Synopses & Reviews
Had Hitler succeeded in conquering Europe, he would have crowned himself Holy Roman Emperor. The Nazis had in their possession priceless artifacts that would give Hitler legitimacy in his subjects' eyes: the Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empire including the Spear of Destiny, alleged to have pierced Christ's side at the Crucifixion. Looted from the royal treasury in Vienna, Austria, the Crown Jewels were hidden in a secret bunker deep beneath Nürnberg castle, known to few but Heinrich Himmler, his staff--and a captured German soldier whose family lived above it. As luck would have it, the officer in charge of interrogating the soldier was First Lieutenant Walter Horn, art history professor. Following his report to General Patton, Horn would be assigned to recover this ancient treasure. Would he find it before covert Nazi agents could use it to revive the defeated regime?
Based on recently discovered and previously unpublished documents and interviews with all remaining living participants, this is a tale that surpasses fiction: part thriller, part detective story, all true.
Review
"
Hitler's Holy Relics is a history buff's dream come true--it's both a thrilling page-turner and a work of outstanding original research. Mix together the Indiana Jones blockbusters with the best of the History Channel, add a dash of Dan Brown, and you get
Hitler's Holy Relics."
--Debby Applegate, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Most Famous Man in America Debby Applegate
Review
"In
Hitler's Holy Relics, Sidney Kirkpatrick takes the reader on a page-turning mystery, a suspenseful adventure story across a devastated postwar Germany, and--not least--an eerie, thought-provoking journey into the mystical origins of Nazism and the plans for a Fourth Reich. You are locked into this true tale as Walter Horn--detective, soldier, art historian, and psychologist--tries to solve an intriguing and complex mystery that is not simply about the past but also resonates into the future."
--Howard Blum, Edgar Award-winning author of American Lightning Howard Blum
Review
"If Kirkpatrick had presented this story as a novel, it would have been criticized as far-fetched. Yet the facts, meticulously researched, speak for themselves. The Nazis' vast looting operations went far beyond a desire for mere riches. Hitler sought nothing less than the creation of a Holy Reich. Kirkpatrick's thriller-packed account of Walter Horn, art historian turned Army sleuth, may well prompt a critical reevaluation of Nazi ideology for a new generation of World War II scholars."
--Digby Diehl, former editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review and coauthor of A Spy for All Seasons Digby Diehl
Review
"Sidney Kirkpatrick's
Hitler's Holy Relics is narrative history at its very finest. Beautifully written, brilliantly researched, this spine-chilling true story had me gripped from first page until the last."
--Alex Kershaw, author of The Bedford Boys Alex Kershaw
Review
"A superbly written and incredible-but-true, larger-than-life tale of World War II plunder, skullduggery, mysticism, and madness."
--Kenneth D. Alford, author of Nazi Plunder and World War II history consultant Kenneth D. Alford
Review
"A fast moving account filled with surprising twists, turns, and revelations."
--Booklist
Review
"Charles Stransky skillfully narrates this intriguing story. His resonant baritone moves at a pace that is quite easy to follow and comfortable."
--AudioFile
Synopsis
A real life Raiders of the Lost Ark. An American art historian turned Army sleuth races to stay one step ahead of Nazi thugs who have absconded with the Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empiresacred symbols of Hitlers “Thousand Year Reich”and their plot to create a Fourth Reich.
About the Author
SIDNEY KIRKPATRICK is an award-winning filmmaker and international bestselling author. The New York Times wrote of Kirkpatricks previous bestselling book, A Cast of Killers, that it was “not mere scholarly speculation on dusty archives involving people long since gone to their graves. In Kirkpatricks hands its a living case.” He lives in Stony Brook, New York.CHARLES STRANSKY has appeared on Broadway in Glengarry Glen Ross and The Front Page. He can be seen in The Spanish Prisoner, Homicide, andThings Change, all written and directed by David Mamet, and many other films. He has appeared in sitcoms such as Newhart, Murphy Brown, Frank's Place, My Sister Sam, in several episodes of Law and Order, and also in daytime dramas and commercials. He has narrated numerous audio books.