Ashes in the Snow
A cruel and evil Nazi doctor is murdered at Auschwitz, but should the murderer pay for this crime that benefits society? This is the moral dilemma raised while reading this crime novel. Yet another WWII story may bring a yawn to many readers, but there are many reasons to pick up this book.
Young Gioele is one of Dr. Mengele’s test twin subjects, free to wander the camp because of his special status. On December 21, 1943, he finds the body of Dr. Sigismund Braun. Knowing something isn’t right, Gioele, who loves to draw, sits down and makes a detailed drawing of the body and the surrounding room. When Hugo Fischer, a Nazi criminologist, is brought to the camp to investigate the murder, Gioele’s drawing proves invaluable in helping to solve the crime since the scene was quickly cleaned up. Hugo is an empathetic man, suffering pain and disability from a degenerative disease. A disease that he is making every effort to keep hidden from Nazis who see this as a genetic flaw. We follow Hugo struggle through his physical limitations and the emotional toll of what he witnesses within the camp. As his investigation progresses, new levels of depravity emerge. “The snow over Auschwitz concealed the horrors buried beneath and he was digging at it with both hands, bringing up all the filth beneath the white coating.”
This is a very smart crime novel with characters that touch your heart. The writing is superb, with descriptions that come alive – the sights, sounds, and smells are visceral. Through Hugo’s eyes, a new perspective of the concentration camp’s inner workings reveals horrors never viewed from a prisoner’s point of view. Finally, this novel makes the reader think: What is justice for the murder of a depraved man? Can one man make a difference in this world gone mad?
