Caroline Sharples, *The Long Death of Adolf Hitler: An Investigative History*. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2025.

Send us Fan MailEven though the gun Adolf Hitler employed on himself in April 1945 was highly effective, the circumstances of his death took an unexpectedly lengthy course. The world was eager for information, but there were no witnesses to his suicide, and his body was never shown. This void allowed myths and survival tales to flourish, while rival intelligence agencies and propaganda muddled the investigations of historians who followed. In her investigation of the aftermath at the Führerbunker, Caroline Sharples offers the first cultural narrative of this pivotal yet elusive moment. The anticipation surrounding Hitler's death stirred a variety of emotions, leading governments and secret services to rush to confirm the news. This search for validation resulted in a wave of conspiratorial thought, and the final moments of Hitler's life have been reimagined ever since. This captivating and unsettling story challenges our understanding of a historical event we think we know—and provides a nuanced look at how history is recorded.