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Florence, August 1944.
Fifteen miles south-east of the city, a unit of German soldiers arrive at Il Focardo, the home of Robert Einstein. Nearby, Robert is hiding out in the Tuscan countryside, while his wife and two daughters remain in the villa. The Germans knock hard. The owner of the house, Nina Einstein, answers the door.
''Where is your husband, Robert Einstein?'', she is asked, ''Where is Robert Einstein, the first cousin of the world-famous Albert Einstein?''
Twelve hours later, Nina, Luce and Anna-Maria are brutally murdered.
The following day, British troops arrive in the area, pushing the German forces away from Florence to the north. A murder investigation is launched but the perpetrators never found.
In The Einstein Vendetta, Thomas Harding recounts the story of an unthinkable 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. Vividly told, drawing on previously unpublished archival sources and first-hand accounts, Harding threads history and detective story to build an unquiet, haunting testimony.
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Praise for Thomas Harding:
Hanns and Rudolf
''A gripping thriller, an unspeakable crime, an essential history'' John le Carre
''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<>...
