The Good Assassin

How a Mossad Agent and a Band of Survivors Hunted Down the Butcher of Latvia

By: Stephan Talty

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

The untold story of an Israeli spy’s epic journey to bring the notorious Butcher of Latvia to justice - a case that altered the fates of all ex-Nazis.

Before World War II, Herbert Cukurs was a famous figure in his small Latvian city, the “Charles Lindbergh of his country.” But by 1945, he was the Butcher of Latvia, a man who murdered some thirty thousand Latvian Jews. Somehow, he dodged the Nuremberg trials, fleeing to South America after war’s end.

By 1965, as a statute of limitations on all Nazi war crimes threatened to expire, Germany sought to welcome previous concentration camp commanders, pogrom leaders, and executioners, as citizens. The global pursuit of Nazi criminals escalated to beat the looming deadline, and Mossad, the Israeli national intelligence agency, joined the cause. Yaakov Meidad, the brilliant Mossad agent who had kidnapped Adolf Eichmann three years earlier, led the mission to assassinate Cukurs in a desperate bid to block the amnesty. In a thrilling undercover operation unrivaled by even the most ambitious spy novels, Meidad traveled to Brazil in an elaborate disguise, befriended Cukurs and earned his trust, while negotiations over the Nazi pardon neared a boiling point.

The Good Assassin uncovers this little-known chapter of Holocaust history and the pulse-pounding undercover operation that brought Cukurs to justice.

©2020 Stephan Talty (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

Critic reviews

"Talty efficiently mines archival records for vivid details and tracks the complexities of Medad’s undercover mission with flair. The result is a captivating and gruesome real-life spy thriller." (Publishers Weekly)

"Compelling.... Talty remains true to his technique, delivering thoroughly researched, engrossing nonfiction in a thrillerlike narrative style.... As anti-Semitism surges once again, this page-turning history reminds us of the sanguinary consequences of unchecked hatred." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Thrilling.... A fast-paced, recommended work that enthralls, edifies, and reveals the disturbing extent to which Latvians and others participated in genocide." (Library Journal)

Exciting story important historical context

The story not only describes in phenomenal detail how Israel’s intelligence service brought biblical justice to the man known as “the hangman of Riga“ Latvia. The book goes beyond just describing the details of the operation. It also describes the operation in context to what was going on at the time this operation was undertaken. I think any fair minded individual who listens to the story, would conclude that their was more than enough evidence and very sound reasons for handling the disposition of this Nazi war criminal in the way they did. This operation definitely had repercussions, repercussions that are definitely still felt even today. I would argue that the repercussions are positive definitely for the state of Israel and the same is true for the rest of the world.

Reads like a spy novel

This is a phenomenal story phenomenally told. The narrator is equally as excellent for the audio book. I was on the edge of my seat; highly recommended.

phenomenal

I started the podcast so I came to read the book. it didn't disappoint. moments in the story are hard to hear, but I understand why it is important to know, to listen, to remember.

Read..Repeat..

After listening to the podcast the story pulled me in. The book did not disappoint.

Very Moving

I fell in love with the abridged version of this released via podcast which is not unlike an old radio show. The full book is very moving and at times very difficult to listen to. The cruelty and evil of the Holocaust are unrelatable to many in modern times of comfort. Some incompetent influencers have attempted to whitewash this historic tragedy through short-sighted attempts to monetize online content. Facing the uncomfortable truths in this book will help to ensure we never repeat the same mistakes.