Based on documents discovered concealed within a simple chair for seventy years, this investigation into the life of a single S.S. officer during World War Two encapsulates the tragic experience of a generation of Europeans.
As well as a brilliant researcher, Lee proves himself to be an insightful narrator – of both the life of a Nazi 'desk murderer', and the continuing attempts of Griesinger’s family to come to terms with the long shadow his role as an SS officer has cast over their lives.
... this is not only an investigative story but also a biography as the author has tried to piece together the life of Gestapo and S.S. lawyer, Robert Griesinger, through surviving records but also research in extant government archives and interviews ... this is a very well researched publication, employing information from the family interviews to German language archival documents and other secondary sources. Throughout the text are many family and other contemporary photographs which give a much more personal and intimate look at the subject's life and time.
