The Nazi Hunter

A Novel

By: Alan Elsner

Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka

Brimming with surprising characters, chilling political revelations, and a heart-pounding climax, The Nazi Hunter is a thrilling debut and “an action-packed story” (Jewish Book World).

A gripping thriller, The Nazi Hunter mixes fierce partisan Washington politics, the search for ex-Nazi criminals, and a crazed, right-wing militia intent on bringing down the government.

Nicknamed “the Nazi Hunter”, Marek Cain, deputy director of the Office of Special Investigations at the Justice Department, has for 10 years been the point man for tracking down ex-Nazis who have fraudulently entered the United States since World War II and bringing them to justice.

Late one afternoon, a distraught German woman eludes security and slips into Cain’s office. “I have documents,” she says, “important documents only for the Nazi Hunter.” She promises to bring them the next day. When she doesn’t show, he dismisses her as just another crackpot. But when he reads in the Washington Post the next morning that the woman has been brutally murdered, he senses he’s on to something big. He must find those documents. The trail leads from Washington to Florida, to Boston, to Germany and Ukraine, and eventually to the Belzec extermination camp in Poland, where half a million Jews were murdered in the winter of 1942.

The Nazi Hunter is a thriller that combines romance, political intrigue, music, religion, and culture. Meticulously researched, it takes the listener on an intellectual journey into the seamy side of Washington, the heart of darkness in Europe, and the lair of America’s fascist militias. Nobody who hears it will fail to be entertained, amused, and profoundly moved.

©2007 Alan Elsner (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[A] gripping debut thriller…. [A] compelling tale.” ( Publishers Weekly)

A great listen, especially for being a freebie!

At first, I thought this was an actual account of someone's experiences, combining real-life quotes and stats within the fiction. The book is also written in a way that relayed firsthand experience, from a first-person perspective, so I was confused for the first half. But it really is a great story. I appreciated that the main character was a practicing orthodox Jew, because I learned smaller tidbits of that religion along the way.

The book is intense in places, and carries the story well. There are a few slow spots, but they pick up again after a few minutes. The story has smaller elements of romance, theology, action, sarcasm, and wit that I enjoyed, and clever puzzle pieces that gradually fall into place along the way. I enjoyed the narrator. He was not overly dramatic, had an even tone throughout the book, and he made characters distinguishable from one another. He also nailed the German/British/Russian accents throughout.

I was 90% satisfied with the ending, which I lacked a true ending for Marek's character. I wanted to know where he ended up after his actions revealing the Nazi. Everything else came to a pretty satisfactory conclusion. If you have a fascination with WWII and war criminals like I do, you will probably like this story!

excellent

well paced & nuanced plot lines - with an enjoyable look at observant modern jewry - also well read

slow start fast finish

I had a hard time getting into this story.
loved the narrator. book finished fast and changed direction.

Timely excellence in writing

A masterfully written novel, highly important for the whole world. Exciting and spiritually provoking. One of the best things I have read in years

Great Story Well Worth Reading...

However, the narration was poor. The narrator sounded at least 20 years older than the 36-year-old protagonist. Also, he often failed to change the pitch of his voice when speaking as a female. That being said the cadence of his narration was pleasant.

I enjoyed the story so much that I'm going to see what else Alan Elsner has written, which is probably why Audible gives us these freebies.