The Final Testament (BiblioMysteries 11)

As World War II draws near, a dying genius fights against hate to preserve his legacy Cancer has ravaged Sigmund Freud. It is 1938, and the great doctor has fled Vienna for London, where he races to finish his final, most dangerous work: a radical reimagining of the origins of Judaism, which posits that Moses was murdered by his followers. Though his colleagues say that such a controversial text could only give grist to those who would do the Jews harm, Freud is adamant about releasing the bookuntil a Nazi named Sauerwald comes to visit. He has written a manuscript in Freud's name, a hateful screed that claims to prove that all of Jewish history is based on falsehood, and asks that Freud help him have it publishedlest something unpleasant happen to the doctor's family in Austria. Horrified by this foul threat, Freud responds with the only weapon he has left. He picks up pen and paper, and suggests that Sauerwald sit down on his couch. It is autumn of 1938 in London. The Nazis have invaded Austria and are seizing Jewish assets, rumors of the Dachau concentration camp are clouding the air and, despite the cancer ravaging his body, an exiled Dr. Sigmund Freud spends his days anxiously clutching a Cuban cigar between his jaw and a large dental prosthesis he calls "The Monster." He is doing just this when his daughter interrupts his forbidden indulgence with a scolding and news of a foreboding visit from SS Officer Anton Sauerwald.Rather than dragging the doctor into an interrogation room or confiscating the few luxuries Freud was able to secretly take away from Vienna, Sauerwald brings something far more dangerous into the household: a book more deadly than any weapon.Peter Blauner's The Final Testament reminds us of the power of the written word and weighs the importance of intellectual pursuit against the question of moral responsibility in a time of panic and decay.