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Flying Without Wings Kindle Edition

4.3 out of 5 stars 109 ratings

Do you enjoy World War II thrillers?


This historical thriller with a tearful ending is filled with conspiracy, corruption, the horror of a Nazi ghetto camp, a mysterious escape from Europe, hunting Nazi treasures and a stolen toy aeroplane.


“I couldn't put it down and cried at the end.” ARC Reader


Flying Without Wings


At the close of World War II in Terezín Concentration Camp 1945 a young Jewish boy, Johan Falkner, overhears a deadly secret about the final legacy of the Third Reich.


Forty years later, in rural England, Matt Buttrick learns of a hidden Nazi rumoured to be living in the area.


Are the two connected? And what is the mysterious treasure that one of two men took from Germany on a flight from an abandoned airfield near Bremen at the end of the war?


The discovery of a body confirms that ruthless people are also searching for this treasure, and the safety of Matt's family may depend on him getting to it first. The only problem is that to do so he will have to talk to the man he holds responsible for the greatest loss in his life, and in doing so confront his broken dream of taking to the skies.


Fly with a young man through life's journey of hopes, dreams and tragedies!


ARC Reader “World War II is not my genre. That being said, this was an EXCELLENT story!!! I really, really enjoyed it! And the story is woven between World War II and the modern world of 1985.”

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Deborah Burggraaf is a graduate of California State University, San Bernadino, where she received her first professional teaching certificate. Additionally, Mrs. Burggraaf holds a Master of Science degree in Educational Technology from National University. She has earned additional certification from Nova Southeast University in South Florida. Mrs. Burggraaf is a teacher in Palm Beach County, Florida. Cooka: The Bird Without Wings is Mrs. Burggraaf's second book and she has embarked on a career as an author that has no limits.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07TVYQXZZ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vista Prado
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 13, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.1 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 346 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 109 ratings

About the author

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Paula Wynne
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Paula Wynne is the award-winning author of The Grotto's Secret which won The People's Book Prize in 2017. She has appeared on TV several times, including the BBC Show, Escape to the Continent, which showed her and her husband's quest to buy a second home in Spain so Paula could become a full time writer. They now live between Newbury, Berkshire and Malaga, Spain where Paula spends her time writing.

The Torcal Trilogy series is described by readers as a 'must' for fans of Kate Mosse and Dan Brown. Paula's first World War II Thriller is said to be "her best book so far" by reviewers.

Paula is currently writing more conspiracy thrillers with historical mystery twists. She brings her love for thrillers and history, along with the beauty of European countries into her books.

Paula runs regular book giveaways, so join her news or find out more about Paula at https://www.paulawynne.com.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
109 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's storyline engrossing, with one noting how the author masterfully weaves historical facts into the narrative. Moreover, the characters have depth, and the writing is well-executed. Additionally, customers enjoy the book, with one mentioning it keeps interest from beginning to end, and they appreciate the thorough research.

14 customers mention "Storyline"14 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, describing it as an engrossing and enjoyable historical fiction that unfolds with thrills as it progresses, with one customer noting how the author masterfully weaves historical facts into the narrative.

"...Website,’ and ‘Pimp My Site’ as well as for her exceptional historical fiction novels...." Read more

"...Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and this book didn't disappoint. In spite of the language,I would highly recommend this book...." Read more

"I Pre-ordered this excellent historical novel from Amazon. This is an extraordinary novel, one I am pleased to refer to friends, and family...." Read more

"...I love how the story goes back and forth in time...." Read more

9 customers mention "Character development"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting that the characters have depth. One customer mentions that the story contains many characters and sub-plots.

"...The characters are all interesting and picturesque. This is an all-nighter novel...." Read more

"...I love how the story goes back and forth in time. The characters are all so richly developed that the reader MUST know what happens to each and..." Read more

"An engrossing story. Complex characters, sometimes growing dramatically...." Read more

"...This book is well-written, with good character development...." Read more

8 customers mention "Writing quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one noting it's a great read by a favorite artist.

"...Paula offers a fine synopsis: ‘At the close of World War II in Terezín Concentration Camp 1945 a young Jewish boy, Johan Falkner, overhears a deadly..." Read more

"...It's a long book, but very well written!" Read more

"...This book is well-written, with good character development...." Read more

"Another excellent historical fiction novel by this very talented author...." Read more

6 customers mention "Enjoyment"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, with one mentioning it keeps their interest from beginning to end.

"This book was fabulous until the inappropriate language towards the end. I can handle some language, but this did not fit with the times...." Read more

"...I enjoyed this book so much... that I purchased a number of the author's other novels! I love finding a diamond in the middle of nowhere!..." Read more

"This is an extraordinary book. It spans 2 generations starting in Poland in 1945 during the Nazi occupation...." Read more

"...However, that being said, this was an EXCELLENT story! I really, really enjoyed it...." Read more

4 customers mention "Research quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the thorough research in the book.

"...and rich in imagery and tension, FLYING WITHOUT WINGS is a stunning achievement. Recommended. Grady Harp, August 19" Read more

"...The work is well researched. The telling of the tale is simple and easily followed, and the WWII facts true to history...." Read more

"...The author did a great amount of research for this and it shows. I received an ARC from the author and this is my voluntary review." Read more

"...She did a marvelous job in describing been interned in a Concentration camp through the eyes of a young Jewish boy...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Author Paula Wynne began her career in writing after moving to rural Andalusia, Spain. This journey/change of location was documented: Paula and her husband Ken starred in the BBC Show, ‘Escape to the Continent’, which showed their quest to live in Spain. Paula has won acclaim for the Writers’ Resource Series – ‘A-Z Writers’ Character Quirks’, ‘Pimp My Fiction’, ‘Create a Successful Website,’ and ‘Pimp My Site’ as well as for her exceptional historical fiction novels.

    Paula’s novel, FLYING WITHOUT WINGS, is a ‘conspiracy mystery thriller’ and she does indeed know how to spin a yarn that involves the reader from page one. ‘7 May 1945
 Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, Czechoslovakia Johan Falkner fell from his bunk and woke me, his spirit. Providence endowed me to watch over this ten-year-old boy in whom I live. Thus far, despite these dark years, we have managed to remain intact and partly sane. The earth shuddered again as a second mortar exploded and the ground under the barracks shook. Now fully awake, Johan gasped. The guard hut! Had it been bombed? Through the shocked silence, broken only by the sound of his gnawing belly, twisting and turning as it cried out for even a crust of bread, Johan wondered if it was still inside the guard hut.’ Without further probing we have a finger on the pulse and direction of the novel – except for the well-paced twists that offer background and purpose of the story’s drive.

    Paula offers a fine synopsis: ‘At the close of World War II in Terezín Concentration Camp 1945 a young Jewish boy, Johan Falkner, overhears a deadly secret about the final legacy of the Third Reich. Forty years later, in rural England, Matt Buttrick learns of a hidden Nazi rumoured to be living in the area. Are the two connected? And what is the mysterious treasure that one of two men took from Germany on a flight from an abandoned airfield near Bremen at the end of the war? The discovery of a body confirms that ruthless people are also searching for this treasure, and the safety of Matt's family may depend on him getting to it first. The only problem is that to do so he will have to talk to the man he holds responsible for the greatest loss in his life, and in doing so confront his broken dream of taking to the skies.

    As with her other historical fiction novels, Paula once again proves she is an important author of this genre. Propulsive and rich in imagery and tension, FLYING WITHOUT WINGS is a stunning achievement. Recommended. Grady Harp, August 19
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book was fabulous until the inappropriate language towards the end. I can handle some language, but this did not fit with the times. It's the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and this book didn't disappoint. In spite of the language,I would highly recommend this book. The reader does need to pay attention to the changing years. It's a long book, but very well written!
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I Pre-ordered this excellent historical novel from Amazon. This is an extraordinary novel, one I am pleased to refer to friends, and family. The work is well researched. The telling of the tale is simple and easily followed, and the WWII facts true to history. The characters are all interesting and picturesque. This is an all-nighter novel.

    The central hook of Flying Without Wings is an inherent love of flying and a quote from Zen Dog by Edward Monkton. "He knows not where he's going, For the ocean will decide. It's not the destination, It's the glory of the ride." And then there is the red K345 model plane that crops up every so often...

    We do time-travel flip-flopping, beginning In May of 1942, deep diving with Steffan Sommer in Lake Toplitz in the Austrian Alps and other adventures as he searches out remote hiding places for storing Nazi loot. May 7, 1945, we are at Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia, seen through the eyes of Johan Falkner who was interred with his whole family in 1942. Johan is young and small and still housed with his mother in the women's quarters. He had brought with him hidden in his coat when the Falkner family was shipped to Theresienstadt a small red German K345 model airplane which was confiscated by the commandant of the camp and placed in plain sight at the gate guards hut, where Johan could see it every day but never again touch. He has watched his older brother Aron and father being hauled off to an unknown labor camp, and his beautiful older sister Elza put through medical 'testing' and tortured before her death. Both Johan and his mother Ima are skin and bones and out of hope. The Russians are coming, they can often hear the shooting and shelling, but will Allied forces arrive in time to save the Czech families still alive, or will the stepped-up killings at the concentration camp get them all before the Germans flee?

    In June of 1945, Little Hollow, Berkshire, England, we visit the Sommer family, who are the elite in that stretch of the English woods, and we spend time with Sommer cousins Steffan and Wilhelm at Bremen Airfield in Germany and join in their travels at war's end in search of Nazi gold.

    In 1977 we join John Falcon and Aron who are also Nazi hunters - both Nazi criminals and stolen loot. The Falcon brothers, however, would like to see that loot returned to the families it was stolen from.

    In our more modern time frame, we have Matt Buttrick in Aldermaston, Berkshire, England beginning in July 1985. What is behind the vague rumors of a Nazi hiding out in Berkshire after the war? Is there really a treasure map of Nazi loot as reported by cousin Allan? What really happened in the Falklands? The Buttrick boys lost their father in a plane crash in the Falklands War. The co-pilot of the plane, Steven 'Bomber' Balmaine, lived to return home and run a small local airfield. Matt has always held Bomber personally responsible for his father's death. Their mother runs a coffee shop in Little Hollow. Both Matt and Luke are crazy about planes. Luke actually works at the local airfield with Bomber, but Matt, injured in a fall years ago, is still mourning the fact that he cannot pass the physical requirements to join the RAF.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Bre
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read spreading over 4 decades
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I enjoyed reading, flying without wings, at times it was uncomfortable reading but then again, given the subject matter it would never be your cosy novel. this book was different stories woven together giving each character a different view point on the events occurring throughout the book. I love reading and I have read many books that have started off good, building interest and then just fizzle out with a bland ending. Paula’s books are never like that, when I have finished reading them I am happy in the knowledge that my time has not been wasted. Paula Wynne is a wonderful and creative writer. I eagerly await her next book.
  • nightreader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Full of the histories and horrors of WWII
    Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Paula Wynn has given us the feeling of being there. A difficult story to read but important; full of the history and horrors of the holocaust and facts we can never forget. The aftermath of searching for decades for family and friends, locations are not easily found. Also, many searches come up empty except possibly one. Though times change and so do people, later parts of the story rewind and confirm much off the aftermath, but does life ever reset? Are artifacts ever found? Bodies? Signs of torture?
    What does, leaves many unanswered questions but also some ability to reconstruct. Can the lives of children who survived the camps ever become a new but better reality? Cruelty that was overwhelming. The Wolf was well-named. Flying Without Wings is a must-read, somewhat in three distinct parts. Will Johan ever "fly without wings"? The side story of the little red airplane is very representative of life. I was a Canadian 3 yr old when my father marched to war. At the age of 79 I remember still.
  • David Wickenden
    4.0 out of 5 stars Nazi Gold
    Reviewed in Canada on September 2, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This story was brimming with suspense and vicious violence. From the ghastly Nazi concentration camps we see the true evil and greed of the Third Reich. Even knowing that they are losing, the perpetrators of the mass murdering of the Jewish people try to hide away their stolen wealth across Europe.
    The story jumps between the past and to rural England in the 1980s where all the secrecy, pain and greed come to a head.
    I highly recommend this story for those WW II lovers that love a tale that keeps you at the edge of your seat the whole time.
  • Busygran
    5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling follow up to the 2nd world war
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I enjoyed Flying with out Wings. I enjoyed the development especially of the relationship between Matt and Bomber. The plot was chilling in places and I did feel that John deserved a happier ending. All in all though I liked the way some of the relationships developed, some altered and the feeling that we will never be free of war
  • Jyccyj
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dramatic and emotional
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Parts of this book were brilliant. It was rather like reading several short stories and was rather annoying when a particular story came to an end. Like a cliffhanger in a TV series.
    However there was a plot and a satisfactory conclusion.

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