Book Review: The Boys From Brazil by Ira Levin

Yakav Liebermann is an aging Nazi hunter, who is falling out of favor with the people who used to fund him, so he is experiencing hard times and has to downsize his agency.  A young man had tried to get hired by Liebermann, but was turned down.  Liebermann then gets a phone call from the young man, from Brazil, warning him of a major Nazi plot.  Unfortunately, the young man is killed during the phone call.

Liebermann is not sure if the call is a hoax or not, but does his best to investigate the young man’s claims with his meager resources.  After a lot of frustrating shots in the dark, Liebermann finally figures out that Joseph Mengele is the one behind the plot, and eventually come face to face with him.  I don’t mean to spoil the book, but wait until you find out who saves Liebermann from Mengele!

This is a well-written mystery/spy book that keeps you guessing as to what the secret plot is through most of the book.  Liebermann leads a rather realistic lifestyle, as opposed to being some kind of super spy.  Kudos to Ira Levin for a great story.