The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation

The New York Times bestseller, updated with a new Afterword

“Hums with living history, human warmth and indignation. . . . Sullivan circles all of these possibilities like Agatha Christie with Zoom and a time machine.”—New York Times

“A stunning piece of historical detective work, cleverly structured and grippingly written.”—Telegraph (UK)

Less a mystery unsolved than a secret well kept . . .

Using new technology, recently discovered documents, and sophisticated investigative techniques, an international team—led by a driven retired FBI agent—has begun to solve the mystery that has haunted generations Since World War II: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why?

More than thirty million people have read Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. Despite the many works devoted to Anne’s story—journalism, books, plays, and novels—none has ever conclusively explained how she, her family, and four others managed to live in hiding, undetected for more than two years—and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door.

With painstaking care, retired FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and a team of indefatigable investigators pored over tens of thousands of pages of documents—some never before seen—and interviewed scores of descendants of people familiar with the Franks. Utilizing methods developed by the FBI, the Cold Case Team meticulously pieced together the months leading to the infamous arrest—and came to a shocking and much debated conclusion.

The Betrayal of Anne Frank is the riveting story of their mission. Rosemary Sullivan introduces us to the investigators, explains the behavior of both the captives and their captors, and profiles a group of suspects. She vividly brings to life wartime Amsterdam, where no matter how careful you were, you could never take your own freedom—or survival—for granted.