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The Odessa File

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 14,912 ratings · 217 reviews

Thesuicide of an elderly German Jew explodes intorevelation after revelation: of a Mafia-likeorganization called Odessa ...of a real-life fugitive known as the"Butcher of Riga"..of a young German journalisttumed obsessed avenger.......and, ultimately, of brilliant, ruthless plotto reestablish the worldwide power of SS massmurderers and to carry out Hitler's chilling"Final...more

Paperback, 448 pages

Published June 15th 1995 by Arrow (first published 1972)

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Oct 16, 2011 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, historical-thriller, 1970-1979, mystery

***5 STAR STORY ELEMENT ROLL CALL***

Nazis........"Here".......

International Intrigue........"Present".......

Secret Societies.........."Here"..........

Nazi Hunters/Israeli Mossad.........."Here, Sir"..........

Interesting Plot.........."Present"..........

Compelling Main Character.........Uh, Compelling Main Character......Anyone.......Main Character we care about......SHIT.....

Excitement and Suspense.........hello....Excitement, Suspense.....Anyone.....has anyone seen any hint of excitemen...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Giuseppe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature-english, 1970-s, genre-spy-stories

Bel libro di Forsyth sulla vicenda dell'ODESSA, associazione fomdata dall'ex SS per la loro sopravvivenza e continuità nella Germania post-bellica. Un giornalista, venuto in possesso del diario di Tauber, un ebreo deportato in un campo di concentramento a Riga, si mette sulle tracce del "macellaio di Riga", Eduard Roschmann, in una caccia che coinvolgerà ex-SS, il famoso cacciatore di nazisti Wiesenthal, il MOSSAD e le autorità tedesche del tempo.

La ricostruzione dei fatti storici è precisa e pu...more Bel libro di Forsyth sulla vicenda dell'ODESSA, associazione fomdata dall'ex SS per la loro sopravvivenza e continuità nella Germania post-bellica. Un giornalista, venuto in possesso del diario di Tauber, un ebreo deportato in un campo di concentramento a Riga, si mette sulle tracce del "macellaio di Riga", Eduard Roschmann, in una caccia che coinvolgerà ex-SS, il famoso cacciatore di nazisti Wiesenthal, il MOSSAD e le autorità tedesche del tempo.

La ricostruzione dei fatti storici è precisa e puntuale. Si vede che FF ha effettuato un certosino lavoro di documentazione, anche se qualche piccola discrepanza è stata rilevata dai critici più pignoli. Se queste piccole sbavature sono accettabili come liceità narrative, mi lasciano invece un po' più basito certe recensioni lette qua e là, tra GR e Anobii. Molti elogiano il background narrativo (Figo, i nazisti!), il plot (Figo, roba di spie!) mentre criticano il piattume del protagonista (vero, un po' moscio a dirla tutta). Tutte considerazioni condivisibili, a parte il fatto però che vengono presi tutti per elementi finzionali, quando in realtà non lo sono. Le atrocità raccontate nel diaro di Tauber sono vere. La rete dell'ODESSA è realmente esistita, così come lo stesso Roschmann e molti dei personaggi e dei dati riportati nel libro.

Se il libro quando uscì, destando scalpore, affrontava e metteva a nudo la reticenza di un popolo ad accettare il proprio passato recente ed in alcuni casi la connivenza con esso, nei lettori più giovani ed odierni, privi di un determinato background di attualità, sembra solo una bella storia con qualche elemento rivedibile. Si va così dilapidando la potenza di questo romanzo che, privo della carica dirompente delle informazioni reali in esso contenuto, resta solo una bella storia. E' rischio della narrativa quando si intreccia così strettamente con il pamphlet storico: il processo artefatto di verificazione della falsità si capovolge in una falsificazione di elementi di verità. E' un po' il prezzo del successo.

E' quindi solo un'operazione commerciale quella cui ci troviamo di fronte? Qualcosa di eticamente sghembo che sarebbe meglio evitare? Insomma: è meglio un romanzo storico pedissequo alla realtà che potrebbe risultare poco appetibile alla massa od un attraente romanzo di fantasia che si basa su fatti reali con il rischio che questi diventino indistinguibili da quelli di fantasia?

La mia bilancia pende, contrariamente ai ragionamenti suddetti, a favore del romanzo di fantasia. O meglio, di non condanna di tal forma. A latere di libri verità (inutile enunciarli, li conoscete già), anche queste operazioni, sicuramente più commericali hanno il loro senso. Se è vero che una tale opera nel tempo può perdere la sua carica dirompente, è anche vero che alla sua uscita questa è forte e sollecita l'opinione pubblica come poche altre cose. E così è stato per Dossier ODESSA. Forsyth, su consiglio di Wiesenthal (anche lui personaggio reale), inserì una serie di dettagli su Roschmann nella speranza che questi potessero aiutare il nazista a venire allo scoperto. Cosa che è successa poi veramente. Così come il libro ha effettivamente sdoganato un tema caldo e piuttosto spinoso. Certo altre opere hanno fatto ciò con una caratura artistica sicuramente più apprezzabile (il pensiero vola al "Il giorno della civetta" e cosa è stato per la mafia), ma in certi casi, mia opinione personale, ci si può concedere il lusso di accontentarsi.(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 KOMET rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: frederick-forsyth, historical-novels-europe, zz-out-of-residence

This novel has all the key elements of heart-stopping drama at its most intense that has made a name for Frederick Forsyth the world over.

The story begins in Hamburg in the early evening hours of November 22nd, 1963. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX, a few hours earlier, and the news of that foul act has just reached the eyes and ears of every German. One of them is a freelance journalist nearing thirty: Peter Miller. Seated placidly in the comfort of his beloved Jaguar XK 150 S...more This novel has all the key elements of heart-stopping drama at its most intense that has made a name for Frederick Forsyth the world over.

The story begins in Hamburg in the early evening hours of November 22nd, 1963. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX, a few hours earlier, and the news of that foul act has just reached the eyes and ears of every German. One of them is a freelance journalist nearing thirty: Peter Miller. Seated placidly in the comfort of his beloved Jaguar XK 150 S sports car, cigarette dangling from his mouth, Miller is set on going home for some good loving with his girlfriend Sigrid ("Sigi") a lovely and alluring cabaret dancer, and a good meal before sleeping. But from behind comes the harsh shrill of a siren from an ambulance. For Miller, "[a]mbulances meant trouble, and trouble could mean a story, particularly if one were first on the scene and the whole thing had been cleared up before the staff reporters arrived. It could be a major crash on the road, or a big wharf fire, a tenement building ablaze, with children trapped inside... Miller always carried a small Yashica with flash attachment in the glove compartment of his car because one never knew what was going to happen in front of one's eyes."

And so it proved within the walls of a shabby rooming house in a working class area of Hamburg. There, amid a number of police securing the scene and examining the contents of a room, which smelt heavily of gas, was found the lifeless body of a man in his 50s. He had a tired, greyish, shrunken appearance. Miller, upon showing his press credentials, tries to ascertain what is going on --- initially without success as the police are being tight-lipped. But then an old high school friend, a police inspector named Brandt, comes down the stairs of the rooming house, dressed in mufti. They meet and briefly chat.

A few days later, Miller receives a call from Brandt, offering something for him in reference to the rooming house incident. It is a diary, a testament from the dead man, a German Jew named Salomon Tauber, who had been transported to Riga in the summer of 1941 and placed in the Jewish ghetto established there by the Germans and run by the SS in the person of Captain (Hauptsturmführer) Eduard Roschmann [a real historical figure]. Miller is riveted by the story that Tauber tells, in which he painstakingly recorded his experiences there. For 3 years, Tauber had lived so close to death, sadism and inhumanity as personified by Roschmann that, upon being shipped back to Germany in 1944 as the Soviets were about to retake Riga, he is determined to see Roschmann brought to justice for his crimes. But, upon the war's end the following year, Roschmann disappears, assuming the identity of a corporal in the German Army and spends 2 years in a POW camp. Eventually, he makes his way to his native Austria, where, after almost being found out, is helped through a network of people sympathetic to the SS, and escapes to Argentina, where he assumes a new life and career.

Several years later, feeling more secure, Roschmann returns to Germany, and by chance, is spotted by Tauber one night among friends in the middle of 1963 while on the streets of Hamburg. The old memories flood back to the surface of Tauber's consciousness. A deepening despair drives him to suicide.

Miller is so much affected by Tauber's diary that he resolves to find Roschmann and bring him to justice. What he doesn't anticipate is the opposition and hazards he will soon face, courtesy of ODESSA. Odessa is a well-organized network of former SS officers not unlike the Mafia, possessing considerable wealth and contacts within industry and various ministries of the German government.

Forsyth offers a fascinating exposition of how the SS, even as Germany was hurtling towards defeat in late 1944 and 1945, gathered up a sizable portion of the wealth it had taken from many of the Jewish dead of the Vernichtungslager (killing centers) it ran, placed much of their liquid assets in Swiss bank accounts, and made their way out of Germany. (I invite the reader of this review, if curious, to read other sources to learn about the network of people and institutions that willingly assisted SS officers to escape the clutches of the Allies.) So, once Germany began to re-establish itself and rebuild its society and economy, Odessa also benefitted from the postwar prosperity.

Miller applies his considerable investigative skills in trying to uncover Roschmann and in the process, learns that the unofficial attitude in some government circles in West Germany is to keep more or less mute any ongoing efforts to expose war criminals. The general desire among most Germans is to put the memories of the Third Reich and the war firmly in the background. Odessa gets word of Miller's efforts and sends one of their men to advise him to desist from further digging into Roschmann's background. Roschmann is a key figure in Odessa's ongoing endeavor of supplying Egypt with a coterie of German rocket scientists, who are at work there in developing missiles to be used against Israel. Miller, undeterred by threats, travels first to London and then to Vienna, where he meets the Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal (another real historical figure), a Holocaust survivor who has devoted his life to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice.

Eventually, with the help of Israeli agents, Miller agrees to try to infiltrate Odessa by assuming the identity of an SS officer whose war crimes were recently brought to light, necessitating that he go on the run. {This SS officer --- Rolf Gunther Kolb --- had recently died from a severe form of intestinal cancer. But the Israelis, through their German contacts, are able to alter the medical records to reflect that Kolb's cancer went into remission and Kolb himself had left the clinic of his own volition.)

At this point, the drama goes into overdrive and has a lot of twists and turns. I invite the reader of this review, if stirred into a frenzied state of curiosity, to read this novel and be entertained, educated, and THRILLED. (less)

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Jul 18, 2012 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, pop-lit, suspense

Well, I’m glad I stuck with this book through the first 100 pages or so. I usually set my limit at 100 pages. If a book shows little or no promise, or if it simply drags to an extreme degree, or if it’s just a jumbled mess, it has 100 pages to turn the ship around. This is a rule I set for myself a few years ago after realizing that I had slogged my way through too many worthless books while books I actually wanted to read gathered dust on my shelf.

I mention all of this because roughly 100 pages...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Truly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note...

Aku tidak memedam kebencian kepada rakyat Jerman, karena mereka bangsa yang baik. Suatu bangsa sebenarnya tidaklah jahat, hanyalah pribadi-pribadi, individu-individulah yang jahat.

Tidak ada dosa kolektif, tidak ada dosa bersama.

Mendengar atau membaca perihal NAZI (NazionaliSozionalisme), sebuah partai besar dan tunggal yang berkuasa di Jerman antara tahun 1933 sampai 1945 (semasa perang dunia II) tak lengkap tanpa menyinggung perihal Adolf Hitler sosok yan...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Iwan Sutisna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ceritanya menarik cuma saja lama kelamaan nama-nama orang Jerman dan Yahudi yang ada di buku ini serta nama-nama jalan di Jerman membuatku kebingungan, apalagi kelihatannya si tokoh utamanya, seorang reporter kriminal, tanpa lasan yg jelas sekali bernafsu sekali memburu seorang mantan petinggi SS era Nazi walaupun pada akhirnya terungkap juga sih apa tujuan sebenarnya dari si reporter sampai dia mau repot2 menyusup ke sarang Odessa. Ada beberapa ketegangan yang menurutku bisa dijabarkan lebih ja...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Dick Edwards rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this neo-Nazi thriller. The year is 1963. Odessa is the group hiding former SS and, in some cases, providing them with new identities and livelihoods. The most startling thing in the beginning of the story to me is the fact that there is so much resistance within Germany to any inquiries into German war crimes, especially those perpetrated by the SS. It is admirable how Miller is determined to track down Roschmann, and he gets very little cooperation from any German officials. When Mil...more

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Apr 05, 2009 Sonia Gomes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People interested in the Holocaust

Shelves: read-long-ago, world-war-ii, holocaust, good-but-not-fantastic

ODESSA File shows us a very dark and brutal side of humanity. Although I do not know a single Jew, I have wept over and prayed for the millions of Jews killed during the Second World War. I have heard arguments that the Holocaust is just another ‘casualty’ of War. It is amazing that despite a full fledged war raging all around the world, the Germans had the time, patience, resources and the desire to annihilate millions of men, women and children. What is chilling about the Holocaust is the cold...more

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Dec 30, 2012 I_love_books rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Egal ob Wahrheit oder Mythos, diese Story ist mega-spannend
Es ist das Jahr 1963, als Kennedy ermordet wurde. Der Jude Salomon Tauber – ein Überlebender des Konzentrationslagers Riga-Kaiserwald – sah für sich keinen anderen Ausweg, als den Freitod zu wählen. Tauber verknüpfte damit seine letzte Hoffnung: Dass die Hamburger Polizei seinen Peiniger, den “Schlächter von Riga” / KZ-Leiter Eduard Roschmann, anhand seiner Tagebucheinträge finden und zur Rechenschaft ziehen wird. Doch dem ist nicht so....more Egal ob Wahrheit oder Mythos, diese Story ist mega-spannend
Es ist das Jahr 1963, als Kennedy ermordet wurde. Der Jude Salomon Tauber – ein Überlebender des Konzentrationslagers Riga-Kaiserwald – sah für sich keinen anderen Ausweg, als den Freitod zu wählen. Tauber verknüpfte damit seine letzte Hoffnung: Dass die Hamburger Polizei seinen Peiniger, den “Schlächter von Riga” / KZ-Leiter Eduard Roschmann, anhand seiner Tagebucheinträge finden und zur Rechenschaft ziehen wird. Doch dem ist nicht so. Nur der Journalist Peter Miller befasst sich mit den Aufzeichnungen Taubers und somit mit den grauenhaften Taten Roschmanns. Er beginnt zu recherchieren, was aus den vielen Nazi-Verbrechern nach Beendigung des zweiten Weltkrieges geworden ist und stößt mehr oder minder auf Verschwiegenheit und Desinteresse seitens der deutschen Behörden. Nun hat Miller als Journalist natürlich erst recht Blut geleckt und beginnt eine Naziverbrecher-Jagd, die ihn das Leben kosten könnte.

Mein Fazit
Der Mythos der Akte Odessa – der Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen – ist seit der ersten Veröffentlichung von Forsyth’ Roman im Jahre 1972 immer noch nicht ad acta gelegt. Der Holocaust-Überlebende und allseits bekannte Nazi-Jäger Simon Wiesenthal (verstorben im Jahre 2005) war der festen Überzeugung, dass es eine globale Gruppierung gab, die den Nazi-Verbrechern zur Flucht verhalf. Andere Historiker sehen dieses “globale Netzwerk” als Übertreibung, kontrovers oder gar schlicht weg als nicht existent an. Wahrscheinlich werden wir wohl nie die ganze Wahrheit erfahren. Jedoch sind die Verbrechen in den Konzentrationslagern Tatsachen, ebenso wie die Fakten, dass diese Kriegsverbrecher – Eduard Roschmann alias F(r)ederico Wegener, Adolf Eichmann sowie Ludolf-Hermann von Alvensleben alias Carlos Lücke nach Argentinien; Josef Mengele nach Brasilien; Nikolaus Barbie alias Klaus Altmann nach Bolivien und Alois Brunner nach Syrien – fliehen und sich somit der Justiz (lange Zeit) entziehen konnten.
An dem Forsyth Hörbuch berührte mich besonders die erste CD. Dort wird auf die Situation und das Zusammenleben in Deutschland vor Hitlers Hasstiraden aufmerksam gemacht: So kannte damals wohl jeder Deutsche einen Juden, man lebte Tür an Tür miteinander, arbeitete zusammen und war miteinander befreundet. Und dennoch glaubten die Deutschen irgendwann der Propaganda und schauten Weg als die größten Verbrechen vor ihrer eigenen Haustür geschahen… Ebenso bewegten mich die schrecklichen Eindrücke aus den Salomon-Tauber-Tagebuch über das KZ Riga. Auch wenn die Geschehnisse wohl nicht authentisch sind (dazu habe ich keine Quellen finden können), so stehen sie wohl stellvertretend für all die unsäglichen Gräultaten in den Konzentrationslagern. (less)

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Aug 14, 2012 Charlie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Althoug it is an interesting book and incredibly catching when you take patience to read it, is a very common subject.
To explain myself better when i say "common subject" im not talking about the WW 1-2 or Nazis, im talking about the "mistery" or the "conspiration" that some people love to talk about. And it gets to be really boring to always hear the same stuff most of the nazis are dead and the others where capture illegaly in other countrys and transport to others country to "make" justice....more

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Dec 15, 2011 Fanda VIXXIO rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: buntelan, sold-swaped

Berawal dari sebuah buku harian seorang tua keturunan Yahudi yang bunuh diri, hidup Peter Miller--seorang wartawan, tiba-tiba saja berubah. Ia jadi terobsesi untuk menemukan Eduard Roschmann, seorang mantan SS yang dulu jadi komandan kamp konsentrasi Nazi di Riga. Si pemilik diary adalah korban holocaust yang berhasil keluar dengan selamat, lalu menulis semua tentang Si Jagal dari Riga, agar suatu hari bisa menyeretnya ke pengadilan.

Dalam penyelidikannya, Miller mengetahui bahwa para mantan SS d...more

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Feb 09, 2009 Rhonda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love reading Frederick Forsyth books. For some reason or other, the fine quality of his writing has been obscured by the topics which often wander off into the realm of remote possibility. Nevertheless, this book is a fine example of how good an adventure book can be.
The characters are well constructed and even have the conflictions that one would expect of someone in extraordinary circumstances.

We forget how easily generations of Germans were seduced into believing in the man who raised thei...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Alex Gherzo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Frederick Forsyth's The Odessa File is a generally interesting, though not particularly thrilling and ultimately very unsatisfying novel. Just after President Kennedy is assassinated, freelance German reporter Peter Miller stumbles upon the scene of a suicide and comes into possession of a diary belonging to the victim, a Holocaust survivor. After reading of the horrors he endured, Miller becomes obsessed with tracking down the man's tormentor, SS Captain Eduard Roschmann. But Miller's pursuit o...more Frederick Forsyth's The Odessa File is a generally interesting, though not particularly thrilling and ultimately very unsatisfying novel. Just after President Kennedy is assassinated, freelance German reporter Peter Miller stumbles upon the scene of a suicide and comes into possession of a diary belonging to the victim, a Holocaust survivor. After reading of the horrors he endured, Miller becomes obsessed with tracking down the man's tormentor, SS Captain Eduard Roschmann. But Miller's pursuit of justice puts him into conflict with the Odessa, a shadowy organization of escaped Nazis planning on succeeding where their fuhrer failed.

Spoilers follow...

The best parts of the book are the insights into the German mindset post-WWII. Miller is part of the generation right after the Nazis. He's had to face the scorn the rest of the world has toward Germany for the atrocities committed by his forebears, and unlike many of his countrymen who want to pretend the thirties and forties never happened, he wants to make amends in what little way he can. His quest to find Roschmann is the outward manifestation of his desire to vindicate his country, to cleanse it of its sins and restore its soul. The reveal at the end that Roschmann killed Miller's father at first seems to negate this, but closer examination shows that it still fits the theme. As Miller explains, when the SS fled, they left the rest of Germany, in particular the army, to take the heat for their heinous actions -- people like Miller's father. Men and women who weren't involved in the massacres had to atone for them while the guilty parties escaped to live out their lives in leisure (relative to what they'd have gotten had they stayed to face the music). Miller's personal stake is but one story among many in the aftermath of the Nazi's reign.

I also enjoyed the opposite point of view, that of the Nazis toward the younger generation. They saw them as weak, cowardly, unwilling to continue Hitler's legacy and too eager to acquiesce to the Allies. It's an interesting trip through the mind of a fanatic: they truly believe everyone else "knows" they're right; it's only a matter of who has the courage to see it through. Miller's rant to Roschmann at the end about how it was the Nazis who were the cowards is very satisfying.

Which turns out to be a good thing, because that's pretty much the only satisfying aspect of the ending (well, aside from Oskar's fate). In the end, the smallest possible amount of justice is done. Miller lives and the Odessa are exposed, but nothing comes of it. We learn in the final chapter that Roschmann, the Werewolf and the rest of the Odessa bigwigs escape and live out their days in Argentina or elsewhere. The Helwan rocket plot was foiled, true, but the people behind it got away. Now, I understand that some of this is history, but at the same time, this is a novel, not a history book. I don't think some kind of rewarding resolution is out of the question. Instead of using Roschmann, why not have a fictional Nazi be the subject of Miller's investigation? And the Werewolf, as far as I can tell, refers to no one specifically, just some high-ranking Nazi. He could've met with a fitting comeuppance without disturbing history (unless I'm missing something). Or, you know, use artistic license and change history a little. Writers do it all the time because, when writing fiction, the story and characters come first.

Another problem is that, for the bulk of the book, it never really feels like Miller is in any danger. Once the Werewolf finds out what he's up to, he sends in Mackensen and orders him to... observe. This remains the case until the very end, when the assassin is finally given the kill order. The finale is relatively exciting, but it's a bit of a letdown that Miller spends it unconscious. He never really has to fight for his life, as the conflict is taken care of for him. It's true that Josef's intervention was set up earlier in the book, but it does take some of the suspense away. The final pages significantly detract from the successes the book has already achieved.

I think the good parts of The Odessa File are sufficient enough to make reading it worthwhile, but it's best enjoyed if approached from a historical and sociological standpoint, rather than a novel. (less)

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May 07, 2010 Marc rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The action takes place in 1963 and 1964 and centers around a German journalist who learns about an underground network of former members of the SS who are plotting to complete the Final Solution.

The author did an incredible amount of research which he blends seamlessly into the story, including heartrendingly realistic flashbacks to the Holocaust, and a highly credible if speculative description of the lengths to which the SS went to protect its members after the collapse of the Third Reich. Th...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Frederik rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Un vrai polar des années 70 focalisant sur des anciens membres de SS qui essaient de se réintégrer dans la société allemande par le réseau Odessa. Est-ce que ce réseau a réellement existé ? Les historiens en doutent.

Néanmoins, Forsythe traite la question de la culpabilité allemande et donne une réponse intéressante: Dieu avait détruit les villes de Sodoma et Gomorrah en tuant tous les habitants sauf une personne innocente. Cela montre, selon lui, qu’on ne peut juger toute une nation, uniquement...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have read this book before, but I wanted to revisit it along with my current reading of the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. This past year I have read several books about the Second World War, including Tears of Darkness about the Bataan Death March, and I am trying to gain some understanding of how people can treat other people with such savagery. The Odessa File is fiction but Forsyth obviously based his novel on historical facts and explores the postwar actions of former SS officers. Shir...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Manugw rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

IT IS A PITY ONE SELDOM COMES ACROSS A BOOK SUCH AS THIS ONE

A superb thriller, based in a cat and mouse chase scheme, a German journalist, Peter Miller reads a diary from a Jewish survivor of a concentration camp and began to look for a war nazi criminal mentioned in the diary Eduard Roschmann. Even though this is a work of fiction, to write this masterpiece Mr Forsyth has had to previously done a meticulous research about how the organization Odessa operated to hide and find sanctuaries for Naz...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Jim Puskas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is quite different from the usual Forsyth fare: No spies here, although there is certainly no shortage of villans and subversive scheming going on. The arch-enemies here are neo-Nazis. His hero this time is also quite different from the robust types often created by Forsyth; he's a somewhat nebulous second-rate journalist who seems to be getting himself involved way over his head in a situation for which he is ill-equipped. And his motivation for undertaking such a risky enterprise remains...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Francesco Zampa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Che i nazisti si dettero alla fuga alla fine della guerra è risaputo, che li inseguirono anche, che goderono di una rete di protezione efficiente e neanche molto occulta va da sé; ma che il figlio di un nazista... Non posso raccontare tutta questa fantastica storia per non rovinarla a chi deve ancora leggerla. Il Maestro Forsyth ha saputo intrecciare la strada di un comune cittadino con quelle dei più grandi criminali di guerra. Di più: con quelle del più grande crimine mai compiuto. Ma il passa...more

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Feb 18, 2010 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love historical novels and this old fav thriller was nice to re-visit.
ODESSA is an organization that the SS Nazis set up to get SS members out of Germany after WW2. An old man dies, leaves a diary about his experiences in Riga to a reporter, and the reporter is determined to find out all he can about ODESSA and the Butcher of Riga. He goes all over Germany and even to England and finally (after many close calls...it is a thriller!), blows the organization open. Oh, and there is a surprise end...more

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Jun 13, 2010 Matimate rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, military

This book became my least favourite from this author. Idea of young German journalist who was creeping in to club of very bad boys aka ODESSA (yes former SS members liked to have party together, some talks together, perhaps some bombs and terrorist things together) in order to protect the ones who became on to do list aka final solution once for all. The book started in very good pace but then it was loosing its wit and the ending was really "I must survive" style. Fancy Nazi symbolisms and usin...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Matti Karjalainen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1970-1999, holokausti, aikuiset, jännitys, toiminta, natsit, kotikirjasto, gbr-kans

...ellei Miller olisi kuunnellut radiota tuona iltana, hän ei olisi pysäyttänyt autoaan tien viereen puoleksi tunniksi. Silloin hän ei olisi kuullut koskaan Salomon Tauberista eikä Eduard Roschmannista, ja neljäkymmentä kuukautta myöhemmin Israelin tasavalta olisi luultavasti lakannut olemasta. (s.14)

Presidentti Kennedyn murhailtana tutkiva journalisti Peter Miller saa käsiinsä juutalaisvanhuksen päiväkirjan, jonka luettuaan hän lähtee jäljittämään "Riikan teurastajana" tunnettua natsiupseeria E...more

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Aug 21, 2012 mahatma rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

saya sih tidak tertarik dengan pernik-pernik mengenai SS.
saya lebih tertarik pada bagaimana forsyth membangun imajinasi lewat buku harian tinggalan seorang yahudi yang pernah mengalami aniaya di riga, ditambah pengalaman forsyth sendiri mengelana ke austria, jerman, italia mau pun london.
buku harian itu terlalu lengkap sebagai sebuah buku harian.
sepertinya, penulis buku harian itu -yang adalah tawanan di sana- bisa leluasa mengetahui ukuran seluruh area, tahu nama-nama banyak orang di sana, tahu...more saya sih tidak tertarik dengan pernik-pernik mengenai SS.
saya lebih tertarik pada bagaimana forsyth membangun imajinasi lewat buku harian tinggalan seorang yahudi yang pernah mengalami aniaya di riga, ditambah pengalaman forsyth sendiri mengelana ke austria, jerman, italia mau pun london.
buku harian itu terlalu lengkap sebagai sebuah buku harian.
sepertinya, penulis buku harian itu -yang adalah tawanan di sana- bisa leluasa mengetahui ukuran seluruh area, tahu nama-nama banyak orang di sana, tahu menyeluruh kegiatan mau pun lokasi kam konsentrasi itu. padahal dia cuma tawanan. benarkah buku harian yang dijadikan awalan novel ini bener-bener ada?
saya gak terlalu yakin.
karena itu, maka saya anggap novel ini sepenuhnya fiksi, meski menyebut banyak nama historis, pun peristiwa2 yang bener-bener ada. nama dan peristiwa historis itu digunakan untuk menuntun rangkaian cerita yang dalam arsip sejarah masih berlubang-lubang.
aneh juga,
seorang wartawan jerman, peter miller, masih nanya-nanya alamat dan lokasi tempat-tempat penting di jerman. tokoh in imemperlihatkan hasil konstruk dari penulisnya yang bukan orang jerman yang digunakan oleh penulis [forsyth orang inggris] menuntun pemabcanya mengenal pelosok-pelosok jerman.
kira-kira separoh tebal buku ini,
si jagoan baru mulai masuk ke sarang musuhnya; organisasi pelindung mantan perwira SS, ODESSA. sebelumnya, banyak halaman digunakan untuk meyakinkan kita pembacanya, mengenai apa itu SS, ODESSA dan peran "alumni" SS dalam perang-perang di timur tengah. saya pikir, ini upaya forsyth untuk menambahi bobot bahwa kisahnya yang cuma berawal dari buku harian itu adalah kisah yang berbobot global.
baguslah,
dan pesan moral yang mau disampaikan lewat novel ini adalah bahwa kejahatan holocaust itu bukan kejahatan kolektif, tapi personal sehingga kita bisa menuntut pelaku-pelakunya. jerman sebagai bangsa tidak membenci yahudi [diperlihatkan bahwa sang jagoan adalah wartawan jerman], tapi ada memang individu2 jerman yang jahat.

barusan selesaikan novel ini.
novel holywood. maksud saya, cocok bila difilmkan oleh industri film hiburan holywood sana.
urusan serius antar bangsa, antar ras, ujung-ujungnya adalah urusan pribadi.
mengapa miller ingin benar mengejar roschman, penjahat perang dari riga, adalah karena roschmann inilah yang membunuh ayah miller, kapten angkatan darat jerman. informasi yang ia dapatkan ketika membaca buku harian orang yahudi yang ia punyai.
tapi cara mengakhiri ceritanya memang berkesan antiklimaks. di hampir seperempat tebal buku, ketegangan itu memuncak, tapi dikendurkan begitu saja dengan berbagai kebetulan [bom mobil salah pasang, telepon putus shg pengawal pergi meninggalkan boss yg harus dilindungi.] yang bagi pembaca terasa menjengkelkan.
namun,
pembaca juga sudah dimanjakan dengan berbagai informasi mengenai nazi, SS dan sepak terjang mereka yang bagi sebagian besar orang masih tertutup. secara keseluruhan, buku ini menghibur.
baguslah... [pengen baca the day of the jackal..hehe... dulu pernah mengikuti di cerita bersambung kompas tapi gak runtut](less)

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Mar 16, 2012 Kelanth, numquam risit ubi dracones vivunt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: guerra, spionaggio

Un libro entusiasmante in puro stile "Forsyth", intrattiene il lettore fino all'ultima pagina; molto scorrevole e interessante con un colpo di scena finale, che è magistrale. Un libro che intreccia fantasia e realtà in un connubio che raramente porta a dei risultati di tale levatura, l'autore si conferma sempre un maestro del genere.

Il libro narra la storia della caccia ad un assassino. Più precisamente un criminale di guerra, ex ufficiale delle SS: Eduard Roschmann il macellaio di Riga, che riu...more

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May 15, 2011 Maciek rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-in-paperback, world-war-2, thriller-mystery-suspense, read-in-2011

I've been crawing a good espionage novel, and after a quick glance at my shelf decided that Frederick Forsyth was my man. Chosing between The Day of The Jackal and The Odessa File i chose the latter, because it had all the ingredients of a good yarn - World War 2 and its aftermath, spies, intrigue, the SS...

First published in 1972, The Odessa File is about, well, the Odessa, a secret organization that unites the ex SS-men. After reading a journal left by a Jew who comitted suicide, young journal...more

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Dec 06, 2007 Silvana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: military-espionage, used-to-own

Omigod, I’m so craving for a page-turner book with exhilarating story…

Unfortunately, this book does not provide such luxury.

Anyway, the story is about a young German reporter who discovered a diary written by a Jewish Holocaust survivor, telling about the atrocities of the concentration camp in Riga, especially the commander, Eduard Roschmann. He is real, by the way, this Eduard guy. His nickname was the Butcher of Riga.

This eager reporter, named Peter Miller, immediately saw an opportunity for...more Omigod, I’m so craving for a page-turner book with exhilarating story…

Unfortunately, this book does not provide such luxury.

Anyway, the story is about a young German reporter who discovered a diary written by a Jewish Holocaust survivor, telling about the atrocities of the concentration camp in Riga, especially the commander, Eduard Roschmann. He is real, by the way, this Eduard guy. His nickname was the Butcher of Riga.

This eager reporter, named Peter Miller, immediately saw an opportunity for a great story. He decided to investigate about the whereabouts of Roschmann, who was believed to be alive and kickin’, despite his status as a war criminal. It was in 1963, so the West Germany’s government was in a mission to hunt down all former Nazis.

In the course of his investigative journalism works, Miller came across the ODESSA, a group solely established to protect ex Nazis of the SS, provided them with safe haven and assisted them in fleeing from the authority. The ODESSA’s West Germany branch was chaired by a man called the “Werwolf”. His organization was in the middle of developing a secret bubonic-plague rocket project with the Egyptian government. If you remember the Suez crisis in 1956, you’ll remember that Egypt was so pissed with the fact that they’re defeated by Israeli-British-French coalition, despite their political triumph (nationalization of the canal, etc).

Miller’s research brought him into the hands of a group of Jewish SS-hunters, who asked him to infiltrate the ODESSA by pretending to be a SS officer. It’s cool actually to see Miller’s being interrogated when he’s finally met with an ODESSA member. Various details on the SS, the most elite and vicious Nazis’ apparatus in World War II are described here. For those who are not familiar with the SS, well they’re the one who was responsible for establishing and managing concentration & extermination camps with mass gassing, inhumane treatment, malnutrition and appalling medical experiments.

Afterwards, the story just collapsed. The suspense built from the beginning no longer existed. I forced myself to read the rest, to be honest.

The other story line about the Israeli-Egyptian conflict was not really entertaining for me. I expected more focus to this issue, since in the following four years, there would be the famous Six-Day war in the Middle East.

The three stars given here is caused by the meticulous research Forsyth must've done before writing this book. In conclusion, I might not like his earlier style and plots. The Odessa File is his second novel after The Day of the Jackal. I do not share most people’s opinion that both novels are awesome. So sue me.(less)

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Sep 27, 2012 Jeff Dickison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An oldie but goldie, still an excellent book as a young German reporter reads the journal of a holocaust victim at Riga and decides to track the "butcher" of Riga down and bring him to justice. Full of facts interwoven into the story, attempting to portray the horror of WWII Germany and the Nazis. Almost impossible for a normal human to understand. To make matters worse, today, 70 years later, there are people all over the globe making excuses for, or denying what these monsters did. Never forge...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Wilde Sky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In 1963, a young freelance journalist, Peter Miller, attends a suicide in West Germany and ends up receiving a journal which details the atrocities committed in Riga. The journalist vows to track down Eduard Roschmann, the Nazi commandant. Peter’s quest sees him confront the ODESSA society.

This story is gripping, has excellent writing and believable characters.

If you enjoy good thrillers / mysteries / espionage stories then you will probably really enjoy this book.

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Nov 30, 2011 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did enjoy this book but it was a bit of a disappointment after enjoying 'The Day of the Jackal' so much. While the Jackal was based around two highly intelligent characters, I found this book's main character less interesting and appealing. He seemed to keep doing really stupid things. I enjoyed the cat-and-mouse element of The Jackal. This book had the opportunity for some real suspense in the hunt for Roschmann but it didn't really deliver. It was highly detailed and well researched, which I...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I could not put this book down! I read it in just over 24 hrs. The ending was a total surprise!
The movie was not nearly as good as the book - several great parts were left out, and some others were modified. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in WWII and the plight of the Jewish people, as well as Nazi history. Even though it is fiction, you feel like you are learning about what happened through the eyes of the main character.

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About Frederick Forsyth

From Wikipedia:

Frederick Forsyth, CBE (born 25 August 1938) is an English author and occasional political commentator. He is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger and recently The Afghan.

The son of a furrier, Forsyth was born in Ashford, Kent. He was educate...more From Wikipedia:

Frederick Forsyth, CBE (born 25 August 1938) is an English author and occasional political commentator. He is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger and recently The Afghan.

The son of a furrier, Forsyth was born in Ashford, Kent. He was educated at Tonbridge School and later attended the University of Granada in Spain. He became one of the youngest pilots in the Royal Air Force at the age of 19, where he served on National Service from 1956 to 1958. Becoming a journalist, he joined Reuters in 1961 and later the BBC in 1965, where he served as an assistant diplomatic correspondent. From July to September 1967, he served as a correspondent covering the Nigerian Civil War between the region of Biafra and Nigeria. He left the BBC in 1968 after controversy arose over his alleged bias towards the Biafran cause and accusations that he falsified segments of his reports. Returning to Biafra as a freelance reporter, Forsyth wrote his first book, The Biafra Story in 1969.

Forsyth decided to write a novel using similar research techniques to those used in journalism. His first full length novel, The Day of the Jackal, was published in 1971 and became an international bestseller and gained its author the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. In this book, the Organisation armée secrète (a real-life terrorist group) hires an assassin to kill the then-French President Charles de Gaulle. It was later made into a film of the same name.

In Forsyth's second novel, The Odessa File (1972), a reporter attempts to track down a certain ex-Nazi SS officer in modern Germany. The reporter discovers him via the diary of a Jewish Holocaust survivor who committed suicide earlier, but he is being shielded by an organization that protects ex-Nazis, called ODESSA. Later, the reporter discovers that this same SS officer murdered a German Army officer during World War II for striking him after refusing to let SS soldiers take the place of his own wounded men. The German Army Officer was the reporter's father. This book was later made into a movie with the same name, starring Jon Voight, but there were substantial adaptations.

In The Dogs of War (1974) a British mining executive hires a group of mercenaries to overthrow the government of an African country so that he can install a puppet regime that will allow him cheap access to a colossal platinum-ore reserve. This book was also adapted to film, in 1981, starring Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger.

The Shepherd was an illustrated novella published in 1975. It tells of a nightmare journey by an RAF pilot while flying home for Christmas in the late 1950s. His attempts to find a rational explanation for his eventual rescue prove as troublesome as his experience. Following this came The Devil's Alternative in 1979, which was set in 1982. In this book, the Soviet Union faces a disastrous grain harvest and Ukrainian freedom fighters. A Politburo faction fight ensues. In the end, a Norwegian oil tanker built in Japan, a Russian airliner hijacked to West Berlin and various governments find themselves involved.

In 1982, No Comebacks, a collection of ten short stories, was published. Some of these stories had been written earlier. Many were set in the Republic of Ireland where Forsyth was living at the time. One of them, "There Are No Snakes In Ireland", won him a second Edgar Allan Poe Award, this time for best short story.

The Fourth Protocol was published in 1984 and involves renegade elements within the Soviet Union attempting to plant a nuclear bomb near an American airbase in the UK, intending to influence the upcoming British elections and lead to the election of an anti-NATO, anti-American, anti-nuclear, pro-soviet Labour government. The Fourth Protocol was later filmed, starring Pierce Brosnan and Michael Caine, in 1987. All the (less)

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“there is no collective guilt,...guilt is individual, like salvation." [p.28]” — 4 people liked it

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