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The Night of the Generals
A Polish prostitute is murdered in Warsaw in 1942. The possible suspects are narrowed down to three German generals, but the investigation eventually comes to nothing. A similar crime happens in Paris in 1944 when all three generals are assembled once more - but again the investigations are halted by the famous 'night of the generals' - the coup against Hitler. Then, in 1956, a third murder occurs in Dresden. This time the killer must be caught...
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
16 people are currently reading
799 people want to read
About the author
Hans Hellmut Kirst
66 books50 followersA veteran from WW II, he wrote various novels focused on military life and the corruption in the army.
Hans Hellmut Kirst, der international erfolgreichste deutsche Autor der Nachkriegszeit, wurde am 5. Dezember 1914 in Osterode in Ostpreußen als Sohn eines Gendarmeriebeamten geboren. Von 1933 bis 1945 diente Kirst als Berufssoldat. Mit seiner später verfilmten Romantrilogie „08/15“, seinen Welterfolgen „Fabrik der Offiziere“ und „Die Nacht der Generäle“ fand Hans Hellmut Kirst auch literarisch große Anerkennung.
Hans Hellmut Kirst, der international erfolgreichste deutsche Autor der Nachkriegszeit, wurde am 5. Dezember 1914 in Osterode in Ostpreußen als Sohn eines Gendarmeriebeamten geboren. Von 1933 bis 1945 diente Kirst als Berufssoldat. Mit seiner später verfilmten Romantrilogie „08/15“, seinen Welterfolgen „Fabrik der Offiziere“ und „Die Nacht der Generäle“ fand Hans Hellmut Kirst auch literarisch große Anerkennung.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 16, 2016
This book is based on a brilliant concept – the absurdity of a man obsessed with investigating a single murder case in the midst of mass murder as the Third Reich begins to collapse.
It is almost inevitable that the book falls short of the idea. National Socialism is itself such an absurdity – a tragic and obscene absurdity but still an absurdity – that satire becomes redundant.
In any case, Kirst does not seem to have made up his mind whether he was writing a satire or a crime thriller, so the book succeeds as neither. He is at his weakest when trying to be profound, putting philosophical speeches in the mouths of his characters and even sometimes in the narrative. Although these sometimes contain good points, it would perhaps have been better if Kirst had let the reader work them out for himself rather hit him over the head with them.
There is also a lack of self-perception in the way that Kirst invites us to condemn the narrow-mindedness of Germans under National Socialism and, more subtly, in the days of the Post-War 'economic miracle' without questioning his own bias. In judging others for their failure to examine the norms of their time and place, he lays down moral absolutes with a high hand, blind to the fact that he is guilty of the same sin. Having been a serving officer in the War and, apparently, a Party member himself, he is eager to stress that he is not like most of the characters he portrays, and in doing so falls into the 'them' and 'us' mentality that was at the root of National Socialism.
So he makes his hero a politically aware officer of the Abwehr – the military intelligence department that provided a refuge for many opponents of Hitler – rather than a simple policeman doing is job under impossible circumstances, which might have been more effective. Colonel Grau is in no doubt about the immorality of the State he serves – even if, hypocritically, he continues to serve it in a position of rank and influence – so we never get to consider properly the more difficult ethical question of the extent to which an apolitical functionary should obey and serve an immoral government.
None of this detracts from the entertainment value of the book, which is considerable, but Kirst appears to have been aspiring to something higher and he fails in that. There is a truly great novel to be written on how National Socialism succeeded in normalising itself, so that millions of perfectly decent Germans co-operated with it. The paradox is that perhaps such a book could only be written by someone of Kirst's generation, who experienced it first hand, but they are the people most unwilling to admit that they were themselves the 'normal' people in question.
It is almost inevitable that the book falls short of the idea. National Socialism is itself such an absurdity – a tragic and obscene absurdity but still an absurdity – that satire becomes redundant.
In any case, Kirst does not seem to have made up his mind whether he was writing a satire or a crime thriller, so the book succeeds as neither. He is at his weakest when trying to be profound, putting philosophical speeches in the mouths of his characters and even sometimes in the narrative. Although these sometimes contain good points, it would perhaps have been better if Kirst had let the reader work them out for himself rather hit him over the head with them.
There is also a lack of self-perception in the way that Kirst invites us to condemn the narrow-mindedness of Germans under National Socialism and, more subtly, in the days of the Post-War 'economic miracle' without questioning his own bias. In judging others for their failure to examine the norms of their time and place, he lays down moral absolutes with a high hand, blind to the fact that he is guilty of the same sin. Having been a serving officer in the War and, apparently, a Party member himself, he is eager to stress that he is not like most of the characters he portrays, and in doing so falls into the 'them' and 'us' mentality that was at the root of National Socialism.
So he makes his hero a politically aware officer of the Abwehr – the military intelligence department that provided a refuge for many opponents of Hitler – rather than a simple policeman doing is job under impossible circumstances, which might have been more effective. Colonel Grau is in no doubt about the immorality of the State he serves – even if, hypocritically, he continues to serve it in a position of rank and influence – so we never get to consider properly the more difficult ethical question of the extent to which an apolitical functionary should obey and serve an immoral government.
None of this detracts from the entertainment value of the book, which is considerable, but Kirst appears to have been aspiring to something higher and he fails in that. There is a truly great novel to be written on how National Socialism succeeded in normalising itself, so that millions of perfectly decent Germans co-operated with it. The paradox is that perhaps such a book could only be written by someone of Kirst's generation, who experienced it first hand, but they are the people most unwilling to admit that they were themselves the 'normal' people in question.
May 27, 2023
Hans Hellmut Kirst's The Night of the Generals examines wartime morality through a whodunnit framework. A prostitute is murdered in occupied Warsaw, and the sole eyewitness provides compelling evidence that the perpetrator is a German general. Headstrong Abwehr Major Grau begins his investigation, narrowing his suspects to a trio of officers: General von Seidlitz-Gabler, a corps commander more interested in chasing women than waging the war; his chief-of-staff, the officious Kahlenberge; and Wilhelm Tanz, a fanatical SS General who thinks nothing of massacring entire neighborhoods of Poles and Jews. The novel transfers from Warsaw to Paris, with its characters becoming ensnared in the 20 July plot to kill Hitler as the culprit commits another murder. Kirst, a Wehrmacht veteran himself, spent his career writing about the moral and ethical compromises of Germans under the Third Reich. The book isn't entirely successful; it's the sort of novel where characters detail their personal philosophies in monologue, and the connection between the murder plot and the military-political context often frays. There's a romantic subplot between von Seidlitz-Gabler’s daughter and a young war hero corporal, Ranier Hartmann, that adds little even when it ties into the main storyline. At its most compelling, though, Kirst renders sharp examinations of an essential hypocrisy in civilization: mass murder can be rendered justified, even moral while individual killings are a crime. The killing of an Adolf Hitler is a courageous act, even when done for uncourageous motives, while the murder of a prostitute renders only outrage. And men who achieve military success, emboldened by society's unwillingness to hold them accountable, can place themselves above even this fractured morality. Made into an exceedingly strange film starring Peter O'Toole, Tom Courtenay and that most Aryan of actors, Omar Sharif.
November 18, 2023
În debutul nu mai stiu cărei nebunii de film, semnat Costa Gavras, regizorul nota: orice coincidență cu persoane reale NU este o întâmplare. Așa-i și cartea asta. :)
Să anchetezi, în timpul și după căderea celui de-al treilea Reich, o crimă în aparență de drept comun, pierduta în noianul de crime din timpul celui de-al Doilea Război Mondial, denota o fina încercare de a pune sub semnul întrebării conceptul și întinderea "moralității". Acestea toate în timpul puciuliu din iulie 1944, punct din care cartea este și un bun roman politico-diplomatic.
Să anchetezi, în timpul și după căderea celui de-al treilea Reich, o crimă în aparență de drept comun, pierduta în noianul de crime din timpul celui de-al Doilea Război Mondial, denota o fina încercare de a pune sub semnul întrebării conceptul și întinderea "moralității". Acestea toate în timpul puciuliu din iulie 1944, punct din care cartea este și un bun roman politico-diplomatic.
September 7, 2024
Engaging enough...but once the bell tolls, you look back and realize that 3 murders in 14 years require too much filler. It is one of those novels that works better as a movie. If only we get to enjoy more of the peculiar obsessions of Tanz for breakfast, liquor and fastidious engine dusting he subjects his orderlies to.
July 28, 2017
-Lograda en dos aspectos simultáneos, casi en tres.-
Género. Novela.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro La noche de los generales (publicación original: Der Nacht der Generalen, 1962) nos trasladamos hasta 1942, a la Varsovia ocupada por Alemania durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el hallazgo del cadáver de una prostituta inicia una investigación por parte del comandante Grau, jefe de la sección de contraespionaje alemana en la ciudad. Un testigo da una serie de datos que indican que pudo ser un general alemán a quién vio abandonar la escena del crimen. Las pesquisas de Grau descubren que sólo tres generales no tienen coartada.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Novela.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro La noche de los generales (publicación original: Der Nacht der Generalen, 1962) nos trasladamos hasta 1942, a la Varsovia ocupada por Alemania durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el hallazgo del cadáver de una prostituta inicia una investigación por parte del comandante Grau, jefe de la sección de contraespionaje alemana en la ciudad. Un testigo da una serie de datos que indican que pudo ser un general alemán a quién vio abandonar la escena del crimen. Las pesquisas de Grau descubren que sólo tres generales no tienen coartada.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
February 25, 2011
The Night of the Generals takes place in occupied France during World War II, and is a deftly written, highly suspenseful detective story centered around one of the most fascinating of crimes: a murderer using war as a cover. The suspects are winnowed down to three high-ranking German generals, two of whom are involved in a conspiracy to dethrone Hitler. The interweaving of these two plots is handled masterfully, and the suspense is given substance by the burning ethical questions which inevitably loom: Was the dilemma of soldiers under Hitler as clear-cut as it seems from our vantage point? Would I have acted differently?
Kirst was himself a Nazi soldier, and is very bitter about the deception perpetrated on the military by Hitler. He provides many trenchant observations and some very effective satire, making this a good historical novel as well.
Kirst was himself a Nazi soldier, and is very bitter about the deception perpetrated on the military by Hitler. He provides many trenchant observations and some very effective satire, making this a good historical novel as well.
May 5, 2020
General Tanz: "Nobody rots with me." (Wow! This reply is brilliant!)
August 17, 2017
Saw the movie and loved Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif working together again!
The time is December 1942 Warsaw, Poland. A civilian reports the murder of a woman who happens to be a Polish prostitute working as an agent for the Germans. A German Major (Sharif) is the military police inspector who learns the main suspect to be one of three German Generals (O'Toole, Pleasance, and Gray). Although an officer, the major is devoted to the law and takes extreme lengths to learn who the killer is. During a time of war this proves deadly as he faces roadblocks at every turn.
When the major is unexpectedly promoted to Lt. Colonel and transferred to Paris, he suspects the person behind his promotion to be involved in the murder. Over the course of the war the 3 suspects are brought together in Paris, where the major reopens the case, and possibly the opportunity for the killer to kill him (major) in the process.
The book was good, but I enjoyed the movie better. The writer is good in his descriptions of the time and place during which the story takes place. It's a classic, but slow at times.
The time is December 1942 Warsaw, Poland. A civilian reports the murder of a woman who happens to be a Polish prostitute working as an agent for the Germans. A German Major (Sharif) is the military police inspector who learns the main suspect to be one of three German Generals (O'Toole, Pleasance, and Gray). Although an officer, the major is devoted to the law and takes extreme lengths to learn who the killer is. During a time of war this proves deadly as he faces roadblocks at every turn.
When the major is unexpectedly promoted to Lt. Colonel and transferred to Paris, he suspects the person behind his promotion to be involved in the murder. Over the course of the war the 3 suspects are brought together in Paris, where the major reopens the case, and possibly the opportunity for the killer to kill him (major) in the process.
The book was good, but I enjoyed the movie better. The writer is good in his descriptions of the time and place during which the story takes place. It's a classic, but slow at times.
Want to read
April 7, 2019Synopsis: when a Polish prostitute is murdered in 1942, the suspects are three German generals. Then something similar happens in Paris in 1944.
April 2, 2020
One of the best novels I have read in ages.
April 7, 2009
It’s 1942 in Warsaw, and a Polish woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated; an eyewitness places a German general at the scene of the crime. A similar crime occurs in Paris in 1944. But which of the three generals who were present in both cities at the right times is the guilty party? Will the dedicated German Colonel Grau and his counterpart, the French Inspector Prévert be able to find out who the killer is, and once they do, will they be able to bring a German general to justice in Occupied Paris? That’s the hook for Hans Hellmut Kirst’s The Night of the Generals (which was later made into a film starring Peter O’Toole, and highly improbably, Omar Sharif as Colonel Grau).
The problem is that The Night of the Generals can’t decide whether it wants to be a murder mystery about a serial-killer (whose identity is fairly obvious about 30 pages into the novel and is confirmed halfway through); or a satire of mid-century German attitudes towards war, generals, and the army; or an impassioned cry of anger about those same attitudes. And the novel suffers from this lack of a firm identiy; most of the characters are paper-thin stereotypes, rather than actual people and the plot is ridiculously full of holes (such as the motivation for the serial-killer, which is touched upon in one sentence and which is never referenced again.)
If you’re interested in a near-contemporary German writers’ take on his country’s troubled history, and on the more mundane aspects of being a common soldier in the German army, then this is a fairly entertaining book. But my 1967 edition has blurbs that compare it to Crime and Punishment (hahahah!) and The Spy Who Came In from the Cold , which are beyond ridiculous. (Although it's nice to know that over-inflated blurbing isn't just a recent phenomenon!!
The problem is that The Night of the Generals can’t decide whether it wants to be a murder mystery about a serial-killer (whose identity is fairly obvious about 30 pages into the novel and is confirmed halfway through); or a satire of mid-century German attitudes towards war, generals, and the army; or an impassioned cry of anger about those same attitudes. And the novel suffers from this lack of a firm identiy; most of the characters are paper-thin stereotypes, rather than actual people and the plot is ridiculously full of holes (such as the motivation for the serial-killer, which is touched upon in one sentence and which is never referenced again.)
If you’re interested in a near-contemporary German writers’ take on his country’s troubled history, and on the more mundane aspects of being a common soldier in the German army, then this is a fairly entertaining book. But my 1967 edition has blurbs that compare it to Crime and Punishment (hahahah!) and The Spy Who Came In from the Cold , which are beyond ridiculous. (Although it's nice to know that over-inflated blurbing isn't just a recent phenomenon!!
June 21, 2020
I had come across the film version on Amazon Prime or somewhere; I’d always found it intriguing but unsatisfying, so when I found the book ( which I had first read back in the 1960s) in a box in the basement, I took it with me and glanced through it. The next thing I knew I was caught up in it, and even though I knew what was coming, I had to finish it.
What the movie missed, and what makes both Kirst the author and this novel in particular interesting, are the multiple levels of irony that give the book both its structure and its resonance. Wrongfully viewed as a mystery/thriller when it was first published in America, the book is actually a dark satire about madness, obsession, and the nature of justice. The characters are not meant to be wholly realistic portraits of individuals; rather, they are types drawn in high relief to make the novel’s central point - in the full scale madness of war, what is the line between heroism and sociopathy? Kirst’s answers ( there are more than one) are bitterly funny, and filled with a moral ambivalence that the film totally lacks.The last line is a bombshell that still resonates some 55 years since it was published and 75 years since the events it was based on. At his best, author Kirst was a kind of German Graham Greene.
What the movie missed, and what makes both Kirst the author and this novel in particular interesting, are the multiple levels of irony that give the book both its structure and its resonance. Wrongfully viewed as a mystery/thriller when it was first published in America, the book is actually a dark satire about madness, obsession, and the nature of justice. The characters are not meant to be wholly realistic portraits of individuals; rather, they are types drawn in high relief to make the novel’s central point - in the full scale madness of war, what is the line between heroism and sociopathy? Kirst’s answers ( there are more than one) are bitterly funny, and filled with a moral ambivalence that the film totally lacks.The last line is a bombshell that still resonates some 55 years since it was published and 75 years since the events it was based on. At his best, author Kirst was a kind of German Graham Greene.
June 12, 2019
I don't often read books set within WW2..dunno why just generally it's not a period in history that draws me in when I'm scanning books...thing is as with this book the few times I do make the jump and read a book about this period...well it's often a winner.
This is as much a crime book as much as a period piece and commentary on war and generals...it follows the murder of a prostitute in Warsaw and the probability that one of three generals have done it.
The case is set early on that it could be any of the three but one in particular becomes a front runner fairly swiftly and further murders one in Paris and one in post War east Germany set the backdrop to an unveiling.
All in all I enjoyed this book much is made in the blurb on the back about the books satirical and sometimes humorous nature but in truth although light at times I did find it far darker than the claims suggested.....a gripping tale however.
This is as much a crime book as much as a period piece and commentary on war and generals...it follows the murder of a prostitute in Warsaw and the probability that one of three generals have done it.
The case is set early on that it could be any of the three but one in particular becomes a front runner fairly swiftly and further murders one in Paris and one in post War east Germany set the backdrop to an unveiling.
All in all I enjoyed this book much is made in the blurb on the back about the books satirical and sometimes humorous nature but in truth although light at times I did find it far darker than the claims suggested.....a gripping tale however.
June 13, 2013
I must say I'm not a great fan of military fiction - a portion of my brain shuts off when I hear military titles and the same goes for politics - but whilst such matters provide the background for this book the thrust is really the characterisation and the three murders. The book moves easily from character to character, including sections which are reports, recorded conversations, and other interludes; whilst there is a linear narrative, it also feels as though the reader is piecing together the plot at the same time as the author, which makes for an overall interesting read. Perhaps greater knowledge of the historical events of the time which are woven into the book might have enhanced my reading experience, but I'd recommend this book with reservations to those who enjoyed a crime but might not be too interested in political/miltary fiction.
October 27, 2012
The way the book starts, you might think it fits into the crime genre. And that's true, but the crime is on a much bigger scale than the murder of one person - except, of course, that's exactly the kind of moral accountancy that is used to justify turning a blind eye to the most monstrous acts.
You can read it, then, as a straightforward whodunnit, a political thriller, or as a very black comedy indeed. The translation is stylish, with some a nice line in vivid metaphor, and at no point does it have that Yoda-speak feeling of a foreign language shunted word-for-word into English.
Even before I finished it, I ordered all of Kirst's other novels. I might only read one a year but I can see them being keepers.
You can read it, then, as a straightforward whodunnit, a political thriller, or as a very black comedy indeed. The translation is stylish, with some a nice line in vivid metaphor, and at no point does it have that Yoda-speak feeling of a foreign language shunted word-for-word into English.
Even before I finished it, I ordered all of Kirst's other novels. I might only read one a year but I can see them being keepers.
November 2, 2015
Probably one of the most exciting novels I've ever read! During World War II, a prostitute is murdered in Warsaw, Poland. Three prominent Nazi generals are immediately suspected. Undeterred, two of them discreetly plot Hitler's assassination. A diligent and tenacious German intelligence office investigating the murder is mysteriously reassigned to Paris. However, the third general, with a few dark secrets of his own, remains loyal to Hitler. Riveting from the first page to the last, the suspense is almost too much to bear. The plot, brilliant, unpredictable. The characters so tangible you can almost feel their presence around you. Be warned, this is a book you won't want to put down.
August 1, 2007
The idea of this book was very interesting; in the midst of a war (WW2) - why would you investigate a crime (albeit a sadistic murder) committed against one victim? When is it OK to kill (because you're a soldier) and when is it not?
And what exactly is punishable behavior in the midst of a war? What, exactly, does war do to the psyche?
It's especially interesting as the book was written in 1962!
(Yeah, I do know about the Geneva convention and defintions...I am just saying it raises some pretty interesting thoughts.)
And what exactly is punishable behavior in the midst of a war? What, exactly, does war do to the psyche?
It's especially interesting as the book was written in 1962!
(Yeah, I do know about the Geneva convention and defintions...I am just saying it raises some pretty interesting thoughts.)
August 26, 2010
Subtitle: Les Miserbles/Inspector Javert meets Joachim Peiper/Rheinard Heydrich.
An intriguing goodread of a mystery, the backdrop will appeal to WW2 fans of
the European theater; a tale of war time Germany, where a police officer is compelled to resolve which German General is murdering prostitutes.
The primary tale of the whodunit is contrasted with the pursuit of justice by the
policeman; who would care about the murder of some forgotten
prostitutes versus the scale of carnage going on each day; and the morality, can you
justify one death? if so, then why not a million?
May 16, 2014
The cynical narrative voice in this 1962 political thriller/murder mystery, not to mention the the world-weary but sterling protagonists, Lt. Colonel Grau and Inspector Prevert, made this an engaging read. Though the reader knows the identity of the killer fairly early, the background story involving the plot to assassinate Hitler and the end and aftermath of the WWII more than compensates for this foreknowledge. A complex and chilling portrayal of the killer, whom the reader sees "up close and personal" through the eyes of an innocent, rounds out this satisfying thriller.
September 19, 2015
Couldn't quite finish the book only because I became rather bored with it. Tad bit slow going. Interesting beginning with the discoverey of the mysterious death of a Polish woman. Three German generals were seriously being looked at from the investigators. But then suddenly the book turns to a completely different subject about a German soldier who survived an attack by Russians. Lots of dialog in the book and minimal action. If you like detailed books like Clancy and WEB Griffin then you might like this. Otherwise, don't waste your time and rent the 1960s movie version.
August 24, 2009
The Night of the Generals is a great book that deals with how an individual can become so focus on an event that he becomes oblivious to what is going around him. This book is a great mystery even though it deals with war and other political intrigue. This is an old book so it may be out of print. The movie based on this book is also worth looking into
November 20, 2014
This is a fabulous murder mystery involving three Wehrmacht Generals active in WWII. It contains plenty of Nazi era ambiance but a the end of the day it is simply entertainment. I give this novel three stars which is my highest rating for mysteries and thrillers.
The film of the same name starring Peter O'Toole, Omar Shariff and Juliette Greco is also great fun.
The film of the same name starring Peter O'Toole, Omar Shariff and Juliette Greco is also great fun.
September 15, 2016
An OK book. Too predictable to be considered a thriller. Some parts were well done -- bringing in "documentation" to provide a variety of points of view. On the other hand, some really self-important blather about the Importance of Generals.
Belongs in the past, like WWII movies from the 1960s on the late show.
Belongs in the past, like WWII movies from the 1960s on the late show.
November 18, 2008
Question: Say a Nazi General who has help gas thousands of Jews spends his time off killing citizens in a German town. Is he a good soldier or is he a serial killer? This made a great movie, with Peter O'toole portraying the murderer General.
January 15, 2018
Adeptly drawn characters, exceptional plot, fascinating commentary of the times. Hilarious page-turner, with very serious undertones.
April 12, 2019
Superior thriller, tense and absorbing, reflecting the situation in Germany at the time of publication (1962) and the then continuing admiration of the Nazi military. Far better than the film!
August 12, 2019
This had been on my Gran parents book shelves way back when. Approached it with no expectations but was pleasantly surprised. Unconventional format, range of characters, unsavoury plot and subtext.
May 4, 2024
Al igual que Vinieron las lluvias de Louis bromfleld, ví la peli y luego leí el libro buenísimos ambos, me gusta mucho la narración en paralelo en varios tiempos 👏
June 16, 2018
Most of the characters - the generals specifically - appear nothing more than 2 dimensional representations of what the author believes a general in Nazi Germany should be. Specifically, a general who still represents all the values and virtues of a bygone age, forced to work in a dishonourable system. The main message seems to be: duty above all else, and do your best with the rest and everything will come out alright. The characters in this story certainly seemed to have prospered, despite their failings and cowardice.
That, at least comes to close to what one might call the moral of the story, though it's a rather weak one. It might have been better, had the characters more substance, but they fail to carry the author's message to the point where I, as a reader, could not figure out what that message was supposed to be. Throughout the book, I was haunted by the feeling that the author was trying to tell me something, and I would come upon his meaning in the next chapter.....but the expectation was never fulfilled.
The only interesting character was the one we saw the least off, and of whom the author chose to reveal the least. Perhaps that is the main point of his interest for the reader - the mystery.
Overall, not a book I need to revisit.
That, at least comes to close to what one might call the moral of the story, though it's a rather weak one. It might have been better, had the characters more substance, but they fail to carry the author's message to the point where I, as a reader, could not figure out what that message was supposed to be. Throughout the book, I was haunted by the feeling that the author was trying to tell me something, and I would come upon his meaning in the next chapter.....but the expectation was never fulfilled.
The only interesting character was the one we saw the least off, and of whom the author chose to reveal the least. Perhaps that is the main point of his interest for the reader - the mystery.
Overall, not a book I need to revisit.
August 17, 2023
Uma intricada teia de mistério e história se desenrola nas páginas deste livro situado na Europa durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial. Um assassinato violento ocorre, e a lista de suspeitos se limita a um grupo selecto de militares alemães de alta patente. O palco está montado para uma investigação que irá sondar os corredores de poder, o segredo das alianças e a moralidade em tempos de guerra.
Neste enredo engenhoso, somos transportados através de três momentos, testemunhando as acções e decisões de uma miríade de personagens, principalmente alemãs. Em vez de uma única figura central, o autor habilmente tece histórias entrelaçadas que revelam as personalidades complexas e multifacetadas dos líderes militares da época.
Embora o crime em si seja o ponto de partida, rapidamente percebemos que o verdadeiro foco da narrativa reside na exploração das psicologias desses líderes. Desde aqueles que aderem rigorosamente à disciplina e obediência até os vaidosos e ocos que buscam glória pessoal, a história examina a variedade de comportamentos e motivações que se manifestaram durante os tempos da guerra (e mesmo após).
À medida que o enigma se desenrola, surge uma figura ao estilo de Poirot, dos livros de Agatha Christie. Com sua perspicácia afiada e habilidade para "ler" pessoas, essa personagem se destaca não só como um investigador mas principalmente como um diplomata nato, até certo ponto maquiavélico, que consegue a colaboração de diferentes interessados não propriamente na justiça mas em tirar partido da mesma.
Os amantes da história e dos enredos complexos certamente se encontrarão absorvidos por este livro que oferece uma experiência literária enriquecedora e envolvente.
Neste enredo engenhoso, somos transportados através de três momentos, testemunhando as acções e decisões de uma miríade de personagens, principalmente alemãs. Em vez de uma única figura central, o autor habilmente tece histórias entrelaçadas que revelam as personalidades complexas e multifacetadas dos líderes militares da época.
Embora o crime em si seja o ponto de partida, rapidamente percebemos que o verdadeiro foco da narrativa reside na exploração das psicologias desses líderes. Desde aqueles que aderem rigorosamente à disciplina e obediência até os vaidosos e ocos que buscam glória pessoal, a história examina a variedade de comportamentos e motivações que se manifestaram durante os tempos da guerra (e mesmo após).
À medida que o enigma se desenrola, surge uma figura ao estilo de Poirot, dos livros de Agatha Christie. Com sua perspicácia afiada e habilidade para "ler" pessoas, essa personagem se destaca não só como um investigador mas principalmente como um diplomata nato, até certo ponto maquiavélico, que consegue a colaboração de diferentes interessados não propriamente na justiça mas em tirar partido da mesma.
Os amantes da história e dos enredos complexos certamente se encontrarão absorvidos por este livro que oferece uma experiência literária enriquecedora e envolvente.
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