Thomas Harding

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The Einstein Vendetta

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I absolutely devoured The Einstein Vendetta. It is so moving and the way in which Harding navigates the unresolved nature of the story is quite remarkable. Totally compelling

An absolute triumph. Beautifully judged and infused with humanity and empathy

Hitler, Mussolini, and a true story of murder

Italy, August 1944. A unit of German soldiers arrives at a villa near Florence. Villa Il Focardo is home to Robert Einstein, cousin to the most famous scientist in the world, Albert Einstein – a prominent enemy of the Nazi regime. Twelve hours after arriving, the soldiers have vanished – and a family is dead. 
 
This crime – and what happened next – still haunts those who survived. In The Einstein Vendetta, Thomas Harding recounts the story of an until-now untold true crime, one that unspools to reveal Italy’s brutal wartime history – its fall to fascism, antisemitism and bitter partisanship – and a family’s search for justice.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of HANNS AND RUDOLF, THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE and BLOOD ON THE PAGE, pre-order the gripping story of an unsolved murder which took place against the extraordinary background of Nazi-occupied Florence during World War Two . . . 
 
__________ 
 
Italy, Summer 1944 
 
A unit of German soldiers arrives at a villa near Florence. Villa Il Focardo is home to Robert Einstein, cousin to the most famous scientist in the world, Albert Einstein – a prominent enemy of the Nazi regime. Having renounced his German citizenship a decade earlier, Albert’s safely in America, well beyond Hitler’s reach. 
 
The same is not true for his cousin. 
 
Twelve hours after arriving, the soldiers have vanished – and a family is dead. This crime – and what happened next – still haunts those who survived. 
 
Who ordered it? Who was involved? 
 
And why did they get away with it? 
 
This is the untold story of the Einstein vendetta.__________ 
 
Praise for Thomas Harding: 
 
Hanns and Rudolf 
 
'A gripping thriller, an unspeakable crime, an essential history' John le Carré 
 
'Thomas Harding has shed intriguing new light on the strange poison of Nazism, and one of its most lethal practitioners... Meticulously researched and deeply felt' Ben Macintyre, Times Book of the Week 
 
'Fascinating and moving...This is a remarkable book, which deserves a wide readership' Max Hastings, Sunday Times 
 
The House by the Lake 
 
'A passionate memoir about Germany' Neil MacGregor, author of A History of the World in 100 Objects and Germany: Memories of a Nation 
 
'I loved this book. I admire the elegance of it, the hope, the honesty and the generousness with which every resident is given his or her place. It has made me think about our individual parts in the bigger story, and the coming and going-ness of things. It is a book that will stay with me for a very long time' Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry 
 
'A superb portrait of twentieth century Germany seen through the prism of a house which was lived in, and lost, by five different families. A remarkable book' Tom Holland, author of Rubicon

In the summer of 1944, as the Allies push north through Italy, a unit of German soldiers arrives at a villa outside Florence. 
 
 Villa Il Focardo is home to Robert Einstein, cousin to the most famous scientist in the world, Albert Einstein. Having renounced his German citizenship a decade earlier, Albert Einstein is a key name on Hitler’s ‘Black List’ – enemies the Nazi regime seek to assassinate. But Albert is living in the United States, well beyond Hitler’s reach. 
 
The same is not true for his cousin. 
 
 When the soldiers arrive at Il Focardo on 3 August 1944, Robert Einstein is in hiding less than half a mile away. Inside the villa are Robert’s wife and two daughters, along with four other female relatives. 
 
 Twelve hours later, murder is done within its walls, a killing perhaps unique in history. 
 
In The Einstein Vendetta, Thomas Harding tells the until-now, untold story of this monstrous unsolved true crime, asking what happened, who ordered it, who was involved, and – most shockingly – what came next.

Thomas Harding is a bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He has written for the Sunday Times, the Washington Post and the Guardian, amongst other publications. 
 
He is the bestselling author of Hanns and Rudolf, which won the JQ-Wingate Prize for Non-Fiction, The House by the Lake, which was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award, Blood on the Page, which won the Crime Writers' Association 'Golden Dagger Award for Non-Fiction', and most recently The Maverick, which was selected by the New York Times as a Critic’s Pick for 2023. 
 
You can follow Thomas on Twitter/x @thomasharding

The Einstein Vendetta

Hitler, Mussolini, and a true story of murder

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