Publisher about the book:
On the centenary of the assassination in Sarajevo, renowned author and Habsburg expert Janko Ferk has written a historical novel about Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand and his assassin Gavrilo Princip.
The historical arc of the narrative takes the author from the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 to the assassination and death of Gavrilo Princip in 1918. The historically structured novel tensely describes the life paths of the assassin and the heir to the throne, all the way to their tragic meeting on June 28, 1914.
The author had access to original historical sources. He integrated them into the text, enriching the novel with exceptional authenticity.
Franz Ferdinand's fate was sealed not only by ready-made assassins, but also by incompetent Austro-Hungarian officials who gave the heir to the throne a false sense of security at a time when the Balkans were turning against the dynasty. Franz Ferdinand and his morganatic wife Sophie were given a reception that led Austria-Hungary into World War I and ultimately to its end.