€5 off first Book Purchase of €50+ | With Code: CHAPTERSBOOKSTORE
The new novel from the author of the highly acclaimed The Butchers of Berlin, soon to be a TV series
'No denying the book's power' Nick Rennison, Sunday Times
'The real skill of this rigorous, disturbing novel lies in the way Petit steadily and unsensationally allows his protagonists to discover the full horror of the hellhole they are in' Guardian
'One of Britain's most visionary writers' David Peace
'Powerful evocation of a city living in terror' Sunday Times Crime Club
'Ambitious, darkly atmospheric' The Times
'Hugely impressive and highly readable; in the tradition of Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs' Financial Times
'Ferocious invention marks this novel out as special' The Edge
'Ambitious and intelligent' Times
'Puts Petit in the first rank' Metro
'A zigzagging narrative as byzantine an blackly pessemistic as late James Ellroy' Independent on Sunday
'An example of the genre near its best. Gorky Park with something to spare; well worth anyone's weekend' Guardian for The Psalm Killer
Berlin, July 1944, a world of illicit jazz clubs, sexually generous young women, suspect art dealers, last-ditch zealots and a city defined by crumbling infrastructure, advanced terror, dirty secrets and deep politics - and then there is August Schlegel, caught askance in a web of totalitarian mayhem.
Everybody knows what happened on 20 July: Fuhrer Adolf Hitler miraculously survived an assassination attempt when a bomb failed to kill him. Schlegel, a reluctant employee of the Gestapo, finds himself in the foolhardy position of questioning the official version, knowing it is the last thing he should be thinking. Was it a propaganda stunt, or a deception or was something more extreme going on, perhaps a cover-up connected to the mysterious burning down of a Berlin clinic? A deadly political dance takes Schlegel all the way up to Party Secretary Martin Bormann, the Chancellory's sinister 'black pope'.
Information is controlled, informers are everywhere, secrecy remains the cornerstone of the regime, yet someone appears interested in digging up a carefully buried scandal in the Fuhrer's past private life, an incestuous affair with his young niece that ended mysteriously in 1931. Rumours circulate of a 'Hitler confession'.
Trapped in a kingdom of lies, Schlegel discovers the blighted present and a censored past are connected in ways he could never have imagined. The niece's tragic end is intimately bound up with the fate of his long-lost father, whom Schlegel had always believed absconded to Argentina and died there, until he finds a private 1925 edition of Mein Kampf, dedicated to 'Anton Schlegel', signed, 'In eternal gratitude, Adolf Hitler.'
The identity of Schlegel's father - and whether he is still alive and operating as a secret puppet master - becomes inseparable from the enigma of a shapeshifting Fuhrer, going back to the early days when he was known to Anton Schlegel as Herr Wolf.
Questioning the official version of events, Chris Petit offers a dazzling reinterpretation of history, showing how the deeper secret truths invariably turn out to be personal.
Praise for Chris Petit:'No denying the book's power' Nick Rennison, Sunday Times
'The real skill of this rigorous, disturbing novel lies in the way Petit steadily and unsensationally allows his protagonists to discover the full horror of the hellhole they are in' Guardian
'One of Britain's most visionary writers' David Peace
'Powerful evocation of a city living in terror' Sunday Times Crime Club
'Ambitious, darkly atmospheric' The Times
'Hugely impressive and highly readable; in the tradition of Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs' Financial Times
'Ferocious invention marks this novel out as special' The Edge
'Ambitious and intelligent' Times
'Puts Petit in the first rank' Metro
'A zigzagging narrative as byzantine an blackly pessemistic as late James Ellroy' Independent on Sunday
'An example of the genre near its best. Gorky Park with something to spare; well worth anyone's weekend' Guardian for The Psalm Killer
- Publisher Name:Simon & Schuster Ltd
- Product Format:Paperback
- ISBN: 9781471171468
- Author:Petit, Chris
- Publication Date:2020-11-26
Refund Policy
If you are not satisfied with your order in any way, get in touch. We have an excellent customer service record and we will do our best to ensure you are pleased with your purchase.
📄 Exercise Your Right of Withdrawal
Under EU consumer law, you have the right to withdraw from your purchase within 14 days of receiving your order, without giving a reason. To formally exercise this right, use the button below. This is a distinct function separate from our general returns process.
Your right to cancel
If you order online, you have the right to cancel your order within 14 days of receiving your goods, without giving a reason. This cooling-off period runs from the day you (or someone you nominate) receives the last item in your order. To cancel, contact us at shop@chaptersbookstore.com stating your order number and your wish to withdraw from the purchase. Once we've confirmed your cancellation, you have 14 days to send the goods back to us.
Condition of returned items
To be eligible for a refund, your item must be returned unworn, unused and unread, in its original packaging, and in the same condition you received it. You'll also need your receipt or proof of purchase. If your return is based on the item's condition on arrival, please include a photo so we can advise the best resolution.
Faulty or damaged items
Please inspect your order on arrival and contact us immediately if an item is defective, damaged, or not what you ordered. Separately from the 14-day cancellation right above, you're entitled to a repair, replacement or refund on faulty goods for up to two years from purchase, under standard consumer guarantee rights.
This guarantee covers manufacturing faults only, such as printing errors, missing pages, or binding defects present at the time of purchase. It does not cover damage arising from normal use or wear, including creased spines, worn covers, marked pages or general signs of reading. If you're unsure whether an issue qualifies, send us a photo and we'll be happy to advise.
How to return
To start a return, contact us at shop@chaptersbookstore.com. If your return is accepted, we'll send you a return shipping label and instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted. If a return is due to an error on our part, we'll cover the postage cost.
Exceptions and non-returnable items
Certain items cannot be returned, including custom products, special orders, sale items and gift cards.
Trade-In Programme
If you're trading in previously owned books rather than returning a purchase, please see our separate Trade-In Programme terms, which operate independently of this policy.
Refunds
Once we've received and inspected your return, we'll let you know if the refund has been approved. If approved, you'll be refunded automatically to your original payment method. Please allow some time for your bank or card provider to process and post the refund.
Free Delivery in the Republic Of Ireland on all orders over €30. Standard Delivery Charge in Republic of Ireland of €5 for all orders below €30.
Delivery is subject to warehouse availability. Out-of-stock items will be shipped as soon as possible, upon arrival from the manufacturer/publisher. Please take shipping time into consideration.
