The Ratline

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 'Hypnotic, shocking and unputdownable' JOHN LE CARRÉ
'Remarkable' THE SUNDAY TIMES
'Breathtaking, gripping, shattering' ELIF SHAFAK
'A taut and finely crafted factual thriller' OBSERVER
'A triumph of research and brilliant storytelling' ANTONY BEEVOR
'Extraordinary' EVENING STANDARD In this riveting real-life thriller, Philippe Sands offers a unique account of the daily life of senior Nazi SS Brigadeführer Otto Freiherr von Wächter and his wife, Charlotte. Drawing on a remarkable archive of family letters and diaries, he unveils a fascinating insight into life before and during the war, as a fugitive on the run in the Alps and then in Rome, and into the Cold War. Eventually the door is unlocked to a mystery that haunts Wächter's youngest son, who continues to believe his father was a good man - what happened to Otto Wächter while he was preparing to travel to Argentina on the 'ratline', assisted by a Vatican bishop, and what was the explanation for his sudden and unexpected death?

Philippe Sands is Professor of Public Understanding of Law at UCL, visiting professor at Harvard Law School and a practising barrister. He is the author of numerous prize-winning books, including East West Street (2016), The Ratline (2020), The Last Colony (2022) and 38 Londres Street (2025). He is the recipient of the 2026 Friedenspreis, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. He has served as President of English PEN and as a member of the board of the Hay Festival of Arts and Literature.