A fan of Buckley's novels with Blackford Oakes as the CIA agent involved in international crises, I looked forward to this historical novel. I was sorely disappointed.Buckley's main character is flat. The conflict he will face is apparent and obvious early. The "big twist" at the end was predictable and meager.Worse, I was never sure if Buckley knew what he wanted to write. A novel about a participant in the trials? A novel with a philosophical debate? An expose on the legal tenets used in the Nuremburg trials? Unfortunately, all of these were touched upon in the book, but none satisfactorily probed or developed in depth. Instead, the book was scattered and disorganized with the reader left to want more in each area.Overall a very disappointing book about a topic that has so much to offer.