“On the trail of Mengele: How a Nazi network gave refuge to the ‘Angel of Death’ in Brazil” by Betina Anton

In Tracking Mengele, journalist and historian Betina Anton meticulously reconstructs the extraordinary escape and secret existence of Josef Mengele — the infamous “Angel of Death” of Auschwitz. After the fall of the Third Reich, Mengele fled to South America and spent the final eighteen years of his life in Brazil under false identities and protected by a covert network of Nazi sympathizers. 

Drawing on newly opened Mossad files, rare interviews with those who sheltered him, and previously unpublished documents, Anton reveals for the first time how this network operated across borders, finances and ideologies. She explores not only the logistical dimensions of the escape but also the psychological, moral and historical implications: How was justice evaded? Why did memory fail? What does this escape tell us about the persistence of hate and the fragility of accountability?

This work is written in the style of a dynamic narrative — combining rigorous archival research with the pace of a thriller. As the path of Mengele unfolds—from his wartime experiments and horrifying legacy to his fugitive years in Brazil—the reader enters an unsettling terrain where the lines between investigator, victim and accomplice blur. With 416 pages of narrative, the book challenges us to rethink not only one man’s flight from justice but the broader culture of impunity that allowed him sanctuary.

Perfect for readers of war history, investigative journalism and moral inquiry, this account offers an unflinching look at one of the most chilling chapters of post-war history. It invites reflection on how societies remember — or fail to remember — and how the shadows of the past persist in surprising ways.