In this debut World War II thriller by Robert Burnham, a small group in Germany aims to stop the Nazis from completing the world’s first atomic bomb. And it’s inspired by actual events, lending the narrative an exemplary edge. It’s time to find out The Armageddon Secret.
Alex Drake, an American foreign correspondent in a tumultuous Berlin, is working for a New York-based news magazine when he is recruited by the Black Orchestra, a secretive organization bent on foiling Hitler’s burgeoning wartime plans. But Drake is a reluctant correspondent; his own father was murdered by the Nazis years earlier and these recent developments hit a little too close to his open wound. Then he finds out about a potential Nazi project of, shall we say, atomic proportions. Gamechanger, game on.
If you’re interested in learning more about, or leaning into your existing knowledge of, World War II history, this is the thriller for you. Even if you wouldn’t call yourself a history buff, the story alone is worth every page. We were able to pin down Mr. Burnham and get all the secrets about the not-so-secretly great book he wrote. Read our review here.
Q: Why did you write The Armageddon Secret?
A: I believe that I discovered an important story to tell, something which will make readers stop and think about how close we came to losing the civilization we enjoy today, and perhaps even our existence. It is a story that I believe is best told through a fictional account based upon actual events and historical figures.
Q: As a forensic engineer, what got you interested in this period of history? What did your background help you bring to the story?
A: WWII is of intense, enduring interest because it was fundamentally a colossal battle between extreme evil versus people committed to resist it at any cost. My scientific and analytical background enabled me to comprehend the technical context of this struggle and assess the possibility that Hitler’s scientists could have been first in the world to produce the Ultimate Weapon. Deploying forensic engineering investigative techniques, I discovered that the Nazis had made a consequential error at the dawn of this global conflict which derailed their efforts to create the atomic bomb. Had they not made this mistake, they could have been on a clear path to the nuclear bomb years before America’s Manhattan Project produced the plutonium weapon. I decided to wrap this astonishing discovery into a work of historical fiction.
Q: The book seems well researched. How much did you know about the subject going in, and how much did you learn along the way? Of everything you’ve learned, what surprised you the most?
A: My engineering background did not include nuclear engineering, so I was on a steep learning pathway from the get-go. In grade school, I had read several books and seen movies about World War II, and although fascinated by Germany’s technical advancements, including the world’s first ballistic missiles and first operational jet fighter planes, I didn’t know anything about their atomic research except that I’d read that at the end of the war they were tinkering with atomic research on a low level. But, as my research began, I was astonished to learn that Germany was first in the world to release the power of the atom, years before the war’s start, but made a consequential experimental error which scuttled their atom bomb project before it could produce anything nefarious. A close call indeed!
Q: How likely do you think it would have been that the Nazis could have created an atomic weapon before the US?
A: Had Germany discovered the Armageddon Secret through a correct experimental outcome, they would have been poised to manufacturer plutonium within a few years. By mounting a high-priority program like their immense V2 rocket development program, which included the horror of slave labor and huge underground manufacturing facilities, they could have been at least two years ahead of America’s Manhattan Project. They had access to Belgian uranium mines in Africa and possessed some of the world’s top atomic scientists including Nobel Prize winners Heisenberg and Hahn. And so, how did they make this mistake which saved the world from Nazi atomic weapons? Mr. Richard Rhodes won the Pulitzer Prize for his monumental work The Making of the Atomic Bomb, and in it, he states that the historical record is unclear as to why they made their error. That left me to create a fictional explanation for readers to contemplate and enjoy.
Q: What are some key takeaways that you took away from this experience? What are some you’d like readers to take away?
A: I learned that humanity came much closer than most people realize to the appalling reality of atomic weapons in the hands of Adolf Hitler. Had this monster possessed the means to render conventional warfare to insignificance, it would have meant the end of civilization. However, some courageous people might have stood between Nazism and nuclear weapons. If they existed, we don’t know who they were, so my characters stand as their representatives; whoever they were, our planet owes them a great debt.
Q: Any new projects brewing? Do you have plans to write another book set in this time period?
A: My next project continues Alex Drake’s quest to keep Nazis from acquiring atomic capabilities as he battles German and Soviet spies in America’s supersecret A-Bomb City. The Manhattan Project is in peril as he must stop the transference of the Armageddon Secret to the enemies of freedom.
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About Robert Burnham:
Robert Burnham is a licensed professional forensic engineer with two University of Michigan engineering degrees. He is a member of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers. Burnham’s scientific and analytical background enabled him to accurately assess the possibility that Hitler’s scientists could have been first in the world to produce the Ultimate Weapon.
An adjunct professor of technology and lifelong student of science and history, he lives with his wife, Suzy, in Ft. Myers, FL, and Traverse City, MI. He is currently working on his next novel.
