THE RATLINE BY PHILLIPE SANDS

Book Review

Title. THE RATLINE

Author. Phillipe Sands

Publisher. W & N - Weidenfeld & Nicolson
(Orion Publishing Group)

The Ratline is from the author of East West Street that I devoured a few years ago. Blackwells alerted me to this publication and since I prefer to support smaller suppliers rather than the gigantic global organizations I ordered it from them . So now I have it, signed as well, to go with the collection, now that I have read it, from cover to cover.

It is brilliant. It may have taken eight years in the making but what a fantastic read. I enjoyed every page. The front cover very boldly tells the prospective reader what it is about:

LOVE, LIES and
JUSTICE on
the TRAIL of a
NAZI FUGITIVE

These few words sum up the essence of this book, and it is beautifully told, incredibly well written and presented. Even though, it may suggest otherwise, it is a love story. of sorts, I could argue. It is ‘the family story’, of the man Otto Wächter, his wife Charlotte, their six children and their descendants. Horst Wächter, a son is integral to how it all unfolds over time coupled with serious research. I will say that the sins of Otto did have a considerable effect upon his descendants and the telling of that made it more of an incredible and compelling read. Yes, there was still love there, some disbelief and even disgust.

The man, Otto Wâchter, a powerful figure in the Nazi regime was undoubtedly ‘a War Criminal’ and responsible for mass slaughter and reprisal ‘executions’. A man to be despised.

It ends with his death and the probable cause of it. The final chapters intrigued me greatly and although we had details it left me wondering how much more there is to be told, to know and how much of the intrigue is still out there.

It evokes more thought about how people behaved, what The Vatican did or didn't do and the deadly tussle between the Third Reich and the Soviets. Of course there is always more and The Perfect Spy by John Le Carré could add to the more. I intend to read it next, just to add to my knowledge of that post war period.

On the back cover a quote from John Le Carré ‘Hypnotic, shocking and unputdownable’.