"A gripping account of the infamous Nazi doctor, from a former Justice Department official tasked with uncovering his fate. One of the most notorious war criminals of all time, Dr. Josef Mengele has come to symbolize both the evil of the Nazi regime and the failure of justice in the postwar world. Drawing on new scholarship and sources, historian David G. Marwell examines Mengele's life and career, chronicling his university studies, which led to two PhDs and a promising career as a scientist; his wartime service, in combat and at Auschwitz, where his "selections" determined the fate of countless innocents and his "scientific" pursuits resulted in the traumatization and death of thousands more; and his postwar refuge in Germany and South America. This biography describes the international search for the Nazi doctor in 1985 that ended in a cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the dogged forensic investigation that produced overwhelming evidence that Mengele had died-but failed to convince those who, arguably, most wanted him dead. This is a story of science without limits, escape without freedom, and resolution without justice."-- Provided by publisher.

Part I: Becoming Mengele -- "Brilliant Luminosity" -- Scientist and Soldier -- Part II: Auschwitz -- The Capital of the Holocaust -- "Serendipitous Transfer" -- "I'll need to buy a crib for Rolf . . ." -- Part III: Flight -- Custody and Concealment -- Calm and Storm -- Part IV: Pursuit -- Prelude -- The Investigation -- São Paulo -- "A biography of bones" -- Doubts -- Progress and Stalemate -- Case Closed -- Epilogue: Father and Son.