The tagline on the cover of Fatherland sets the basis for the story: "What if Hitler had won?" Set in 1964, in a victorious German Reich, it features a German policeman investigating a string of murders in Berlin that lead him to some disturbing truths about the Nazis . . . and it's not hard to guess what those truths are.
This thriller is well-written, especially given that the history of that time is so well known. Thus, the suspense is not in the reader determining the truth; it's in the policeman's journey to do so, and his struggle to get the truth out of a highly-censored police state.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. In addition to the suspense, it paints a picture of how a victorious Nazi regime might have ruled Europe- terrifying stuff. In many cases, it also uses historical figures (even minor ones) and documents throughout, creating an authentic atmosphere. As a final bonus, I found the ending (without giving too much away) to be non-formulaic, satisfying, and . . . bittersweet. I'll leave it at that.
Rating: A
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