Though based partly on fact, RATLINES is mostly fiction. This thriller is set in 1963 Ireland. They are preparing for a visit from the young American President Kennedy.
Something has happened that may or may not be connected. A German national has been murdered, the third of three foreigners dead within a few days of each other. Lieutenant Albert Ryan of the Directorate of Intelligence has been assigned to find out who’s doing the killing and stop them.
You see, the three men all have a connection. They were Nazi sympathizers and had lived in Ireland since the war. There were other such people living int he country as well and Ireland wants that secret kept.
A note is found on the dead German addressed to Otto Skorzeny promising “We are coming for you!” Skorzeny is a former Nazi commando living in Ireland.
As Ryan probes the case, which he has no taste for as he fought for England in the war and protecting Nazis goes against all he believes, he discovers that Skorzeny is a most dangerous man, more so than the public persona he projects nowadays.
I’d never read any of Neville’s work before. This was quite an absorbing story set against true events. Skorzeny was real, the politician backing him was real, and later stated no such person ever lived in Ireland. As mentioned, the rest is fiction.
Well done and written. Had a quite good time reading this one. The book goes on sale next week, January 1.