Billy Knight
thriller
Series · thriller
World War Two
The World War Two series by Greg Iles has 2 known books (2 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Spandau Phoenix (1993).
- Books
- 2 known books (2 novels)
- Published
- 2
- First published
- 1993
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: Spandau Phoenix (1993) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Spandau Phoenix
Spandau Phoenix, Iles's 1993 debut, runs 695 pages and is set in 1987 around a conspiracy surrounding Rudolf Hess's death in Spandau Prison, with Jonas Stern's wartime past -- laid out fully in Black Cross -- resurfacing to drive the present-day plot.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Spandau Phoenix - Book 2:
Black Cross
Though published second, Black Cross (1995) is chronologically the earlier story and, per Greg Iles's own recommendation, the better starting point: a 556-page account of a 1944 mission to sabotage a Nazi chemical-weapons program, centered on Zionist agent Jonas Stern.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Black Cross
The order the story's events happen in, novellas slotted where they belong.
- Book 1:
Black Cross
Though published second, Black Cross (1995) is chronologically the earlier story and, per Greg Iles's own recommendation, the better starting point: a 556-page account of a 1944 mission to sabotage a Nazi chemical-weapons program, centered on Zionist agent Jonas Stern.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Black Cross - Book 2:
Spandau Phoenix
Spandau Phoenix, Iles's 1993 debut, runs 695 pages and is set in 1987 around a conspiracy surrounding Rudolf Hess's death in Spandau Prison, with Jonas Stern's wartime past -- laid out fully in Black Cross -- resurfacing to drive the present-day plot.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Spandau Phoenix
About the World War Two series
Greg Iles's first two published novels are linked historical thrillers built around Jonas Stern, a Zionist agent whose actions during and after the Second World War connect both books. Spandau Phoenix (1993), Iles's debut, is set in 1987 and centers on a conspiracy surrounding the death of Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison, with Stern's wartime past resurfacing to drive the present-day plot. Black Cross (1995) goes back to the war itself: a 1944 mission to sabotage a Nazi chemical-weapons program, with Stern as one of its central characters, chronologically preceding the events referenced in Spandau Phoenix by roughly fifty years.
Iles himself has recommended reading Black Cross first despite Spandau Phoenix's earlier publication date, since it establishes Stern's history before Spandau Phoenix's plot draws on it.
Frequently asked questions
How are Spandau Phoenix and Black Cross connected?
Both feature Jonas Stern, a Zionist agent; Black Cross (set in 1944) shows his wartime past, and Spandau Phoenix (set in 1987, published first) draws on that history in its present-day conspiracy plot.
Which should I read first?
Greg Iles has recommended Black Cross first, despite Spandau Phoenix being published two years earlier, since Black Cross comes chronologically first in Stern's story.
How many books are in the World War Two series?
Two: Spandau Phoenix (1993) and Black Cross (1995).
If you like the World War Two series
Reading order last verified .