The Great Swindle

About “The Great Swindle”

The year is 1918, and the war on the Western Front is ending. Lieutenant Henry D'Aulnay-Pradelle shoots two soldiers in the back to inspire his men to attack the German lines. When Albert Maillard discovers the truth, the lieutenant shoves him into a shell hole. Edouard Péricourt, an artist and Albert's friend, rescues him but is shot in the face. After the war, Edouard fakes his death to avoid disappointing his family. Albert becomes his caregiver. Disillusioned by the lack of real support for soldiers, the two men create a scam to collect money for fake war memorials. Meanwhile, D'Aulnay-Pradelle marries Edouard's sister, Madeline, and runs another scam involving the exhumation of war victims. The novel explores themes of brutality, compassion, heroism, and cowardice through the intertwined lives of the three men.