About the Book

One of Britain's most renowned military historians revisits a controversial murder: that of Zionist leader Avraham Stern, head of Israel's notorious Stern Gang, in Tel Aviv during WWII.

Militant Zionist Avraham Stern believed he was destined to be the Jewish liberator of British Palestine. As the ringleader of the infamous Stern Gang, also known as Lehi, he masterminded a series of high-profile terrorist attacks in pursuit of his dream. On the run from British authorities who'd put a bounty on his head, Stern was hiding in an attic in Tel Aviv when he was killed by Assistant Superintendent Geoffrey Morton, a British colonial policeman assigned to capture him.

Morton claimed Stern was trying to escape. But witnesses insisted he was executed in cold blood. His controversial death inspired a cult of martyrdom that gave new life to Lehi, helping to destroy hopes of a detente between the British, the Arabs, and the Jews.

The Reckoning is the story of Patrick Bishop's quest to discover the truth. Based on extensive research—including access to Morton's private archive and eyewitness interviews—it recounts this seismic event in full, without bias, placing it within the context of its turbulent time. Bishop's gripping, groundbreaking narrative brings to life two men similar in ambition and dedication, chronicles the events that led to their fatal meeting, and explores how the impact of Stern's death reverberated through the final years of British rule and the birth of Israel.

Critical Praise

“Bishop’s book has all the suspense and detail of a good novel.” — Boston Globe

“What [Bishop] does, thanks to tireless research and powerful storytelling, is show how a ruthless murderer of civilians became an unnecessary martyr.” — New York magazine

“Mr Bishop’s depiction of Stern’s downfall is masterful.” — The Economist

“Bishop’s fast-paced, well-written work sheds considerable light not only on how and why Stern was killed but on the final, violent years of the British mandate in Palestine.” — Publishers Weekly

“Clearly representing the point of view of the colonial British authorities, the author largely avoids demonizing or making heroes of either of his main protagonists, a failing of most English and Israeli accounts of the period.” — Library Journal

Praise for Fighter Boys: “I know of no more thoughtful nor yet more moving study of their achievement.” — Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph (London), on FIGHTER BOYS

“As a vivid chronicle of who the Battle of Britain pilots were, what motivated them, and why they were ultimately successful, Fighter Boys is unsurpassed.” — Daily Telegraph (London) on FIGHTER BOYS

“No one reading this book can possibly doubt the heroism of those involved…there can’t be a finer history.” — James Holland, The New Statesman (London) on FIGHTER BOYS

“Bishop successfully weaves a story that is both entertaining and revealing…. He does an admirable job of showing how British police officers faced the difficult task of maintaining order between Jews and the Arabs whose resistance set the stage for later bloody confrontations.” — Washington Post

“Patrick Bishop’s book has important lessons for the modern day.” — Economist (UK), “Books of the Year” pick

“Patrick Bishop’s book on the death of Avraham Stern is an important chapter in the tragic and bloody history of the Holy Land” — Iron Mountain Daily News (Michigan)

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Product Details

• ISBN: 9780062267832
• ISBN 10: 0062267833
• Imprint: Harper Paperbacks
• On Sale: 12/22/2015
• Trimsize: 5.310 in (w) x 8.000 in (h) x 0.760 in (d)
• Pages: 336
• List Price: $15.99
• BISAC1 : HISTORY / Middle East / Israel & Palestine
• BISAC2 : HISTORY / Jewish
• BISAC3 : HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century