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Hitler's Horses: The Incredible True Story of the Detective who Infiltrated the Nazi Underworld
The true story of a detective, two bronze horses and the dictator who set the world on fire.
When detective Arthur Brand is summoned to a meeting with one of the most dangerous men in the art world, he learns that a clue has emerged that could solve one of the Second World War’s unexplained mysteries: what really happened to the Striding Horses, Hitler’s favourite statue, which disappeared during the bombing of Berlin.
As Brand goes undercover to find the horses, he discovers a terrifying world ruled by neo-Nazis and former KGB agents, where Third Reich memorabilia sells for millions of dollars. The stakes get ever higher as Brand carefully lays his trap to catch the criminal masterminds trying to sell the statue on the black market. But who are they? And will he manage to bring them to justice before they discover his real identity?
With a plot worthy of John Le Carré, Hitler’s Horses is a thrilling retelling of one of history's most extraordinary heists.
When detective Arthur Brand is summoned to a meeting with one of the most dangerous men in the art world, he learns that a clue has emerged that could solve one of the Second World War’s unexplained mysteries: what really happened to the Striding Horses, Hitler’s favourite statue, which disappeared during the bombing of Berlin.
As Brand goes undercover to find the horses, he discovers a terrifying world ruled by neo-Nazis and former KGB agents, where Third Reich memorabilia sells for millions of dollars. The stakes get ever higher as Brand carefully lays his trap to catch the criminal masterminds trying to sell the statue on the black market. But who are they? And will he manage to bring them to justice before they discover his real identity?
With a plot worthy of John Le Carré, Hitler’s Horses is a thrilling retelling of one of history's most extraordinary heists.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 5, 2019
69 people are currently reading
1887 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Brand
10 books28 followersArthur Brand is a Dutch art crime investigator who has recovered over 200 works of art. His vocation is being an art historian and art consultant. It is for the love of art that he takes on lost art recovery as a personal interest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 233 reviews
June 10, 2021
Arthur Brand is een kunstdetective. Dit is zijn spannende verhaal hoe hij de paarden van Hitler heeft opgespoord.
Arthur Brand is an art detective. This is his exciting story of how he tracked down the 'Hitler's horses' statues.
Arthur Brand is an art detective. This is his exciting story of how he tracked down the 'Hitler's horses' statues.
July 29, 2022
Espetacular! Uma leitura, que embora se relacione diretamente com a segunda Guerra Mundial, foi completamente diferente de todas que fiz até hoje. Uma história verídica que se lê como um romance de espionagem.
Demorei mais do que seria de esperar para um livro relativamente pequeno porque a cada passo havia algo para pesquisar, um nome, um acontecimento, um lugar. Recomendo muito!
Demorei mais do que seria de esperar para um livro relativamente pequeno porque a cada passo havia algo para pesquisar, um nome, um acontecimento, um lugar. Recomendo muito!
December 19, 2020
Having been granted a review copy of this book quite a while ago, I finally got around to reading it, in order to be able to post the review on publication day. I am not sure why I left it so long, because, as soon as I started it, I was utterly gripped.
The book begins with art detective, Arthur Brand, being summoned to see the eccentric Michel van Rijn. Personally, I would have ignored the invitation, as Mr van Rijn seems to find amusement in doing bizarre, and surely dangerous, stunts, such as informing the customs people at the airport to investigate Arthur Brand – resulting in his being delayed returning home… That said, luckily, the visit was worthwhile, as Michel van Rijn, who is involved in the discovery of art fraud, informs Brand he has heard talk of a very important piece being rumoured for sale. Feeling himself unwilling to become involved, he suggests that Brand look into it, with his colleagues.
The pieces in question, turn out to be two enormous sculptures, ‘Striding Horses,’ by Josef Thorak. These stood outside the Reich Chancellery; directly in sight of Hitler if he looked from the windows and are, quite literally, enormous. At first, Brand, and his colleagues, feel that these must be frauds – the Chancellery was virtually destroyed in 1945 and, surely, the sculptures would have been damaged, at least, in the bombing? However, then Brand comes across a photograph from that era, which suggests the sculptures were removed before the fall of Berlin in 1945 and this discovery leads him to question whether there could be any truth in this rumour.
What follows is an investigation which reads something like a thriller and I applaud Jane Hedley-Prole, for her excellent translation, as this reads so well. We follow Arthur Brand as he has clandestine meetings, attempts to discover what happened to the sculptures after the war, tracks down Himmler’s daughter and steps into the shadowy world of Nazi artefact collectors and those related to Nazi’s who are trying to keep that dubious flame alive, by selling off their history. This really is an exciting, eye-opening read, which I enjoyed immensely and recommend highly. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
The book begins with art detective, Arthur Brand, being summoned to see the eccentric Michel van Rijn. Personally, I would have ignored the invitation, as Mr van Rijn seems to find amusement in doing bizarre, and surely dangerous, stunts, such as informing the customs people at the airport to investigate Arthur Brand – resulting in his being delayed returning home… That said, luckily, the visit was worthwhile, as Michel van Rijn, who is involved in the discovery of art fraud, informs Brand he has heard talk of a very important piece being rumoured for sale. Feeling himself unwilling to become involved, he suggests that Brand look into it, with his colleagues.
The pieces in question, turn out to be two enormous sculptures, ‘Striding Horses,’ by Josef Thorak. These stood outside the Reich Chancellery; directly in sight of Hitler if he looked from the windows and are, quite literally, enormous. At first, Brand, and his colleagues, feel that these must be frauds – the Chancellery was virtually destroyed in 1945 and, surely, the sculptures would have been damaged, at least, in the bombing? However, then Brand comes across a photograph from that era, which suggests the sculptures were removed before the fall of Berlin in 1945 and this discovery leads him to question whether there could be any truth in this rumour.
What follows is an investigation which reads something like a thriller and I applaud Jane Hedley-Prole, for her excellent translation, as this reads so well. We follow Arthur Brand as he has clandestine meetings, attempts to discover what happened to the sculptures after the war, tracks down Himmler’s daughter and steps into the shadowy world of Nazi artefact collectors and those related to Nazi’s who are trying to keep that dubious flame alive, by selling off their history. This really is an exciting, eye-opening read, which I enjoyed immensely and recommend highly. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
September 13, 2025
Achei por vezes um pouco confuso, mas lê-se bem.
March 20, 2021
5.0 for the plot: a “stranger than fiction”, behind-the-scenes tale of the retrieval of the horses.
3.0 for the writing: a somewhat puzzling affair, packed with, at times, irritating repetition (yes, I get it, the search expanded to encompass more than just Hitler’s Horses!), clunky colloquialisms and rather clumsy “verbatim” retelling of conversations that combined, lacked subtlety (telling rather than showing) and jarred one out of a full and stable immersion in the story. I’m also convinced a lot of finer details were left out of this retelling as it was vague at crucial junctures. Ultimately, the style was akin to a sledgehammer rather than a delicate paring knife. Having said that, I was compelled to read it to its conclusion.
So, on average, I scored it 4.0.
3.0 for the writing: a somewhat puzzling affair, packed with, at times, irritating repetition (yes, I get it, the search expanded to encompass more than just Hitler’s Horses!), clunky colloquialisms and rather clumsy “verbatim” retelling of conversations that combined, lacked subtlety (telling rather than showing) and jarred one out of a full and stable immersion in the story. I’m also convinced a lot of finer details were left out of this retelling as it was vague at crucial junctures. Ultimately, the style was akin to a sledgehammer rather than a delicate paring knife. Having said that, I was compelled to read it to its conclusion.
So, on average, I scored it 4.0.
April 2, 2024
Uma história fantástica daquelas em que o real supera claramente a ficção!
Adorei a história (5*) não tanto o livro enquanto obra literária. Compreendo que não se esperaria que o livro fosse obra-prima da escrita, e mesmo sem conseguir indicar como poderia ser escrita de outro modo, fico que sensação que podia ser mais burilado e até, talvez, mais instrutivo sobre o contexto da RDA, das próprias obras, o mundo dos caçadores de tesouros da 2a guerra mundial, talvez até uns mapas e umas fotos a completar o livro.
Gostei da referência final ao "Hunting Hitler", que embora possa ser uma série especulativa tem muitos pontos de interesse.
Adorei a história, gostei muito do livro (4.25*).
Adorei a história (5*) não tanto o livro enquanto obra literária. Compreendo que não se esperaria que o livro fosse obra-prima da escrita, e mesmo sem conseguir indicar como poderia ser escrita de outro modo, fico que sensação que podia ser mais burilado e até, talvez, mais instrutivo sobre o contexto da RDA, das próprias obras, o mundo dos caçadores de tesouros da 2a guerra mundial, talvez até uns mapas e umas fotos a completar o livro.
Gostei da referência final ao "Hunting Hitler", que embora possa ser uma série especulativa tem muitos pontos de interesse.
Adorei a história, gostei muito do livro (4.25*).
May 30, 2019
Voor de Rijkskanselarij had Hitler twee beelden van paarden staan en men heeft altijd gedacht dat deze tijdens het beleg van Berlijn zijn vernietigd. Dan hoort Brand van zijn oude leermeester dat de beelden nog bestaan en zelfs te koop worden aangeboden! Hij denkt eerst dat het om een vervalsing moet gaan maar ontdekt al snel dat het best wel eens waar kan zijn.
In dit boek vertelt Brand over zijn speurtocht. Het boek is spannend (hoewel je bij voorbaat weet hoe het afloopt) en vlot geschreven. En passant leer je ook nog wat over Hitler's favoriete beeldhouwers en hoe het is afgelopen met zijn belangrijkste medewerkers. Zij geven toch een zwarte rand aan het boek.
https://tvblik.nl/de-kunstdetective
In dit boek vertelt Brand over zijn speurtocht. Het boek is spannend (hoewel je bij voorbaat weet hoe het afloopt) en vlot geschreven. En passant leer je ook nog wat over Hitler's favoriete beeldhouwers en hoe het is afgelopen met zijn belangrijkste medewerkers. Zij geven toch een zwarte rand aan het boek.
https://tvblik.nl/de-kunstdetective
May 7, 2024
That was fun.
June 30, 2022
Vau, aika huikea tarina taidemaailman pimeästä puolesta ja samalla myös napakka kurkistus historiaan natsi-Saksan taiteen näkökulmasta. Hitlerin hevosten jäljitys oli kuin suoraan jostain jännäristä, mutta tällä kertaa kirjan sivut pitivät sisällään tosi tarinan. Tätä on paljon kehuttu ja kehujen saattelemana minäkin tämän kirjan pariin löysin ja pidin paljon lukemastani. Ei tätä malttanut laskea käsistään!
September 14, 2025
Um livro com uma história verídica fantástica e bem contada!
November 30, 2021
El autor holandés, Arthur Brand, conocido mundialmente como "El Indiana Jones del mundo del arte", es experto en encontrar obras de arte desaparecidas.
Si te gusta leer sobre los nazis, sabrás que estos se dedicaron a saquear museos y robar cuanto arte pudieron para vender y financiar la guerra o bien, para su colección personal como el caso de Hitler y Hermann Göring.
Al finalizar la guerra, toda esa obra de arte pasó a manos de sus familiares o vendida por millones en el mercado negro. En cualquiera de los casos, la identidad de los dueños ha quedado resguardada.
Brand nos comparte en este libro la odisea que atravesó para encontrar un par de esculturas del artista Joseph Torak, que pertenecieron nada más y nada menos que a Adolf Hitler. Estos caballos se encontraban originalmente en el jardín de la Cancillería del Reich, y se pensaba que habían sido destruidos tras los bombardeos en 1945, hasta que salen a la luz en el mercado negro y esto lleva al autor y a sus colegas a comenzar la peligrosa travesía para encontrarlas y ponerlas a salvo.
"Hitler ordenó a finales de 1943 que las pusieran a salvo para evitar que fueran añadas por el bombardeo de los Aliados. Estuvieron ocultos hasta que los rusos los encontraron cuando sitiaron Berlín. Después de eso los caballos y otras cuatro esculturas permanecieron en una barraca rusa en Eberswalde, en absoluto secreto, hasta 1989, la fecha en que se esfumaron"
Es un gran libro que vas a disfrutar pues es basada en hechos reales, aprenderás mucho sobre el coleccionismo de objetos nazis que se ha convertido en toda una industria hoy en día; y además vivirás mucho suspenso y adrenalina.
Como dato adicional, Arthur, además de recuperar arte perdido también posee gran experiencia en descubrir falsificaciones y blindar a los compradores de estafas, así como resolver robos de museos.
Si te gusta leer sobre los nazis, sabrás que estos se dedicaron a saquear museos y robar cuanto arte pudieron para vender y financiar la guerra o bien, para su colección personal como el caso de Hitler y Hermann Göring.
Al finalizar la guerra, toda esa obra de arte pasó a manos de sus familiares o vendida por millones en el mercado negro. En cualquiera de los casos, la identidad de los dueños ha quedado resguardada.
Brand nos comparte en este libro la odisea que atravesó para encontrar un par de esculturas del artista Joseph Torak, que pertenecieron nada más y nada menos que a Adolf Hitler. Estos caballos se encontraban originalmente en el jardín de la Cancillería del Reich, y se pensaba que habían sido destruidos tras los bombardeos en 1945, hasta que salen a la luz en el mercado negro y esto lleva al autor y a sus colegas a comenzar la peligrosa travesía para encontrarlas y ponerlas a salvo.
"Hitler ordenó a finales de 1943 que las pusieran a salvo para evitar que fueran añadas por el bombardeo de los Aliados. Estuvieron ocultos hasta que los rusos los encontraron cuando sitiaron Berlín. Después de eso los caballos y otras cuatro esculturas permanecieron en una barraca rusa en Eberswalde, en absoluto secreto, hasta 1989, la fecha en que se esfumaron"
Es un gran libro que vas a disfrutar pues es basada en hechos reales, aprenderás mucho sobre el coleccionismo de objetos nazis que se ha convertido en toda una industria hoy en día; y además vivirás mucho suspenso y adrenalina.
Como dato adicional, Arthur, además de recuperar arte perdido también posee gran experiencia en descubrir falsificaciones y blindar a los compradores de estafas, así como resolver robos de museos.
April 23, 2023
Intrigerend verhaal een daarom het lezen meer dan waard. Als het verhaal een filmscript lijkt, betekent echter niet dat je het zo hoeft op te schrijven. Ik begon met de storen aan Brands dikdoenerij en enige verantwoording of uitgebreider nawoord had niet misstaan. Het kon me ook niet zoveel schelen wat voor weer het was of wat de schrijver (of ander personage) de whiskey of ander eten of drinken wel of niet gebruikte.
October 17, 2022
Além de uma história real incrível, cheia de pormenores da II Guerra Mundial e de arte, a escrita deixou-me completamente envolvida na leitura!
September 2, 2024
Indrukwekkend verhaal, suf opgeschreven
March 15, 2023
𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢ã𝐨
Este livro é simplesmente incrível e se gostam de História em particular sobre a II Guerra Mundial precisam mesmo de o ler!
𝙊 𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙞
Em primeiro lugar AMEI que fosse uma história verídica e passada/narrada na 1ª pessoa - dá-nos a oportunidade não só de conhecer esta verdadeira aventura do autor como também de o conhecer a ele um pouco mais.
Gostei da escrita que é bastante fluída e que permite que as páginas passem sem conseguirmos notar. Esta aliada a uma história viciantes e com peripécias incríveis transporta-nos para dentro da aventura como se tivéssemos estado lá verdadeiramente.
Adorei que, mesmo sendo verídica, o autor tenha arranjado forma de nos prender de capítulo para capítulo e que ao mesmo tempo nos fizesse duvidar das teorias que fomos criando.
A par de tudo isto gostei que tivesse imensa informação educativa e que aumentou o meu conhecimento neste campo.
𝙊 𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙞
Aqui tenho pouco a apontar porque sendo uma história real não há muito que possa ser alterado 😜 Tenho só pena que a aventura tenha tido um fim 😜
Até ao próximo post,
𝑀𝑒𝓁* 💜
Este livro é simplesmente incrível e se gostam de História em particular sobre a II Guerra Mundial precisam mesmo de o ler!
𝙊 𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙞
Em primeiro lugar AMEI que fosse uma história verídica e passada/narrada na 1ª pessoa - dá-nos a oportunidade não só de conhecer esta verdadeira aventura do autor como também de o conhecer a ele um pouco mais.
Gostei da escrita que é bastante fluída e que permite que as páginas passem sem conseguirmos notar. Esta aliada a uma história viciantes e com peripécias incríveis transporta-nos para dentro da aventura como se tivéssemos estado lá verdadeiramente.
Adorei que, mesmo sendo verídica, o autor tenha arranjado forma de nos prender de capítulo para capítulo e que ao mesmo tempo nos fizesse duvidar das teorias que fomos criando.
A par de tudo isto gostei que tivesse imensa informação educativa e que aumentou o meu conhecimento neste campo.
𝙊 𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙞
Aqui tenho pouco a apontar porque sendo uma história real não há muito que possa ser alterado 😜 Tenho só pena que a aventura tenha tido um fim 😜
Até ao próximo post,
𝑀𝑒𝓁* 💜
September 3, 2022
Assim que vi este livro e li a sinopse fiquei tentada, contudo superou em muito as minhas expectativas. A escrita escorreita e objectiva, o humor e um grande enredo que ademais é real sobre o comércio ilegal de património cultural nomeadamente dos nazis, torna-o imperdível. "A arte castanha". Um negócio bilionário.
Os dois cavalos de Thorak tinham estado por baixo da janela do escritório de Hitler na Chancelaria do Reich e julgados desaparecidos ha setenta anos. A investigação de Arthur foi meticulosa e mais não conto porque a adrenalina que esta investigação nos dá não se pode perder com spoiler. Brutal! Nem os russos escapam à tramóia. Por vezes a verdade é mais estranha do que a ficção. Será que...
Os dois cavalos de Thorak tinham estado por baixo da janela do escritório de Hitler na Chancelaria do Reich e julgados desaparecidos ha setenta anos. A investigação de Arthur foi meticulosa e mais não conto porque a adrenalina que esta investigação nos dá não se pode perder com spoiler. Brutal! Nem os russos escapam à tramóia. Por vezes a verdade é mais estranha do que a ficção. Será que...
February 9, 2020
Leest als een trein. Een ongelooflijk verhaal. Fictie is er niks bij. Geeft ook nog eens een klein inzicht in allerlei kringen van oud nazi's, Stasi en Russen. En hoe het eraan toegaat in de wereld van de kunsthandel.
A terrific read about finding the big horses that were standing at the entrance of the Reichstag during Hitler's time. Everyone thought they were destroyed in 1945, but art detective Arthur Brand manages to find them. This happened for real, but the book is like well thought of work of fiction. Like a detective novel. Very good.
A terrific read about finding the big horses that were standing at the entrance of the Reichstag during Hitler's time. Everyone thought they were destroyed in 1945, but art detective Arthur Brand manages to find them. This happened for real, but the book is like well thought of work of fiction. Like a detective novel. Very good.
October 23, 2021
Wow! This is a non-fiction book that reads like a spy thriller. Besides being an almost incredible history, it gives some nice insights on Nazi history, which is of course a kind of taboo field, but also the bizarre characters revolving around it. And so jealous of Arthur Brand, a guy who prosaically travels around Europe investigating history and art...
January 14, 2022
Dan Brown meets Wolfenstein, maar dan waargebeurd. Beter kan ik dit boek niet omschrijven. Als dit geen voer voor een Hollywood-thriller is dan weet ik het niet meer. Razend spannend!
July 29, 2025
Wat een fantastisch boek van Arthur Brand genaamd “De paarden van Hitler”. Het boek is als het ware een Indiana Jones film in de vorm van een boek. De kunst- en geschiedenisliefhebbers Arthur Brand gaat in dit boek op zoek naar de paarden van Hitler die voor zijn werkkamer in Berlijn stonden tijdens de tweede wereldoorlog. Na een tip van zijn oud leermeester, die zich zijn hele leven bezig hield in de illegale kunsthandel, die hem vertelde over een tip met daarin een foto van de paarden van Hitler.
Iedereen ter wereld dacht dat deze beelden waren vernietigd tijdens de bezetting van Berlijn aan het eind van de oorlog, echter blijken de paarden dan toch nog te bestaan. In het boek wordt je meegenomen door Arthur en zijn avontuur op zoek naar de paarden. Als het ware bevind je je midden in een zoektocht naar een verbogen schat.
Tijdens de zoektocht kom je in aanraking met: nazi’s, stasie-agenten, KGB’ers, kunsthandelaars en allerlei fouten figuren. Het boek is spannend geschreven en werkt verslavend. Ondertussen worden er ook verhalen gedeeld over gebeurtenissen van de tweede wereldoorlog. Denk aan Hitlers laatste dagen en verhalen over hoge functionarissen van de Nazi’s.
Voor elke lezen die geïnteresseerd is in geschiedenis, de tweede wereldoorlog of kunst/illegale kunsthandel is dit het boek. Een daadwerkelijke fantastisch boek en een absolute must read!
Iedereen ter wereld dacht dat deze beelden waren vernietigd tijdens de bezetting van Berlijn aan het eind van de oorlog, echter blijken de paarden dan toch nog te bestaan. In het boek wordt je meegenomen door Arthur en zijn avontuur op zoek naar de paarden. Als het ware bevind je je midden in een zoektocht naar een verbogen schat.
Tijdens de zoektocht kom je in aanraking met: nazi’s, stasie-agenten, KGB’ers, kunsthandelaars en allerlei fouten figuren. Het boek is spannend geschreven en werkt verslavend. Ondertussen worden er ook verhalen gedeeld over gebeurtenissen van de tweede wereldoorlog. Denk aan Hitlers laatste dagen en verhalen over hoge functionarissen van de Nazi’s.
Voor elke lezen die geïnteresseerd is in geschiedenis, de tweede wereldoorlog of kunst/illegale kunsthandel is dit het boek. Een daadwerkelijke fantastisch boek en een absolute must read!
July 7, 2024
Takže jedna z omylem vymazaných knih objevena... takže znovu ... Jde o dokument, kdy autor píše sám o svém vlastním bádání a zkušenostech. Písmena jsou velká. V češtině je kniha nazvána: Hitlerovy ztracené sochy a přesně o toto také jde. Není to tak dávno, kdy tento případ proběhl novinami a bylo halo ... protože už přece jen od války dost uteklo. Ale ukazuje to na to, jak se umění ztrácelo, kde se schovávalo a podobně a také je tu řeč o německých oblíbených umělcích, kteří byli třeba i nacisti a prostě byli součástí propagace.
October 14, 2025
Tän kirjoittaja vaikuttaa tosi hauskalta ja mielenkiintoiselta tyypiltä, toki ottaen huomioon mitä se tekee, se varmaan onkin ainakin mielenkiintoinen. Oon ehkä tietämätön, mutta en ennen tän lukemista tiennyt Thorakin hevosista yhtään mitään, eli teki kyllä tiukkaa kuukauden ajan olla googlaamatta mitään etten spoilaisi loppuratkaisua, mutta tietämättömyys teki kyllä lukukokemuksesta varmasti paremman.
August 19, 2024
Wat een verhaal!
March 15, 2025
Interessante blik in de wereld van neo nazi kunst, leest als een thriller
May 23, 2025
I read this book based on a recommendation from a friend who had listened to the audiobook.
I read about three chapters of this book, stopped and googled because the whole premise sounded made up. Turns out, it wasn't made up and I had missed the news about this.
Adolf Hitler had a thing about art and artworks and used them as part of the Nazi war machine and mythos. One such artwork, now known as Hitler's Horses, were two giant bronze statues of horses. They held pride of place in his Reich Chancellery where he could look at them whenever he wanted. After the war it was assumed that they had been lost; melted down and discarded. This is where the book kicks in. The author has been told that these lost horses are for sale on the black market and he assumes that they are obviously forgeries because they are destroyed, right? Nope, they were not.
The book charts the reclamation of these horses and it takes the reader through the history of post WW2 Germany including the dark times of the Stasi. I think it did a good job of telling the complex history in simple terms without oversimplifying events while also keeping the cracking pace of the narrative. The only issue is that there are times where the author tries hard to make it sound like he was in mortal peril but because he's writing the book and clearly not dead, it does take away a bit from any anxiety the reader might feel.
Recommended
I read about three chapters of this book, stopped and googled because the whole premise sounded made up. Turns out, it wasn't made up and I had missed the news about this.
Adolf Hitler had a thing about art and artworks and used them as part of the Nazi war machine and mythos. One such artwork, now known as Hitler's Horses, were two giant bronze statues of horses. They held pride of place in his Reich Chancellery where he could look at them whenever he wanted. After the war it was assumed that they had been lost; melted down and discarded. This is where the book kicks in. The author has been told that these lost horses are for sale on the black market and he assumes that they are obviously forgeries because they are destroyed, right? Nope, they were not.
The book charts the reclamation of these horses and it takes the reader through the history of post WW2 Germany including the dark times of the Stasi. I think it did a good job of telling the complex history in simple terms without oversimplifying events while also keeping the cracking pace of the narrative. The only issue is that there are times where the author tries hard to make it sound like he was in mortal peril but because he's writing the book and clearly not dead, it does take away a bit from any anxiety the reader might feel.
Recommended
Read
April 3, 2021Review to come!
August 22, 2025
Maravilhoso! Escrita fantástica e ainda mais especial por ser verídica a história.
Houve momentos em que se consegue quase ouvir a respiração dos intervenientes.
Houve momentos em que se consegue quase ouvir a respiração dos intervenientes.
August 31, 2020
Hát, megvagyok lőve picit :D nem annyira rajongok a történelemről és/vagy művészetekről szóló könyvek iránt, de hála a NIOK havi kihívásának, a kezembe vettem. Az első pár oldal után felsóhajtottam, hogy rossz ötlet volt, mert ez nem nekem íródott, aztán valahogy mégis magával vitt a történet, a nyomozás, és az izgalmak, mégha a történelmi részeknél néha kicsit el is untam, vagy vesztem. Nyilván olvasás közben én is műkincsnyomozó akartam lenni. Ami mókás :D nincs sok fejem se a történelemhez, se a műkincsekhez, de jól forgatta az író a lapokat, mert bele tudtam élni magam. Ettől függetlenül nem marad olyan maradandó, és nem is nyúlok most hasonló könyvért, de örülök, hogy találkoztunk.
July 3, 2022
3.5/5
O holandês Arthur Brand é conhecido como o “Indiana Jones” do mundo das artes!
Responsável pela procura da verdade dos mitos e das lendas da História, envereda assim pelo submundo nazi na busca pelos lendários “Cavalos de Hitler”.
Uma leitura cheia de adrenalina, de rede de intrigas e muitos segredos dos tempos nazi. Vai ser adaptado para o cinema e acredito que será incrível ver as palavras ganharem vida na tela.
O que menos gostei foi da escrita, faltou limar algumas linhas. Mas a história real desta busca é completamente surreal e incrível. Continuamos a ler o livro porque queremos saber como tudo se vai passar.
Uma história digna do Indiana Jones.
O holandês Arthur Brand é conhecido como o “Indiana Jones” do mundo das artes!
Responsável pela procura da verdade dos mitos e das lendas da História, envereda assim pelo submundo nazi na busca pelos lendários “Cavalos de Hitler”.
Uma leitura cheia de adrenalina, de rede de intrigas e muitos segredos dos tempos nazi. Vai ser adaptado para o cinema e acredito que será incrível ver as palavras ganharem vida na tela.
O que menos gostei foi da escrita, faltou limar algumas linhas. Mas a história real desta busca é completamente surreal e incrível. Continuamos a ler o livro porque queremos saber como tudo se vai passar.
Uma história digna do Indiana Jones.
May 22, 2022
Denne bog, skrevet af den hollandske kunstdetektiv Arthur Brand, burde være brandgod (bad pun intended). For historien, han fortæller, er, udover at være sand, helt utroligt spændende. Men det lykkes ham at ødelægge min læseglæde med sin mildest talt ringe formidlingsevne. Replikkerne er som i en skolekomedie, og selv de mest banale ting – "den østtyske efterretningstjeneste Stasi" – forklares igen og igen og igen, som om læserne er 100% historieløse.
Man skal virkelig elske true crime og være ligeglad med alt andet for at nyde denne bog på trods af den spændende historie. Øv bøv.
Man skal virkelig elske true crime og være ligeglad med alt andet for at nyde denne bog på trods af den spændende historie. Øv bøv.
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