The Good Assassin: How a Mossad Agent and a Band of Survivors Hunted Down the Butcher of Latvia

by Stephan Talty

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Israel, Holocaust, Espionage, World War II

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2020

About the author

Stephan Talty is the New York Times bestselling author of six acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction, as well as the Abbie Kearney crime novels. Originally from Buffalo, he now lives outside New York City.

Talty began as a widely-published journalist who has contributed to the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Men’s Journal, Time Out New York, Details, and many other publications. He is the author of the forthcoming thriller Hangman (the sequel to Black Irish), as well as Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Double Agent who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day (2012) and Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe that Ended the Outlaws Bloody Reign (2008).

His short e-book, The Secret Agent: In Search of America's Greatest World War II Spy was the best-selling Amazon Single of 2013.

Reviews

[Maine Colonial · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free publisher's advance review copy.

The focus of the book description is the 1965 Mossad assassination of Herbert Cukurs, known as the Butcher of Latvia for his brutal organization of and participation in the violent murders of tens of thousands of Latvian Jews. But there are two other stories here that are at least as interesting as the assassination plot.

In 1965, Germany was considering a 20-year statute of limitations that would effectively let all Nazis who participated in the Holocaust walk free if they had not yet been prosecuted. As was pointed out at the time, that would mean that if the conspiracy theory that Adolf Hitler was not dead proved true, he could not be prosecuted for his role in the murders of millions. Despite knowing that, and in the face of worldwide condemnation, it appeared until the last moment that the legislature would adopt this limit. Author Stephan Talty reminds us that this was at a time when nearly all Germans took the position that it was an evil few who were responsible for the Holocaust, and that all other Germans were just as much victims of these few as anybody else. Thousands of participants in the Holocaust had been prosecuted in the 20 years after the war ended, and they seemed to feel that was enough. That was particularly the sentiment among the political and judicial elites, who were well aware that many former Nazis were in Germany’s bureaucracy, in the legislature and in the judiciary.

The other interesting thread takes up most of the first half of the book. That is the issue of how native Latvians, who had previously been known for their acceptance of Jews, altered completely as soon as Germany invaded in 1941, driving out their previous Soviet occupiers of the past year or so. Latvians formed their own battalions and enthusiastically and brutally rounded up Jews and murdered them. These thugs roamed the streets and broke into homes to terrorize and round up Jews whose families had lived peacefully in Latvia, sometimes for generations. Talty presents the stories of a few of these, particularly a young woman named Zelma, who was hidden in plain sight by a sympathetic battalion member and who, after the war, worked tirelessly to tell the story of Latvian perpetrators, including Cukurs.

Even for someone who has read many WW2 histories, the first half of this book is hard to take. The descriptions of the horrors undergone by the victims are graphic, and it’s always sickening to see the core of evil that underlies a thin skin of civility in so many people. Talty describes how Nazi propaganda drove the false narrative that Jews had collaborated with the hated Soviet occupiers. Herbert Cukurs knew Yiddish and had never been known before the war as an anti-semite. Talty identifies a possible motivation for his joining the Latvian battalions, though of course it cannot explain his extreme brutality.

The stories of Cukurs’s postwar life in Brazil, and the Mossad’s execution plot were interesting, but to me not as thought-provoking as the backdrops. Talty makes a causal connection between the execution and the dramatic turnabout in the German legislature’s action on the statute of limitations. I’m not sure if I’m sold on causation, but the story of the statute of limitations issue is a valuable part of this book.

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good Assassin by Stephan Talty is two amazing stories in one.

One part is how Herbert Cukurs became the “Butcher of Latvia.” I should warn anyone reading this that the book does not shy away from proving how he got the moniker. Talty describes the horrible things he did as well as what his underlings did. I have read a lot of World War II books about the evil of the Nazis and Japanese and this narrative is visceral. Also, f— Nazis.

The second part is how Mossad tracked down Cukurs, who escaped to South America, and made him pay for his crimes. This part of the book ends in no less a brutal fashion than the World War II section, but at least the victim wasn’t innocent this time.

Talty is one of my favorite writers because he gets the emotion of the stories he tells. His narratives are always immersive, and you feel like you get to know the characters. This one is no exception. It is a great read and done very well, but beware. This is a brutal read.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written non-fiction book that treats the subject in 3 distinct parts of the book. One part of the book is a description of the Nazi Butcher of Latvia and his life before and after WWII. It also tells the story of the Latvian Jews that he slaughtered during the war and those who survived the war. Finally, it is the story of the Mossad agent and the effort taken to hunt the Butcher down in Brazil and execute him.

This book is of particular interest for me as I knew a Riga death camp survivor and have seen very little written about the atrocities in the Baltic states. If you are interests in WWII, Nazi atrocities, concentration camps or survivor stories, put this book on your reading list.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephan Talty's two novels featuring detective Abbie Kearney were precisely my cup of tea: intelligent crime stories rich with social detail and depth of character. The Good Assassin is the first of his non-fiction books I've read, and -- despite the grisly content -- it was a delightful surprise,

First, the writing. I don't want to say it was novelistic, but the narrative was lively and propulsive, with a well-structured "plot." That is, Talty laid out his story elements, encompassing more than 3 decades and several continents, with the skill of a master storyteller.

Second, the historical particulars. Even World War II buffs who have read widely about the holocaust may be unfamiliar with Latvia's version of the atrocities, or with the attempts to end prosecution of Nazi War criminals in the 1960s. Fascinating stuff!

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance readers copy.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible how they tracked down Herbert Cukurs “The butcher of Latvia” and plotted his demise thousands of miles away in South America.

The lengths they went through to culminate this well deserve mission is one of a kind.

[Eduard Kutscher · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a book... What a story...

The first half of this book was really difficult to take. The descriptions of the horrors undergone by the victims were so graphic. The second half was more like a spy novel.

Part historical account of unimaginable atrocities, part spy thriller, and part an examination of what turns humans into monsters

I really liked the writing. Even though a non-fiction book it was like reading a novel.

Because of the first half this book may be difficult for some people to read it, yet it's more than worthy. As George Santayana said: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

My rating of the book: 4 ⭐ / 5 ⭐

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is rated highly and praised in nearly every review I just read. I am feeling like I missed something. I read a ton of non-fiction, and also books about WWII and the holocaust, and I have read much better than this. For me it was just OK. Not bad, not great, just OK.

This is the story of Herbert Cukurs, The of Butcher of Latvia . Talty does not hold back and descriptively tells of the slaughter of the Jews of Riga. It is not for the squeamish. Cukurs survived the war and fled to Brazil to escape prosecution.

In 1965 Germany sought to invoke a stature of limitations on Nazi war crimes. Mossad joined the escalated pursuit to find Cukurs, and others like him. Jacob Medad, a well known Mossad agent led the hunt.

The author failed to pull me in.

[Virat Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only Mossad mission that we know of where a Nazi war criminal was assassinated. It was unlike the abduction and trial of Adolf Eichmann.
The reason for the murder to make headlines around the world had a Nobel reason- to prevent the Statute of Limitation law get passed which would have given amnesty to Nazi War Criminals.
The Latvian Butcher got what he deserved.

[Hunter Satterfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

New word: "Spavined" meaning "old and decrepit."

New word: "Obstreperous" meaning "noisy and difficult to control."

Big idea: The fear of being perceived as "not on the team" or "not in the clique" can lead to dangerous consequences, the unraveling of a previously established sterling reputation, and unimaginable horrors.

In reading about National Socialism and the Holocaust over the years it is evident that the men and women who committed the atrocities of the Holocaust were doing so for a wide variety of reasons. This is the first story I have read about someone who was doing so out of fear of being perceived as not willing to fold into the groupthink of Nazism. It also is my first read on the country of Latvia during WW2. This is the newest narrative non-fiction entry by Stephen Talty and it is excellent just like the previous book I have read by him.

The story is straight forward: a former hero aviator in Latvia is pressured into joining with the Nazis once they invade Latvia after which he proceeds to commit deplorable acts of violence. After the Allied invasion he bolts to South America. One Mossad agent leads the secret operative to hunt him down.

There is a ton to learn from this book. For instance I knew nothing about Latvia during the war. Similar to other countries when the Germans first stormed into the country they were welcomed with open arms. Also I didn't know that there was a proposed sunset in 1965 on the prosecution of Nazi war criminals. There is plenty more to learn here as well.

The first half of the book is about the evil Cukurs himself and the history of the war in Latvia. It is excellent history and non-fiction writing, though at times it is difficult to read. The middle section is the setting up of the op and this portion drags a bit. The last 50+ pages are excellent narrative non-fiction as the op is carried out.

Ultimately there is much to learn about human depravity, courage, perseverance, and history itself in this book. Highly recommended.

[Jason Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great book. I have never read anything so detailed about the Holocaust and all the horrific acts that happened. The first section is extremely hard to get through and I might not of if I wasn't listening to the Audible version. It really makes you root for the Mossad agents in the 2nd part. Scary to think how many of these guys like Cukurs must have got away.. extremely well written, it feels like a spy novel at times.

[Morgan Beach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve studied and read a lot of World War II books and essays, Talty’s recounting of the Mossad takedown of Herbert Cukurs has to be the greatest piece of literature I’ve read on it in recent times.

A must read.

[Bjorn Vang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting story, but one that requires a VERY strong (and preferably empty) stomach, especially Part 1.

Part historical account of unimaginable atrocities, part spy thriller, part love story, and part an examination of what turns humans into monsters, this book is highly recommended.

[Carol Dimitriou · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engrossing account of the hunt for and eventual assassination of the Butcher of Latvia. The story was so interesting, and filled with so much information that it was hard to put down! A very satisfying read!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the podcast first. The book is way better.

[Berry Muhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a riveting but soul-crushing read. If you are sensitive to man's inhumanity to man, if real-life accounts of cruelty torment you, then you're better off skipping this book, or at least the first part, "The Aktions." In these first few chapters, we're told yet again how vicious the Nazis were in their brutality against the Jewish population, in this case, the small eastern European nation of Latvia. I can summarize the gist of it, for those unwilling to wade through page after page of mind-numbing violence.

At the outbreak of WWII, most of the Latvian population was as heavily in denial as the rest of the world regarding the actual intent and actions of the German Nazi government. There were long-simmering tensions between the native Latvian people and the Jews living among them, but this had never broken out into outright hostility, much less oppression. Further west, German Jews had already experienced years of horror; further east, Russia had already engaged in pogroms. Latvians were uniquely secure from these events, albeit not for much longer.

The Soviets invaded Latvia in mid-1940, invited by the secret Pact Stalin's government had earlier signed with Hitler's regime. Almost immediately, the situation became unbearable for all Latvians, Jew and Gentile alike. A "Year of Terror" ensued, in which the Soviet government systematically eliminated the leading citizens--the prosperous, the intellectual, the successful--the very people a socialist system absolutely should be preserving, at all costs, in order to achieve any measure of success. Tens of thousands of people who survived the immediate violence were shipped off to the Gulag. Forced collectivization, confiscation of wealth and property, and endless interrogation and paranoia became the lot of the rank and file for the foreseeable future.

And then came Latvia's saviors, in the guise of the Wehrmacht.

Tens of thousands of Latvians, including Jews, ran to the roads to greet the new invaders. The yoke of communism was lifted. And, within days, a whole new series of horrors was unleashed. This time, however, they would not afflict the entire population.

The Nazis successfully created the narrative that Latvia's Jewish citizens had brought the Soviet invasion about. The immediate result was that Latvians turned on their fellow Latvians, gleefully assisting the Nazis in hunting down and persecuting their Jewish neighbors. A paramilitary band was formed for just that purpose, and two of the war's worst criminals-against-humanity rose to its forefront: Viktor Arajs, leader of the group (the Arajs Commando), and the Butcher of Latvia and subject of this book, Herbert Cukurs. The first part's chapters narrate, in sickening detail, just what Cukurs and his cronies did to avenge their perceived Latvia for the Soviet occupation. Beyond that, the first part is essential mostly for introducing a handful of witnesses to history, most particularly Zelma Shepshelovich, who, by several quirks of fate (not least her attractiveness), was able not only to survive the war, but to memorize key details, including the names, roles and addresses of many of the oppressors.

Part two, "Those Who Will Never Forget," takes place against a backdrop of a simmering political debate in Germany, about whether to extend the statute of limitations for Nazi perpetrators of war crimes. The prologue has already introduced us to this part's protagonist, Mio, an unassuming Mossad agent tasked with tracking down Cukurs. We find that there is more than just a vengeance motive involved; a political aim, that of defeating German proposals for a general amnesty, also hangs in the balance.

What happens through these remaining chapters is a solid procedural account, but it will also gratify the soul's need for justice. There is evidence, revealed in Bundestag debate on the subject, that this goal was in fact achieved; the parliamentary rejection of the amnesty definitely hinged on the success of Mio's mission. The Mossad's pursuit of Cukurs not only served justice directly, but assisted the cause for years to come, by helping prevent the entire world from becoming a safe haven for war criminals.

The number of explorable themes here exceeds my ability to enumerate them. But I will point out that for quite a few years, I've been arguing that in times of excessive stress, society has great potential to fracture along ethnic lines. This is exactly what happened in Latvia during and after the Soviet occupation. This would seem to be an argument in favor of striving for some degree of national unity, a shared cultural identity, something that too often eludes people even today in most parts of the world. Obviously propaganda and oppression are insufficient to inculcate this, as the experience of Nazi-occupied nations and the Soviet Union demonstrate. Common history, tradition and language might not be sufficient either by themselves, but I suspect they make a better starting point.

[Sport Atotalizators · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grāmatas apraksta uzmanības centrā ir Herberta Cukura, kurš pazīstams kā Latvijas Miesnieks, dēļ viņa nežēlīgās organizēšanas un piedalīšanās desmitiem tūkstošu Latvijas ebreju vardarbīgajās slepkavībās Mossad 1965. gadā. Bet šeit ir divi citi stāsti, kas ir vismaz tikpat interesanti kā slepkavības plāns.

1965. gadā Vācija apsvēra 20 gadu noilgumu, kas ļautu visiem nacistiem, kuri piedalījās holokaustā, staigāt brīvi, ja viņiem vēl nebūtu iesniegta kriminālvajāšana. Kā toreiz tika norādīts, tas nozīmētu, ka, ja sazvērestības teorija, ka Ādolfs Hitlers nav miris, izrādīsies patiesa, viņu nevar saukt pie atbildības par viņa lomu miljonu slepkavībās. Neskatoties uz to zināšanu un pasaules mēroga nosodījuma priekšā, līdz pēdējam brīdim parādījās, ka likumdevējs pieņems šo robežu. Autors Stefans Taltijs mums atgādina, ka tas notika laikā, kad gandrīz visi vācieši pauda nostāju, ka tikai daži ļaunie ir atbildīgi par holokaustu un ka visi pārējie vācieši ir tikpat daudz šo dažu upuru kā visi citi. Tūkstošiem holokausta dalībnieku tika saukti pie atbildības 20 gadu laikā pēc kara beigām, un viņi, šķiet, uzskatīja, ka ar to pietiek. Īpaši tas bija noskaņojums politiskās un tiesu elites vidū, kuri labi apzinājās, ka daudzi bijušie nacisti atrodas Vācijas birokrātijā, likumdevējos un tiesu sistēmā.

Cits interesants pavediens aizņem lielāko daļu grāmatas pirmās puses. Tas ir jautājums par to, kā vietējie latvieši, kas iepriekš bija pazīstami ar ebreju pieņemšanu, pilnībā mainījās, tiklīdz Vācija iebruka 1941. gadā, padzenot savus iepriekšējos apmēram pagājušā gada padomju okupantus. Latvieši izveidoja savus bataljonus un entuziastiski un nežēlīgi pulcēja ebrejus un viņus slepkavoja. Šie slepkavas klīda ielās un ielauzās mājās, lai terorizētu un apkopotu ebrejus, kuru ģimenes mierīgi dzīvoja Latvijā, dažkārt paaudzēs. Talty iepazīstina ar dažiem no tiem, īpaši jaunas sievietes vārdā Zelma, kuru simpātisks bataljona loceklis bija paslēpis redzamā vietā un kura pēc kara nenogurstoši strādāja, lai pastāstītu par Latvijas vainīgajiem, tostarp Cukuru.

Pat kādam, kurš ir izlasījis daudzas Otrā pasaules kara vēstures, šīs grāmatas pirmo pusi ir grūti uztvert. Upuru pārņemto šausmu apraksti ir grafiski, un vienmēr ir nepatīkami redzēt ļaunuma kodolu, kas ir tik daudzu cilvēku plānās ādas pieklājības pamatā. Talty apraksta, kā nacistu propaganda virzīja nepatiesu stāstījumu, ka ebreji ir sadarbojušies ar ienīstajiem padomju okupantiem. Herberts Cukurs pazina jidišu un pirms kara nekad nebija pazīstams kā antisemīts. Talty identificē iespējamo motivāciju iestāties Latvijas bataljonos, lai gan, protams, tas nevar izskaidrot viņa ārkārtējo nežēlību.

Stāsti par Cukura pēckara dzīvi Brazīlijā un Mossad izpildes sižets bija interesanti, bet man ne tik ļoti rosinoši domāt kā fonā. Talty rada cēloņsakarību starp nāvessoda izpildi un dramatisko pagriezienu Vācijas likumdevēja darbībā par noilgumu. Es neesmu pārliecināts, vai esmu pārdots cēloņsakarību dēļ, bet stāsts par noilguma jautājumu ir vērtīga šīs grāmatas sastāvdaļa

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today's nonfiction post is on The Good Assassin: How a Mossad Agent and a Band of Survivors Hunted Down the Butcher of Latvia by Stephan Talty. It is 304 pages long and is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The cover is red on top with the title and on the bottom half a ripped photo of Herbert Cukurs. There is foul language, sex, rape, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the dust jacket- 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.

Review- This is a very interesting book about a small part of the greater story of World War II. This book is divided in two parts; the first part is during the war and what happened in Latvia, and the second part is about finding Cukurs and assassinating him. Both parts are interesting and both are necessary to understand the drives of the men involved with Mossad. The story is very intense with the hunt for Cukurs, the spy craft, and the fight to the death. There is also politics in the background that made this mission all the more important for the families of the Jews that Cukurs murdered. Talty handles this story with care and respect but he spares no details, so if you are more sensitive to war crimes, then have caution with this book.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book may be difficult for many people to read, Talty doesn't pull any punches when he describes the treatment of the Jews of Riga and all of Latvia. It's not pretty listening how neighbors pointed out neighbors just so they could have their apartments and all they contained. The worst were those who turned in their competitors and then took over their stores (you can make a lot of money selling things that you never paid for).

But this was nothing compared to how the Latvians joined in when the Germans went into an apartment building dragged out the Jews leaving all of their worldly goods to be plundered by the cheering crowds. The Latvians can say they didn't know what was going on when most of the collaborators were their friends and relative who gave them first shot at looting from the Jews and watched as the Germans brutalized people on the street (murdering some) right before their eyes.

Before the war, Herbert Cukurs was a famous (for Latvia) aviator during the interwar years. But in order to ingratiate himself with the Germans, he became worse than the worse Nazi. By the end of the war he had accumulated a large hoard of Jewish gold and jewelry, the result of killing over thirty thousand Jews. He was known for his cruelty, turning you Jewish woman over to the German troops where they were tortured, raped and murders.

After the war he took the "ratline" to Argentina where he set himself up running a rental car agency and a marina. When he was discovered by Buenos Aires Jews (he never changed his name) they were able to destroy his businesses and he took off to Brazil where he was protected by the military government. But he never had the money or life he had in Argentina.

A year after Eichman has been spirited out of Brazil, the Mossad tracked him down to Brazil and began an operation to bring him to justice. In the end he was lured to Uruguay where he was killed by a squad of Israelis. This of course was extrajudicial justice, but it's not like the Nazis gave any of the six million Jews they killed a trial. He wasn't the last to come to justice, unlike those who were shot or gasses, the Israelis had learned the tactic of revenge.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephan Talty’s newest non-fiction, “The Good Assassin” certainly lives up to its subtitle: How a Mossad Agent and a Band of Survivors Hunted Down the Butcher of Latvia”. It’s the story of the tracking down and assassination of home-grown Latvian Holocaust murderer, Herberts Cukurs, by Israel’s Mossad.

Latvia is one of the three “Baltic Republics”, along with Estonia and Lithuania. Variously under rule by Russia, Germany, and at times, independent, the three came first under Soviet control in 1939, and then German control in 1941. When the Nazis invaded Latvia, the Latvian Jews began to be persecuted. As with many occupied nations, much of the hands-on murder and torture was turned over to the home-grown Nazis. Many were members of the Arajs Kommandos.

One of the leaders of the Arājs was the famed aviator Herberts Cukurs, who was known as the “Latvian Lindbergh”. He was known to have taken part in the murder of 30,000 Jews in the pits at Rumbala. After the war, he moved his family to Nazi-sympatico Brazil, where he lived quite openly, under his own name. Other than some attacks on his businesses from Jewish Brazilians,he lived in peace, if not in great prosperity. But by 1964, after Nazi Adolf Eichmann’s capture and subsequent trial and execution, Cukurs was living with a certain cloud over his head.

Meanwhile, in Germany, the government was considering a term of limitation to the future persecution of Nazis. Stephan Talty’s book looks at the legal and moral ramifications of this proposed law. In Israel, plans we’re being made to assassinate Cukurs. A team was put together - much like the group which kidnapped and fled to Israel with Eichmann a few years before. They were to kill Cukurs, not kidnap him.

Talty gives an excellent account of Herberts Cukurs’ crimes in Latvia during the war and the hunt for him afterward. He also looks at the Latvian Jewish community so devastated by the German occupation and then the Soviet occupation after the war. It’s good reading.

(A note to the publisher. There seems to be a mistake on page 141 of the prepub. Berlin is referred to as the nation’s capital on 1950, when it should be Bonn).

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good Assassin follows the a mossad agent that leads an assignation squad against Herbert Cukurs also know as the Butcher of Latvia for execution squads he led to murder tens of thousands of Jews while commuting unspeakable tragedies against them. Cukurs who is described as the Latvian version of Charles Lindbergh for a harrowing flight to Africa and his apparent anti-Semitism was a dreamer who always wanted a role bigger than he had and was an adrenaline junky hooked on flying. When the Nazi’s came in, he became the leader of a death squad committing “actions” against Jewish people that made them dig their own graves and often shot the families including those holding babies. The first half of this book covers the time he was in Latvia and the years leading up to the fall of the Nazi regime and the Jews who managed to hide that would build the case against him. It is VERY hard reading.
The second half of the book finds Cukurs twenty years later in Brazil where he is hiding out after the Nuremberg trials where Germany is debating amnesty for those who committed crimes in the holocaust and have not yet been prosecuted. Mossad decides they need to send a message that justice must be served and Cukurs is decided upon as the target. The book at this point switches to fast paced spy novel with the mossad befriending him and luring him into a trap in Uruguay. The book is very well written and is interspersed with stories from survivors and those that hunted Cukurs down showing where their lives ended up. It is an emotional read and one that does an excellent job of shattering the myth that it was just a few bad eggs at the top of the German regime but the reality was that the day to day people participated as well. It is a reminder for constant vigilance in protecting all classes, religions, gender, and the sanctity of human life against the worst humanity has to offer.

[Scotty G · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Holocaust and WWII are occurrences in human history that are catastrophically difficult to face, for a multitude of reasons. The abject horror among them, but also the complicity of ‘the masses.’ The latter of which regularly boggles the mind — BUT — combined with the magnitude of the horror, and the difficulty to face it, does serve to explain how, a scant twenty years after Germany’s defeat, a majority of the citizens were simply ready to ‘move on’ from the Holocaust.

The Good Assassin does nothing to sugar coat the atrocities of the Holocaust, specifically in Latvia, specifically centered around one absolute monster, Herbert Cukers. A friend to the Jews one day, a manically and deranged murderer of them the next. What Stephan Talty does in this work that is spectacular is that he never loses sight of the fact that, albeit the worst of the worst, that Cukers is — ALSO — a human. A thread that Talty tugs on throughout, as this one specific human may be representative of some of the rest that betrayed their neighbors and friends over night. Or worse. If that notion of betrayal is a spectrum, Cukers — murdering and raping masses of humanity — covers one extreme. The other, then — simply looking the other way — a speech by Mr. Arendt also recounted herein covers the other.

And the story is all set against the backdrop of an espionage mission to bring Herbert Cukers to justice.

Spectacular story. Spectacular book.

[David Pearce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if I agree with the title, in as much as, yes, the book is about the assassination of Herbert Kukurs, the butcher of Latvia, in 1965. But it is also about, in some sense, the need for extra-judicial punishment, for at the same time Cukurs was killed, Germany was debating whether to end the prosecution of WWII war criminals.
There is also the question of why Cukura acted as he did, as he was not a virulent anti-semite before the war started. Some of that is answered towards the end of the book with the trial of of the commandant Kukors worked for. But it is subsumed by the tale of Kukurs being set up by the Mossad and then killed. A lot of questions of morality come into play when books of this type come out, and I'll spare my thoughts though I had a number of concerns.
As a read, it's well-paced and certainly informative of the times and the people in this part of the war, but I felt there was more to explore in the initial questions asked, and ultimately in where responsibility is laid when people, in this case Latvians, commit mass-murder.

[Eduards Putra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Good Assassin: How a Mossad Agent and a Band of Survivors Hunted Down the Butcher of Latvia is a gripping read that tells the true story of how a group of Holocaust survivors tracked down and killed Herbert Cukurs, a notorious Nazi collaborator who was responsible for the murder of thousands of Jews in Latvia. The book is well-written and well-researched, and it sheds light on the origins of the anti-Semitic hatred that fueled the Holocaust and how it was manufactured by Nazi propaganda. The book also shows how justice was delivered by the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, in a daring and dangerous operation that spanned several continents and decades. The book is a powerful and inspiring testament to the courage and resilience of the Jewish people and a timely reminder of the need to confront and combat evil in all its forms.

[Rob Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephan Talty's fast-paced account of how Herbert Cukurs was brought to justice by Mossad operatives in 1965. Cukurs was a member of the Arajs Kommando. Involved in the mass murder of Latvian Jews as part of the Holocaust, he never stood trial. This was despite many eyewitness accounts linking him to war crimes.

Talty mines archival records for vivid details. Then tracks the complexities of Mossad's undercover mission with flair. The result is a captivating and gruesome real-life spy thriller. This is as gripping as any novel. The details of Cukurs' horrific crimes are hard to read. But the outcome is both moving and uplifting. His demise helped to bring other culprits of genocide to justice.

[Luke Verhoef · Rating 5 out of 5]

After listening to the podcast I knew I had to read this book. But it's so much better because Stephan put so much more detail into the book. The first few chapters are a very detailed account of the start of the Latvian part of the holocaust. I really don't want to go into detail about those horrifying facts and events. Let's just say that Cukers deserved everything that happened to him in the end of his life. But this book is much more than just a revenge story. It's also about the statute of limitations they tried to push trough in Germany for nazi war criminals I never knew about. This book is so well researched. And a great book if you want to learn about smaller unknown cases of nazi hunting in the years after the second world war.

[Greville Waterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpected surprise and a good one too. I have read much about the Holocaust but noting previously about Riga and Latvia and I was intrigued to read about the "Butcher Of Latvia" and how the Mossad finally tracked him down and assassinated him.

Herbert Cukurs is brought to life brilliantly by the author who has conducted deep research into his subject.

An enigmatic character who was an accomplished pilot alongside his murderous brutality, he was seemingly ignored by the allies at the end of the war before being tracked down by the Mossad who befriended him and gained his confidence before administering justice.

A well written and fascinating book.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. A fascinating study of a human being who is a narcissistic climber who kills without conscious, but then lies about his conduct.

The mass murder this man was engaged in is mind blowing, yet just like Latvia and numerous other countries, he is relentless in lying to others and to himself about his actions and culpability.

Just as the Hutu's murdered over a million Tutsi's in Rwanda, then fled the country and claimed THEY were the victims, Cukur and Latvia have done the same.

The viciousness of human beings and their ability to lie and deceive after the fact on grand display.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This true and intense story is definitely more interesting than spy fiction. The first part was extremely difficult to read, with atrocity after atrocity against the Jews in Latvia. The story became "lighter" after Mio began his operation against Cukurs. I appreciated the details of his operational planning; it was really fascinating. The training the undersized Mossad team underwent was also fascinating. Cukurs end was horrific. One thing I never understood: if he was afraid and so paranoid, why did he even go to meet "Anton"? I suppose his love of money overrode his fear. I would definitely want to read another book by Mr. Talty, who performed meticulous research and interviews.

[Phil Costa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The novelistic writing kept the story moving, but it felt like many of the more interesting questions weren't given sufficient treatment. The book is roughly broken into three parts -- a recounting of the events in Latvia during World War II, the Mossad plot to track down and kill a war criminal living in Brazil, and the debate within '60s Germany about allowing the statue of limitations for war crimes to expire. I felt like more time should have been spent exploring how Cukurs was transformed into a leading perpetrator of terrible crimes, and perhaps less on the machinations of the Mossad team. Still an interesting story of two periods of history I'm not deeply familiar with.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book. Apparently every Jewish family in Riga knows the name of Herberts Cukurs (the Butcher of Riga). I did not. Now I do. There is something really sick about the fact that people know his name but not the names of his victims.

It's an important account of what happened and how he was killed. The historical detours in the post war debates and the lack of justice for the survivors of The Shoa are also well described.

But of course, the most important part of the book are the detailed descriptions of the killing, the utter inhumane destruction of the Latvian Jews and their betrayal by their Latvian neighbors.