Brian Moore (aka, Bernard Mara and Michael Bryan) is best known for writing the screen play for Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain. Several of Moore’s novels were adapted for the movies including Intent to Kill, The Luck of Ginger Coffey, Catholics, Black Robe, Cold Heaven, and The Statement.
The Statement is Brian Moore’s 18th novel. The novel begins in southern France where Pierre Brossard is hiding out. Brossard, under the Vichy government during World War II, massacred fourteen Jews in the town of Dombey. Once the Allies retook France, Brossard went underground. For over 50 years, Brossard has been hiding from justice. Elements of the Government and the Catholic Church protect Brossard by moving him around France and allowing him to stay at monasteries and churches.
However, all that changes when Brossard learns he’s being hunted by a vigilante organization of Holocaust avengers. As Brossard tries to find a safe place to hide, he learns his allies are aging and lack the power to protect him. New forces in the Government and Church find no reason to shield a mass murderer from justice.
Moore captures the dangerous life of a man on the run for over 50 years. The chase is on and Brossard’s desperation and fear fuel this thriller. GRADE: B