Michael Dean gives us a very entertaining novel about Adolph Hitler that takes place in 1933,
just prior to World War II, at a time when Hitler and the Nazi party are gaining power over
Germany. Dean has done a huge amount of research for this novel about an insane man who was a
murderer, and against all odds, became the Furher of Germany and the supreme leader of the Nazis.
Here, he has declared the German Expressionist painters degenerate and is working to eliminate
them. Gerhard Glaser, the man who hopes to render Hitler powerless, is an art lover, and lawyer.
He is also the Public Prosecutor who tried to get Hitler convicted of killing his niece, Geli
Raubal.
Hitler, who was himself an artist, had done a number of drawings of Geli. Now, the Jewish
art dealer who had possession of them has been murdered and the drawings stolen. Glaser is
sure that Hitler is behind that murder too, and is determined to bring him to justice.
Meanwhile, in a riveting parallel plot, other characters want to assassinate Hitler, and work
toward that end, eventually involving Glaser.
This is an absorbing historical novel based on facts. I read this book with dread and
apprehension, since I knew how Hitler fared, but didn't know what had happened to Glaser, and
the ultimate fate of his efforts to denigrate Adolph Hitler. Dean's characters are compelling
and sympathetic and the multi-level plot is tense. He presents this story with great skill and
emotion and showcases the great courage of Gerhard Glaser.