Thrilling And Tense
Munich by Robert Harris is a marvellous historical political thriller that gripped me from the start. It is a work of fiction but very much grounded in fact as it surrounds the Munich Agreement of September 1938, and the infamous ‘peace for our time’ from Chamberlain.
On the surface all is polite and everyone appears to be working towards peace but underneath there lurks tension and suspicion. Hitler was a man no one should trust. With hindsight we can easily see this, but would it have been so clear at the time?
Simmering away underneath it all is another event, just as important. We read with baited breath to see the outcome.
Old friends from Oxford, one German and one English, meet up in Munich to swap more than just old stories.
The reader glimpses the atrocities for which the Nazis dish out to all who oppose the Hitler regime. It is truly shocking.
The characters are all realistic. Robert Harris has perfectly captured the atmosphere of fear, menace and distrust that was prevalent at the time.
I thoroughly enjoyed Munich. I read it after having watched the movie of the same name which was an accurate adaptation of the book. I can thoroughly recommend it.
JULIA WILSON