Fabrizio Collini has brutally murdered Hans Meyer. Both are elderly men. Collini waits for the police to arrest him and he has nothing to say as to why he has murdered Meyer. Young Caspar Leinen has been selected to be Collini's public defender. However there are several issues with his selection. One, it is his first case as a public defender, two, Collini doesn't want an attorney and three, perhaps the most complicating factor is that he has known the Meyer family for many years. And so starts Ferdinand Von Schirach's latest novel.What starts out as looking like a straight forward case turns into a fascinating story of Italy and World War II and the battles that raged between the retreating German soldiers and Italian partisans. Leinen works very hard to piece the story together with little help from his client. For history buffs and students of WWII, this book will indeed prove fascinating. An Italian native who has retired after 34 years working for Mercedes Benz walks into the luxe hotel room of a prominent elderly German industrialist and pumps four bullets into the man's head and stomps his face. The Italian informs hotel officials of the murder and makes no attempt to escape. He is arrested and bound over for trial. His defense attorney Casper Leinen has an uphill battle. The trial begins and presents profound questions: What constitutes war crimes? Are these actions ever justified? Should they be? And what revenge can be enacted by victims? Written by eminent German defense lawyer Ferdinand von Schirach, this short novel is taut, engrossing,and well worth the read.
What do You think about The Collini Case (2011)?
A German-based snapshot in to WW2. Interesting.
—naja
