Saints and Villains: A Novel

In the charnel house that was Europe in the Second World War, there were few instances of shining moral courage, let along secular sainthood. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and Nazi resister was the exception. This emblematic figure risked his life--and finally lost it--through his participation in a failed plot to assassinate Hitler and topple his regime. Saints and Villains gives us this exemplary life in a sweeping narrative that is bold in conception and utterly convincing in its power of imaginative reconstruction.

"A splendid novel about a splendid man...In the pantheon of heroes of this fading century, few are more deserving of residency than [Dietrich] Bonhoeffer." -- Philadelphia Inquirer
"Compelling. . . The story is engrossingly narrated, with an eye for significant detail, a strong sense of life's bitter ironies and a powerful feeling of immediacy." -- Newsday
"[A] panoramic story...This novelized version of the pastor's life by Giardina manages the extremely difficult task of giving a known story genuine tension and spiritual resonance."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)