The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb (review)

Among the many war criminals who slipped through the net at the close of World War II was Adolph Eichmann, the SS officer in charge of transporting Jews to slave labor and extermination camps for Hitler's Final Solution. A chance sighting of Eichmann in Argentina is brought to the attention of the German government, but the evidence isn't enough to act upon. The Israelis, more focused on nation building than prosecutions, also are initially reluctant to pursue leads. When more credible intelligence is finally collected, however, and placed in the hands of people with a will to follow through, the wheels of justice begin to turn. In this reworking of his adult title, Hunting Eichmann, for a youth audience, Bascomb reconstructs the 1960 pursuit and capture of Eichmann by Israeli defense forces with edge-of-your-seat immediacy. Readers follow the patient surveillance, carefully laid traps, tricky transportation issues, split-second coordination, thorough backup plans, and of course, creative reaction when, inevitably, pieces fall apart. Fans of Steve Sheinkin will be equally appreciative of Bascomb's strong storytelling, his careful notes (which frequently comment on conflicting evidence), and his inclusion of some seriously cool images ranging from artwork created by one of Eichmann's captors to spy camera photos of Eichmann's tiny brick residence in Argentina. An extensive bibliography, arranged by media type, is included, as well as an index.