A crime in the family

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A memoir of brutality, heroism, and personal discovery from Europe's dark heart, revealing one of the most extraordinary untold stories of World War II. In March 1945, on the Austrian-Hungarian border, a countess hosted a party in her mansion, where guests mingled with local Nazi leaders, aware that the war was nearly lost. Around midnight, some attendees were asked to "take care" of 180 Jewish enslaved laborers at the train station, forcing them to strip naked and executing them before returning to the festivities. This atrocity remained buried in secrecy for decades until Sacha Batthyany began investigating the events of that night. His memoir confronts his family's past, leading him beyond the party to explore the dark history of Nazi Germany, the gulags of Siberia, and the bleak streets of Cold War Budapest. In Argentina, he encounters an Auschwitz survivor whose past intertwines with his family's. The narrative reveals the complexities of executioners and victims, villains and heroes. Drawing from surviving family journals, this disquieting and moving memoir is a powerful true story of an extraordinary writer grappling with the dark legacy of his family and humanity.