Anyone who has read a Robert Harris novel knows he can tell a good story. Often he writes historical fiction, sometimes, as was the case in Fatherland, changing the course of history. With this new novel he has woven a thriller into the events of September 1938 in Europe. With Hitler eyeing off Czechoslovakia, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain calls a conference between himself, the Fuhrer and the leaders of France and Italy in an attempt to find a compromise and avoid war. A young German civil servant makes contact with British intelligence, offering to provide proof of Hitler’s real intentions, and Hugh Legat, a junior in the Foreign office, is charged with the job of arranging a rendezvous to receive the information.
It’s odd how, even when you know the outcome of an event, a story well told can still be full of nail biting tension. I really enjoyed the thriller aspect of Munich, but also found all the historical detail fascinating.
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