Dr. Volkisch and the Stemplehorst Legacy

Set in the early 1990s, Atenstaedt’s cartoonish pulp throwback assumes the premise that the Nazis initiated a plan in the waning days of the Third Reich that anticipated the reunification of Germany—and involved hiding a trove of stolen art treasures to fund their return to world domination. The search for these art works becomes the mission of 78-year-old Kurt Volkisch, a former SS doctor now living in Wales. Despite his age, Volkisch is still lethal to his adversaries, as shown when a Mossad agent who has the drop on Volkisch becomes so indignant over his racist ranting that the agent lets his guard down long enough for the doctor to pull out a concealed gun and shoot him. Simplistic prose doesn’t help (e.g., one character trusts another with a mission of vengeance because “he clenched his fist purposefully”). Even fans of Ira Levin’s The Boys from Brazil will feel cheated. (Dec.)