The Ratline : Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. 'Hypnotic, shocking and unputdownable' - JOHN LE CARRE * '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 Brigadefuhrer Otto Freiherr von Wachter 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 Wachter's youngest son, who continues to believe his father was a good man - what happened to Otto Wachter 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?