The novel is set in an imagined alternate to WW2 history and it's subject and the idea of Hitler's success is heavy and controversial,-but don't let this put you off!
Xavier March, a criminal investigator working for the Nazis some thirty years into their success in the war, stumbles upon and seeks to bring to light secret documents that prove the existence of the Holocaust. Although it's hard to see a reality of death and domination that so nearly came true, Harris' novel continually transmits hopeful messages that the truth will out and justice will be served. The very idea that crimes could go so long undetected is, of course, terrifying, and yet one man's mission to unearth the truth brings back hope to humanity.
Harris' design of Germany is intricate and interesting; the government systems and secrets, statues and processions, along with the upcoming summit with the president of the United States give the novel layers and a thick history that must have taken Harris years to interweave. One of my favourite things, above all, is how Harris, in writing a story of Hitler's success, can so blatantly show his shortcomings as he continues to need the support of other counties and world domination alludes him.
The red of the 20th anniversary edition was what caught my eye in the book shop initially, and i'm glad that the marketing department at Random House made the novel pop from the shelves, or i could have missed a really excellent novel. Seeing evil get it's comeuppance really never gets old, whether 20 years after the book's first publication or 70 years after the war.
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