April An Officer and A Spy Robert Harris
This book is the true story of the Alfred Dreyfus affair and the role of Major Piquart in uncovering the truth.
In France in 1895 Alfred Dreyfus was publically humilitated as he was stripped of his army rank and exiled to Devil’s Island for life for spying for the Germans, at that time at war with the French.
Georges Piquart, sent to run the organization which tracked Dreyfus down, begins to uncover a web of deceit and corruption which lead him to suspect that Dreyfus was innocent and despite the dangers involved he sets out to uncover the truth.
This was a very long but informative book which the members found to be a gripping read and which they enjoyed. The only reservation was that, as Robert Harris always researches his subjects thoroughly, there was a section when the reader was slowed down by the necessary but detailed factual content and the book became a little heavy. That said, as always, the author has written a gripping story in which the historical facts are well researched and accurate and the characters come to life. We would recommend it.