivalent of a lieutenant colonel in the German Army) risks his life to save the art, hiding away select pieces inside a concealed vault. Forty years later, in 1988, teenage lovebirds Marco Bellagio and Beryl Jaffe are planning to attend the biggest event in East Berlin since the erection of the Iron Curtain: a Bruce Springsteen concert. However, what was supposed to be a night of joy turns grim when they find out about an illicit poker game between several high-level ex-Nazis. Four years later, Marco receives a threatening note that sends him into fits of paranoia, and by 2000, he’s uncovered a sinister conspiracy, involving descendants of former Nazis seeking to further fascist ideology. Marco, who’s now a finance mogul, and Beryl, whom he correctly suspected was a spy with the Israeli Mossad, team up to return the paintings to their rightful owners and thwart an evil plan. Ulin’s historical epic emphasizes the pros and cons of surveillance, curiosity, and following one’s instinct in story that spans decades. The complex plot, which is intercut with narration from a Nazi antagonist, features meticulous attention to detail, with aspects based on true events. It all results in an exciting read that will have the threatening note’s words (“Do not think you got away. We are always watching.”) echoing in readers’ minds until the very last page. Overall, Ulin’s skill at drawing on aspects of the past to question the present is impressive.

A page-turning, wide-ranging espionage tale.