War-games champion Udo Berger is finally on holiday.

Travelling to the Costa Brava with his long-ignored girlfriend, Ingeborg, there they meet another vacationing German couple, Charly and Hanna, and a band of shady locals. They have fun, see the sights, relax. Then, late one night, Charly disappears without a trace.

Desperate to solve the mystery, Udo refuses to leave, even after Ingeborg returns home. Increasingly frightened, the situation slips beyond his grasp and Udo suddenly realizes that the consequences of this ‘game’ are much more serious than he ever imagined.

TRANSLATED BY NATASHA WIMMER

‘Capering, weird, rascally and short... The Third Reich is giddily funny, but it is also prickly and bizarre enough to count among Bolaño’s first-rate efforts’ The Economist

‘A mesmerizing tale: sleek, linear, easily digested, beautifully translated… Classic Bolaño’ Washington Post

"Bolaño is a master of atmosphere" - The Wall Street Journal

"A perfect novel...Compassionate, disturbing, and deeply felt, it's as much of a gift as anything the late author has given us." - NPR

"Think Kafka at a beach resort...For those who like their literature to make them look with fear and suspicion at even the most mundane events, The Third Reich is calling." - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A brilliant first novel...all the more remarkable for its prescience." - The New Republic

"Bolaño's voice demands attention" - The New Yorker