A Murder in Auschwitz

MYSTERY:  "A Murder in Auschwitz" is the story of Jewish lawyer Manfred Meyer.  Beginning in 1929, the novel follows Manfred from the beginning of his career through the next decade and a half, bringing the reader to the actual setting of story - a concentration camp in Poland in the midst of the Second World War.  

Although he was a successful criminal lawyer before the war, everything changes after the Nazi Party comes to power.  Meyer and his family are swept up and sent to a Nazi extermination camp.  While there, he is surprised to be approached by a man that he had successfully defended against murder charges before the war. Now an SS Soldier, the man finds himself again facing murder charges. Torn from his family, and realizing he has nothing to lose, Meyer agrees to defend the soldier, but demands to see his family again in exchange.

This is an extremely well-written story of the stark reality of what people faced in the death camps. The fear and despair comes through in clearly in Mr. Stephenson’s fantastic writing. Bouncing to a different time in the Meyer's life with every chapter is this book’s only downfall and could make for a difficult and frustrating read, particularly for linear thinkers. A minor glitch in an otherwise beautifully-written novel.

Molly S. Daniels