The Ratline

Philippe Sands

Well, that was a rollercoaster. The reveal at the end with Horst was a twist I didn't see coming, although it does raise the issue that Horst seemingly didn't care that his father was a war criminal, even when presented with evidence.

The fact that more people don't know about The Ratlines and how some of the most prominent Nazi's escaped is beyond me. Why isn't well known that the Vatican helped hide Nazi's after the war too?

The author did a great job researching this book, how he and his team managed to bring the story of Otto and Charlotte (the husband and wife) back to life after 60 odd years is incredible. Charlotte's failure to condemn Otto and repent for her own villainous activities is awful. Until her last days she lied about Otto's involvement. She stole many precious pieces of art and other valuables whilst Otto was in charge of occupied Poland.

The book shows that even though Charlotte and Otto are people, they're still horrible, awful human beings.