The Last Days of Budapest

"The Last Days of Budapest is a masterpiece. Immaculately researched, it is packed with large-than-life characters and revelations about the unknown espionage history of the Second World War. Adam LeBor’s vivid, taut prose brings the story of the ‘Casablanca of central Europe’ alive in glorious technicolour. From the naïve optimism of the late 1930s to the depths of depravity and bloodshed during the siege in winter 1944, LeBor takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster. This is history as it should be written: utterly engrossing."

 

“The Last Days of Budapest is both beautifully written and revelatory, with the kind of quirky detail that confirms Adam LeBor’s love and fascination for his subject country. Pre-war Budapest comes alive as a nest of mischief and self-delusion, home for a beguiling cast of spies, adventurers, aristocratic lovelies, journalists, smugglers, thieves and fellow travellers... LeBor offers an unblinking account of the last spasms of a ruined city. Deeply shocking. And long overdue.”
 

“The Last Days of Budapest is not only an enthralling tale of wartime espionage and spycraft. It is a beautifully rendered portrait of heroism, tragedy, betrayal, and violence in the final hours of a grand city stuck between Hitler and Stalin. This superb account is not to be missed - and will haunt you.”
 

“A staggering achievement. The Last Days of Budapest is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of European espionage, offering readers a riveting journey through Budapest’s turbulent past. This meticulously researched book delves into a complex web of astonishing intelligence operations, revealing how Budapest served as a crossroads for spies from East and West.”
 

“This is an extraordinary book – an enthralling narrative that is full of extraordinary characters, both heroes and villains, and packed with the insights and subtle judgements that only someone with the author’s knowledge of, and love for, the city can provide. What happened in wartime Budapest is virtually unknown outside Hungary. Now thanks to Adam LeBor we have the story laid out in grim and absorbing detail, told with all the power and passion that a writer of his class can muster.”
 

“From the first to the final page, The Last Days of Budapest is difficult to put down. Using sources which offer chilling first-hand accounts and personal insight, Adam LeBor expertly narrates one of the darkest periods in Hungary’s history. This is an important and overdue book, and a must-read in the field of Second World War history.”
 

“A terrific account of Budapest in the middle of the twentieth century, culminating in the collapse of all civilised values as the Nazis retreat in 1944 and the Russian army advances. Part-thriller, part-astonishing personal history, this is a must read for anyone wanting to know more about Hungary’s grim role in the Holocaust. The stories Adam LeBor tells will remain with you.”