The Betrayal of Anne Frank

A Cold Case Investigation

By: Rosemary Sullivan

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Less a mystery unsolved than a secret well kept...

Using new technology, recently discovered documents and sophisticated investigative techniques, an international team—led by an obsessed retired FBI agent—has finally solved the mystery that has haunted generations since World War II: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why?

Over thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl, the journal teen-aged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family and four other people in Amsterdam during World War II, until the Nazis arrested them and sent them to a concentration camp. But despite the many works—journalism, books, plays and novels—devoted to Anne’s story, none has ever conclusively explained how these eight people managed to live in hiding undetected for over two years—and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door.

With painstaking care, retired FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and a team of indefatigable investigators pored over tens of thousands of pages of documents—some never before seen—and interviewed scores of descendants of people familiar with the Franks. Utilizing methods developed by the FBI, the Cold Case Team painstakingly pieced together the months leading to the infamous arrest—and came to a shocking conclusion.

The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation is the riveting story of their mission. Rosemary Sullivan introduces us to the investigators, explains the behavior of both the captives and their captors and profiles a group of suspects. All the while, she vividly brings to life wartime Amsterdam: a place where no matter how wealthy, educated, or careful you were, you never knew whom you could trust.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Rosemary Sullivan (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

I loved this!

It was well read, well thought out and planned; to give you a beginning to end idea of what had previously been found and what was new.

Fascinating and informative

I love learning about WWII history and this is a great resource. Some of the storylines are difficult to follow on audiobook because there are so many unfamiliar names. The performance was great and the story was told artfully and well. Would definitely recommend!

Heart breaking conclusion

The investigative leads brought about a very likely, but painful, conclusion. One now realizes that the holocaust cost even more than millions of lives.

History + Cold Case

Super interesting. My favorite part was the historical beginning. So much I either didn’t know or forgot. The investigation was detailed and methodical. Well worth the read. The narrator was phenomenal at pronouncing the various German and Dutch names and words. Seamless.

The Common Denominator of the Human Condition

A fair and reasonable theory about how Anne Frank was betrayed as a statistic in the equation of human survival. In a world which was predicated on identity, discrimination, and survival, both the captured and threatened had painful choices to make for their common goal - survival as a human being regardless of tribe or faith. Knowing who was the perpetrator, the enabler, and victim does not help dispel the uncomfortable truth - that humanity strives for survival alone above all else.

Rosemary Sullivan does the ultimate compliment to the human condition with this exploratory work on the possibilities of seeing humanity as one with common motives, common virtues, and common vices. Leverage to survive at all costs when all hope has dissipated is the last step before the brink.

Stunning

The Narrator did an amazing job of making mundane facts intriguing! I'm not sure I could have finished this book if I had read it myself!

this was fantastic

loved this every step of the way. would recommend this to anyone that likes a good mystery

The narration for this story is fantastic!

Very well done. I feel a narrator can make or break an audio book. Julia Whelan did an amazing job with this story!

Controversial book, fascinating read

By way of disclaimer, it is worth mentioning that the investigation detailed in this book has come under criticism for its conclusions and methodology. This has led to the book being removed from shelves in some European markets.
While I can't speak to that particular controversy, except to say that the book makes no accusations without caveat, I can say the overall read was very interesting. Using Artificial Intelligence and modern cold case methods, an assembled team attempts to solve one of the great mysteries of the holocaust: who betrayed Anne Frank, her family, and the others hiding in the now famous annex. If nothing else, a good chronicle of a modern investigation.
The book has no smoking gun and no overwhelming evidence, damning or otherwise, into the betrayal of the "hiders," but does serve as a hindsight history of the annex, the people who lived there, their fates, and the history of The Diary and the organizations that sprung up in its wake.

The story as a whole.

I like that it is a true story. I’ve seen movies but always wondered what really happened.