Recently I read in the news about Frederick Forsyth having
been an actual spy for the British. It made me a little curious and so I read
this book.
The story based in 1963, revolves around Peter Miller a
freelance reporter, who is on the hunt for Eduard Roschmann, one of the Nazis
involved in the holocaust. At its essence this is a story about how some men
who committed the most heinous crimes against humanity, managed to escape
punishment.
To put it simply, the ODESSA is a secret organization that
gives protection to the surviving Nazis of the Second World War. Peter finds
the diary of one of the survivors of a concentration camp. And for the first
time he becomes aware of the sheer scale of atrocities inflicted on the Jews.
This along with a certain very personal revelation sets him on the path of
finding the Nazi SS captain Eduard Rochmann mentioned in the diary.
In one of the chapters, Peter approaches the owner of a
magazine with a proposal to cover a story on Roschmann. And the editor puts it
very bluntly to him that this was a story that no one in Germany would ever
want to read. Because the Jewish tragedy was still a source of great shame and embarrassment
for ordinary German citizens that survived the war.
This story has all the typical elements of a spy novel.
International conflict, grand schemes of destruction, undercover agents, and a
very nice pace. But the best thing about this book is that the historical and
political references do not impede the story flow.
Overall this was quite an interesting read and I would
definitely recommend it if you are in the mood for a spy thriller.
