Niklas Frank’s father was Hans Frank, Nazi governor of Poland, under whose rule three million people met horrific deaths. Seven when his father was executed at Nuremberg, he became a respected journalist. But his father’s career severely scarred him, as we learn from The Father: A Revenge (Biteback Publishing, £12.99; Tablet price £11.69). Part memoir, part biography, and based on Frank’s voluminous diaries and archives, it is bitter and unforgiving, every page marked with curse, condemnation and contempt. It is to be recommended only to those with stomachs strong enough to take the raw bile of the son’s vengeance.