Freddie saw the rebirth of the far-Right... and it frightened him

As a thrilling posthumous sequel to The Odessa File is published, Freddie Forsyth's co-writer Tony Kent reveals why the legendary Express columnist and novelist came out of retirement, the story they created... and why he'd have worked with his hero for free

- By Matt Nixson

FREDDIE Forsyth's thrilling 1972 novel about a sinister secret organisation dedicated to protecting former Nazis post-Second World War was largely conjured from his remarkable imagination.

Even then, in a curious case of life imitating art, SS war criminal Eduard Roschmann, whose name and backstory Freddie had purloined, was finally brought to justice in 1977 after a man watching the film version of The Odessa File in Argentina recognised the “Butcher of Riga” and denounced him.

Its sequel, Revenge of Odessa published earlier this week and a fitting testament to the veteran Express columnist's genius for a good story that helped him sell a staggering 75 million books was quite another matter.

Speaking shortly before his death aged 86 in June, Freddie revealed that he had been inspired to return to the subject matter of his second most famous book by the chilling rise of the far-Right across swathes of Europe.

"The political realities Odessa describes are still very much with us," he admitted. "I've been toying with an idea for a sequel for a few years. Working with the very talented Tony Kent, we've been able to conjure an exciting new, contemporary story."

Forsyth's co-writer Tony Kent explains why that sequel suddenly became so urgent to Freddie, years after his "retirement" from writing books.

"If there was a real Odessa first time round, it wasn't about bringing the Nazis back to power, but rather allowing them to survive and prosper," says Kent, 47, a leading barrister and bestselling author in his own right.

"What we've done with Revenge of Odessa is much more political it's about the actual rebirth of the Nazis. Freddie saw the return of the far-Right, especially in Germany and countries to the east, like Hungary, and it alarmed him."