I'm sure on some level the authors wanted this piece to read like a
'detective novel', introducing new characters, setting up discoveries
and leaving off chapters with 'cliff hangers'; unfortunately the end
result is wholly lacking. The real story here is not about the hunt for
the 'Eternal Nazi' but about the obstacles 'Nazi hunters' faced within
West Germany and parts of the rest of the world. At times, those tasked
with bringing Nazi war criminals to justice (be they self-appointed or
assigned by a higher up) relied on information that came from a pool of
rumors, false reports, and even uncorroborated witness testimony of
those who were already dead. Thus, Aribert Heim was originally misnamed
(known by his brother's name) and given an incorrect place of birth,
making it that much harder to track and find him. Additionally, in the
early post-war years, West Germany and in part Austria, had little
interest in pursuing or harshly punishing Nazi War criminals who
numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Escape networks were set up for
former Nazis and members of the SS; many changed their names and escaped
Europe while others simply switched one master for another and began to
infiltrate the West German government and various public institutions.
It was in their interest to forget the Nazi years and those working to
remember and seek justice for what happened were continually looked at
with contempt for trudging up the past. SS Doctor Aribert Heim was one
of those lucky enough to be overlooked and then given a chance to escape
to Egypt, where he lived a good enough lifestyle being sustained by his
family's income from rents. There's nothing really 'gritty' or
'mysterious' about a war criminal living a rather mundane everyday
existence with family visits. Thus the book falls flat on suspense,
which combined with weak writing and needless concentration on literary
descriptions made this book a chore rather than an experience or a
thrill to see how the 'story' would end.
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