The Good Assassin

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. Jacob Medad, the misfit Mossad agent who had kidnapped Adolf Eichmann three years earlier, knew if Cukurs was not captured soon, he may never be brought to justice. In a thrilling undercover operation unrivalled by even the most ambitious spy novels, Medad traveled to Brazil in an elaborate disguise, befriended Cukurs and earned his trust, while negotiations to extend Nazi innocence neared a boiling point.

THE GOOD ASSASSIN uncovers this little-known slice of Holocaust history and the pulse-pounding undercover operation that brought Cukurs to justice.

About the Author

STEPHAN TALTY is the best-selling author of The Black Hand,Agent Garbo, and A Captain’s Duty. His books have been made into two films, the Oscar-winning Captain Phillips and Only the Brave. He’s written for publications including the New York Times Magazine,GQ, and Playboy. He lives outside New York City with his family.