In The Garden of Beasts

I first ran into Erik Larson's writing when the public library did a book review of his novel, Devil in the White City. Larson's research and presentation of fascinating factual information about the World's Fair in Chicago set against a serial killer's fascination was amazing.

So when I saw his new novel, In the Garden of Beasts, was available last week, I couldn't wait to whip out my kindle and download. I wasn't even in the mood to wait for a hard copy to arrive via mail from amazon. I had to have it immediately.

This tale is equally as compelling as Devil in the White City, but perhaps even spookier.

Dodd is a history professor who is selected to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Germany in the years leading up to World War II. There are a lot of reasons that Dodd may or may not have been suited for the role, but FDR asked, and Dodd acquiesced, moving his whole family from Chicago to Berlin.

From his position, Dodd watches as Hitler rises through the ranks and gradually assumes complete control of Germany. He watches the German people accept the situation without protest. He himself raises questions time and again, but to no avail.

It is a chilling account, and one that Larson writes flawlessly. A true page turner, I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. Even then, it haunted me, making me feel especially grateful for living in America where freedom rings. Definitely pick this one up, and if you haven't read Devil...it is worth it to buy both.