The Reckoning: Death And Intrigue In The Promised Land A True Detective Story

Author: Patrick Bishop

Stock information

General Fields

  • : 9.99 AUD
  • : 9780007506200
  • : HarperCollins Publishers
  • : William Collins
  • :
  • : November 2013
  • : United Kingdom
  • : 29.99
  • : February 2014
  • :
  • :
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Patrick Bishop
  • :
  • : Paperback
  • : Feb-14
  • :
  • :
  • : 360
  • :
  • :
  • :
  • :
  • :
Barcode 9780007506200
9780007506200

Description

From bestselling author of Fighter Boys, the true story of two ruthless adversaries and a wartime killing that shook the modern world. On a cold morning in February 1942, with the world plunged in the horrors of World War Two, Avraham Stern hid in an attic in Tel Aviv, a price on his head. He'd been on the run for weeks, his picture blazoned across newspapers all over Palestine. As leader of the Stern Gang, he had committed spectacular and murderous crimes, sparking outcry from both British and Jewish groups. An intellectual poet and mystic, Stern believed himself destined for greatness; the Jewish liberator of British Palestine. Drawn always to the margins - his writings were drenched in images of martyrdom and blood. Assistant Superintendent Geoffrey Morton, a middle-class Londoner who had swopped milk deliveries for the dangers of colonial policing, was the man tasked with stopping Stern. Seemingly so different, in fact the men had much in common - ambition, dedication and conviction in his own righteousness. The incidents of that morning would be endlessly contested but two things were clear; Morton had cornered Stern and, minutes later, shot him dead. The shots Morton fired that day would echo down the remaining years of British rule in Palestine and through the titanic events that shaped the birth of Israel. Based on revelatory research, the private archive of Morton and interviews with witnesses, The Reckoning is the first book to tell the tale of a rebel who terrorized Palstine, the lawman determined to stop him and the creation of a cult of martyrdom that destroyed any hope of compromise between Arab and Jew.

Reviews

Praise for Patrick Bishop: 'Wonderfully compelling ... a fast-paced story of incredible bravery that at times reads like a thriller' Christina Lamb, Sunday Times 'This book should add another fleet of fans to his existing army of admirers' Sunday Telegraph 'Splendid narrative' Max Hastings, Sunday Times 'Spellbinding...While he is adept at explaining the strategic picture it is in his intense description of set-pieces and of the heroic dedication of their human participants that Bishop excels' Daily Express 'Bishop does this tale extraordinary justice ... Elegantly written and exhaustively researched' Daily Telegraph

Author description

Patrick Bishop is the author of the critically acclaimed and best-selling Fighter Boys, Bomber Boys, 3 Para and Target Tirpitz. Previously a foreign correspondent for over twenty years, he has reported from conflicts all over the world, and was for many years Middle East correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. He lives in West London.