Rating: 
Summary: I was hoping for a well-written page-turner, but...
Review: After hearing a very favorable review on NPR, I put The Statement on the top of my reading list. So, I was very disappointed to figure out the end before I had finished the first 25 pages. The plot held promise but Moore delivered it with leaden prose. Brossard's thoughts, repeated throughout the book, offered little insight (he didn't want to get caught, etc.) and the characters were drawn with minimal strokes.
I laughed at the lone scene of brief nudity in the book. It seems as if it were inserted solely for the purpose of eliciting a blurb like "...a sexy, taut thriller, blah blah blah".
Rating: 
Summary: Where was the thrill?
Review: Being a fan of WW II thrillers I was excited to read a good
review of "The Statement" and bought it immediately. In a
nutshell, I was disappointed all around. The story line was boring, the plot was obvious and the characters remained
undeveloped and were unsympathetic. Where was the thrill?
Books like "Enigma" and "Fatherland" are what I call thrillers!
Rating: 
Summary: France, during and after WWII, examined under a microscope.
Review: Both suspenseful and revelatory, Moore's story of the search for 70-year-old Maurice Brossard, a man who believes he acted righteously when he killed fourteen Jews chosen at random in Dombey, France, during World War II, reveals as much about the character of France and Frenchmen as it does about the man who killed in her name. Maurice Brossard, as a young man, was a member of the milice, an active supporter of Marshall Petain and his Vichy government. Believing that the Resistance was anti-France, consisting primarily of Communists intent upon destroying the country's traditional values, specifically the old Catholic values of the conservative church, Brossard was, for many years, afforded protection from prosecution. A resident guest in numerous abbeys and convents, he was financially supported by conservative groups representing both the church and political factions, eventually receiving a pardon by the French President. Now, accused of crimes against humanity, he is on the run, this time not knowing who it is who hunts him. A multitude of brotherhoods, many of them secret, are revealed in all their nefarious dealings as they seek to restore the glorious heritage they believe to be at the very heart of French civilization. Conservative priests, supporters of Pope Pius XII's position during the war, schismatic groups, political organizations opposed to the chauvinism of DeGaulle, police who have crimes of their own to hide, and politicians whose own pasts are far from innocent all have an interest in Brossard's life--or death. Additionally, Jewish groups, who feel that justice has not been done, seek retribution. The suspense here is palpable as various groups seek Brossard for their own ends, and the story is full of action, betrayal, and additional murders. What gives this novel depth is that each group fully justifies their positions on ethical, moral, and philosophical grounds. Moore presents a complex story of the complex French character in ways which are unique, and he does so within a framework of a fast-paced, intellectually challenging pursuit. Jewish readers, in particular, will find the language and attitudes reflected here to be especially offensive--and as horrifying as Moore obviously intends them to be.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is a spine tingler that keeps you guessing!
Review: Brian Moore does a superb job of giving his reader a
feel for what it was like during the Nazi occupation of France. Pierre Brossard is the type of character who inspires
mixed emotions. Early in the book you feel he has repented
for his sins by embracing the Catholic Church. As the book continues you realize that Brossard has not really changed
at all, and has convinced himself that his killing of the 14
Jews in WWII was justified. You really feel the suspense at
the end of the book wondering if he will get away! Wonderful
book! I would highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent suspense, but somewhat predictable
Review: Brian Moore has succeeded in creating a true masterpiece of suspense. While the work was somewhat predictable (I had a good idea who was behind Brossard's assassination attempts very early in the book), it still keeps you guessing until literally the last page. While Moore does not generate a strong emotional connection between the reader and the protagonist, it must be noted that the reader is not very likely to sympathise with a Nazi war criminal in the first place. The book has a pseudo-religious undertone that deepens the plot. If Brossard has truly repented for his sins, does anyone have the right to punish him? Isn't the purpose of punishment to rehabilitate and correct the errors of a criminal? It would seem that, if Brossard has truly repented, then punishing him at this point would be a mere act of petty revenge, not an act of justice. This theme lingers in the background throughout the length of the book, heightening the suspense and lending a unique air of tension to the plot. This is a MUST read!
Rating:
Summary: Can crimes against humanity be forgiven?
Review: Brian Moore has succeeded in writing a story regarding war crimes in France. The whole story is centered around the death of fourteen Jews at Dombey and their executioner named Brossard. This fugutive from justice has been protected at the highest levels of government and by the Catholic Church. All is done in the guise of some sort of false ideals of French nationalism. The story is an intriging one. There are the Chevaliers, Catholic clergy and monastic orders all protecting Brossard. In the end, it is surprising to see who actually brings this man to justice, unfortunately all for the wrong reasons, because you see Brossard's death masks the crimes of others. This book is a great one to read and I would recommend it to anyone
Rating:
Summary: Religious-political thriller par excellence
Review: Brian Moore's "The Statement" is a religious-political thriller par excellence. From start to finish, the pace never lets up. The refugee war criminal with blood on his hands is harboured by friends in high places and hunted relentless by enemies seeking revenge for the war crimes he perpetrated during the Nazi era in France. His razor-sharp antennae goes into overdrive each time danger approaches, with surprising results. That he is a ruthless criminal with a dangerously flawed conscience there is no doubt, so when he comes to his sticky end, there's only the feeling that he's had his just deserts. But has justice been done ? What about his powerful protectors ? Aren't they just as guilty, if not more ? Moore's insightful portrayal of the Catholic Church, its monastries, underground sects and secretive subsidiary organs as human institutions is a powerful reminder that the Church, however catholic, is ultimately comprised of individuals, each with his own thoughts and beliefs, and as long as its members remain also members of secular society, the Church cannot stop them from acting in secret according to the dictates of their own conscience, however flawed or wrongminded. Moore is a master of this genre. "The Statement" has all the ingredients of a first class thriller that will satisfy his fans and win over lots more.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting - though too sketchy - thriller
Review: Brian Moore's "The Statement" revolves around many of the complex moral issues of French collaboration during the Occupation even though it takes place 45 years after the Liberation. Pierre Brossard, an elderly ex-Milicien, has been on the run most of his life, hiding out from the French authorities who have charged him with crimes against humanity. Brossard is, paradoxically, unrepentant for his previous crimes (he ordered the deaths of 14 Jews during the war) and desperate to be assured of God's forgiveness. What he did, he felt, was defend the church, and the "true" France, against its enemies. Many of his Church cronies, who shelter him in a variety of monasteries and priories, accept his "repentance" even as they shield him from justice - a strategy that begins to unravel when Brossard finds himself pursued by a super-secret group that wants to kill him in revenge for his wartime crimes. Moore is strongest when he delves inside the conscious of this hunted man. We never like Brossard, and his racism and violence are truly appalling, but Moore skillfully works us inside his fear, his (misguided) sense of loss, suppressed anger, and his contradictory desire to attain divine forgiveness while fleeing from earthly punishment. Unfortunately the other people in "The Statement" are a bit too sketchly drawn out - there's a slew of almost interchangable reactionary Catholic priests and the police officers in pursuit of Brossard are not too terribly interesting either. Some of the plotting is a bit sloppy as well - careful reading will reveal the identity of the secret revenge group long before Moore wants us to know and he introduces characters, such as Judge Livi, who have no real need to be in this story. Ultimately, "The Statement" works best as a character study about a bitter and appalling old man, who chose the wrong side in history, and who wants to go heaven without suffering for his sins (which he doesn't truly believe to have been sins anyway). When "The Statement" sticks with Pierre Brossard, its lucid but when it cuts to the supporting cast, its far less engaging.
Rating:
Summary: A disturbing morality tale
Review: Brian Moore's 1996 novel The Statement combines nail-biting suspense with a subtle and disturbing morality tale. Pierre Brossard, in his eighth decade, is on the run both from the French police and Zionist groups who want to kill him. Brossard unquestionably is a war criminal (he ordered 14 Jews shot and killeb decause of their religion), but one who remains unrepentant in his hatreds and bigotry. The reader is given little reason to sympathize with him, other than that he has been hounded for so many years. A secret group, apparently Zionist, seeks to have Brossard killed and a "statement" pinned to his body recounting his fifty-year-old crime. In self-defense, Brossard shoots and kills two would-be assassins. The investigating judge wants to have him arrested and brought to trial, but is in a race with the would-be killers to find him. Convervative anti-Vatican groups in the Catholic Church hide him as he seeks asylum from place to place in France. I will not spoil the ending by disclosing who finds Brossard first. Suffice to say that the reader is sharply torn between wishing "rough" but final justice for Brossard, and wishing him brought to trial (I never hoped for his escape from everyone). Moore's story sharply poses the questions of whether justice for war crime a half-century ago may ever be pardoned, or whether mercy or forgiveness may finally be appropriate (even when the evil-doer never repents of his beliefs). He leaves the answer to each reader.
Rating:
Summary: Very predictable
Review: Did not live up to the blurb on the front - did not even touch the surface of the moral issues involved in the conviction of war criminals. It was also predictable. However, it was a good read and only disappointing if you expect some deeper social comment, which I did.
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