As stated in previous posts, Penguin will release my next book, Human Game: The True Story of the ‘Great Escape’ Murders and the Hunt for the Gestapo Gunmen, on October 2. While the release date is still some distance down the road, it’s never too early for shameless self-promotion!

The book picks up where the 1963 Steve McQueen classic “The Great Escape” leaves off. A couple of years ago, Australian television aired an hour-long documentary titled ‘The Great Escape: The Reckoning,” which deals with the same subject matter as Human Game. The documentary presents a very general—but good—overview of the Allied manhunt for the Gestapo gunmen who murdered 50 of the 76 “Great Escapees,” while Human Game examines the killings and resulting investigation in great depth.

The trailer for “The Great Escape: The Reckoning” is quite atmospheric—so I thought I’d post it here and adopt it this one time as a book trailer (hope the producers don’t mind!). Enjoy . . .

I highly recommend watching “The Great Escape” if you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing it. The opening theme, composed by Elmer Bernstein, is–I think–the greatest piece of music to come out of Hollywood. I dare you to listen and say it’s not catchy!