Before reading "Quisling", what I knew of the man was that he was the WWII fascist leader of Norway and that his name became synonymous with the word "traitor". Having read "Quisling", I'm almost tempted to think the poor chap had a bad rap.

In 1940, the royal family and the Norwegian government fled to England ahead of the German invasion of their country. Quisling decided he was the most senior Norwegian figure still in the country, so assumed power so he could negotiate with the Germans. So, really, Quisling's big sin, according to Hewins, was that he thought he could negotiate with the devil.

The author (who was also the man who coined the word "Quisling" to mean "traitor") has a fairly sympathetic view of Quisling and casts Josef Terboven, Reichscommissar for Norway) as the chief villain. And the book is worth reading alone for details of how Terboven "escaped" capture by the allies.

"Quisling" is a great start for information on a forgotten man that played a bigger role in Twentieth Century history than we care to remember. ( )