Block 11 - by Piero Degli Antoni (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

From an award-winning author comes an audacious, high-concept noir set in Auschwitz that straddles past and present

New York, the present: An old woman and her husband sit down for a breakfast of black bread and coffee at a table set for ten. Eight chairs remain empty.

Auschwitz, Spring 1944: Following a successful escape from the camp, a group of ten prisoners are rounded up for execution. But at the last minute, counter-orders are given. Since the camp needs every inmate for labor, only one prisoner will be sacrificed. And it is the job of the other nine prisoners, locked up in an empty building in Block 11 with nothing but a piece of paper and pencil, to decide by dawn who will die. Otherwise they will all go to the gallows.

Thus begins a night of storytelling with tales of horror, secrecy, and betrayal, but also of love and great humanity, as these ten prisoners debate who deserves to live and who deserves to die. The night is filled with violence, emotion, and shocking revelations. Degli Antoni wrestles with questions of guilt and forgiveness, selfishness and sacrifice, in this unforgettable novel set during the most trying of times.

Review Quotes

"An amazing tale by a writer who plays the reader's emotions like a virtuoso. Poignant in places, nail-bitingly tense in others. This one resonates with spirit, blending unimaginable tragedy with glorious triumph. An electrifying read." --Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Amber Room, The Jefferson Key and The Columbus Affair

"Ten souls, confined as pieces in a demonic chess game, everything taken from them but their character, are forced to confront a Godless challenge. An intensely moving story told in a driving narrative, Block 11 is certain to remain with you long after the last page is turned." --Ron Balson, author of Once We Were Brothers

"...highly effective..." --Kirkus Reviews

"Block 11 is an intense, morally complex psychological thriller." --Shelf Awareness

About the Author

PIERO DEGLI ANTONI is a lawyer, Milan-based journalist, and author who won the Premio Azzeccagarbugli in the best thriller category. Block 11 is his eighth book.