Sunday, October 23, 2011

HUNTING EICHMANN by Neil Bascomb

The first complete narrative of the pursuit and capture of Adolf Eichmann, based on groundbreaking new information and interviews. When the Allies stormed Berlin in the last days of the Third Reich, the operational manager of the mass murder of Europe’s Jews shed his SS uniform and vanished.

Alternating from a criminal on the run to his pursuers closing in on his trail ,Hunting Eichmann follows the Nazi as he escapes two American POW camps, hides in the mountains, slips out of Europe on the ratlines, and builds an anonymous life in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, a persistent search for Eichmann gradually evolves into an international manhunt that includes a bulldog West German prosecutor, a blind Argentinean Jew and his beautiful daughter, and a budding, ragtag spy agency called the Mossad, whose operatives have their own scores to settle.

My Thoughts:

There is a quote at the very beginning of the book "Justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done." - Lord Chief Justice Gordon Hewart, 1924. This quote will make sense once you have read the book.
Wow – this book was very, very good. I love it when an author takes a true story and writes about it in such a way that it is still suspenseful.  Even though we know the ending, how does it all go down?  How does Eichmann escape from Germany?  How did he stay under the radar for so long?  How was he found?  And then the big question – how did they get him??
 I learned allot by reading this book.  Eichmann was responsible for heading what was called “The Final Solution of the Jewish Question.”   Can you imagine – naming a plan to exterminate human beings with this kind of title.   How frightening.  I was also not aware of the involvement of the Catholic church in helping war criminals escape from Germany.  As a former Catholic, I can only say – how sad.
Probably the most exciting part of the story was the plot to get Eichmann out of Argentina and into Israel.  The logistics seemed almost overwhelming.  It all had to be secret – there was no help for the Mossad from any other country.  There were only two ways out – by air or by water, and each route had its own set of difficulties to overcome.  Oh – the intrigue, the planning, the tension – I can’t give any of it away – it’s too integral to the overall story.  You’ll just have to read the book!
This book was so well written – so well organized, I know I am going to have to check out more books by Mr. Bascomb. 
I gave this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

2 comments:

  1. Wow..this looks good and your review..wonderful, delightful and intoxicating..you make me want to go out and get the book..:)

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  2. I would be happy to mail it to you.

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