Author:A. T. Williams
A Daily Telegraph Book of the Year
Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction 2017
After the Second World War, the Nuremberg Tribunal became a symbol of justice in the face of tyranny, aggression and atrocity. But it was only a fragment of retribution as, with their Allies, the British embarked on the largest programme of war crimes investigations and trials in history.
This book exposes the deeper truth of this endeavour, moving from the scripted trial of Goering, Hess and von Ribbentrop to the makeshift courtrooms where the SS officers, guards and executioners were prosecuted. It tells the story of the investigators, lawyers and perpetrators and asks the question: was justice done?
[An] earnest, unsettling book… Williams is a thoughtful, lucid writer, with a lawyer’s appetite for detail… A Passing Fury is heartfelt, moving and often powerfully written.
—— Dominic Sandbrook , Sunday TimesWilliams… carries the reader along in his fluent and passionate prose
—— Richard J. Evans , GuardianA haunting, sensitive and thoughtful study
—— Nigel Jones , Daily TelegraphAbsorbing... Williams skilfully reveals a chaotic world in which war crimes investigation teams, generally lacking even the most basic resources, were left to do their best in extremely trying circumstances
—— ScotsmanWilliams has put together an original polemic against our assumptions about these trials, including those at Nuremberg.
—— David Herman , New StatesmanWilliams is a first-rate storyteller who has a gift for bringing the past to life in an accessible and compelling way.
—— Hester Vaizey , Times Higher EducationThe book [has] an attractively meditative quality.
—— Lawrence Douglas , Times Literary SupplementSplendid book… Much more than a historical narrative and assessment… This is a superb book which offers no easy answers but invites the reader to join its author on a grim odyssey.
—— History TodayThis is a fine book that does a great job of debunking one of the most enduring myths in history.
—— History of WarA fascinating read.
—— Lisa Pine , BBC History MagazineGripping and original.
—— Catholic Herald***** Excellent Book.
—— Nicholas Goodman , Law Society's Gazette