The Righteous Men. By Sam Bourne. Harper-Collins Publishers. New York. 2006. 419 pp. $24.95.
Reviewed by Stephanie Garber, Contributing Writer
Ever since the outrageous success of Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code, copycats, look-alikes and wannabes have flooded the book market.
Sadly, they were “nothing new under the sun,” just transparent attempts to sail on the coattails of another’s success rehashing the same plot and overworked characters. Until now.
While Brown introduced the Catholic group Opus Dei to the general public, Sam Bourne (pseudonym for Jonathan Freedland) shines the spotlight on Chabad. Brown (and his ad nauseam copycats) focused on historical Christianity, encrypted messages in artwork, and Mary Magdalene; Bourne delves into Judaism, kabbalistic mysticism, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
The book’s title is borrowed from the Jewish legend of the 36 tsadikim (righteous men) whose presence ensures that the world continues. Will Monroe, a reporter at The New York Times stumbles on a murderous plot while investigating the seemingly unrelated deaths of a couple of men in different parts of the country. His initial pursuit of the story turns into a quest to save his wife’s life after she is abducted and vanishes into the Lubavitch world of the in Crown Heights.
The Rebbe’s followers inhabit an entirely different culture from Times reporter Monroe’s — different dress, customs, language and religion. But it’s a world Monroe will get a crash course in as he desperately attempts to find his wife. As the murders spin out across the globe, Monroe tries to decipher hidden clues from ancient Jewish texts and Biblical sources in hopes of finding his wife. But there is a deadline — before the conclusion of Yom Kippur, and it’s not just one man’s spouse whose life is at stake — failure may mean the end of mankind.
Bourne (Freedland) is a columnist for The Guardian, the London Evening Standard and The Jewish Chronicle. His thorough research and attention to detail are apparent throughout The Righteous Men. Jewish readers will especially appreciate the sources he expresses gratitude to in the acknowledgments, including various rabbis and his late great-aunt Yehudit Dove, whom he credits as being the inspiration for the story.
The Righteous Men is one of those rare gems of a book that forces the reader to choose between sleeping or reading — and the book wins!
Reviewed by Stephanie Garber, Contributing Writer
Ever since the outrageous success of Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code, copycats, look-alikes and wannabes have flooded the book market.
Sadly, they were “nothing new under the sun,” just transparent attempts to sail on the coattails of another’s success rehashing the same plot and overworked characters. Until now.
While Brown introduced the Catholic group Opus Dei to the general public, Sam Bourne (pseudonym for Jonathan Freedland) shines the spotlight on Chabad. Brown (and his ad nauseam copycats) focused on historical Christianity, encrypted messages in artwork, and Mary Magdalene; Bourne delves into Judaism, kabbalistic mysticism, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
The book’s title is borrowed from the Jewish legend of the 36 tsadikim (righteous men) whose presence ensures that the world continues. Will Monroe, a reporter at The New York Times stumbles on a murderous plot while investigating the seemingly unrelated deaths of a couple of men in different parts of the country. His initial pursuit of the story turns into a quest to save his wife’s life after she is abducted and vanishes into the Lubavitch world of the in Crown Heights.
The Rebbe’s followers inhabit an entirely different culture from Times reporter Monroe’s — different dress, customs, language and religion. But it’s a world Monroe will get a crash course in as he desperately attempts to find his wife. As the murders spin out across the globe, Monroe tries to decipher hidden clues from ancient Jewish texts and Biblical sources in hopes of finding his wife. But there is a deadline — before the conclusion of Yom Kippur, and it’s not just one man’s spouse whose life is at stake — failure may mean the end of mankind.
Bourne (Freedland) is a columnist for The Guardian, the London Evening Standard and The Jewish Chronicle. His thorough research and attention to detail are apparent throughout The Righteous Men. Jewish readers will especially appreciate the sources he expresses gratitude to in the acknowledgments, including various rabbis and his late great-aunt Yehudit Dove, whom he credits as being the inspiration for the story.
The Righteous Men is one of those rare gems of a book that forces the reader to choose between sleeping or reading — and the book wins!
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