"Hunting Eichmann" by Neal Bascomb

"When I stand before you here, Judges of Israel, to lead the Prosecution fo Adolf Eichmann, I am not standing alone. With me are six million accusers. But they cannot rise to their feet and point an accusing finger towards him who sits in the dock and cry: "I accuse." For their ashes are piled up on the hills of AUschwitz and the fields of Treblinka and are strewn in the forests of Poland. Their graves are scattered throughout the length and breadth of Europe. Their blood cries out, but their voice is not heard. Therefore I will be their spokesman." - Gideon Hausner, attorney general prosecuting Adolph Eichmann

This pick caught my attention in a review I read from Southern Seminary President Al Mohler. Hunting Eichmann retells the story of the pursuit and capture of Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi who was the head organizer of the "final solution" for the Jews and oversaw the death of millions. His trial would go down as one of the most important trials in history. In the news just this morning I saw that a man was charged with atrocities during the Holocaust when he was a guard at an extermination camp in Poland. If it wasn't for the success of the Eichmann hunt, things could have gone much differently.

The book reads like a spy thriller, which indeed it is. We get a detailed description of what espionage looked like after World War 2. It's a fascinating account of Eichmann's escape, and the small band of spies who had to overcome their own suffering and haunting memories of the deaths of their loved ones. They had to reopen old wounds in order to face the evil head-on and assure that the world would see this man brought to justice.

Because of this, it is much more than a real life spy thriller. During a time when Nazi-hunting was on the decline and many wanted to simply move on after the holocaust, the tireless effort to press on despite incredible obstacles thrust the deeds of the Nazi regime onto the public stage for the world to bear witness to. Eichmann would be brought to justice by the state of Israel at a fair hearing. The significance of that statement would be difficult to overstate.

I imagine it's hard to write a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat even when you know the ending. Bascomb accomplishes this very thing. Pick this one up and I doubt you will be disappointed.