Customer Reviews

The Nazi Hunter: A Novel

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This historical novel is captivating. During the second reading (I seldom read books twice) I couldn't put it down. The characters come to life and the twists and turns of the plot kept me hooked. This book is perfect for anyone who likes thrillers with accurate modern history, a little romance and a very unusual plot.

Simon Wiesenthal, the late, famous real-life Nazi hunter once remarked "I am not a Jewish James Bond..." The hero of Alan Elsner's novel The Nazi Hunter may not be a Jewish 007, but during the course of one investigation, he is forced to use his wits, wisdom and weapons to spectacular effect.

Alan Elsner is an award winning journalist with 30 years of experience under his belt. Most of that experience was garnered at that venerable global news service Reuters. For decades Elsner has gone head to head with captains of industry and heads of state in a pressure-cooker, sink-or-swim environment where there are no hacks, no faking it, and deadlines are a rare luxury. The man can write.

Elsner's first book, Gates of Injustice (2004), is a compelling exposé of the U.S. prison system: it tells how more than 2 million Americans came to be incarcerated, what it's really like on the inside and how a giant "prison-industrial complex" promotes imprisonment over other solutions.

His second book, Guarded by Angels (2005) is the thrilling true story of how three young Polish Jews (his father, uncle and their cousin) survived both Hitler and Stalin.

The Nazi Hunter (2007) is a novel and is Elsner's first foray into fiction. It is a page turner, hard to put down, and is among the most auspicious first novels I've read.

In his latest book he turns his formidable knowledge and expertise towards a gripping thriller weaving together fierce partisan politics, the search for ex-Nazi war criminals, romance, music and a crazed far-right militia intent on bringing down the government.

His protagonist, Marek Cain, a Nazi hunter in the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations, may not be a Jewish James Bond. He may prefer red wine (not shaken, not stirred) to martinis. But hey, how many action-adventure heroes keep kosher or suspend investigations for Sabbath observance?

Having been affected by my family's Holocaust experience, at first I was hesitant picking up, what appeared like `another Holocaust related book'. Despite my reservations, I was quickly enthralled, filled with suspense and with pride about the protagonist, the `hero amongst us.' I developed a strong personal `identification' with Marek, the Justice Department employee turned detective. I was also relieved that the plot takes place in the United States, many decades after the holocaust.

Because I really liked the book, I want to share with you my thoughts.

I thought it was superbly written, believable and compelling. Character development was excellent, especially given that the story involves suspense and action.

The author does a convincing job in merging Marek's cultural, psychological and spiritual world, his decisions and his detective work, expertly weaving it all into a suspenseful story. I almost never read detective stories, because they tend to lead you in one direction and solve the riddle in another direction, sometimes with new information, fabricated at the end. The Nazi Hunter evolved gradually, logically, adding needed information as it became available to Marek, and allowing the riddle to unfold logically, and the reader to hear the doubts and participate in the hunt.

I thank the author for this very satisfying book. I have already heartily recommended it to my friends.

I picked this up after having read more than I ever probably should have about the Holocaust. I knew that no one could tell me anything that I didn't already know -- yet I found this book spellbinding. Marek Cain, the Orthodox Jew who works for OSI in the Justice Department, is a quiet, bookish and unfulfilled man in his 30's, whose pulse quickens both over the strange visitor who promises him important documents for an investigation and the attractive young woman who works with him. In the course of the story, he will secure both of them -- and in the process find himself becoming a new and improved version of himself.

Here is a solidly-researched story of historical horrors that nonetheless has many sympathetic characters and enough twists to keep you turning pages. I read for most of the night and then lost a full day's work in my rush to finish it.

A remarkable novel from a novelist who is sure to become much better known very soon.

This turned out to be a very good book about Nazi hunting efforts by the
United States government. The hero of our story is Marek Cain. He works
for the Office of Special Investigations a unit within the Justice Dept.
A lady named Sophie Reiner visits Cain at his office. She claims to have
evidence that would implicate a prominent American as being a Nazi. She claims to have documentation to prove her accusations. She has information concerning the Belzec extermination camp. She leaves and Cain
does not hear back from her. He later discovers that she has been killed.
They search her apartment and find evidence that popular singer Roberto
Delatrucha was a Nazi. Delatrucha has a friendship with Speaker of the House Mitch Conroy. Conroy is trying to cut every department in the
Federal Government.
Cain begins a worldwide search for evidence on Delatrucha. Cain is also
being targeted by American Neo-Nazis because of his activities in the
Office of Special Investigations. This turned out to be a very action
packed book. This book also has a surprise ending. Be sure to read this book.

This novel is a combination of fact-based historical fiction and thriller with a healthy dose of reality about the nature of political influence. It is served with a twist of music, a touch of romance, and seasoned with a very interesting series of glimpses into the rituals and traditions of Orthodox Judaism. Marek Cain, the main character and voice of the novel, leads us on a gripping journey with many twists and a surprise resolution as he tracks a Nazi war criminal and uncovers much more than he bargained for. I really liked the accessible writing style. A very satisfying read from Mr. Elsner.

"The Nazi Hunter: A Novel" is a perfect first novel by long-time Reutgers news correspondent, Alan Elsner. The mark of a really good writer is the ability to take events from his own life and the pages of history, then put them in the clothes of fiction to make function and style work together in presenting a page-turning story. That's what Elsner has done--and beautifully.

The book is historical fiction based on information from the Holocaust trials, which will inevitably reveal one monstrous example of some of the horrors associated with the camps and the officers in charge. Part of that horror is coated with the sweet sounds of German lieder (love songs) to make dying easier--not for the victimized Jews but for the ease of the SS officers who forced thousands of Jews to die at one time in the Belzec camp in Poland.

A lovely romance threads the pages of the book. Amongst murder and mayhem lies the life-defining act of a sexual coming together of two of the investigators. If this sounds tawdry, it is not. It is a defiance in the face of all that is ugly and degrading about humans to find that core of life that comes through love and sex.

The book is definitely a thriller with all the attempts to murder the narrator/protagonist and all people close to him. Political connections involving important Washington people make the investigations a dangerous political minefield. Even an insider from the bureau leaks damaging information, with the intention of tarnishing the good name of the director.

Marek Cain, called Mark, (yes, he was teased as a boy in school) is the Jewish lead counsel in the government's Office of Special Investigations. The day Sophie Reiner walks into his office, dripping water from her raincoat on a very wet day, changes his life for the next several months.

Joining him in his quest to ascertain the truth surrounding Sophie is Lynn, his young assistant. Their search takes them to the Ukraine, where they interview two surviving Ukrainian soldiers, both at Belzec, then on to Poland and Belzec, a camp where all but two Jews were "exterminated."

At the center of the mystery and investigations is Roberto Delatrucha, a recognized Argentinian master singer of German lieder, who, among others, is about to receive a special arts medal by the President himself. Is he indeed the horrific SS officer they are investigating?

But the most astonishing aspect of the novel is the Jewish theme that forms the strongest thread. Cain is a devout Orthodox Jew, who follows the discipline of his religion: food, prayers, love, ritual. For it is ritual and what it symbolizes that binds all Jews with their one God in continuity and unity. For just a few moments the reader becomes part of this quietening of the spirit as Mark prays.

Elsner tells the reader in the end page that his grandparents were both killed at Belzec and that finally--after fifty years of total neglect--a memorial was created to honor the dead who died there.

"The Nazi Hunter"; I was drawn to the title as I have had a life long fascination for WWII and particularly the European Theatre; The Holocaust has also been a fascination and I feel strongly that it cannot be forgotten or debunked as we are always one generation away from apathy. I have ordered the book "Guarded by Angels" from Amazon by the same author.


I so thoroughly enjoyed "The Nazi Hunter" that I hated to see it end and tried to slow down a bit... I very much enjoyed Mr Elsner making Cain a religious Jew, the thoughts at the end of chapters from the evil one are chilling indeed. I can't remember a book where the writing has been so crystal clear......I enjoyed every minute of the read.

What made "The Nazi Hunter" especially compelling was the musical motif that ran throughout the novel. Images of the Shoah and a re-entry into that horrible historic time were heightened by the element of beauty as represented by the music of Schubert and Schumann. This unlikely pairing of tragedy and artistic/creative beauty deepened the emotional content of the story, and made the main character, Marek, more credible and authentic.
Elsner's own religious background is woven into the tale, adding a poignant sense of intimacy to the story. This is a well-conceived and enjoyable novel!

"The Nazi Hunter" is a compellingly thought-out, meticulously researched, exceedingly suspenseful work. It's intriguingly fact-packed and fast-paced. Elsner has expertly woven a cocktail of real-life facts and suspense fiction. This is a gripping page-turner!