Death in Captivity
by Michael Gilbert (Hodder and Stoughton, 1952)
audiobook read by Garrard Green (Bolinda, 2015)
The mystery element sits largely in the background of this Second World War POW story—as would have been the reality! Gilbert himself was interned in northern Italy in just such a camp as depicted. The upshot is a thoroughly convincing narrative.
The Great Escape
by Paul Brickhill (Faber & Faber, 1951)
Brickhill’s eyewitness description of the infamous tunnel break from German POW camp Stalag Luft III — enshrined still further by the film of 1963 — remains a sincere and clearly written record, and a lasting testament to its protagonists’ spirit, ingenuity and sheer perseverance.
The Great Escape
dir. John Sturges (1963)
Whereas old movies often seem ponderously dated to modern viewers, this World War II POW drama uses pacing to good advantage and — half a century on, no less — remains a genuine classic: an ensemble cast tour de force of British film actors.