Jack Fairweather's biography, 'The Prosecutor,' delves into the life of Fritz Bauer, a Jewish, Social Democratic lawyer who was imprisoned by the Nazis in 1933 and dedicated his career to holding Holocaust perpetrators accountable.

Bauer's efforts were instrumental in the capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina and the prosecution of Auschwitz guards, marking significant milestones in the fight for justice.

The narrative of 'The Prosecutor' is further contextualized by events such as German Chancellor Willy Brandt's kneeling at a Warsaw Jewish monument in 1970, which symbolized Germany's ongoing struggle with its past, known as Vergangenheitsbewältigung.

The book provides a broader context of post-World War II Germany, where many citizens initially showed little remorse for their Nazi affiliations.

Fairweather emphasizes that Bauer's relentless pursuit of justice played a pivotal role in changing public sentiment in Germany, leading to a greater acknowledgment of the nation's complicity in the Holocaust.

It also highlights the significant challenges faced in prosecuting war crimes in a society where a considerable portion of the population had supported the Nazi regime.