Prodigal Sons-Story Summary

Horst Vogle seems to be just another former German soldier adapting to civilian life in Munich in the years following World War II. He’s a museum curator charged with reassembling the city’s scattered art collection. But Vogle is hiding a deadly purpose: he’s part of an Israeli death squad killing former Nazis.  His real identity is Jan Goldberg, a World War II Partisan, a participant in the illegal immigration to Palestine, and a soldier in the Israeli War of Independence. When he meets aspiring pianist Greta Furster, she introduces him to a group of ambitious war veterans, members of an organization that is restoring German pride and also providing relief for East German refugees. He discovers that some of them are using stolen Nazi gold to fund Egyptian weapons that could be used against Israel. Vogle finds himself torn between his mission, his identity, and his growing love for Greta.  Prodigal Sons is a riveting fact-based historical novel of revenge and reconciliation. The novel focuses a sharp lens on both the blinding impact of ideology and the redemptive quality of love.

Sheldon L. Greene is a San Francisco attorney and an executive of a wind energy company. He served on Barack Obama’s national policy teams for energy and immigration. A graduate of Ohio’s Case Western Reserve University he was formerly Warden of Insurance of the  State of Ohio and General Counsel of California Rural Legal Assistance, where he challenged the federal and state governments on health, labor, and immigration policies. He is the author of the novels Lost and Found and Burnt Umber.

Summary of Previous Novels

Lost and Found (Random House): a Holocaust survivor chooses between life in a small Western Pennsylvania town and Israel. The Los Angeles Times Book Review gave it a Critics Commendation and said, “Greene is a born storyteller” The Indianapolis News wrote, “…The book goes down like fine vintage wine. Lost & Found is a beautiful work beautifully done...” Burnt Umber (Leap Frog Press), spans the Twentieth Century viewed through the lives and art of two real artists and the women who put up with them. Among the themes are narcissism and creativity and the evolving independence of woman.   BookList described it as “A beautifully written account of the lives of artists caught up in turbulent times...”