Bascomb, Neal. The Nazi Hunters.

Bascomb, Neal.  The Nazi Hunters.  Scholastic/Arthur Levine  2013  245p  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-545-43099-9  ms/hs  Nonfiction  VG-BN      

This well-written book describes how a team of volunteers, Israeli Secret Service, spies and survivors worked together to locate Adolph Eichmann in Argentina, capture him, and secretly extradite him to Jerusalem for trial. Adolf Eichmann was one of the most notorious war criminals of the Holocaust who was responsible for sending millions to death camps under Adolf Hitler’s plan to solve “the Jewish problem.”

The plot is straightforward and the writing is thoughtful, yet not overladen with sentimentality. While the book reads like a novel, it chronologically and factually presents the capture and trial of Adolf Eichmann.

Obviously, Neal Bascomb has spent a lot of time researching and finding primary accounts related to the capture.  The inclusion of primary documents, photographs and illustrations adds to the credibility of the crisply written text and adds validity and clarification.  Bascomb also responsibly comments in the author’s note that he has recorded information as accurately as possible but that “now, despite my best efforts, my reconstruction of these events is no doubt imperfect.”

Because of the chronological arrangement and novel-like feel of the writing, this nonfiction book will captivate readers as they learn of the horrid acts of Adolf Eichmann and his involvement in the Holocaust. Additionally, a list of the participants provides lucidity for the reader. The book concludes with an epilogue, a comprehensive bibliography, notes for each chapter, the author’s note, and an index, all of which make this book a fabulous research resource tool as well.        

Summary: This book describes how a team of spies and survivors locate and capture Adolf Eichmann, one of the world’s most notorious war criminals of the Holocaust.

Eichmann, Adolf, 1906-1962                                  --Virginia McGarvey