RATLINES

"Right at the end of the war, some Nazis saw it coming. They knew that even if they escaped, hundreds of others wouldn't. They needed to set up routes, channels, ways out for their friends. Ratlines."

Ireland, 1963. As the Irish people prepare to welcome President John F. Kennedy to the land of his ancestors, a German businessman is murdered in a seaside guesthouse. He is the third foreign national to die within a few days, and Minister for Justice Charles Haughey is desperate to protect a shameful secret: the dead men were all former Nazis granted asylum by the Irish government.

A note from the killers is found on the corpse, addressed to Colonel Otto Skorzeny, Hitler's favourite commando. It says simply: 'We are coming for you. Await our call.'

Lieutenant Albert Ryan, Directorate of Intelligence, is ordered to investigate the murders and protect Skorzeny. But as he infiltrates Ireland's secret network of former Nazis and collaborators, Ryan must make a terrible choice: his country or his conscience?

"Anyone who likes a bit of moral complexity in their crime fiction is in for a treat with this accomplished, assured and expertly plotted historical novel.  The author's clean, direct prose, well-utilised research, intricate plotting and deep characterisation all add up to a seriously impressive piece of crime fiction, that lingers long in the memory." - The Independent