The Traitors Circle

Reviews / Votes

Haunting and heart-poundingly suspenseful - an extraordinary exploration of moral courage in a world overwhelmed by Nazi darkness. Freedland's passionate narrative takes us into secret and sometimes surprising corners of Hitler's Germany. In those shadows of vicious totalitarianism and betrayal - and facing the abyss of the Holocaust - is a circle of friends who embody unwavering human decency and faith and love. Freedland's powerful story-telling has intense resonance in today's darkening world. The moral questions are eternal -- Sinclair McKay, bestselling author of DRESDEN A story of unlikely rebels who had much to lose from resisting the Nazi regime, which so many of their peers supported. What made them trade personal safety for moral rectitude? Freedland's answer is as tense as a thriller yet perceptive, thoughtful and thoroughly researched. It made me think long after I'd turned the last page -- Katja Hoyer, bestselling author of BEYOND THE WALL Written like a novel, this tale of heroism, camaraderie, betrayal and tragedy will leave a lasting impression. It is a salutary reminder that history can inspire, even in the darkest of times -- JOHN BEW, bestselling author of CITIZEN CLEM An astonishing true story of courage, love and betrayal, told with the verve of a thriller. Freedland is a master at weaving spellbinding entertainments drawn from forgotten corners of history -- Mick Herron The Traitors Circle rivals Freedland's superb The Escape Artist. A revelatory account of heroism and treachery in Nazi Germany, it based on original research and reads like a thriller. Totally gripping and timely -- Jonathan Dimbleby Though every word is true, this remarkable book reads like a novel. Part thriller, part adventure story, part Holocaust history, it is a searing memorial to the half-million Germans who died opposing Hitler, as well as the six million Jews he killed. The narrative style is gripping; the morality searing. This is how the best history books will be written in the future -- Andrew Roberts, author of CHURCHILL: WALKING WITH DESTINY The Traitors Circle is not only a thrilling, humane, and deeply moving account of heroism, espionage, and betrayal in the Third Reich - it is the best sort of history, one whose rich characters breathe life and perspective into our present circumstance. Haunting, and not to be missed -- David McCloskey, author of DAMASCUS STATION Gripping, chilling, inspiring - Jonathan Freedland has a unique gift for exploring history's most profound questions with the urgency of a news reporter and the stylistic flair of a great novelist -- Rafael Behr Excellent . . . Freedland tells a gripping story but also asks a timely question: Why do some people collaborate? Why do others fight tyrants? The Traitors Circle is both history and parable, perfect reading for this moment -- Anne Applebaum, bestselling author of AUTOCRACY INC. Freedland has an uncanny ability to combine deep historical research with the pace and tension of a thriller. Told through the eyes of masterfully-detailed characters, this tale reminds us that tyranny, treachery and bravery go hand in hand -- John Kampfner, bestselling author of IN SEARCH OF BERLIN Spectacular. The compelling true story of raw human courage in the face of the ultimate evil. A page-turning, heartbreaker of a book -- Tony Parsons, bestselling author of THE MURDER BAG Freedland's done it again. Thrilling, moving and inspiring, The Traitors Circle is a brilliant Second World War history book, as exciting as a novel and filled with extraordinary characters - some heroic and some evil - that is also both a portrait of courage, humanity and resistance against Nazi tyranny and a twisting tale of conspiracy and espionage -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, bestselling author of THE WORLD: A FAMILY HISTORY Utterly gripping, brilliantly researched and written -- Anthony Horowitz Freedland's account of the fall of the Solf Circle is structured like a thriller and
demonstrates his mastery of his material . . . Magnificent . . . Important and impressive -- Daily Telegraph A compelling yarn about people whose achievement may have been limited, but whose courage was that of giants -- Max Hastings, Sunday Times Freedland displays the forensic skills of a detective, allied to the penmanship of a thriller writer . . . A fascinating story of bravery and morality against overwhelming odds -- Irish Times Gripping and terrifying -- Ian Hislop A riveting story with an incredible, ensemble cast . . . I want to urge everyone to read this book. It's gripping, it's enormously entertaining - it's got so much to teach us -- Tina Brown An engrossing narrative . . . a spellbinding account -- Wall Street Journal The thrilling story of a group of anti-Nazi activists in wartime Berlin . . . an inquiry into how, in the direst circumstances, some people find the immense courage to do what is right -- The Economist, Books of the Year Freedland tells the story of Solf and her friends with the vividness of the thrillers he also writes under the name Sam Bourne. What makes his account of these Germans who refused to conform so important in our own time is that it shows that even the most iniquitous regime doesn't corrupt everyone -- The Spectator A compelling account -- TLS Constructed like a thriller but has all the poignancy and punch of a true story -- Engelsberg Utterly gripping - and brilliantly told -- Dominic Sandbrook