The Black Chapel. A Detective Story about a Conspiracy Against Hitler

A detective story of the anti-Hitler conspiracy in Germany — from the rise of the Third Reich to the end of World War II. In 1938, Hitler's entourage realized that Europe was on the brink of a great war. Military officials of the Wehrmacht and members of the Abwehr gather around them all those dissatisfied with the regime: lawyers, diplomats, and intellectuals. A fragmented network of resistance participants, dubbed by the Gestapo as the 'Black Chapel,' does everything to prevent bloodshed and undermine the Third Reich from within: they inform the Allies about troop movements, provide the Nazi leadership with disinformation, and plan a conspiracy aimed at assassinating Adolf Hitler. Among the notable members of the anti-Hitler cell are Colonel Hans Oster, theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his brother-in-law Hans von Donnanyi, a staff member of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence. As the war drags on, the conspiracy broadens: the 'Black Chapel,' seeking a way to remove Hitler and implement a power takeover plan, is supported by the commander-in-chief and the chief of staff. The climax is the 'Valkyrie' operation — the unsuccessful assassination attempt on Hitler on July 20, 1944. The explosion of the bomb, which was brought into the meeting in a briefcase, barely injures Hitler — which means imminent death for all the conspirators. Engaging and fast-paced, the book 'Black Chapel' is a story about people willing to risk their lives to divert their country from the mad path it has taken.