A reconstruction of the final days of Hitler’s life in the bunker and of his relationship with Eva Braun, seen through the eyes of two fictional characters, her secretary and a bunker guard, who meet sixty years later and piece the whole thing together through reminiscing on their experiences. We get the historical fact mixed with their story in one of the most impressive novels I have read in a long time. Just take a glance at the reviews and then get as hooked as I was. The wonderful spare writing adds to the horror of the tale.
In April 1945 Hitler's bunker in Berlin was the last place Edith Mecklenburg wanted to be. But Edith had no choice: as secretary to Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress and -- for a few final, desperate hours -- his wife, Edith had to see it through to the bitter end.
Edith was one of the lucky few. She not only got out alive but made a new life for herself in England. Sixty years on, now a widow and grandmother, the Bunker is almost forgotten. But the past has not forgotten her. Hans, a soldier she knew from those dark days, has written asking if he may visit. Obsessed with the war, he has spent the intervening decades tracking down all who were there, and who survived. In her reluctant raking-over of old coals, Edith finds embers that still burn, and in the act of remembrance a very current threat ...
Alan Judd has written numerous award-winning and highly acclaimed novels, including A Breed of Heroes, The Devil's Work and Legacy. A soldier and a diplomat, he reviews fiction for the Daily Telegraph and is the motoring correspondent for the Spectator.
