An Officer and a Spy is a historical thriller, retelling the story of the Georges Piquart, an officer in the French Military intelligence Service, who believes that Alfred Dreyfus had been wrongly convicted and sent to Devil’s Island.   The novel follows the actual historical accounts and people who were implicated in the “Dreyfus Affair”, the most famous military-government scandal of its time (1896 – 1906).

The wrongful conviction involved many of the top military generals, some government officials and politicians, some with anti-Semitic bias, and, though it was highly publicized as an act of treason, the actual facts were hidden from scrutiny and all efforts at enquiry were silenced.   Piquart risks his career and possibly his life in exposing the corruption and urging a retrial.

The historical record is well-established and the book could have been written as non-fiction, and indeed Harris’ background was in journalism and reporting, but his later career has been based on historical fiction.    This is another one of his fine works, with attention to detail, using a journalistic-style, but reading like a thriller novel.

When we hear about conspiracy theories today, some of today’s suspicions are rooted in infamous miscarriages of justice like this one.   The story documents the levels of State corruption and the layers of cover-up after the fact.   In a democracy, the media and the court system can be allies when officials act counter to the rule of law.

This is a recommended book.   My rating – 4.6 out of 5.0 stars4.6

An Excerpt/Sample: