The Ratline

Philippe Sands

• 29 april 2021
• 9781474608145

Samenvatting:

The Sunday Times bestselling new book by the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize and author of EAST WEST STREET - a historical detective story that sets out to uncover the truth behind what happened to leading Nazi Otto von Wächter

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE

'Hypnotic, shocking and unputdownable' JOHN LE CARRÉ
'Remarkable' THE SUNDAY TIMES
'Breathtaking, gripping, shattering' ELIF SHAFAK
'A taut and finely crafted factual thriller' OBSERVER
'A triumph of research and brilliant storytelling' ANTONY BEEVOR
'Extraordinary' EVENING STANDARD

In this riveting real-life thriller, Philippe Sands offers a unique account of the daily life of senior Nazi SS Brigadeführer Otto Freiherr von Wächter and his wife, Charlotte. Drawing on a remarkable archive of family letters and diaries, he unveils a fascinating insight into life before and during the war, as a fugitive on the run in the Alps and then in Rome, and into the Cold War. Eventually the door is unlocked to a mystery that haunts Wächter's youngest son, who continues to believe his father was a good man - what happened to Otto Wächter while he was preparing to travel to Argentina on the 'ratline', assisted by a Vatican bishop, and what was the explanation for his sudden and unexpected death?