The Last Man

by Charles Kenney

For decades Gerta Wahljak has been haunted by a photograph of ten Nazi officers taken in the concentration camp where she was imprisoned during the Holocaust. Since emigrating to the United States, she has carefully traced and recorded the fates of nine of these men. But there is one whom she has been unable to track--until now. While Gerta waits in her Boston cardiologist's office, she sees another patient who she is almost sure is the last man. She will not be at peace until she knows.

After interviewing Gerta, assistant U.S. Attorney David Keegan is shocked to learn that he is closely linked to the man he's investigating. For the man accused of being a former Nazi is none other than Frederick Schiller, married to a renowned Jewish activist and the father of the woman Keegan loves.

Poised to become U.S. attorney, Keegan suddenly finds his life maliciously uprooted. Someone envious of his rise to power will stop at nothing to ruin him . . . leaking the volatile story to the press and hoping Keegan's reputation is blackened in the firestorm.

David Keegan is a man also haunted by the past, obsessed by his quest to uncover the facts behind his mother's death when he was a child. But as he pursues the truth about his mother, he must deal with the explosive case of Frederick Schiller. As newspaper headlines hurl accusations about Schiller and his wife, the two are forced to relive a dark history that was meant to be buried forever. Now Keegan must decide whether to risk his career to help the parents of the woman he loves.

A gripping, relentlessly plotted story about the ambiguity of morality, the power of an unresolved past, and the necessity of forgiveness, The Last Man twists like a thriller, but has the truth-seeking depth of great fiction. Profound in theme and peopled with characters that possess a refreshing vitality, it is a novel that will breathlessly race you to its stunning, climactic finish.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 1995

Reviews

[Sally Retzloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book, suspensful. Re the Nazi, Holocaust and some that survived the war. How they fell in love, the children they had, secrets they must keep.

[Roger Scherping · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tried very hard to create some drama and suspense. The author created two story lines that needed resolution. The problem is that neither one was really that compelling. One was basically a case of mistaken identity, and the other was a dark family secret. The plot really wasn't compelling at all.

[Beef · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was reading this book it was hard to follow. I had a little trouble keeping up with it in the beginning. Eventually the book started getting easier to read. The book is about a girl who was in a concentration camp during WWII. She sees a picture of ten nazi soldiers and is haunted by that fact. I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in WWII or you like to study any kind of war. The book is hard to come across though, if you see it give it a chance, it may not seem interesting but it has exciting parts to it.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story as an elderly holocaust survivor recognizes a man at her doctor's office as a German official who was at the camp she was imprisoned in. The man is married to a Jewish writer who is famous, but he has always been in the background. The couples daughter is seeing an attorney who is acquainted with the accusations that the man is a Nazi official. All of their stories are eventually told in an exciting and thoughtful manner. Recommended reading to anyone interested in that era.