A strikingly original book about a terrible photograph – an exceptionally rare image documenting the horrific final moment of the murder of a family in Ukraine.

A strikingly original book about a terrible photograph – an exceptionally rare image documenting the horrific final moment of the murder of a family in Ukraine. A Times Book of the Year 'A very rare kind of picture... To the murdered others, this book is an act of restitution' David Aaronovitch, The Times 'Detective work of the highest and most gripping order' Philippe Sands 'Lower's pursuit of the truth is both captivating and meticuous' TLS 'Extraordinary and spell-binding' Daily Mail 'One photograph. That's what it took to start Wendy Lower on an incredible journey of discovery' Deborah Lipstadt The terrible mass shootings in Poland and the Ukraine are often neglected in studies of the Holocaust, because the perpetrators were meticulously careful to avoid leaving any evidence of their actions. Wendy Lower stumbled across one such piece of evidence – a photograph documenting the shooting of a mother and her children and the men who killed them – and has crafted a forensically brilliant and moving study that brings the larger horror of the genocide into focus. Shortlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Non-Fiction Crown.

"[Lower] hopes to recreate the details of that day in Miropol and thus reveal the networks of complicity that made the Holocaust possible. Here, she succeeds with a vengeance" - New York Times

"A forensic look at the Holocaust in Ukraine... The combination of Lower's original conceit and careful but compelling prose provides a powerful new route into this neglected area of Holocaust history'" - Historical Writers' Association Non-Fiction Crown Shortlist

"Lower's pursuit of the truth is both captivating and meticulous as she attempts to find answers to these questions... Reads like a compelling detective novel'" - TLS

"'An extraordinary and spell-binding new book' Daily Mail." - Daily Mail

"Lower certainly leaves no stone unturned as she recounts her mission in this fascinating book" - Jewish News

"Lower meticulously probes the background of the photo, which was dated October 13, 1941 and labeled 'Miropol'" - Times of Israel

"A compelling and forensic investigation of mass shooting during the Holocaust in Ukraine. Lower turns detective and works from a single photograph to uncover the truth about a previously unknown atrocity. Brilliant microhistory" - Aspects of History

"A forensic look at the Holocaust in Ukraine" - Spectator

"The gargantuan horror of the Holocaust is distilled through a meticulous reconstruction of a single shocking crime. Justice, although delayed, is achieved, but that horror lurks like a menacing fog" - The Times, '21 best history books of 2021'