A review by romonko
The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth

adventurous challenging sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

It never gets old listening to or reading a Frederick Forsyth book. Although written in 1972, The Odessa File is just as new and thrilling as the day it was released. This book examines post WWII Germany and Israel. Have you ever wondered what really happened to the ex-Nazi's after Hitler killed himself and the war ended? We all know that a lot escaped to Venezuela, and some have been found and put on trial at The Hague since then, but not nearly enough. Many are still alive or their descendants are, and, just maybe, hatching more Nazi plots. This book examines the post-Reich era in Germany itself. The SS and other Nazi men made a life for themselves with new identities and legitimate jobs, but were still plotting, plotting, plotting. The book moves along at a furious pace as we we track a young German journalist who has assigned himself the task of tracing down the man known as The Butcher of Riga. This man's numerous crimes and mass killings has been brought to the attention of a young journalist called Peter Miller after he was handed a book written by a Jewish prisoner who had been held in Riga for most of the war. With Forsyth's unburnished prose, and based on his actual knowledge of this time (early 60's Germany) which he had experienced first as a journalist covering the area, this story of mass destruction comes alive in his hands. He uses real-life characters mixed with his fictional ones, and it seems that we're reading this story from a newspaper expose. My journey with re-visiting Forsyth's backlist has been just as thrilling s my original readings of his works was.