QBVII by Leon Uris

I hadn't read anything by Uris in years, although Exodus (about the creation of Israel) is one of my all-time favorite books.  I picked this for our trip to Europe and it was a great read.

The book is about a trial - the trial of an author whose book about the Holocaust makes mention of a particular doctor's activities in a concentration camp; the doctor sues for libel. It's fast-paced, and unlike some courtroom dramas, it doesn't suffer from pages of detailed testimony.  Much like Uris' other books, a great deal of the book is dedicated to the back story of each of the main characters.  I did not find there to be a clear protagonist and antagonist: both the author and the doctor were characters I could root for. 

I particularly enjoyed reading this while in Central Europe because in Prague and Budapest, we saw a lot of Jewish history sites from before and during the Holocaust that enabled me to better connect with some of the themes in the book.  There were also several ethical dilemmas in the book (e.g., should the doctor have followed orders, should camp survivors have been asked to testify, etc...) that kept me thinking and engaged.

One note: this book was written in 1970 and in one particular way shows its age. The female characters are thin and predictable, reminiscent of Marjorie Morningstar or early Le Carre.  That aside, the book still resonated with me and kept me thinking long after it was over.