Plunder by Max Hastings, Hardback, £25
As is becoming increasingly understood, the bloodiest battles of the Second World War took place on the Eastern Front. Four out of five Germans were killed fighting the Russians and the toll on the Soviets was equally heavy. However, the Western Allies didn’t get off lightly, and the closing months of the European war, with victory over the Nazis in sight, were some of the most brutal, as Hastings reveals in his magisterial new history of the fall of Germany.
In hindsight, Roosevelt’s insistence that the Allies accept nothing less than unconditional surrender cost lives, causing many Germans to feel they had nothing to lose by fighting on. By now the Grand Alliance had begun to falter and the egotism of the likes of Montgomery and Paton spilled needless blood. Hastings is our greatest living chronicler of the Second World War and no one captures the messy business of battle better. 8/10
Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson, Hardback, £22
Social history, crime and comedy collide in this gloriously entertaining romp of a book from prize-winning author Kate Atkinson. It’s the summer of 1951 and post-war Britain is in a sorry state. The solution? The Festival of Britain, a wildly ambitious celebration of can-do spirit – and some truly bizarre exhibits (plastic-encased adders, anyone?) War correspondent Harry Flynn has returned broken from Far East captivity and seeks redemption among the chancers and loners dragooned into organising the event.
But managing Mitzi Blinkhorn’s ‘festival cake’ is soon least of his problems when a date goes missing and he comes under suspicion of her murder. With only a stroppy 13-year-old and an elderly dog for help, Harry must extricate himself from a tangled mess. Endearing characters, a plot that zips along and some charming period detail make Our Noble Selves a must-read. 9/10
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, by Charles Spencer, Hardback, £28
With the 30th anniversary of her untimely death approaching. Charles Spencer says he’s written this book to put right some of the misconceptions about his sister, Princess Diana. So it’s unfortunate (if not surprising) that such a thoughtfully written and often tender account should have fallen foul of a noisy Palace row over who said what in the wake of the tragedy. Some of Spencer’s claims are, indeed, unseemly but what emerges overall is a fresh and moving portrait.
Spencer’s eulogy at her funeral made waves and this feels like an overdue follow-up. Swan Song is undoubtedly a heartfelt account and, given the amount of books claiming to know the “real” Diana, no one can fault the author for wanting to share his own side of the story. A poignant, sometimes troubling read and a celebration of an iconic woman. 8/10.
Full Circle by Chris Hammer, Hardback, £20
Known for his Outback noir, Full Circle sees Chris Hammer take an altogether different tack. Former undercover cop Travis Somerland needs a job after being badly beaten when a financial investigation went pear-shaped and he was exposed. Now working as a driver for hedge fund billionaire and modern-day ‘robber baron’ Felix Clapton, Travis is getting back on his feet. But Clapton has plans to destroy a rival dynasty, the Murtries – the family Travis had been investigating – by shorting their stock. His plan succeeds, plunging the Murtrie share price into freefall.
But they won’t take it lying down and Travis is caught in the fallout, compelled to take the fall for the deaths of two of Clapton’s employees from poisoned cocaine. Hammer’s first standalone sets a furious pace. This is Succession on steroids. A gripping story of rivalry and revenge spanning generations. Hammer nails it! 9/10
