The autobiography of Joseph Stalin: A novel - by Richard Lourie
In his bestselling book "Archangel", Robert Harris creates an entire modern political thriller around Stalin's great secret -- which is revealed only in the second half of the book. And that incredible secret turns out to be ... Stalin had a son!
Um, sorry Robert, but for the those of us who know anything at all about the Soviet dictator, this "revelation" had something of the effect of Dr. Evil's demand that he be paid one million dollars not to destroy the world. In real life, Stalin had two sons, and a daughter.
Perhaps because of this disappointment, I waited a few years before trying another novel which revolved around Stalin's great secret.
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I've just come back from a week-long holiday in the Channel Islands, spending time on both Guernsey and Sark. In addition to the rural quiet, spectacular scenery and delicious local food, one attraction for me was to see the one part of the British Isles that came under German Nazi rule during the Second World War. (Pictured: German gun emplacement on Guernsey's north shore.)