The Watchmaker's War: A compelling historical novel of revenge and justice, based on the true story of Nazi hunters in Australia

A new beginning. And old enemy. A perilous choice. When Yakov Holtzman arrives in Melbourne - about as far away as he can possibly get from the graveyard that is Europe - he puts behind him the years he spent in the forests of Lithuania as a leader of the resistance, fighting the Nazis. He has come to join his brother - his only surviving family member - and start a new life as the watchmaker he once was.

Yakov looks for solace - and love - in the fragile, traumatised community of Jewish refugees taking root in a new land. But when swastikas, threats and, most frightening of all, the faces of old enemies appear on the streets of suburban St Kilda, his new-found peace is shattered.

How could murderers, responsible for the deaths of thousands, have been welcomed into Australia? And why, when they're reported, do the authorities do nothing?

Fierce instincts are reawakened in him, and Yakov knows he must act. But how can justice - or revenge - best be served? And will Yakov's drive to destroy his enemies destroy him too, leaving the new life he has built in ruins?

Based on a true story, The Watchmaker's War is a gripping, high-stakes tale of Nazi hunters in Australia and the war criminals they pursued - killers with links at the highest levels of Australia's spy agency. It offers profound insights into the lingering trauma of genocide, posing difficult questions about survivors' competing desires for peace and vengeance, and how far a victim should go in the pursuit of justice when the authorities fail to act.

© 2026 HarperAudio (Audiobook): 9781038102270

Release date

Audiobook: 13 January 2026