And all that was left was death.

Author : Chris Petit
Title : Pale Horse Riding
Published : 16/11/2017
Pages : 416
Format : Kindle
Publisher : Simon & Schuster UK





     By 1943 Auschwitz is the biggest black market in Europe. The garrison has grown epically corrupt on the back of the transportations and goods confiscated, and this is considered even more of a secret than the one surrounding the mass extermination. Everything is done to resist penetration until August Schlegel and SS officer Morgen, after solving the case of the butchers of Berlin, are sent in disguised as post office officials to investigate an instance of stolen gold being sent through the mail.
    
     From time to time I am drawn to books about world war two. Be it fiction or fact When I saw this upcoming realise I was intrigued. Most of the fiction books about Auschwitz focus on the countless people who died within its infamous walls. But here was a book looking in to those who ran it. The blurb on the back sounded like a new light being cast over a topic that many have covered before. How could a book in which every character was a Nazi stack up. Would any one come out of this with out my disdain at the very things the believed in.

     Going into this I was unaware that this is actually the second book in a burdening series. With August and Morgen already establish characters a little catch up was need on my part before I got a handle on them. These are two people trying to do there best in a very bad situation. The author presents our hero's with a difficult task being sent to a place that is so well known the world over. From there point of very this is simply another prison camp. Hindsight can be a tricky thing. August is a strong an capable investigator but is conflicted with certain core beliefs at the heart of the Nazi regime. Morgen is more focused on the task at hand trying to solve the case they have been assigned. The two play well of each other while they may not always be the friendliest of colleges they do care for each other as friends do.  They both taken to the limit of what there minds are capable of taking. The more time we spend with them and in turn the place they have been sent the more its corrupting influence bores down to there bones. I cant being to imagine what it must have been like to walk around Auschwitz at the height of its operation. The people the come into contact with all seemed to be trying to find any diversions away from the acts that are being cared out there. This Includes the very people doing some of the most heinous crimes committed within its walls. The more time I spent with them the more surreal it all seamed. They seem to share a collective craziness that guides there actions. From drink to sex they all indulge as much as there bodies can take. All the while for most of the people our hero's come into contact with express no wrong doing in every step they take.

     Petit Has written a very interesting novel with a new take in the fiction category about a place so well known. He style has a way of drawing you in and dealing with topics in a way as to not completely overwhelm you. For most of the book he shows us people and places I only found a complete lack of empathy for. Lets be honest how could you not. There is always a worry that this could detract from my involvement with the book. He manages to offset all this with our hero's who as they delve deep into the secrets of there assignment and learn the true horrors of what is happening decided to try and do something about it. This adds another level to investigation of gold smuggling they where originally sent there to tackle. The author has managed to show with great realism the effects of having absolute power over another group of people. How that even if some of these people entered with better intentions than others. This place left its stain on them and for some turned them into monsters they didn't think possible. For others it seems like it just aloud them to show the world there true faces. I found it hard to get my mind around there thinking. And for that I'm glad I fear if you could truly understand their actions you might come to see the world for there very skewed perspective. The plot for the most part is fast paced and kept me with our two leads to the end. At times I found my self wondering if they would ever escape the madhouse in which they where locked. Through out the book he manages to raise some interesting questions that at times made me stop and think. While I have my doubts as to whether two real SS investigators would have question the events they saw so much this is fiction.

     This is a good book and I think achieves what it set out to do. It  has to walk a fine line when it comes to dealing with a place that actually existed. At no point did it feel like it was disrespecting those who never left. The story is more about the corruption of every part of the place from the top down. And how its claws dug there way in to those who worked there. At the same time it deliver a decent mystery story and a tale of escape for two people who walked through the gates of there own free will.