Rabbi Ben Zvi Kantorwicz, an Auschwitz survivor, is a leader in the Aleph Bet and a legendary protector who’s successfully hunted down each of his targets, save one—a German war colonel named Helmut Mussman, currently headquartered in Denver, Colorado, who’s managed to evade capture and is now driving the attempted takeover of the remnant Nazis. When Ben Zvi finds himself on trial in 1964 for avenging the murder of a Jewish grandfather, his Auschwitz history with Mussman crops up in more ways than one, and Shabel (author of Four Women) expertly bounces the story between the novel’s present timeline and Auschwitz in the 1940s.
The plot brims with twists and conspiracies, delivering fast-paced thrills while wrestling with themes of discrimination and the morality of revenge, as the Aleph Bet leaders seek to answer just how far they should go to protect their own—and when the killing will stop, if ever. Shabel’s experience as an attorney is evident throughout, illuminated in his believable courtroom scenes that are rich with dramatic flair and rhetoric, though the graphic violence and murders are not for the squeamish. For fans of history-driven suspense paired with intense action, this is a gripping read.
Takeaway: Breakneck Nazi-hunting page-turner in the aftermath of World War II.
Comparable Titles: Joseph Kanon’s The Accomplice, Alan Elsner’s The Nazi Hunter.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A