Barb's Book Reviews: Review of "Midnight Patriots: An Einstein-Chaplin Thriller" by Paul Levine

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Review of "Midnight Patriots: An Einstein-Chaplin Thriller" by Paul Levine

This is the second book in the Einstein-Chaplin thriller series, featuring real-life friends Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin. The novels contain real historical characters and include actual historical occurrences. However, they're stories with author's discretion.

Charlie Chaplin (left) and Albert Einstein

In the first book, Midnight Burning, pro-fascist William Pelley plans 'Operation Hollywood' to kill the most influential Jews in Tinseltown, starting with Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin (Chaplin isn't Jewish but calls himself a son of Abraham).

In this follow-up novel, the Nazis again have nefarious plans for Chaplin and Einstein. The book can be read as a standalone, but why miss out on the fun; start with book one.

*****

It's November 1940, Germany occupies much of Europe and the Luftwaffe is bombing England to smithereens. Charlie Chaplin's movie, 'The Great Dictator', which portrays German Führer Adolf Hitler as a blustering buffoon with cowardly and effeminate mannerisms, is a smash success in America.

Not so much in Germany. Hitler is infuriated by Chaplin's mockery, and the Schutzstaffel (SS) dispatches an assassin called Schmidt to kill the movie maker.

At the same time, spy master Fritz Duquesne, who works for the the Abwehr (German counterintelligence agency), has an extensive spy network in the United States. Duquesne plans to kidnap Albert Einstein, take him to Germany, and force him to help the Nazis make an atomic bomb.

The SS and Abwehr are rival organizations, both trying to gain favor with the Führer, and the tension between Schmidt and Duquesne has unexpected repercussions.

In the meantime, General George Strong, a U.S army intelligence officer, is pursuing Nazi spies, protecting Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein, and trying to convince Einstein to help the American effort to develop an atomic bomb. Einstein is on the horns of a dilemma. He warned President Roosevelt that Germany is making a bomb, and advised FDR that America better make one first. On the other hand, Einstein is a committed pacifist, and doesn't want to HELP make the bomb.

Jewish gangster Mickey Cohen, newly married to LaVonne Weaver, also takes it upon himself to protect Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin.

While he's at it, Cohen asks Einstein to make his newlywed bride LaVonne smart.

Mickey says, "[LaVonne] ain't had much schooling, unless you count the school of hard knocks. Maybe you can teach her some five-dollar words. Polish her to shine like my alligator wingtips." Cohen goes on, "Wouldn't hurt me none to learn a few fancy words, too, Professor."

Cohen's right, and his language problems provide some laughs. For instance:

🔴 Einstein tries to deflect Mickey from shooting someone who had a hard childhood, and Mickey says, "I know what you're doing, Professor. Psychotic warfare." [Psychological warfare.]

🔴 Mickey tells a police officer, "Ain't gonna say a word to no more Nazis. I'm going completely incom-avocado." [Incommunicado.]

🔴 A Princeton student who's a Nazi sympathizer brags, "I was a coxswain on our mixed pairs in the '36 Olympics. The German's love of country was invigorating." Cohen watches the smirky blond wiseacre. He doesn't know a coxswain from a cockroach, but if he runs into this punk, he'll slap him silly.

While the U.S. army and Mickey Cohen are working to protect Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover is suspicious of both men. He thinks Chaplin is morally questionable, and he believes Einstein is a communist sympathizer.

Thus Hoover dispatches two FBI agents - Brian Sullivan and Millie Vazquez - to follow Einstein, monitor his activities, and keep him away from the American nuclear program.

After much drama with guns, a cross-bow, surveillance operations, car chases, captured Nazi agents and more, the key characters find themselves on the Santa Fe Super Chief, a luxury train from Chicago to Los Angeles.

The people aboard include:

🔴 Albert Einstein: The physicist is traveling for scientific and public engagements; though Einstein's a pacifist, he knows America will have to go to war sooner or later.

🔴 Fritz Duquesne: The Abwehr spymaster is traveling undercover; he has an elaborate plan to kidnap Einstein along the way.

🔴 Brian Sullivan and Millie Vazquez: The FBI agents are undercover as well, posing as husband and wife; they're keeping an eye on Einstein, to see if he meets up with communists.

🔴 Charlie Chaplin: the movie mogul is returning to Hollywood after promoting The Great Dictator; he gets friendly with fellow passenger Lena Horne (a rising star at this time) along the way.

🔴 Mickey Cohen: the mobster is on his honeymoon trip with LaVonne; Mickey is determined to keep Einstein and Chaplin safe.

🔴 Charles Lindbergh: the aviator, an outspoken Nazi sympathizer, is traveling to give speeches and promote his 'America First' agenda. One of Lindbergh's many mistresses in on board also.

🔴 J. Robert Oppenheimer: the scientist is returning to Berkeley, where he's a professor involved in nuclear research; Oppenheimer's new wife Kitty, who was once a member of America's communist party, is on the train as well.

The train trip makes up a good portion of the book, and provides much of the novel's forward motion as people's motives and plans are exposed.

For me, this book doesn't have the pizzazz of Midnight Burning The story is more 'talk' than excitement: Einstein and Chaplin try to convince Lindbergh of the error of his isolationist/pro-Nazi stance; J. Edgar fumes about communists; military folk talk about making a bomb. Perhaps because the book is set in 1940, things are more in the planning than the doing stage.

Still, it's entertaining to see Charlie Chaplin climb out a 43rd floor window in his boxer shorts, to avoid being shot for canoodling with Marion Davies - the mistress of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst; and the spy vs. spy drama is rather exciting too.

Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst

All in all, I'd recommend the book to fans of historical mysteries.

I had the digital book and the audiobook, narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner, who does a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Paul Levine, Herald Square and Brilliance Audio for ARCs of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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Barb's Book Reviews

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Review of "Midnight Patriots: An Einstein-Chaplin Thriller" by Paul Levine

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