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The Mechanic
A story of justice through the ages . . . and revenge.
Germany, 1945. The bloodiest war in history is at an end. Now the retribution and search for justice begins. In a series of Nuremberg trials, war criminals are hanged or commit suicide. Others are judged and sent to prison for their part in the most heinous crimes of all time.
But in the final trial, one in which ordinary Germans are forced to confront their complicity, a leading American defense counselor has to consider questions of good and evil when he defends a simple mechanic, a man who kept the gas chambers in working order.
As his trial progresses, Wilhelm Deutch, a Nazi mechanic within the concentration camps, is forced by a court to confront his past with nobody to speak on his behalf. Only one man, Joachim Gutman, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz—a living hell, the worst of all the concentration camps—knows the truth. Gutman knows that Deutch was a life-saving hero, not another sadistic villain that those who barely survived the camps claim him to be at the trial. To save Deutch from a certain-death sentence, Gutman must come forward to testify on his behalf, but he’s nowhere to be found.
And half a century later, it falls to the defense counselor’s granddaughter, a young and brilliant lawyer, to correct a grievous miscarriage of justice and ease the moral conscience of Germany. But has there been a miscarriage of justice? As she delves deeper into the evil Nazi past, she is faced with a conundrum that threatens her very sanity.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Germany, 1945. The bloodiest war in history is at an end. Now the retribution and search for justice begins. In a series of Nuremberg trials, war criminals are hanged or commit suicide. Others are judged and sent to prison for their part in the most heinous crimes of all time.
But in the final trial, one in which ordinary Germans are forced to confront their complicity, a leading American defense counselor has to consider questions of good and evil when he defends a simple mechanic, a man who kept the gas chambers in working order.
As his trial progresses, Wilhelm Deutch, a Nazi mechanic within the concentration camps, is forced by a court to confront his past with nobody to speak on his behalf. Only one man, Joachim Gutman, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz—a living hell, the worst of all the concentration camps—knows the truth. Gutman knows that Deutch was a life-saving hero, not another sadistic villain that those who barely survived the camps claim him to be at the trial. To save Deutch from a certain-death sentence, Gutman must come forward to testify on his behalf, but he’s nowhere to be found.
And half a century later, it falls to the defense counselor’s granddaughter, a young and brilliant lawyer, to correct a grievous miscarriage of justice and ease the moral conscience of Germany. But has there been a miscarriage of justice? As she delves deeper into the evil Nazi past, she is faced with a conundrum that threatens her very sanity.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
292 pages, Hardcover
First published June 28, 2016
9 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Alan Gold
53 books46 followersAlan Gold began his career as a journalist, working in the UK, Europe, and Israel. In 1970, he emigrated to Australia with his wife, Eva, and now lives in St. Ives, Sydney, where he divides his time between writing novels and running his award-winning marketing consultancy.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 1, 2019
3.5 stars
March 12, 2023
This controversial book would be great for a debate class.
August 8, 2023
Another great story of WWII and the Holocaust. I was pleasantly surprised by this story.
July 16, 2016
I was expecting a very different book from the one I read, “The Mechanic” by Alan Gold. This book was difficult for me to read because of the subject matter. It begins as Theodore Broderick’s family comes together for his funeral. Justice Broderick had a very successful life as a judge and Supreme Court Justice. His granddaughter, Chasca finds a manuscript that was in her grandfather’s possession that seems to mitigate the death sentence of a Nazi sentenced during the Nuremberg Trials in 1946. Chasca is determined to find the family of William Deutch, share the manuscript, and find a way to honor this man, who by all accounts was not the depraved Nazi that he was tried and sentenced for. I found this difficult to read because of the graphic description of life as a prisoner of Auchwitz, Birkenau, Belsen and Sachenhausen concentration camps.
The manuscript found in Justice Broderick’s possessions after his death seems to exonerate William Deutch, known as The Mechanic. His job at these camps was to see that the crematorium furnaces worked efficiently and continuously. The writings of Joachim Gutman describe Deutch as a decent German citizen caught up in the fanatic Nazi movement against the Jews. Gutman was a prisoner in the camps and was taken under Deutch’s wing and saved from starvation and death by his humanitarian actions. He was said to have saved many lives in this manner. Lawyer Broderick was a defense lawyer during the Nuremberg Trials and believed that Deutch may not have been the monster he was purported to be. Follow this story as it leads us through the years and through the memories of Joachim Gutman and William Deutch. Please do NOT read ahead. I promise you that the ending is worth waiting for.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel from NightOwlReviews.com in return for my honest opinion of the book.
The manuscript found in Justice Broderick’s possessions after his death seems to exonerate William Deutch, known as The Mechanic. His job at these camps was to see that the crematorium furnaces worked efficiently and continuously. The writings of Joachim Gutman describe Deutch as a decent German citizen caught up in the fanatic Nazi movement against the Jews. Gutman was a prisoner in the camps and was taken under Deutch’s wing and saved from starvation and death by his humanitarian actions. He was said to have saved many lives in this manner. Lawyer Broderick was a defense lawyer during the Nuremberg Trials and believed that Deutch may not have been the monster he was purported to be. Follow this story as it leads us through the years and through the memories of Joachim Gutman and William Deutch. Please do NOT read ahead. I promise you that the ending is worth waiting for.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel from NightOwlReviews.com in return for my honest opinion of the book.
September 9, 2016
Decent novel from the perspective of an American defense lawyer, his Granddaughter & a Nazi mechanic whose job was to keep the ovens working at Auschwitz concentration camp. Story goes back and forth from present to 1946 Nuremberg trials. One of the more horrific accounts of what went on in the German camps that I have read... and I've read A LOT of them. Not for the faint of heart, for sure.
July 26, 2016
i think best book i might have ever read.....about a mechanic at Aushwitz. who was tried.....
the ending was a complete surprise...who ever reads my review i highly suggest the book to them....
the ending was a complete surprise...who ever reads my review i highly suggest the book to them....
April 16, 2017
Thanks to my brother Barry for recommending and buying this book for me. It was a great read. It is another holocaust story but it was a bit different with a very surprising ending. I am glad that I read this book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews