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The Katyn Order

Douglas W. Jacobson

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Jul 23, 2012 Tony rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

I'm a sucker for a good WWII-set thriller or crime book, and that's just what this is -- good, but not great. The story opens in Warsaw in the fall of 1944, as the German army is being driven back by the Soviets. With the Soviets almost at the gates of Warsaw, the underground Polish home army launches what became known as the Warsaw Rising (not to be confused with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of the previous year). The first third or so of the book details the desperate attempts by the Polish citi I'm a sucker for a good WWII-set thriller or crime book, and that's just what this is -- good, but not great. The story opens in Warsaw in the fall of 1944, as the German army is being driven back by the Soviets. With the Soviets almost at the gates of Warsaw, the underground Polish home army launches what became known as the Warsaw Rising (not to be confused with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of the previous year). The first third or so of the book details the desperate attempts by the Polish citizen-soldiers to keep control of the city from the Germans. Among the fighters are Polish-American sniper Adam, and the feisty female soldier Natalia. Amid the action, their paths cross and the two lonely souls are drawn to each other. The desperate action is well told, and the reader gets a very real sense of the noose being tightened around the necks of the beleaguered resistance, who keep hoping that the Russians will cross the Vistula and finish the Germans.

The book then shifts to the immediate post-war period, in which Adam finds himself working for British Intelligence to track down the fate of his uncle, who might have important information that could influence Poland's future. A serviceable espionage plot follows, as he has to uncover things the NKVD would rather keep hidden, and Natalia attempts to stay hidden from the NKVD agents crawling all over Poland trying to root out any last vestiges of independence fighters. As they both become embroiled in the hunt for the titular document (the real-life order issued by Stalin to execute 22,000 Polish soldiers, policemen, and intelligentsia), which may save Poland from Soviet control, they are brought back together again. Although they are aided by a Soviet general of Polish background, they are also ruthlessly pursued by a nasty NKVD officer who needs to suppress the document.

The book is not exactly nuanced, as Adam is a kind of cardboard hero, and the various Poles who help him display all manner of heroic qualities. The blossoming love affair between him and Natalia is pretty cheesy, as is the role of any number of compatriots who die tear-jerking deaths. But it's hard to be too churlish about a book that brings to light an evil moment in history, and much of the period detail is quite interesting in its own right. I was especially interested in the indigenous Gorale people of Poland's southern highlands, who play a large part in the last third of the book. It's a competent page-turner that should appeal to anyone who likes WWII-set fiction and especially those interested in getting a dose modern Polish history in their entertainment. ...more

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Shelves: poland, ww2

May 02, 2012 Stephanie marked it as to-read

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