The Watchmaker's War

De: Danny Ben-Moshe

How far would a man go for justice?

Yakov Holtzman arrives as 'a displaced person' in Melbourne—a destination as far away as it is possible to get from the graveyard that is Europe. He has put behind him the years he spent as a Nazi resistance leader with a band of partisans in the forests of Lithuania—and the family he lost—to join his brother and start a new life as the watchmaker he once was.

Yakov now looks for solace—and love—in the fragmented and traumatised community of Jewish refugees taking root in a new land. But it is not long before disturbing signs of Nazi activity start appearing in the quiet streets the St Kilda community inhabits—swastikas, threats and, worst of all, faces that look like murderous enemies from the past.

Yakov's old instincts are revived and a new mission forms. Who are these people? Why does it seem the authorities are protecting them? And how best can justice—or revenge—be served?

Based on a true story of Nazi hunters in Australia, and war criminals with links to the top of Australia's spy agency, this is a compelling tale of revenge, justice, shame and the lingering trauma of genocide.

©2026 Danny Ben-Moshe (P)2026 HarperCollins Publishers