{"product_id":"perfect-horse-book-elizabeth-letts-9781524709303","title":"The Perfect Horse","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER - From the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Eighty-Dollar Champion, \u003c\/i\u003ethe remarkable story of the heroic rescue of priceless horses in the closing days of World War II\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find--his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world's finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine--an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With only hours to spare, one of the U.S. Army's last great cavalrymen, Colonel Hank Reed, makes a bold decision--with General George Patton's blessing--to mount a covert rescue operation. Racing against time, Reed's small but determined force of soldiers, aided by several turncoat Germans, steals across enemy lines in a last-ditch effort to save the horses. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Pulling together this multistranded story, Elizabeth Letts introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters: Alois Podhajsky, director of the famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna, a former Olympic medalist who is forced to flee the bomb-ravaged Austrian capital with his entire stable in tow; Gustav Rau, Hitler's imperious chief of horse breeding, a proponent of eugenics who dreams of genetically engineering the perfect warhorse for Germany; and Tom Stewart, a senator's son who makes a daring moonlight ride on a white stallion to secure the farm's surrender. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A compelling account for animal lovers and World War II buffs alike, \u003ci\u003eThe Perfect Horse\u003c\/i\u003e tells for the first time the full story of these events. Elizabeth Letts's exhilarating tale of behind-enemy-lines adventure, courage, and sacrifice brings to life one of the most inspiring chapters in the annals of human valor. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Perfect Horse\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWinningly readable . . . Letts captures both the personalities and the stakes of this daring mission with such a sharp ear for drama that the whole second half of the book reads like a WWII thriller dreamed up by Alan Furst or Len Deighton. . . . The right director could make a Hollywood classic out of this fairy tale.\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Letts, a lifelong equestrienne, eloquently brings together the many facets of this unlikely, poignant story underscoring the love and respect of man for horses.\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Perfect Horse\u003c\/i\u003e raises the narrative bar. Applying her skills as a researcher, storyteller and horsewoman, Letts provides context that makes this account spellbinding.\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eCulturess\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Perfect Horse\u003c\/i\u003e is an enthralling and moving story that I could not put down. This is a riveting and unique perspective on World War II.\u003cb\u003e--Molly Guptill Manning, author of \u003ci\u003eWhen Books Went to War\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePassionately told and dazzling in scope, \u003ci\u003eThe Perfect Horse\u003c\/i\u003e charges headlong into an unforgettable tale of World War II, when good men were given a final mission--to save beloved horses--at an hour when no one wanted to die. In Elizabeth Letts, the saga of World War II's white stallions has found its perfect guardian.\u003cb\u003e--Adam Makos, author of \u003ci\u003eA Higher Call\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eElizabeth Letts's beautiful prose, woven together with meticulous research, takes you for a ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.\u003cb\u003e--Robin Hutton, author of \u003ci\u003eSgt. Reckless\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49884953411857,"sku":"CIN1524709301G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51033636634897,"sku":"NIN9781524709303","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52089367691537,"sku":"NLS9781524709303","price":23.62,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1524709301.jpg?v=1751244412","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/products\/perfect-horse-book-elizabeth-letts-9781524709303","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}