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Never Forget: A Nazi Hunter Origin Story
Before Jacob Mitzak was the legendary Nazi hunter known as The Hammer Of Israel, he was just a scared boy living in a nightmare.
His mentors would go on to become spymasters and politicians, but first they must all survive the ambitions of a mad Austrian.
Staying alive from one day to the next in the prison camp is challenging enough, but now one of their own has begun murdering guards in the night.
The killer leaves the dead wrapped in the wire of the fences with their eyes torn out. This would be a cause for celebration, were it not for the reprisals of Commandant Hoss, who has not taken kindly to his guards being executed.
One prisoner knows the identity of the killer, but with one catch. This witness loses his memory every five minutes.
Never Forget is the prequel to The Hammer Of Israel and the beginning of the Jericho Black Universe. A vividly realized historical thriller, this book mixes rigorously researched history with a spine chilling mix of horror and edge of your seat action.
His mentors would go on to become spymasters and politicians, but first they must all survive the ambitions of a mad Austrian.
Staying alive from one day to the next in the prison camp is challenging enough, but now one of their own has begun murdering guards in the night.
The killer leaves the dead wrapped in the wire of the fences with their eyes torn out. This would be a cause for celebration, were it not for the reprisals of Commandant Hoss, who has not taken kindly to his guards being executed.
One prisoner knows the identity of the killer, but with one catch. This witness loses his memory every five minutes.
Never Forget is the prequel to The Hammer Of Israel and the beginning of the Jericho Black Universe. A vividly realized historical thriller, this book mixes rigorously researched history with a spine chilling mix of horror and edge of your seat action.
58 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 13, 2018
About the author
Jordan Vezina
27 books45 followersJordan Vezina is a writer of historical fiction living in Palo Alto California. In a past life Jordan was an infantry Marine serving in an anti/ counter-terror unit, a bodyguard, and a personal trainer. And a website designer. And a combatives teacher. And a corporate manager. And a singer and guitar player in a blues-metal band. And then an IT guy. And then blah blah blah I'm so cool. That's right. It's me writing this.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 30, 2019
The Jericho Black Universe: The following well written books are all part of this universe and take place in a timeline from 1910 until 1980, as of January, 2019. The third book Retribution starts in 1980. All the storylines are carried throughout this series of books. The storylines are intriguing, suspense filled and so mesmerizing it's hard for the reader to put down the book(s). I chain read all but Among Wolves, which I had already read and made me interested in reading the rest of the story. There are plenty of twists, kinks and surprises in all the additions. The pace is steady and fast, no bogging down with trivial fillers. The emotions range across the scale and even the harden reader goes "Oh my gosh." occasionally. Nothing graphic, you just forget how depraved the human race is, especially in the pack (or herd) formation.
The characters are interesting and believable, and their dialog realistic. The reader is drawn into the stories and the author's descriptions are clear and interesting. Most of the characters appear in all the stories or are mentioned for themselves or in past events. The characters run the gamut on personalities, frailties, strengths and levels of depravity and goodness. Nothing is graphic but everything is clear so the reader can make the violence as graphic as their imagination needs. History is a rich character that adds depth and understanding to the stories, which begins during WWII. I know a lot of this history and found the author did a great job with his historical presentation. Mr. Vezina did research his subject matter. After Among Wolves, the editing was much better with very few errors outside of comma usage, or lack of, in the others that I read. In a couple of the books, Mr. Vezina offers a PDF timeline for the JBU. There are more books than what I have read so far. Best to read in sequential order; keeps the excitement flowing and no spoilers that way. I purchased all but The Lion of Israel.
Never Forget, Prequel - The beginning of the JBU. Starting in Auschwitz, this introduction of Aleks Rosen, Saul Greenbaum and Jacob Mitzak. Along with some the rest of the characters that will come and go throughout the series. There are a couple of twists and surprises, along with an interesting showing of foresight, determination and survival through a horrible time and place in world history. 5*
The Hammer of Israel - This is my second favorite of this series; Among Wolves remains number one with me. Mainly about Jacob Mitzak and Jane Sutcliff and their metamorphoses from their experiences from WWII until 1952. There is a lot of violence, none graphic, but what their characters, their determination and their instincts for survival place upon them and the jobs they are able to perform. There's a special lady that will surprise the reader when she's spotlighted. 5*
Among Wolves #1 - This is my first read by this author and I liked the story. The well thought out story line follows a young boy through his discoveries about his grandfather's Nazi SS past and the causes of his mother's hatred. He's able to make his own decisions about the right way of life for him, earning him his grandfather's respect and costing him his mother's love. The young man contributes to the war of hatred after learning a secret about his father. Along his journey, he is supported by many surprising people. The characters are interesting and believable, and their dialog realistic. The reader is drawn into the story and the author's descriptions are clear and interesting. History is a rich character that adds depth and understanding to the story, which begins after WWII. I know a lot of this history and found the author did a great job with his historical presentation. Mr. Vezina did research his subject matter. This well written story could have been a five star if the author had only edited the story. Missing commas, lower case proper nouns and titles, inconsistencies and various other defects distracted the reader because there were so many. Many affected the meaning of the sentences. 4*
UPDATE: Among Wolves is updated and changed somewhat according to the author. The update hasn't made it to Amazon as of 01/30/2019.
Education #2 - A cliffhanger that continues in book #3 Retribution. The story is set in 1979 and picks up with Will and Susan and their future together. Playing heavy parts in this story are many of the characters from Never Forget and Among Wolves. Fast paced and filled with a few twists for everyone. Needs better editing. 5*
Danger Close (Btwn #2 & #3) - A short story set in 1979. More on Will Kessler and his transition from his past to his future. His life changes with the murders of his mother and grandfather and the shooting of his girlfriend. He does a job that gets him a shock of a lifetime and changes his future. 5*
The Lion of Israel (Btwn #2 & #3) - This short story introduction is for Ariel Sutcliffe and her contributions to the JBU. Her story, her strengths and her weaknesses, along with some of her jobs and where she is heading. A good, but flawed character that is tested with a special job. This book I found on Booksprout. 5*
The characters are interesting and believable, and their dialog realistic. The reader is drawn into the stories and the author's descriptions are clear and interesting. Most of the characters appear in all the stories or are mentioned for themselves or in past events. The characters run the gamut on personalities, frailties, strengths and levels of depravity and goodness. Nothing is graphic but everything is clear so the reader can make the violence as graphic as their imagination needs. History is a rich character that adds depth and understanding to the stories, which begins during WWII. I know a lot of this history and found the author did a great job with his historical presentation. Mr. Vezina did research his subject matter. After Among Wolves, the editing was much better with very few errors outside of comma usage, or lack of, in the others that I read. In a couple of the books, Mr. Vezina offers a PDF timeline for the JBU. There are more books than what I have read so far. Best to read in sequential order; keeps the excitement flowing and no spoilers that way. I purchased all but The Lion of Israel.
Never Forget, Prequel - The beginning of the JBU. Starting in Auschwitz, this introduction of Aleks Rosen, Saul Greenbaum and Jacob Mitzak. Along with some the rest of the characters that will come and go throughout the series. There are a couple of twists and surprises, along with an interesting showing of foresight, determination and survival through a horrible time and place in world history. 5*
The Hammer of Israel - This is my second favorite of this series; Among Wolves remains number one with me. Mainly about Jacob Mitzak and Jane Sutcliff and their metamorphoses from their experiences from WWII until 1952. There is a lot of violence, none graphic, but what their characters, their determination and their instincts for survival place upon them and the jobs they are able to perform. There's a special lady that will surprise the reader when she's spotlighted. 5*
Among Wolves #1 - This is my first read by this author and I liked the story. The well thought out story line follows a young boy through his discoveries about his grandfather's Nazi SS past and the causes of his mother's hatred. He's able to make his own decisions about the right way of life for him, earning him his grandfather's respect and costing him his mother's love. The young man contributes to the war of hatred after learning a secret about his father. Along his journey, he is supported by many surprising people. The characters are interesting and believable, and their dialog realistic. The reader is drawn into the story and the author's descriptions are clear and interesting. History is a rich character that adds depth and understanding to the story, which begins after WWII. I know a lot of this history and found the author did a great job with his historical presentation. Mr. Vezina did research his subject matter. This well written story could have been a five star if the author had only edited the story. Missing commas, lower case proper nouns and titles, inconsistencies and various other defects distracted the reader because there were so many. Many affected the meaning of the sentences. 4*
UPDATE: Among Wolves is updated and changed somewhat according to the author. The update hasn't made it to Amazon as of 01/30/2019.
Education #2 - A cliffhanger that continues in book #3 Retribution. The story is set in 1979 and picks up with Will and Susan and their future together. Playing heavy parts in this story are many of the characters from Never Forget and Among Wolves. Fast paced and filled with a few twists for everyone. Needs better editing. 5*
Danger Close (Btwn #2 & #3) - A short story set in 1979. More on Will Kessler and his transition from his past to his future. His life changes with the murders of his mother and grandfather and the shooting of his girlfriend. He does a job that gets him a shock of a lifetime and changes his future. 5*
The Lion of Israel (Btwn #2 & #3) - This short story introduction is for Ariel Sutcliffe and her contributions to the JBU. Her story, her strengths and her weaknesses, along with some of her jobs and where she is heading. A good, but flawed character that is tested with a special job. This book I found on Booksprout. 5*
July 24, 2019
When I visited the city of Munich the summer before I turned 18, I remember clearly looking out the window of the Residence Museum, not far from the Bavarian State Main Library. There were a few buildings, still in bombed out ruins. So long past WWII, and in city center, we were surprised.
I remember very clearly that one of the German students with us said the buildings were there because we must always remember, and never forget.
This book might be a prequel to the story about Jakob Mitzak, a preventative sort of warrior youth. It is also a story of Irving. He is a simple soul, but perhaps more complex, since an injury damaged his short term memory and he can only remember a few minutes at a time, except for his technical skills, and a bit of impressive things.
One of the greatest gifts Irving has to give to the resistance is his ability to forget.
Jakob is called by Saul to remember and never forget.
A moving series touching many dark nights of many souls - of peoples and nations.
Intense KU read.
I received an advance copy of this book from Booksprout. I read this book on Kindle, and most of this and related series on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
I remember very clearly that one of the German students with us said the buildings were there because we must always remember, and never forget.
This book might be a prequel to the story about Jakob Mitzak, a preventative sort of warrior youth. It is also a story of Irving. He is a simple soul, but perhaps more complex, since an injury damaged his short term memory and he can only remember a few minutes at a time, except for his technical skills, and a bit of impressive things.
One of the greatest gifts Irving has to give to the resistance is his ability to forget.
Jakob is called by Saul to remember and never forget.
A moving series touching many dark nights of many souls - of peoples and nations.
Intense KU read.
I received an advance copy of this book from Booksprout. I read this book on Kindle, and most of this and related series on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
October 21, 2018
I have enjoyed reading the various Jericho Black series books, although one part of me wishes the entire tale could be read in a logical sequence. I suppose one day that will happen, but until then, reading prequels and flashbacks is kind of fun. Regardless, the stories are compelling, and Never Forget by Jordan Vezina is a well-placed entry in the suspenseful set of stories.
In "Never Forget," we learn of how Jacob Mitzak came to be a "project" for Saul Greenbaum and was being prepared for "prevention" rather than revenge once the Jews were back in control of their lives and destinies. In my mind, I hope there were tough guys like this in the camps. The tales my father reluctantly told me about entering a concentration camp as a young soldier at the end of WWII were certainly not conducive to even small pockets of resistance. Of course, by then the camps were little more than proof of the Nazi atrocities.
Saul Greenbaum and company, therefore, are very sympathetic characters to me, and I'm looking forward to further development of the so-called Jericho Black Universe.
In "Never Forget," we learn of how Jacob Mitzak came to be a "project" for Saul Greenbaum and was being prepared for "prevention" rather than revenge once the Jews were back in control of their lives and destinies. In my mind, I hope there were tough guys like this in the camps. The tales my father reluctantly told me about entering a concentration camp as a young soldier at the end of WWII were certainly not conducive to even small pockets of resistance. Of course, by then the camps were little more than proof of the Nazi atrocities.
Saul Greenbaum and company, therefore, are very sympathetic characters to me, and I'm looking forward to further development of the so-called Jericho Black Universe.
March 17, 2020
Never Forget. Jordan Vezina
This is a precursor to the Jacob Mitzak and Jericho Black series. It tells the origin of the Hammer of Israel, Jacob Mitzak and other key players, prisoners in a concentration camp, Auschwitz. The misery and hardships they endured which made them who they are. Excellent read. I strongly recommend you read both of the above mentioned series which I enjoyed immensely.
This is a precursor to the Jacob Mitzak and Jericho Black series. It tells the origin of the Hammer of Israel, Jacob Mitzak and other key players, prisoners in a concentration camp, Auschwitz. The misery and hardships they endured which made them who they are. Excellent read. I strongly recommend you read both of the above mentioned series which I enjoyed immensely.
February 2, 2019
Another great entry into the Jericho Black universe, focusing on the side characters of Saul, Irving, and Aleks (a new addition to the universe). A thrilling murder mystery set in Auschwitz. The only witness is a man who cannot remember short term memories. A very fast paced read that dovetails nicely into Hammer of Israel.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
July 26, 2019
This author is amazing and writes the most engaging stories! I hope he never runs out of material to write about because I cannot get enough of these stories. I have already read the Hammer of Israel and this is an awesome backstory.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 26, 2019
I am a big fan of both the author and this series of books . The author always researches his books very thoroughly and manages to successfully weave historical facts and plot lines to make excellent reading zz this book is no exception and highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 22, 2020
A Wonderful Prequel To Set Up The Series
While I've already read most of the series of books from all fronts this book helped smooth out the questions and seeming inconsistencies in those books. Though I'm familiar with all of the characters this helped poor them in a proper place to explain their relevance. A thoroughly enjoyable book.
While I've already read most of the series of books from all fronts this book helped smooth out the questions and seeming inconsistencies in those books. Though I'm familiar with all of the characters this helped poor them in a proper place to explain their relevance. A thoroughly enjoyable book.
February 15, 2021
The prisoners in Auschwitz live in fear. Not only can they die of hunger and overwork, they can also be killed on a whim. This is more of a certainty now that one of the prisoners has taken to murdering guards. A team of prisoners and one rogue guard have to band together to stop him before the commandant makes even more deadly reprisals.
June 14, 2022
Whew...this is a high-octane, jet-fueled ride disguised as a novella! I knew nothing about this series or this author but a friend assumed I did because I now live in Austin, TX. (Lots of interesting writers, musicians, actors, and people live in Austin but we don't all know each other.) I can't wait to read the next book now.
June 17, 2022
A very good book.
This is a first for me from this author and I loved it. It's a very easy book to read. There isn't anything any more graphic in the book that isn't in a thriller. The characters are good, very believable. I think it's a bit weird to have a serial killer in a concentration camp that isn't a nazi. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I recommend reading it.
This is a first for me from this author and I loved it. It's a very easy book to read. There isn't anything any more graphic in the book that isn't in a thriller. The characters are good, very believable. I think it's a bit weird to have a serial killer in a concentration camp that isn't a nazi. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I recommend reading it.
November 23, 2018
Suffering in a concentration camp
Another interesting story by Jordan Vezina. I enjoy stories of this caliber. Brings back memories of other stories I have read. Good reading. I have already read the Hammer of Israel. On to hard red winter.
Mr. Brains is a good writer.
Another interesting story by Jordan Vezina. I enjoy stories of this caliber. Brings back memories of other stories I have read. Good reading. I have already read the Hammer of Israel. On to hard red winter.
Mr. Brains is a good writer.
January 29, 2020
Strangely riveting !
I came across this book by chance not quite sure what to expect. I could not put it down. It has a fantastic twist towards the end to boot! Next instalment already downloaded.
I came across this book by chance not quite sure what to expect. I could not put it down. It has a fantastic twist towards the end to boot! Next instalment already downloaded.
September 25, 2020
Captured my interest
I ended up getting the 2nd book 2 see where the story takes me. Not much of a introduction to the Jacob character but I'm curious on the Nazi hunter concept. Will advise my opinion on the 2nd bk of the series when I rate that book.
I ended up getting the 2nd book 2 see where the story takes me. Not much of a introduction to the Jacob character but I'm curious on the Nazi hunter concept. Will advise my opinion on the 2nd bk of the series when I rate that book.
May 6, 2021
A Hardcore Emotional Journey!
Begins grabs readers from the first paragraph and doesn't turn loose! Be prepared to have your heart strings tugged and not be a fast page turner in this one!
Begins grabs readers from the first paragraph and doesn't turn loose! Be prepared to have your heart strings tugged and not be a fast page turner in this one!
January 31, 2023
Outstanding
Never Forget is about life in concentration camp. Its was well written! When reading this book, You can feel the way the Germans didn't care about ex terminating the Jewish people. A must read!
Never Forget is about life in concentration camp. Its was well written! When reading this book, You can feel the way the Germans didn't care about ex terminating the Jewish people. A must read!
October 13, 2018
A very well written novella set in a WWII prison camp, it points to some of the strange situations and relations that could arise in such a place.
October 14, 2018
I was lucky enough to have gotten a ARC copy of this book from the author. Great book takes you back to the camps in WWII, you will also learn some interesting facts.
February 21, 2019
This was another excellent book.
Read
July 21, 2020Grr ending
Why? Story flowed so well. I was lost, so engrossed in all the characters. Ended abruptly and to complete the story another book is required.
Why? Story flowed so well. I was lost, so engrossed in all the characters. Ended abruptly and to complete the story another book is required.
July 29, 2021
Recommended reading
Wonderful book It showed the life in a concentration camp How the Jews were treated and how many never lived
Wonderful book It showed the life in a concentration camp How the Jews were treated and how many never lived
December 28, 2021
The hammer of Israel is born.
An interesting prequel into the forging of Jacob Mitzak & Saul Greenbaum, from Auschwitz to Israel & New York the Hammer of Israel is born.
An interesting prequel into the forging of Jacob Mitzak & Saul Greenbaum, from Auschwitz to Israel & New York the Hammer of Israel is born.
March 26, 2020
a great start and explanation about a lot of the characters. Excellent peequel.
April 29, 2020
This novella is set just before the events in Hammer of Israel - in Auschwitz. Here is where Saul Greenbaum meets Aleks Rosen for the first time and we are introduced to Jacob for the first time. It is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship.
There is a plot twist that I never saw coming and it made my jaw drop. The author packs a lot of punch into a book of less than 70 pages. I just hope that someday this terrific series is offered in chronological order. It is well worth the time.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
There is a plot twist that I never saw coming and it made my jaw drop. The author packs a lot of punch into a book of less than 70 pages. I just hope that someday this terrific series is offered in chronological order. It is well worth the time.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews