Fatherland

By: Robert Harris

Narrated by: Michael Jayston

The New York Times best-selling classic of alternate history, a murder mystery set in a world where the Nazis won World War II - for fans of The Plot Against America and The Man in the High Castle.

Berlin, 1964. The Greater German Reich stretches from the Rhine to the Urals and keeps an uneasy peace with its nuclear rival, the United States. As the Fatherland prepares for a grand celebration honoring Adolf Hitler's 75th birthday and anticipates a conciliatory visit from US president Joseph Kennedy and ambassador Charles Lindbergh, a detective of the Kriminalpolizei is called out to investigate the discovery of a dead body in a lake near Berlin's most prestigious suburb.

But when Xavier March discovers the identity of the body, he also uncovers signs of a conspiracy that could go to the very top of the German Reich. And with the Gestapo just one step behind, March, together with the American journalist Charlotte Maguire, is caught up in a race to discover and reveal the truth - a truth that has already killed, a truth that could topple governments, a truth that will change history.

©2017 Robert Harris (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A singular achievement displaying original and carefully wrought suspense... Fatherland easily transcends convention." ( The Washington Post)

"Ingenious...a triumph...suspenseful and elegant." ( San Francisco Chronicle)

Loved it.

Easy read. Never got board. Enjoyed every moment. Felt a little like a better version of a certain book that was turned into a TV show.

German accent needed!

Really needed a German narrator who speaks English for this narration. An English accent is very distracting

Scary dystopian WW2 adventure. Loved it!

Michael Jayston is one of my favorite (and most underrated narrators). He does an amazing job, and this dystopian historical fiction was so much fun to read. Very well done.

Too credible alternate history

Yes, sadly, this alternate history is too credible. It’s well-written, a page-turner of a story, with an excellent narration. It’s also kind of scary to think what truly could have happened, and very sad to think of what did happen until the Nazis surrendered.

The characterizations by the narrator

Like the fantasy of an alternative future by weaving nuanced history and alternative outcomes from the past.

An excellent what-if narrative

This book is wonderfully written and performed. Like Le Carre, Harris writes superb fiction disguised as a mystery-thriller. Fatherland is an alternative history with strong echoes of today’s jackbooted politics.

Excellent History (Both Real and Alternate)

Robert Harris excels with this novel. It combines a police procedural with the actual history of the ``Final Solution'' along with an equally chilling alternate history of Nazi Germany in 1965. I read the novel when it was first published and was happy to find it on Audible along with excellent narration by Michael Jayston. After finishing ``Fatherland'' I'm now listening to Robert Harris' recent book ``Munich.'' I trust that ``Munich'' will be just as excellent as ``Fatherland.''

Chilling alternative history

I read this year's ago and decided to try it on audio. It holds up in audio. Narration is good, I'm no judge of the German pronunciation however.

exciting murder mystery

An interesting premise to have Germany the winner of ww ll....with all the problems that creates for humans. the characters were realistic...good story

Top Notch

I have read several alt-history novels of this type. Fatherland is the gold standard. Grounded in reality, the settings, people and events seem genuine. Great listen.