The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History
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- Author：Margalit Fox
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Summary
The astonishing true story of two World War I prisoners who joined together to pull off one of the most ingenious escapes of all time。
Imprisoned in a remote Turkish prison camp during World War I， having survived a two-month forced march and a terrifying shootout in the desert， two British officers， Harry Jones and Cedric Hill， join forces to bamboozle their iron-fisted captors。 To stave off despair and boredom， Jones takes a handmade Ouija board and fakes elaborate séances for his fellow prisoners。 Word gets around camp， and one day， a Turkish officer approaches Jones with a query: Could Jones contact the spirit world to find a vast treasure rumored to be buried nearby？ Jones， a trained lawyer， and Hill， a brilliant magician， use the Ouija board--and their keen understanding of the psychology of deception--to build a trap for the Turkish officers that will ultimately lead them to freedom。
The Confidence Men is the story of the only known con game played for a good cause--and of a profound but unlikely friendship。 Had it not been for "the Great War，" Jones， the Oxford-educated son of a British lord， and Hill， a mechanic from an Australian sheep farm， would never have met。 But in pain， loneliness， hunger， and isolation， they formed a powerful emotional and intellectual alliance that saved both of their lives。
Margalit Fox brings her "nose for interesting facts， the ability to construct a taut narrative arc， and a Dickens-level gift for concisely conveying personality" （Kathryn Schulz， New York） to this gripping tale of psychological strategy that is rife with cunning， danger， and moments of high farce that rival anything in Catch-22。
Imprisoned in a remote Turkish prison camp during World War I， having survived a two-month forced march and a terrifying shootout in the desert， two British officers， Harry Jones and Cedric Hill， join forces to bamboozle their iron-fisted captors。 To stave off despair and boredom， Jones takes a handmade Ouija board and fakes elaborate séances for his fellow prisoners。 Word gets around camp， and one day， a Turkish officer approaches Jones with a query: Could Jones contact the spirit world to find a vast treasure rumored to be buried nearby？ Jones， a trained lawyer， and Hill， a brilliant magician， use the Ouija board--and their keen understanding of the psychology of deception--to build a trap for the Turkish officers that will ultimately lead them to freedom。
The Confidence Men is the story of the only known con game played for a good cause--and of a profound but unlikely friendship。 Had it not been for "the Great War，" Jones， the Oxford-educated son of a British lord， and Hill， a mechanic from an Australian sheep farm， would never have met。 But in pain， loneliness， hunger， and isolation， they formed a powerful emotional and intellectual alliance that saved both of their lives。
Margalit Fox brings her "nose for interesting facts， the ability to construct a taut narrative arc， and a Dickens-level gift for concisely conveying personality" （Kathryn Schulz， New York） to this gripping tale of psychological strategy that is rife with cunning， danger， and moments of high farce that rival anything in Catch-22。
Reviews
Nancy
，
Spiritualism， a Con-game， and an Escape from a WWI Prison CampThe WWI war in Turkey is not as well known as the war in Europe， but British troops were fighting there because Britain wanted to maintain access to the oil fields in Persia。 The prison camps in Turkey were even worse than those in Europe。 Two prisoners， the aristocratic Elias Henry Jones， and Cedric Waters Hill an Australian airman from the RAF， were overcome with boredom and hated the bad conditions。 To entertain themselves， they fa Spiritualism， a Con-game， and an Escape from a WWI Prison CampThe WWI war in Turkey is not as well known as the war in Europe， but British troops were fighting there because Britain wanted to maintain access to the oil fields in Persia。 The prison camps in Turkey were even worse than those in Europe。 Two prisoners， the aristocratic Elias Henry Jones， and Cedric Waters Hill an Australian airman from the RAF， were overcome with boredom and hated the bad conditions。 To entertain themselves， they fashioned a ouiga board。 During that time there was a resurgence in interest in spiritualism。 The guards at the camp became fascinated by what the young prisoners were doing。 The prisoners running a long con were able to keep the guards interested and were able to plan an escape although the camp was located far from anywhere with roving bands of brigands in the area。 This is an incredible story of the psychological effects that can be achieved by successful con-men。 The men were skilled in the art of persuasion and were able to use the gullibility of the guards to build trust until there were able to attempt an escape。If you’re interested in WWI this is a must read。 The story， although non-fiction， is so well told that you feel as if you were reading an adventure story。 I thought the author did an excellent job of explaining the prevalence of the belief in spiritualism and the psychological basis of what the men were able to accomplish。 I highly recommend this book。 I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review。 。。。more
Megan
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Two British Prisoners of War try to escape a prison camp by using a Ouija board， leading the camp commandant of a wild goose chase for treasure and faking madness。
Teresa
，
Unfortunately， I was completely bogged down with way too much detail in this one。 I’m sure the story will appeal to many others but as much as I love a good historical war story， this one didn’t work for me。 The author goes into deep detail on explaining certain history that I felt could have been covered much quicker。 From the description I was expecting another Great Escape， this was not it。 I want to thank Random House Publishing Group along with NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to r Unfortunately， I was completely bogged down with way too much detail in this one。 I’m sure the story will appeal to many others but as much as I love a good historical war story， this one didn’t work for me。 The author goes into deep detail on explaining certain history that I felt could have been covered much quicker。 From the description I was expecting another Great Escape， this was not it。 I want to thank Random House Publishing Group along with NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC。 Comes in with 2 stars。 。。。more
Steven R。 Netter
，
The Confidence Men is a fascinating look behind the lines of Ottoman POW camps during WWI and the lengths to which British prisoners would go to improve conditions and plot escape。 This book focuses on two officers， Harry Jones and Cedric Hill， who devise what might be the most complex long con in the history of mankind to make their captors unwitting participants in their attempt to break out of the prison camp and regain their freedom。 What makes this scheme even more outrageous is that in inv The Confidence Men is a fascinating look behind the lines of Ottoman POW camps during WWI and the lengths to which British prisoners would go to improve conditions and plot escape。 This book focuses on two officers， Harry Jones and Cedric Hill， who devise what might be the most complex long con in the history of mankind to make their captors unwitting participants in their attempt to break out of the prison camp and regain their freedom。 What makes this scheme even more outrageous is that in involves Ouija boards， conjuring spirits， telepathy， treasure hunts， faking mental illness and more。 It's a master class on commitment to a bit and conning others to do your bidding， staying true to the end goal no matter the cost。 Beyond the story of Jones and Hill， the book provides extensive background on WWI in the region at that time， including battle strategy and outcomes。 However， the key aspect of this book is being thrust into the experience of a prisoner during the war in such a way that the reader can feel the poor conditions facing the British officers。 You also feel the boredom and hopelessness of their situation， making it easy to understand how these individuals could find entertainment and comfort in the spirit world， no matter how inconceivable that might seem。 It's a study of the human mind and how a captive audience will latch onto anything with potential to help them move forward。A compelling， educational and entertaining book， The Confidence Men is a must read for anyone interested in a larger than life story。 Highly recommend for anyone from WWI buffs to psychologists to anyone who likes big daring prison escapes。 。。。more
Jim Stennett
，
Definitely a recommend for anyone interested in WWI， the Con Game， escapes， or magic。 Throughly entertaining， well-written and just a rip-roaring good time。 At time humorous， at times horrifying， at times adventure bound， but always keeps you turning the pages。
Krista
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Besides chronicling one of the most ingenious hoaxes ever perpetrated （and one of the only known examples of a con game being used for good instead of ill）， The Confidence Men explores the strategy that underpins all confidence schemes: the subtle process of mind control called coercive persuasion， colloquially known as brainwashing。 The answers to this book’s central questions — How does a master manipulator create and sustain faith？ Why do his converts persist in believing things that are pate Besides chronicling one of the most ingenious hoaxes ever perpetrated （and one of the only known examples of a con game being used for good instead of ill）， The Confidence Men explores the strategy that underpins all confidence schemes: the subtle process of mind control called coercive persuasion， colloquially known as brainwashing。 The answers to this book’s central questions — How does a master manipulator create and sustain faith？ Why do his converts persist in believing things that are patently false？ — also illuminate the behavior of present-day figures such as advertisers， cult leaders， and political demagogues。 Above all， The Confidence Men is the story of the profound friendship of two men who almost certainly would not have met otherwise: Jones， the Oxford-educated son of a British lord， and Hill， a mechanic on an Australian sheep station。 Vowing to see the scheme through if it cost them their lives， each was sustained throughout its myriad hardships by the steadfastness of the other。 In the introduction to The Confidence Men， author Margalit Fox explains that even years after having read Elias Henry “Bones” Jones’ 1919 memoir， The Road to En-dor （in which Jones details his incredible escape from a Turkish POW camp during WWI with co-conspirator Cedric Waters Hill， whose own memoir The Spook and the Commandant was published shortly after his death in 1975）， she was transfixed by the “how” of the pair’s escape， but couldn’t understand the “why”: just why did their captors fall for a long con that involved malevolent spirits， buried treasure， and faked insanity？ By quoting Jones and Hill’s own accounts at length， backing up their assertions with quotes from other memoirs and historical reports， and layering on research from incredibly diverse fields， Fox tells a riveting fact-is-stranger-than-fiction tale that gets to the heart of her “why”。 This is a fascinating， thorough， and accessible read about war， cunning， and friendship; it contains lessons that are relevant to our modern world and would make a compelling movie。 （Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms。） This is the true story of the most singular prison break ever recorded — a clandestine wartime operation that involved no tunneling， no weapons， and no violence of any kind。 Conceived during World War I， it relied on a scheme so outrageous it should never have worked: Two British officers escaped from an isolated Turkish prison camp by means of a Ouija board。 Turkey’s Yozgad prison camp in the Anatolian mountains was considered escape-proof: not only was its location remote， forbidding， and surrounded by marauding brigands， but it was well known within the camp that any attempt to escape would bring swift and severe punishment down on those left behind。 Two of the prison’s inmates — the aristocratic E。 H。 Jones （a British officer who surrendered to the Turks after the siege of Kut） and C。 W。 Hill （a downed Australian airman who flew for the RAF） — were so focussed on escape that they conceived of a plan that would not only see them making their way to freedom， but would actually improve conditions for the men who remained at Yozgad。 Hill had spent years honing the skills of magic and mentalism， and as a lawyer， “Jones had been schooled in the verbal seduction that is the con man’s foremost asset”， and between the two of them and a homemade spirit board， they had all the tools they needed to persuade their captors to set them free。 （The plan would also include starving themselves， a nearly successful “attempt” at a double suicide， and a six month stay in an insane asylum; but they did get out of Yozgad just as planned。） And again， as fascinating as the “how” was， Fox elevates what is essentially an adventure tale with her multidisciplinary research into “why” it worked: In the end， what aided the mediums most of all were the times， for it was only in that liminal era， poised at the nexus of the scientific and the spiritual， that this particular con could have stood a chance。 The period saw the resurgence of the Victorian ardor for spiritualism， a movement， itself founded in fakery， that has been called “conjuring in disguise。” It was a time when cutting-edge technologies such as the phonograph， radio， and telephone were making disembodied voices audible to an enchanted but largely uncomprehending public， rendering the idea of discourse with the dead an authentic empirical question。 It was an age， suspended between alienism and Freudianism， when the observed symptoms of mental disorders had been neatly codified and could thus be well emulated。 It was a time when orthodox psychiatry endorsed the belief that mediumship could result in madness。 And it was a time of sustained， widespread social upheaval， when many stood ready to grasp at whatever straw might offer succor。 Perhaps this particular con would no longer work， but while times change， people don’t; we’re all capable of being conned and gaslit， attracted to cults and strongmen， and it’s always worthwhile to read a cautionary tale about such “coercive persuasion”。 I enjoyed everything about The Confidence Men and the only thing lacking would have been a deeper dive into who Jones and Hill were as people; Fox shares plenty of their biographical details， but I’m left not really knowing them or understanding their desperate drive to escape （and especially after they had used their con to vastly improve conditions in the prison camp。） Still a solid read， rounding up to four stars。 。。。more
Ellen
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This is a prison break story like no other。 Two British officers， Harry Jones and Cedric Hill， are determined to escape a remote prison camp in Turkey during World War I。 But instead of the usual account which often includes tunnels， hiding in outgoing trucks， and brave runs through the dangerous night， this story gives us two men who manage to convince their captors to let them go。It’s not as easy as all that of course。 Jones and Hill managed to instill the belief in the Commandant， translator， This is a prison break story like no other。 Two British officers， Harry Jones and Cedric Hill， are determined to escape a remote prison camp in Turkey during World War I。 But instead of the usual account which often includes tunnels， hiding in outgoing trucks， and brave runs through the dangerous night， this story gives us two men who manage to convince their captors to let them go。It’s not as easy as all that of course。 Jones and Hill managed to instill the belief in the Commandant， translator， and cook， that they are actually spiritual mediums that can communicate with the dead， and incidentally， read minds。By concocting a remarkable story they managed to finally leave the prison confines and escape home。 According to author Margalit Fox， they were rather proud of their accomplishment， and each wrote a book describing in detail how they pulled the wool over their captor’s eyes。 The books were apparently popular in their time， but somehow fell through the cracks in history， until Fox became aware of them and decided to tell their stories。 She says， the two were very good at detailing how they were able to pull off the escape but didn’t know so much why。I have to admit that their schemes were quite elaborate and convoluted， and I found myself getting lost every now and then in what new story they were trying to promote。 Fortunately， Fox winnows down the details for us and most importantly provides context and explanation that makes the story so much more interesting。Before we think that the Turks were overly superstitious or too easily fooled， we have to remember the times they lived in。 Fox points out that the pace of invention had really picked up by this time in the early 20th century， and for people who had never imagined that they could hear a disembodied voice out of something like a radio， the thought that we could use technology to communicate with the dead did not seem so far-fetched。 Thomas Edison himself spent an inordinate amount of time trying to see if he could crack the code and communicate with those who had passed on。Fox points out the tricks and techniques which the two British officers were able to use， first as a source of amusement for their comrades， but when they found out how easily they could convince their fellow prisoners that they could truly talk with the dead and read thoughts， they started to think about how their talents could be used to get them out of prison。It’s a fascinating， quick read， and illuminates not only the history surrounding World War I， but also the techniques of the “confidence man，” those people who still exist to try to convince us of what is not true for their own benefit。 。。。more
Liz
，
3。5 stars， rounded upThis nonfiction history tells the story of two British Officers who escape from a WWI Turkish POW camp。 It highlights a chapter of the war that I had no clue about。 What makes the tale so engaging is that they escape by means of an elaborate con， using a Ouija board。 I appreciated Fox giving us the background on things like spiritualism， telepathy， the treatment of the mental ill and the history of the long con。 In fact， her research and the details she’s able to provide are 3。5 stars， rounded upThis nonfiction history tells the story of two British Officers who escape from a WWI Turkish POW camp。 It highlights a chapter of the war that I had no clue about。 What makes the tale so engaging is that they escape by means of an elaborate con， using a Ouija board。 I appreciated Fox giving us the background on things like spiritualism， telepathy， the treatment of the mental ill and the history of the long con。 In fact， her research and the details she’s able to provide are the highlights of the book。 It’s an interesting story and reads more like fiction than non。 A friend recently introduced me to the concept of creative nonfiction， and this definitely fits the bill。 While the story is at times humorous it’s also graphic。 It’s amazing to realize the hard work of constantly acting that was involved。 My thanks to NetGalley and Random house for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Zeb Kantrowitz
，
This is a fabulously detailed timeline of two British Officers who were captured and imprisoned by the Ottoman Empire。 Their POW compound was in Eastern Anatolia and was nowhere near any of the Allied lines。 One of them was a magician who would entertain the troops with his talent and the use of a Ouija Board which was very popular at this time。The use of the Board became very important to one of the guards at the Camp。 A man they called Acmed was a member of the Officers group at the camp。 He h This is a fabulously detailed timeline of two British Officers who were captured and imprisoned by the Ottoman Empire。 Their POW compound was in Eastern Anatolia and was nowhere near any of the Allied lines。 One of them was a magician who would entertain the troops with his talent and the use of a Ouija Board which was very popular at this time。The use of the Board became very important to one of the guards at the Camp。 A man they called Acmed was a member of the Officers group at the camp。 He had told the prisoners about a story he had heard about the camp they were in。 Before the war， a wealthy man had buried his treasure in the area to be found after the war。 The man gave three different men three different clues that would lead them to where the treasure was。 The clues had to be followed consecutively。 While the men who had the first two clues had told Acmed the first two clues， which the Brits had figured out that the third man had been killed in action and no one knew his clue。 The Brits set up a confidence game that would convince the Turks that they could contact the third man using the Ouija Board。 But they eventually convinced the Turks that they were insane and needed to be taken to Istanbul to be cured so they would be able to discern the clue from the Third Man's clue。How they go about convincing the Turk Officers to take them to Istanbul to be treated （and where they would be able to escape） is followed in the detail narrative that Fox has created。 Very well written and a great tale to follow。 。。。more
Nan Williams
，
The Confidence Men is a very detailed account of the life of British prisoners of war in the Ottoman Empire during World War I。 The accounting is very explicit and not for the faint of heart。 This non-fiction story does not spare one of the horrors of war – especially with those who do not value life。The ingeniousness of the British in exploiting their opportunities to escape was the only bright spot in this otherwise sordid， but true， tale。I especially appreciated the maps and illustrations thr The Confidence Men is a very detailed account of the life of British prisoners of war in the Ottoman Empire during World War I。 The accounting is very explicit and not for the faint of heart。 This non-fiction story does not spare one of the horrors of war – especially with those who do not value life。The ingeniousness of the British in exploiting their opportunities to escape was the only bright spot in this otherwise sordid， but true， tale。I especially appreciated the maps and illustrations throughout this book。 They were very helpful in visualizing the setting and the terrain。I appreciate this ARC from NetGalley and also the publisher， Random House， in exchange for an unbiased review。 。。。more
Linda
，
In WWI， a number of British soldiers fighting the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East were taken prisoners by the Turks in battles that are not nearly as well known as those in France on the Western Front。 Two of those men were British officers: Elias Henry Jones and Cedric Waters Hill。 Jones was from an upper class family in Britain and Hill was from Australia。 Incarcerated in a remote prison in the mountains of Anatolia （modern day Turkey） they searched for a means of escaping and came up with In WWI， a number of British soldiers fighting the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East were taken prisoners by the Turks in battles that are not nearly as well known as those in France on the Western Front。 Two of those men were British officers: Elias Henry Jones and Cedric Waters Hill。 Jones was from an upper class family in Britain and Hill was from Australia。 Incarcerated in a remote prison in the mountains of Anatolia （modern day Turkey） they searched for a means of escaping and came up with a plan that seems like fiction。 Creating a homemade Ouija board they held seances and managed to convince the Turkish interpreter and Turkish commandant that they could actually commune with spirits including one who knew where a local treasure was buried by a fleeing Armenian。 Jones wrote a book on the entire scheme after the war was over and Margalit Fox uses it as her first source for a tale of an unbelievable escape and remarkable story。 This story also serves as a framing device to wander farther afield to include the history of confidence men， seances and communing with the dead， the massacre of Armenians and the creation of modern Turkey。 Without these tangents it would be a much shorter and not as interesting story。 。。。more
Ann
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I can't wait to read this book。 I'm sure I'll give it five stars！ Margalit is wonderful。 I can't wait to read this book。 I'm sure I'll give it five stars！ Margalit is wonderful。 。。。more
David
，
Amazing， spell-binding true story of British POWs in WWI who run a long con to escape from a Turkish prisoner of war camp。 The Sting meets The Great Escape。
Margalit Fox
，
Thank you so much， everyone， for the lovely advance reviews of THE CONFIDENCE MEN so far。 I'm thrilled that you find this remarkable true story as compelling as I did。FYI， I've created a hashtag for the book on social media: #FoxConfidenceMenWith warmest wishes，Margo Thank you so much， everyone， for the lovely advance reviews of THE CONFIDENCE MEN so far。 I'm thrilled that you find this remarkable true story as compelling as I did。FYI， I've created a hashtag for the book on social media: #FoxConfidenceMenWith warmest wishes，Margo 。。。more
Alisa
，
[Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC] "Narrative is inherently seductive， and a propulsive tale can buoy the mark straight into the storyteller's hands。。。" This was a fantastic， fascinating read about a bizarre escape plot - complete with ghosts， treasure， and a madhouse stint。 I often find that accounts from World War I get overlooked， so I am glad to have picked up this book。 Fox recounts the experiences of Jones and Hill in a delightfully entertaining way; the two men quickly endeared themselves [Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC] "Narrative is inherently seductive， and a propulsive tale can buoy the mark straight into the storyteller's hands。。。" This was a fantastic， fascinating read about a bizarre escape plot - complete with ghosts， treasure， and a madhouse stint。 I often find that accounts from World War I get overlooked， so I am glad to have picked up this book。 Fox recounts the experiences of Jones and Hill in a delightfully entertaining way; the two men quickly endeared themselves to me， and I rooted for them throughout the narrative。 Their courage， ingenuity， perseverance， and optimism in the face of despair were very inspiring。 Plus， who doesn't love a good prison escape story - especially if it involves a ouija board at the heart of it？ I would love - and definitely expect to see - a movie adaptation of this book。 The story is just that good！ 。。。more
David
，
This is the third non-fiction book by Margalit Fox I've read and enjoyed。 I enjoyed this one the most。 I've gotten all three books free of charge， but I would have enjoyed all of them， especially this one， even if I had paid for them。I re-read the book description above before I wrote this， and I don't think I am engaging in spoiler-ish behavior to say that the two heroes of this book eventually escape from the WWI Ottoman prison camp （not a fun place， but a lot less horrible than I thought it w This is the third non-fiction book by Margalit Fox I've read and enjoyed。 I enjoyed this one the most。 I've gotten all three books free of charge， but I would have enjoyed all of them， especially this one， even if I had paid for them。I re-read the book description above before I wrote this， and I don't think I am engaging in spoiler-ish behavior to say that the two heroes of this book eventually escape from the WWI Ottoman prison camp （not a fun place， but a lot less horrible than I thought it would be） through an elaborate scheme that， as the title suggests， has more in common with The Sting than The Great Escape。 However， the exact details involve some surprising twists and turns， which I'd like to write about， so I will veil part of this review behind a “spoiler” tag。I'd be very surprised if someone isn't working on a screenplay of the story of this book right now – it has all the elements of a great caper movie。 I hope M。 Fox gets a splash of Hollywood lucre， but I fear that penny-pinching movie moguls will claim these previously-reported and public-domain events can be used free of charge。 On the other hand， both of the POW heroes are white men （there is evidence they were probably racist in real life）， there are no parts for women， non-Westerners are villainous （some completely， some slightly ambiguously）， and one of the slightly ambiguous villains is a Ottoman Jew called （by the heroes） “the Pimple”。 A big screen treatment may have to wait until we are all a little less spun up about stuff like this。But yes， it all begins as a ripping good yarn， in which one of the POW heroes， Jones， constructs a Ouija board with no other aim than to entertain himself and his fellow prisoners during a long tedious captivity in a remote camp as WWI rages on inconclusively in the outside world。 Jones unexpectedly finds himself excelling at bamboozling his fellow captives with mystic mumbo-jumbo， and then sees a chance to escape as the Pimple， acting on behalf of higher-ups， inquires if the Ouija board could help find treasure allegedly buried in the area by a rich Armenian fleeing genocide。 Jones enlists Hill， an aviator with a talent for magic tricks， as a confederate， and initial steps go surprisingly well， but then…（view spoiler）[… when they are getting ready to leave the camp with （and escape from） the Pimple and the camp commander （whom they've roped into the scheme） in search of the non-existent treasure， a well-meaning fellow-prisoner， believing the trip is an pretext by the Ottoman captors to kill Hill and Jones “while escaping”， blows the whistle。 The trip is cancelled， everybody stays put; Hill and Jones have to turn to Plan B。Plan B is for Hill and Jones to pretend they are insane。 Here the book takes a darker and grimmer turn。 Being insane involves months and months of living in filth and squalor， babbling， endangering yourself， and staying in character at every moment someone else – including a fellow prisoner – is around。 Pretending you are insane is enough to， well， drive you crazy。Plan B starts to work， but it works slowly。 Not only do Hill and Jones stay in character the whole time， they build on their previous flim-flammery to convince the Pimple and his confederates that other-worldly specters are requiring that the whole group， captors and captive， travel to Constantinople （as it is referred to in this book） to uncover the last （non-existent） clue which will yield the location of the buried treasure。In this part of the book， there's some writing about the general psychology of the “long con” and some talk about how to make people believe for some time in a big， preposterous lie。 While President Trump is not mentioned （until the References section at the end）， the narrative points strongly， I believe， to the events of our time connected with the former President。 I thought this was a pretty brave move on behalf of the author， because – in my opinion – a large part of the demographic that is likely to read a non-fiction book about an escape from a WWI Ottoman prison camp is also the demographic that will be antagonistic to the idea that the former President was a con man， or， at least， employing well-worn and well-known tactics of conmen。 These readers might even appear on Goodreads to write negative reviews。The heroes' long drawn-out attempt to escape via feigned madness actually succeeds in the end， but at the same time the war is drawing to a close。 The ironic conclusion is that Hill and Jones survived and arrived in England only two weeks before many of the fellow prisoners they left behind。 On the other hand， senseless violence and the Spanish flu at the prison camp took the lives of many of those who stayed behind， so perhaps the impulse of Hill and Jones to escape at any cost was justified。 It certainly was understandable。 （hide spoiler）]Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for giving me a free advance review copy of this book。 。。。more
CoffeeBreakBooks
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