On the mode of the novel, Erik Larson offers us an excellent history book. It decrypts the rise of Nazism in Germany through the eyes of the American ambassador based in Berlin: freshly appointed, the Dodd ambassador arrives in Berlin with his family in the early 30s, full of good will and not very aware of what is really happening in Germany since Hitler was chancellor. He gradually discovers a disturbing truth and fights almost alone among other ambassadors who play best indifference and at worst a blind eye to keep their privileges and remain politically correct. Dodd is an anti-hero who deserves respect because he denounced the torturer and perverse system that the Nazis set up. A must read.
