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Last Man to Die
An acclaimed historical thriller by the author of HOUSE OF CARDS – a highly original, fast-moving tale that gives an unexpected twist to the last days of the Second World War. Now reissued in a new cover style.
Spring 1945. The final weeks of the war. One man holds the secret that will decide the fate of post-war Europe: Peter Hencke, an unlikely hero, a German prisoner-of-war on the run.
Refusing to wait for peace and the freedom it will finally bring, Hencke is fired by a personal mission that drives him to risk everything in his lonely, treacherous journey across wartime Britain, back through the battle-torn remnants of the Third Reich – to the very heart of encircled Berlin.
One man faced by the mightiest armies ever assembled, pursued by the most powerful and ruthless men in Europe – and helped and loved by two of the most extraordinary women. The secret of Peter Hencke will be hidden until the very last moments of the war.
Spring 1945. The final weeks of the war. One man holds the secret that will decide the fate of post-war Europe: Peter Hencke, an unlikely hero, a German prisoner-of-war on the run.
Refusing to wait for peace and the freedom it will finally bring, Hencke is fired by a personal mission that drives him to risk everything in his lonely, treacherous journey across wartime Britain, back through the battle-torn remnants of the Third Reich – to the very heart of encircled Berlin.
One man faced by the mightiest armies ever assembled, pursued by the most powerful and ruthless men in Europe – and helped and loved by two of the most extraordinary women. The secret of Peter Hencke will be hidden until the very last moments of the war.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Michael Dobbs
101 books374 followersMichael Dobbs was born on the same day, in the same hour as Prince Charles in 1948.
He is the son of nurseryman Eric and his wife Eileen Dobbs and was educated at Hertford Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford University. After graduating in 1971 he moved to the United States.
In the USA he attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, which he funded by a job as feature writer for the Boston Globe, where he worked as an editorial assistant and political feature writer from 1971 to 1975.
He graduated in 1975 with an M.A., M.A.L.D., and PhD in nuclear defence studies. His doctoral thesis was published as SALT on the Dragon's Tail. In 2007 he returned to Tufts where he gave the Alumni Salutation.
After gaining his PhD he returned to England and began working in London for the Conservative Party. He was an advisor to the then leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher, from 1977 to 1979 and from 1979 to 1981 he was a Conservative MP speechwriter.
He served as a Government Special Advisor from 1981 to 1986 and he survived the Brighton Bombing in 1984 at the Conservative Party Conference. He was the Conservative Party Chief of Staff from 1986 to 1987.
He was considered a masterful political operator and was called "Westminster’s baby-faced hit man", by The Guardian in 1987. In the John Major government, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994 to 1995, after which he retired from politics.
Outside of politics, he worked at Saatchi & Saatchi as Deputy Advertising Chairman from 1983 to 1986 and was Director of Worldwide Corporate Communications at the company from 1987 to 1988. He became Deputy Chairman, working directly under Maurice Saatchi from 1988 to 1991.
From 1991 to 1998 he was a columnist for The Mail on Sunday and also wrote column for the Daily Express. From 1998 to 2001 he hosted the current affairs program Despatch Box on BBC television and has also been a radio presenter.
Nowadays he is best known as the bestselling author of 17 novels (up to 2010), such as 'The Turning Point', about Winston Churchill and Guy Burgess, and 'A Family Affair', about the last days of Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street, and also a number of non-fiction works.
His writing career began in 1989 with the publication of 'House of Cards', the first in what would become a trilogy of political thrillers with Francis Urquhart as the central character. 'House of Cards' was followed by 'To Play the King' in 1992 and 'The Final Cut' in 1994.
Each of the three novels was adapted by the BBC into a miniseries and, with Ian Richardson playiing a starring role, the trilogy received a combined 14 BAFTA nominations and two BAFTA wins and was voted the 84th Best British Show in History.
His 2004 novel 'Winston’s War' was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year Award. He was the winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for best historical novel in 2008 and in 2001 was shortlisted for the C4 Political Novel of the Year. He has also been a judge of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and lectures at dozens of literary and fundraising events each year.
Anthony Howard of The Times said “Dobbs is following in a respectable tradition. Shakespeare, Walter Scott, even Tolstoy, all used historical events as the framework for their writings. And, unlike some of their distinguished works, Dobbs's novel is, in fact, astonishingly historically accurate."
He is now a full time writer and divides his time between London and Wiltshire, where he says that he lives near a church and a pub! He is married with four children.
Gerry Wolstenholme
October 2010
He is sometimes confused with American author Michael Dobbs, who is a distant relative of his and also an author of historical books (e.g. "Saboteurs - The Nazi Raid on America").
He is the son of nurseryman Eric and his wife Eileen Dobbs and was educated at Hertford Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford University. After graduating in 1971 he moved to the United States.
In the USA he attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, which he funded by a job as feature writer for the Boston Globe, where he worked as an editorial assistant and political feature writer from 1971 to 1975.
He graduated in 1975 with an M.A., M.A.L.D., and PhD in nuclear defence studies. His doctoral thesis was published as SALT on the Dragon's Tail. In 2007 he returned to Tufts where he gave the Alumni Salutation.
After gaining his PhD he returned to England and began working in London for the Conservative Party. He was an advisor to the then leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher, from 1977 to 1979 and from 1979 to 1981 he was a Conservative MP speechwriter.
He served as a Government Special Advisor from 1981 to 1986 and he survived the Brighton Bombing in 1984 at the Conservative Party Conference. He was the Conservative Party Chief of Staff from 1986 to 1987.
He was considered a masterful political operator and was called "Westminster’s baby-faced hit man", by The Guardian in 1987. In the John Major government, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994 to 1995, after which he retired from politics.
Outside of politics, he worked at Saatchi & Saatchi as Deputy Advertising Chairman from 1983 to 1986 and was Director of Worldwide Corporate Communications at the company from 1987 to 1988. He became Deputy Chairman, working directly under Maurice Saatchi from 1988 to 1991.
From 1991 to 1998 he was a columnist for The Mail on Sunday and also wrote column for the Daily Express. From 1998 to 2001 he hosted the current affairs program Despatch Box on BBC television and has also been a radio presenter.
Nowadays he is best known as the bestselling author of 17 novels (up to 2010), such as 'The Turning Point', about Winston Churchill and Guy Burgess, and 'A Family Affair', about the last days of Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street, and also a number of non-fiction works.
His writing career began in 1989 with the publication of 'House of Cards', the first in what would become a trilogy of political thrillers with Francis Urquhart as the central character. 'House of Cards' was followed by 'To Play the King' in 1992 and 'The Final Cut' in 1994.
Each of the three novels was adapted by the BBC into a miniseries and, with Ian Richardson playiing a starring role, the trilogy received a combined 14 BAFTA nominations and two BAFTA wins and was voted the 84th Best British Show in History.
His 2004 novel 'Winston’s War' was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year Award. He was the winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award for best historical novel in 2008 and in 2001 was shortlisted for the C4 Political Novel of the Year. He has also been a judge of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and lectures at dozens of literary and fundraising events each year.
Anthony Howard of The Times said “Dobbs is following in a respectable tradition. Shakespeare, Walter Scott, even Tolstoy, all used historical events as the framework for their writings. And, unlike some of their distinguished works, Dobbs's novel is, in fact, astonishingly historically accurate."
He is now a full time writer and divides his time between London and Wiltshire, where he says that he lives near a church and a pub! He is married with four children.
Gerry Wolstenholme
October 2010
He is sometimes confused with American author Michael Dobbs, who is a distant relative of his and also an author of historical books (e.g. "Saboteurs - The Nazi Raid on America").
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 16, 2021
Read this book in 2006, and its a standalone thriller a German prisoner-of-war, Peter Hencke.
Set in late Spring of 1945, Peter Hencke a German prisoner-of-war, refusing to wait for peace he escapes from his prison in Britain and heads back towards Germany.
On the run he's pursued by the British in Britain and back through battle-torn remnants of Nazi Germany, before he finally his goal, the very heart of Berlin.
Over there in Berlin, faced with the mightiest armies and pursued by ruthless men who wants him dead, but loved and helped by two very extraordinary women, he will finally gets his chance to reveal hgis secret, but he will succeed or not, that is for you reader to find out.
Very much recommended, for this is an action-packed and gripping historical post-war tale, where a desparate man will go to the limits of his strength by trying to reveal his secret to the world, and that tale is told in a most wonderful fashion, and that's why I like to call this book: "An Exciting Post-War Thriller"!
Set in late Spring of 1945, Peter Hencke a German prisoner-of-war, refusing to wait for peace he escapes from his prison in Britain and heads back towards Germany.
On the run he's pursued by the British in Britain and back through battle-torn remnants of Nazi Germany, before he finally his goal, the very heart of Berlin.
Over there in Berlin, faced with the mightiest armies and pursued by ruthless men who wants him dead, but loved and helped by two very extraordinary women, he will finally gets his chance to reveal hgis secret, but he will succeed or not, that is for you reader to find out.
Very much recommended, for this is an action-packed and gripping historical post-war tale, where a desparate man will go to the limits of his strength by trying to reveal his secret to the world, and that tale is told in a most wonderful fashion, and that's why I like to call this book: "An Exciting Post-War Thriller"!
July 22, 2021
The best part of this book is how it tells the story - the beginning and end are intertwined perfectly, so that the start which leaves you confused as to where this book is headed is completed neatly at the end. Moreover, the frequent changes in points of view is satisfying and keeps the pace of the story up. A little slow to start, because of that fog of war at the beginning, but once you’re in, it’s a real fast paced thriller. I particularly like how it re-writes real history and makes you feel as if maybe you’ve read some inside information. Unfortunately, both of the “two remarkable women” Hencke is said to be loved by on the blurb are described in the most cliche way possible - it almost made me laugh out loud when I first read their descriptions because they could not be more textbook male gaze. Very 1990s indeed. Dobbs does go on to provide them with some depth of character but really it’s annoying as hell to read such overused and misogynistic descriptions like “she could not be called a beauty but..” and “what the hell was she doing here” like any woman who is seen as attractive can’t be doing anything heroic.
August 11, 2022
Dobbs takes you by the hand and leads you along a crazy and mostly ridiculous journey that resembles a blend between a Mission Impossible film and a macabre Otto Dix painting. Hyperbolic moments, twists and turns embedded in every chapter, the main protagonist Hencke escapes near death many times, ends up in bed with Eva Braun and is part of the final moments of Hitler and the Third Reich fall.
A fun (?) fast paced read but I really not sure what to make of it. Entertaining? Yes. Ridiculous? Yes. Thought provoking ? Not so much. 3 and a half stars.
A fun (?) fast paced read but I really not sure what to make of it. Entertaining? Yes. Ridiculous? Yes. Thought provoking ? Not so much. 3 and a half stars.
November 30, 2025
Absolute load of twaddle.
I tried hard to suspend disbelief, but when Dodd has Henke disparagingly refer to the Home Guard he comes across after his escape as Dad's Army.... no. Just no.
Michael Dodd clearly thought the name of his book was a good one, so good that several times he shoehorned it into conversations and thoughts.
And it fit the text as uncomfortably as a size 8 foot in a size 6 shoe.
I persevered through the book hoping for a sizzling ending that would bring forth redemption, but ugh!
I tried hard to suspend disbelief, but when Dodd has Henke disparagingly refer to the Home Guard he comes across after his escape as Dad's Army.... no. Just no.
Michael Dodd clearly thought the name of his book was a good one, so good that several times he shoehorned it into conversations and thoughts.
And it fit the text as uncomfortably as a size 8 foot in a size 6 shoe.
I persevered through the book hoping for a sizzling ending that would bring forth redemption, but ugh!
May 17, 2020
As always a good story based on, and including, fact.
May 17, 2021
A very interesting book which kept me enthralled the whole way through.
I liked the way he managed to provoke sympathy for a character that normally I would have been 'against' and it threw an interesting light on the end of WW2 and what could have been a different outcome.
I liked the way he managed to provoke sympathy for a character that normally I would have been 'against' and it threw an interesting light on the end of WW2 and what could have been a different outcome.
October 19, 2015
Vivid, unlike other books about war.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews