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The Einstein Vendetta

Hitler, Mussolini, and a true story of murder

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The Einstein Vendetta

By: Thomas Harding
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of HANNS AND RUDOLF, THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE and BLOOD ON THE PAGE, comes the gripping story of an unsolved murder which took place against the extraordinary background of Nazi-occupied Florence during World War Two . . .

Italy, Summer 1944

A unit of German soldiers arrives at a villa near Florence. Villa Il Focardo is home to Robert Einstein, cousin to the most famous scientist in the world, Albert Einstein – a prominent enemy of the Nazi regime. Having renounced his German citizenship a decade earlier, Albert’s safely in America, well beyond Hitler’s reach.

The same is not true for his cousin.

Twelve hours after arriving, the soldiers have vanished – and a family is dead. This crime – and what happened next – still haunts those who survived.

Who ordered it? Who was involved?

And why did they get away with it?

This is the untold story of the Einstein vendetta.

Praise for Thomas Harding:

Hanns and Rudolf

'A gripping thriller, an unspeakable crime, an essential history' John le Carré

'Thomas Harding has shed intriguing new light on the strange poison of Nazism, and one of its most lethal practitioners... Meticulously researched and deeply felt' Ben Macintyre, Times Book of the Week

'Fascinating and moving...This is a remarkable book, which deserves a wide readership' Max Hastings, Sunday Times

The House by the Lake

'A passionate memoir about Germany' Neil MacGregor, author of A History of the World in 100 Objects and Germany: Memories of a Nation

'I loved this book. I admire the elegance of it, the hope, the honesty and the generousness with which every resident is given his or her place. It has made me think about our individual parts in the bigger story, and the coming and going-ness of things. It is a book that will stay with me for a very long time' Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

'A superb portrait of twentieth century Germany seen through the prism of a house which was lived in, and lost, by five different families. A remarkable book' Tom Holland, author of Rubicon

© Thomas Harding 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 20th Century Europe Italy Military Modern Murder True Crime Crime

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Critic reviews

Praise for The Einstein Vendetta
What’s in a name? Well, if it’s Einstein, quite a lot. Thomas Harding has carved out a significant reputation as a prize-winning writer, and The Einstein Vendetta makes for deeply shocking reading. This is a gripping, finely researched, superbly written and deeply important book (Anna Sebba)
I absolutely devoured The Einstein Vendetta. It is so moving and the way in which Harding navigates the unresolved nature of the story is quite remarkable. Totally compelling
An absolute triumph. Beautifully judged and infused with humanity and empathy (Allan Little)
Nazi brutality, and the resulting family pain and grief, is vividly recorded. The Einstein Vendetta shines a light on these forgotten lives and crimes and on the limits of post-war attempts to secure justice. Harding evokes time and place beautifully, while paying forensic attention to detail. The result is a slow burn of cliff-hangers to keep the pages turning
Scrupulously researched
The Einstein Vendetta will tug at your heartstrings and prompt righteous outrage. Harding captures beautifully the general atmosphere of wartime Tuscany, the fear the family must have felt in their last hours and the inhuman toll the executions took. Harding is excellent on the investigations of the case – the details of this ‘slow, hard work. Real shoe-leather work’ could in other hands be dry and dusty, but Harding makes them riveting: archival files poured over in search of vital clues, witnesses undone by failing memory, and always the hope that some small cosmic order will be restored by finding the man who ordered the shootings
Thomas Harding has carved out a niche unravelling unexplained events. The Einstein Vendetta shows that, although more than eighty years have passed since the Wehrmacht and the SS retreated from Tuscany, there is still substantial appetite to nail down the crimes they committed
Did the Führer personally order the hit? Doggedly pursuing his own investigation, Mr Harding interviews surviving witnesses and Einstein family members
Praise for Thomas Harding
All stars
Most relevant
I found the Einstein Vendetta a fascinating read. I have read many of Thomas Harding’s books which are always intriguing, educational and enlightening.
His novel-like narrative of fascinating true historical events/stories are researched and written brilliantly. Another 5* read.

Thomas’a research is exemplary and his story- telling riveting

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A wonderful story and so well written and a great listen. The story continues to know who did this

A wonderful story of tragedy and how we will never know what really went on during WW2

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This story needed to be told. It was harrowing in parts, and it brought me to tears several times. I listened to it in under two days but had to go to sleep listening to a totally different story as I was so caught up in the story of the Einstein family I knew if I didn’t take a break I would find it hard to settle to sleep. What happened to this family was appalling especially since the war in Europe was about to end. Having always been a fan of Albert Einstein I found these events horrific and have to wonder, like the author, if this vendetta against Robert and therefore his poor wife and daughters was indeed ordered by Hitler because of his fury at Albert Einstein who couldn’t be reached because he was safe in the US.
This was very well written and researched by Thomas Harding and well read by Roy McMillan. I most sincerely recommend The Einstein Vendetta.

I rarely cry but ….

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Robert Einstein is forced to hide in the forest in order to keep his wife and daughter safe from the Nazis. They are looking for him because he is the cousin of Albert Einstein, who had escaped to the USA.

Unfortunately, Nazi soldiers arrive at the house and murder Robert's wife and two daughters, just as the Allied troops arrive in Italy and would be in the area just three weeks later.

This is a compelling story of how many people try to uncover who the killers were so that they can be tried for murder, but due to so many mistakes, by the time it appears that the leader of the group is discovered, too many years have passed.

I would recommend if you are interested in a murder carried out so close to the end of WW2 by Nazi's trying to get revenge on Albert Einstein then this is a superb book to listen to.

A tragic tale of murder.

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