The Boys from Brazil

By: Ira Levin

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

The classic thriller of Dr. Josef Mengele's nightmarish plot to restore the Third Reich.

Alive and hiding in South America, the fiendish Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele gathers a group of former colleagues for a horrifying project. Barry Koehler, a young investigative journalist, gets wind of the scheme and informs famed Nazi hunter Yakov Liebermann, but before he can relay the evidence, Koehler is killed.

Thus Ira Levin opens one of the strangest and most masterful novels of his career. Why has Mengele marked a number of harmless aging men for murder? What is the hidden link that binds them? What interest can they possibly hold for their killers: Six former SS men dispatched from South America by the most wanted Nazi still alive, the notorious "Angel of Death"? One man alone must answer these questions and stop the killings - Liebermann, himself aging and thought by some to be losing his grip on reality.

At the heart of The Boys from Brazil lies a frightening contemporary nightmare, chilling and all too possible.

©1976 Ira Levin (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Nazi Hunter Hounds Angel of Death

This thriller is set in 1974 as the fictional Ezra Lieberman, a Nazi hunter based loosely on Simon Wiesenthal, is contacted by a U.S. reporter on the job in Brazil who just heard of a plan by Josef Mengele, infamously called the "Angel of Death," to activate ODESSA (former SS members on the loose in South America) in order to kill 94 men. The only link among the men who have thus far been killed is they were murdered just after reaching age 65; otherwise, they seem to share no common traits.

The chilling novel tracks Lieberman as he desperately tries to determine the link among the targeted men before more are killed (why does Mengele want these seemingly harmless men dead?) and attempts to track down Mengele.

While some parts of the novel are dated (mainly because most any SS officer in the Third Reich, if alive, would be near 100 or older), the genetic engineering premise is much more likely than it was in 1976 upon the novel's publication.

A hearty recommendation for a change from the glutted market and often overlapping scenery of recently-published mystery/suspense novels.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

If you want to be paranoid then read this book.

If you could sum up The Boys from Brazil in three words, what would they be?

Believable; Capture; Wonder

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Boys from Brazil?

Point of origin for the 94 Boys.

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

None

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Ending

Any additional comments?

Very good book and much enjoyed. Rapidly paced but with good detail to walk the reader through the various scenes of the book. I highly recommend.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

good read

I thought the book was good and I'm now excited to watch the movie of the same name.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

great book I enjoyed it

very interesting book to listen to even though it is fiction it is easy to believe its pretense this is an excellent narrator I have listened to many of his narrations of stories I plan to listen to more of the Levine books enjoy

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Did it Happen?

Have human beings been cloned? This story either reveals a hidden truth - or spins an entertaining yarn. Great narration and a colorful, well-paced story. I enjoyed it.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great combination of history in suspense!

If you’re interested in World War II history, or the aftermath of the Holocaust, but with a twist, I would definitely recommend this book. Or if you appreciate mysteries with a global slant, you will definitely appreciate this book. I will admit that, as someone who picked it up because I love this writer his other work, I found the historical aspect a little bit slow to get into. It’s clear from the outset that there is a conspiracy at work, but the start to the book did feel a little slow. However, all of the history and politics were beautifully integrated and easy to follow even for someone who is a complete non-expert, and the core of the conspiracy was more than worth waiting for! The premise is really very fascinating! In the end, as Leavins tend to be, is disturbing in a completely wonderful way.

run do not walk

This book was amazing. I thought maybe it would be too "dated". But it wasn't. Very well done. To read about Mengele and "what if". This book kept my attention from beginning to very end. the narrator did an excellent job of bringing these characters to life.