The Odessa File
by Frederick Forsyth

The suicide of an elderly German Jew explodes into revelation after revelation: a Mafia-like organization called Odessa, a real-life fugitive known at the "Butcher of Riga", a young German journalist turned obsessed avenger...and ultimately, of a brilliant, ruthless plot to reestablish the worldwide power of SS mass murders and to carry out Hitler's chilling "Final Solution."

Excellent historical thriller by Forsyth. This is an older novel published in 1972 but it did not seem dated. Forsyth was one of the premier thriller authors back in the 70s and wrote such novels as Day of the Jackal, the Dogs of War, and The Odessa File. He is still active today. Unfortunately, I have neglected reading any of his works until now. The Odessa File is set in the early 60s and begins with the assassination of JFK in 1963. At the same time, a young reporter named Peter Miller happens to obtain a diary written by a survivor of the Nazi death camps at Riga. The diary describes many horrific atrocities of the Nazis and in particular of the Commandant of the Riga concentration camp, Eduard Roschmann. The diary also contains a bit of information very personal to Miller which instigates him to try to track down Roschmann and write a story about him and the atrocities committed. Eventually, Miller's investigation leads to the ODESSA, an organization that aids and protects former members of the Nazi SS who fled during the last days of WWII. Roschmann is a key member of the ODESSA and is working to provide a means to wipe out the Jews in Israel.

This novel was very gripping from start to finish. Not sure how much of it was actually true but some of the characters in the novel were well-known including Simon Wiesenthal, the famed Nazi hunter. The Publisher's Note at the first of the novel states that "many characters in The Odessa File are real people...but the publishers do not wish to elucidate further because it is in this ability to perplex the reader as to how much is true and how much false that much of the grip of the story lies. ... the reader may be interested to know that the story of former SS Captain Eduard Roschmann, the commandant of the concentration camp at Riga from 1941 to 1944...is completely factual and drawn from SS and West German records."

I know there was also a movie adaptation of this novel made in 1974 staring Jon Voight. I remember seeing this many years ago and from what I remember, it was a great action picture. I think the movie tied up some of the loose ends better than the novel did. Overall, I would definitely recommend this one.

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9/12/18: Including in the Surprise Paperback Bookbox Round 7. Enjoy!

Received from southernfryed in the Surprise Paperback Bookbox.

I have decided to pass this along for someone else to enjoy.

Released at the Little Free Library on Wolff St. in between 33rd and 34th Aves. Please enjoy!