The One Man

The One Man by Andrew Gross
On Sale August 23, 2016
Published by Minotaur Books
Rating: ★★★★★

This book is part historical fiction and part thriller, and it completely blew me away.

America is in a race with Germany to develop the atomic bomb. If the Third Reich beats them to it, the consequences could be dire. But the Allied effort is lagging behind in their so-called Manhattan Project. What they really need is the expertise of a Polish physicist, Alfred Mendl. He's rumored to be one of only two people alive with the necessary knowledge to help build the bomb-- the other is working with the Nazis. Just one minor snag. Mendl is Jewish. And a couple months ago he was deported to Auschwitz. US intelligence hasn't had word from him since.

The US government devices a radical and risky plan. They're going to break Alfred Mendl out of Auschwitz, by sending another man in. Nathan Blum escaped occupied Poland once before. Since coming to America, he's been working as a translator in the army, waiting his chance to do something more. Something to help him make up for the debt he feels on his soul for surviving while his family left behind in the Krakow ghetto perished. But can he really agree to go back into Nazi territory, into a concentration camp no less? And to rescue a man who might not even be alive anymore?

The setting of Auschwitz for this thriller, combined with masterful storytelling and historical realism, raises the stakes for readers in a way few other in this genre can match. There were times I put aside my Kindle just to get my heart rate down. This is the type of book that's completely engrossing, even when it's horrifying. The author does an incredible job of recreating Auschwitz, along with the terror, and hope, within the wire fence.

This is one of my favorite new books for 2016. There were parts about the ending that disappointed me and felt a bit rushed. There's also a scene involving a cat that's pretty messed up. But I can't recommend this enough, especially for fans of historical thrillers.