Munich: The Edge of War by Robert Harris: book review

Munich: The Edge of War (2017) is set over four days in September 1938, predominantly in London and Munich. It is the lead up to, and the events of, the Munich Conference – the meeting between the leaders of Britain, Germany, Italy, and France: Neville Chamberlain, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Edouard Daladier. The outcome of the historical meeting determines war or peace in Europe.

It begins in London with Guy Legat, private secretary to Britain’s Prime Minister Chamberlain, and in Berlin with Rikard von Holz of Fuhrer Hitler’s German Foreign Office.

Guy and Rikard were once friends, studying at Oxford University in England in the 1920s, but they lost contact with each other after graduation.

On the edge of war, Guy and Rikard travel to Munich with their leaders – Guy and the British contingent by plane and Rikard with the German contingent by train.

It follows the actions and decisions of the leaders and the professional duties of Guy and Rikard, taking a political, historic, and personal perspective.

On opposing sides, Guy and Rikard meet again at the Munich Conference. Both have deep memories of the peaceful times, both have political secrets, and both have the same goal. But this time, the lives of citizens across Europe are partially in their hands.

This is riveting drama based on real events, well-written and well-told, full of suspicion and suspense.

Munich – The Edge of War (2021) is the German/British historical movie, based on the book, starring Jeremy Irons, George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, and Alex Jennings.

MARTINA NICOLLS

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MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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