Call number
MYST FOR
Collection
Publication
Viking Adult (1972), Edition: Book Club Edition, 337 pages
Description
The suicide of an elderly German Jew explodes into revelation after revelation: of a Mafia-like organization called "Odessa" ...of a real-life fugitive known as the " Butcher of Riga" ..of a young German journalist tumed obsessed avenger.......and, ultimately, of brilliant, ruthless plot to reestablish the worldwide power of SS mass murderers and to carry out Hitler's chilling " Final Solution."
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
Forsyth was a celebrity contestant on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and could have won half a million had he had the courage to risk a charity's money. He is a terribly smart man, with a formidable general knowledge, and comes across as so modest and charming; why, then, is his work so kitsch, so
The Odessa File is one of his better pieces - woebetide the man who reads "The Phantom of Manhattan". It is a revenge story. It takes place in the decades after the second world war, when memories still linger of the Nazis' war crimes. So too do some of the remaining Nazis linger; they haven't all run off to Argentina or Brazil just yet. On to the case comes Forsyth's brilliant foreign correspondent in Germany, following a tip from a dying Jew as to the identity and location of one of the remaining war criminals. The story is like an extended chase without the chasing, leading to an inevitable confrontation and an inevitable twist.
The story is impressive really, with incidental details that add a thickness to the plot that it would otherwise lack. But Forsyth cannot write. He spends an age detailing an intricate incursion into the world of the neo-Nazis, and within minutes of the incursion the whole plan breaks down - all the work is for nothing. And all the references to the powerful car our hero drives - it's as if the poor man has nothing in his trousers worth mentioning.
I've read far worse, but there is a general rule in fiction - when the author's name appears in larger text than the title on the front cover, begin to worry.
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constipated, so horrible? The Odessa File is one of his better pieces - woebetide the man who reads "The Phantom of Manhattan". It is a revenge story. It takes place in the decades after the second world war, when memories still linger of the Nazis' war crimes. So too do some of the remaining Nazis linger; they haven't all run off to Argentina or Brazil just yet. On to the case comes Forsyth's brilliant foreign correspondent in Germany, following a tip from a dying Jew as to the identity and location of one of the remaining war criminals. The story is like an extended chase without the chasing, leading to an inevitable confrontation and an inevitable twist.
The story is impressive really, with incidental details that add a thickness to the plot that it would otherwise lack. But Forsyth cannot write. He spends an age detailing an intricate incursion into the world of the neo-Nazis, and within minutes of the incursion the whole plan breaks down - all the work is for nothing. And all the references to the powerful car our hero drives - it's as if the poor man has nothing in his trousers worth mentioning.
I've read far worse, but there is a general rule in fiction - when the author's name appears in larger text than the title on the front cover, begin to worry.
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LibraryThing member BookWallah
Taut historical thriller set in 1963 West Germany with a crack German investigative reporter hunting a Nazi war criminal, the Butcher of Riga. Set before all the Nazis had fled to Argentina, the plot supposes the former SS organization was highly organized and purposeful about rehabilitating these
Is this what really happened? Probably not. Might it have happened this way? Why not! And that is all that matters, as we are off and running on a gripping page-turner.
Not for the faint of heart, as the descriptions of the Nazi death camps are very graphic. Otherwise highly recommended for any lover of the modern thriller genre who needs a change of pace with a plot firmly set in the context of 20th century history.
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butchers back into the warp and weft of the new German Republic.Is this what really happened? Probably not. Might it have happened this way? Why not! And that is all that matters, as we are off and running on a gripping page-turner.
Not for the faint of heart, as the descriptions of the Nazi death camps are very graphic. Otherwise highly recommended for any lover of the modern thriller genre who needs a change of pace with a plot firmly set in the context of 20th century history.
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LibraryThing member seldombites
Written like a docu-drama, The Odessa File is all the more frightening because it seems so plausible. Unfolding in the days and weeks following President Kennedy's assassination, this book tells the story of freelance journalist Peter Miller as he follows up on the seemingly innocuous story of the
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suicide of a Jewish survivor, only to find himself up to his neck in doggy do when he pursues a personal vendetta against a NAZI war criminal. Filled with facts, dates and a heartrending account of the Concentration Camps, this is not a book for the squeamish. However, this is an interesting and engaging read which I would highly recommend. Show Less
LibraryThing member thegeneral
This is the first of Forsyth's books I have read. It is a really fast page turner. Historical fiction appeals to me and so to history about the WW2 period. Robert Harris' Fatherland I have also found very interesting. The premise of the book is about a secret organisation protecting and sheltering
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escaped Nazis has been covered in other books and in film before and makes for interesting reading. The characters are very well developed throughout. I really enjoyed it and found it very difficult to put it down. Show Less
LibraryThing member ICANABIBBELG
The suicide of an elderly German Jew explodes into revelation after revelation: a Mafia-life 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
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worldwide power of SS mass murders and to carry out Hitler's chilling "Final Solution." Show Less
LibraryThing member keylawk
The author is the celebrated "Day of the Jackal" reporter who worked for Reuters in the 1960's. The Odessa organization was formed to rehabilitate former SS men into the professions of the Federal Republic created in 1949 by the Allies, to infiltrate political parties, to pay the legal defenses of
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SS killers prosecuted for war crimes, and to obstacle the course of justice where it operates against a former Kamerad. The "file" is a package that arrived anonymously in 1964 at the Ministry of Justice in Bonn. It contained a list of names. Show Less
LibraryThing member AliceAnna
A really compelling book. Fast-paced, thoroughly researched, fair characterizations and a really good plot.
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This is Forsyth's second novel, published in 1972. I so liked his first (The Day of the Jackal, which I read 6 Feb 2010) that I thought I should read this. It did not disappoint, though I think it is inferior to his first book. It tells of Peter Miller, a 29-year-old German investigative German
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reporter who seeks to uncover a guy who was head of the concentration camp at Riga, Latvia. from 1941 to 1944. The Odessa is a group of Nazis who in 1964 are seeking to aid in the destruction of Israel. Miller flits around Germany chasing down information about the evil guy and has lots of incredible encounters, though,one knows that he will not die--even as we knew in The Day of the Jackal that Gerneral DeGaulle would not be assassinated. The book is isuualy fun reading even if some of the intricacies of the details,( such as the detailed account of the making of the bomb designed to blow mIller up) only could interest a bambmaker.. And at time it gets a little preachy, but maybe such would be good for some German readers. Show Less
LibraryThing member jontseng
Diligently research and gripping. A classic example of a "page-turning" thriller.
LibraryThing member JohnWCuluris
An early work from the father of the modern espionage thriller, and it contains my biggest pet peeve: a protagonist doing something incredibly stupid. And it’s okay. Peter Miller is a reporter, not a trained undercover agent. Through the convergence of bad luck, laziness, entitlement and not
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truly believing all the precautions taught to him were necessary, he blows his cover almost immediately. The story never really hinged on this anyway. It’s about how the diary of a Holocaust survivor who killed himself leads to the investigation The ODESSA, a real-life Nazi organization that used stolen wealth to further their twisted philosophies. To varying degrees Forsyth always used fiction to expose reality. He is always entertaining while doing so. Show Less
LibraryThing member bluesslave
Pretty good
LibraryThing member breic
Wow, what a blast from the past. I haven't read a Forsyth novel in at least 20 years. This brings it all back. The story starts a little slow, but it builds up momentum, with one twist halfway through and another at the end. It is all conventional storytelling, and certain a product of its
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time—though not offensively so—but is very readable. Show Less
LibraryThing member ikeman100
Another good novel by Forsyth. Second only to "Day of the Jackal". Read it as a twenty year old and again years later. Good both times.
LibraryThing member threadnsong
What an amazingly researched book. I had read it before and it was still haunting. The heartbreaking tragedy in Riga described in the diary of the Jewish suicide victim is worse than the heartbreak of how many SS members were allowed to stay in Germany or get set up in business in the days after
Many reviewers have commented on the enormous amount of research Forsyth must have done in preparation for this book is outstanding. Highly recommend.
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the War.Many reviewers have commented on the enormous amount of research Forsyth must have done in preparation for this book is outstanding. Highly recommend.
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LibraryThing member RajivC
The first half of this book is excellent. Frederick Forsyth provides a lot of detail on how the old Nazi SS troupers disappeared and escaped into German society. I don't know how influential they are in the real world, but there is enough to engross a reader.
Peter Miller's chase is well told in
Peter Miller's chase is well told in
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the book's first half, but then it fizzled out at the end. The book ended! Without warning! Show Less
LibraryThing member Christilee394
I am not going to go into detail of the synopsis; a reader can get that straight from the jacket. The story follows Peter Miller, a young journalist (29 and fictional), who is given the diary of Soloman Tauber, an old Jewish man who had recently committed suicide. The diary deals with Tauber’s
Fredrick Forsyth paints an incredible picture by mixing fiction into a non-fiction event. It has been almost 50 years since its first publication and this novel does not miss a beat or have that aged feel. As a historical thriller, this one holds up well, with plenty of action.
The first half of the book is basically the reading of Soloman Tauber’s diary, which is painfully and incredibly detailed regarding the treatment of prisoners at Riga under the hands of the cruel and sadistic Roschmann.
The second half is Peter Miller’s attempt to discover the location of the former S.S. Concentration Camp Commander. Toward the end of the war, Roschmann was able to flee persecution with the aid of ODESSA. ODESSA (Organization Der Ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen) is loosely translated to The Organization of Former SS Members. ODESSA was formed in 1944 for the purpose of facilitating the escape of Nazi war criminals from Europe and escaping justice.
If I say much more, I feel I will start to give spoilers. I will say this, if you are interested in Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and the resulting search for Nazi war criminals, this book is most likely for you. If you enjoy unanticipated turns of events, this book is for you. If you enjoy fiction that is based on true events, this book is for you.
“When one can understand the people, their gullibility and their fear, their greed and their lust for power, their ignorance and their docility to the man who shouts the loudest, one can forgive.”
― Frederick Forsyth, The Odessa File
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incarceration at the Riga Concentration Camp. Peter Miller begins to investigate the alleged sighting of a former S.S. Officer…not just any S.S. Officer, but the real-life Eduard Roschmann, “The Butcher of Riga". Roschmann was the Commander of the Riga Concentration Camp during World War II.Fredrick Forsyth paints an incredible picture by mixing fiction into a non-fiction event. It has been almost 50 years since its first publication and this novel does not miss a beat or have that aged feel. As a historical thriller, this one holds up well, with plenty of action.
The first half of the book is basically the reading of Soloman Tauber’s diary, which is painfully and incredibly detailed regarding the treatment of prisoners at Riga under the hands of the cruel and sadistic Roschmann.
The second half is Peter Miller’s attempt to discover the location of the former S.S. Concentration Camp Commander. Toward the end of the war, Roschmann was able to flee persecution with the aid of ODESSA. ODESSA (Organization Der Ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen) is loosely translated to The Organization of Former SS Members. ODESSA was formed in 1944 for the purpose of facilitating the escape of Nazi war criminals from Europe and escaping justice.
If I say much more, I feel I will start to give spoilers. I will say this, if you are interested in Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and the resulting search for Nazi war criminals, this book is most likely for you. If you enjoy unanticipated turns of events, this book is for you. If you enjoy fiction that is based on true events, this book is for you.
“When one can understand the people, their gullibility and their fear, their greed and their lust for power, their ignorance and their docility to the man who shouts the loudest, one can forgive.”
― Frederick Forsyth, The Odessa File
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LibraryThing member HenriMoreaux
An investigative journalist discovers the diary of a concentration camp survivor and decides to track down the commandant of the concentration camp and attempt to bring him to justice.
The Odessa File is a pretty decent espionage thriller complete with a shadowy nazi organisation dedicated to
The Odessa File is a pretty decent espionage thriller complete with a shadowy nazi organisation dedicated to
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protecting war criminals and an ongoing plant to complete the work they started with the holocaust. Show Less
LibraryThing member Zare
Forsyth has a knack to embed real world events and history into his novels. This makes them realistic [to such extent that cliche "story that comes from the newspaper pages" rings very true] and able to completely attract the reader's attention to the very end.
While story does start with journalist
Excellent novel. If you like thrillers with a historical background do treat yourself with it.
While story does start with journalist
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investigation into death of the one of the Holocaust survivors and search for the surviving Nazis supported by notorious ODESSA organization, what makes this book a true masterpiece is a twist at the end. This twist changes everything and is in my opinion very realistic - no matter how much we like to boast that we are humanitarian and philanthropists personal issues are those that drive our actions in the end.Excellent novel. If you like thrillers with a historical background do treat yourself with it.
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Awards
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 1972)
Pages
337
ISBN
067052042X / 9780670520428