The Death's Head Chess Club
By (Author) John Donoghue
Atlantic Books
Atlantic Books
24th February 2016
3rd September 2015
Main
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
823.92
Paperback
400
Width 130mm, Height 190mm, Spine 30mm
380g
SS Obersturmfuhrer Paul Meissner arrives in Auschwitz fresh from fighting on the Russian Front. After being badly wounded he is fit only for administrative duty and his first and most pressing task is to improve flagging camp morale among the officers and enlisted men. He sets up a chess club, which thrives as under-the-table bets are made on the results of the games. When Meissner learns from a chance remark that chess is also played by the prisoners, however, he becomes intrigued by the rumour of a Jewish watchmaker who is unbeatable
John Donoghue has worked in mental health for over twenty years and written numerous articles about the treatment of mental illness in a variety of medical journals. He is married and lives in Liverpool.