What do You think about The Righteous Men (2006)?
THE RIGHTEOUS MEN (Suspense-NYC-Cont) – PoorBourne, Sam – 1st bookHarperCollinsPublisher, 2006- UK HardcoverBritish born Will Monroe is a fledgling reporter with the New York Times. Murders are occurring around the world. The victims seem to be random until it is realized that each person performs deeds which define him as a righteous man. Will’s wife, Beth, is kidnapped and told not to call the police, they do not want money and that she will be released unharmed in a few days. Will’s search takes him to his father, two old friends, and into the Hassidic community of New York City. *** The legend behind this story is, apparently, real and I really wanted to like this book. The best thing I can say about this book is that it did keep me turning the pages, but I’m not certain why. Will was neither a particularly interesting or bright character. The strongest character in the book was his former girlfriend, TC. One major point in the book which prevented Will from being immediately murdered was painfully wrong; obviously the author did not know about medical procedures common for U.S. male babies as recent as the 1980s. Toward the end, I was really hoping the story was not taking the very predictable path it was; but it did. So I read it, I finished it, but don’t know that I’ll read another Mr. Bourne who is, in fact, England’s Guardian's political correspondent Jonathan Freedland. I’d have used a pseudonym, too, had I written this.
—LJ
Ever since the stunning commercial success of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, writer after writer has tried to pull Brown’s sword of success from the stone of mediocrity. In order to convince themselves their efforts are working, their book jackets are decorated with quotes comparing them favourably to Mr. Brown and claiming ascendency to his throne. No matter how these upstarts toil, they will never receive the same acclaim or cash as Dan Brown for one simple reason: he was a trailblazer and they are camp followers. In a world full of books on Templars, kabbalah and everything in between, no work of mere fiction can hope to rival the success of The Da Vinci Code. Only a work of literature could do that.Sam Bourne’s The Righteous Men is, alas, not a work of literature. It is a tightly woven piece of fiction with all the elements common to mystic mysteries: kabbalah, Christians, Crown Heights Hassidism and murder. The hero is reporter struggling to free his wife kidnappers with the help of his best friend and college sweetheart. Bourne’s pure mystery writing is gripping and keeps the reader guessing. Once the mystical elements are added he flounders. He fails to create a sense of awe. The reader can’t believe in the otherworldly elements of the book – in this case that the deaths of thirty-six men will end the world – because the protagonist himself never comes around to believing it. The Da Vinci Code created doubt and wonder simultaneously. For this reason the story stays with the reader long after the book is closed. The Righteous Men can’t even do that for the protagonist of its own book and is therefore confined to the shelves of mediocrity.
—Erica Mukherjee
Its amazing what you will do when waiting for trains that are delayed - (Had to travel for work and after numerous and annoying train delays I ended up picking up something to read)Well I have seen enough of Sam Bourne books about to recognise the title and author and thought why not. I must admit its a well written book with a fair share of grisley crime and mystery and suspense - its tricky to comment about a book that really is building towards a huge big reveal - (and forgive the comparisons but like Dan Brown books once you know what the punchline is - you never need to read it again) - but I will try. The book really has two stories in it - the one the character is trying to uncover and the other is a story the author wants to reveal to us. Now again without giving anything away what the author is posing - is an idea linked to Jewish Folklore, while the character is trying to understand these supposedly unconnected murders. The result is an interesting read and certainly one that helped pass the time and make me forget how cold train stations really are. I would not list this as one of my all time favourites but I certainly did enjoy it.
—Andrew
