Hunting Evil

The Nazi War Criminals Who Escaped and the Quest to Bring Them to Justice

By: Guy Walters

Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley

Already acclaimed in England as "first-rate" (The Sunday Times); “a model of meticulous, courageous and path-breaking scholarship"(Literary Review); and "absorbing and thoroughly gripping… deserves a lasting place among histories of the war.” (The Sunday Telegraph), Hunting Evil is the first complete and definitive account of how the Nazis escaped and were pursued and captured -- or managed to live long lives as fugitives.

At the end of the Second World War, an estimated 30,000 Nazi war criminals fled from justice, including some of the highest ranking members of the Nazi Party. Many of them have names that resonate deeply in twentieth-century history -- Eichmann, Mengele, Martin Bormann, and Klaus Barbie -- not just for the monstrosity of their crimes, but also because of the shadowy nature of their post-war existence, holed up in the depths of Latin America, always one step ahead of their pursuers. Aided and abetted by prominent people throughout Europe, they hid in foreboding castles high in the Austrian alps, and were taken in by shady Argentine secret agents. The attempts to bring them to justice are no less dramatic, featuring vengeful Holocaust survivors, inept politicians, and daring plots to kidnap or assassinate the fugitives.

In this exhaustively researched and compellingly written work of World War II history and investigative reporting, journalist and novelist Guy Walters gives a comprehensive account of one of the most shocking and important aspects of the war: how the most notorious Nazi war criminals escaped justice, how they were pursued, captured or able to remain free until their natural deaths and how the Nazis were assisted while they were on the run by "helpers" ranging from a Vatican bishop to a British camel doctor, and even members of Western intelligence services. Based on all new interviews with Nazi hunters and former Nazis and intelligence agents, travels along the actual escape routes, and archival research in Germany, Britain, the United States, Austria, and Italy, Hunting Evil authoritatively debunks much of what has previously been understood about Nazis and Nazi hunters in the post war era, including myths about the alleged “Spider” and “Odessa” escape networks and the surprising truth about the world's most legendary Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal.

From its haunting chronicle of the monstrous mass murders the Nazis perpetrated and the murky details of their postwar existence to the challenges of hunting them down, Hunting Evil is a monumental work of nonfiction written with the pacing and intrigue of a thriller.

No Paradise in South America for Nazis

Very interesting and informative. Well written with a good narration. I thought the information on Simon Wiesenthal was over done.I'm an Irish Catholic who grew up in a Jewish neighborhood. So am always drawn to find out what happened to these people ,who did so much harm.I wouldn't call them monsters because they were human beings. I've learned through this and other books, most end their days lonely and afraid.

Absolutely extraordinary achievement

Riveting and absolutely infuriating. The lack of will to bring justice in these cases mystifies and angers me. The book is well written, but for the neophyte (me), jumps around person to person (story to story) in an attempt (?) to be a universal more chronological document as opposed to a case study. I started to lose track of names, when and in what context each was last mentioned. Sadly, in an audio book, you can’t just page back to reacquaint yourself. 4 stars for the choppiness, not the material. The Narrator was excellent and I will look for him in future.

I didn't realize how little effort was put into finding these criminals and how many of them never faced judgements.

Excellent book about the effort to bring Nazi war criminals to justice, the mishaps, the confusion and what became of them.

Absolutely riveting!

this account of post-war Nazi escapes and captures has more information than any of the previous documentaries I have ever watched. it is absolutely worth your while if you are interested in World War 2 history

interesting

I gave this a 5-star because of performance and my interest in history. as I listen to this it is a book that has an argument with Simon wiesenthal and his Nazi hunting. I am not sure I can recommend this book but I am glad that I listen to it