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Niels Bentzon #1
Ο τελευταίος καλός άνθρωπος
Στο Πεκίνο, ένας μοναχός πέφτει νεκρός στο δωμάτιό του. Ένα πύρινο σημάδι διατρέχει ολόκληρη τη ράχη του. Στη Βομβάη ένας δημοφιλής οικονομολόγος, ένας άνθρωπος που υπηρέτησε τους φτωχούς, πεθαίνει ξαφνικά. Στο σώμα του υπάρχει το ίδιο σημάδι. Παρόμοιοι θάνατοι αναφέρονται παντού στον κόσμο.
Στη Βενετία ένας τολμηρός αστυνομικός ανακαλύπτει τη σύνδεση των φόνων ψάχνοντας για στοιχεία. Ποιος σκοτώνει καλούς ανθρώπους σε όλη την υφήλιο;
Στην Κοπεγχάγη, όταν φτάνει το σήμα της Ιντερπόλ για τις μυστηριώδεις δολοφονίες, την υπόθεση αναλαμβάνει ο ντετέκτιβ Νιελς Μπέντσον. Η αποστολή του είναι να βρει τους «καλούς ανθρώπους» της Δανίας και να τους προειδοποιήσει. Όμως ο Μπέντσον έχει εκπαιδευτεί να διακρίνει μόνο το κακό… Ένας προς ένας τα ονόματα στη λίστα του διαγράφονται, καθώς ανακαλύπτει τα μυστικά και τα κρυφά πάθη τους.
Τη στιγμή που ετοιμάζεται να τα παρατήσει, συναντά τη Χάννα Λουντ, μια διακεκριμένη αστροφυσικό. Με τη βοήθειά της ο αστυνόμος αρχίζει να συναρμολογεί κομμάτι κομμάτι τα στοιχεία του παζλ για την εξήγηση αυτών των θανάτων. Και τότε έρχονται αντιμέτωποι με ένα τρομακτικό εύρημα: δυο θάνατοι ακόμα επίκεινται. Και μπορούν να προβλέψουν τον τόπο και το χρόνο: Στην Κοπεγχάγη και τη Βενετία.
Και ο χρόνος ΕΙΝΑΙ ΤΩΡΑ.
Στη Βενετία ένας τολμηρός αστυνομικός ανακαλύπτει τη σύνδεση των φόνων ψάχνοντας για στοιχεία. Ποιος σκοτώνει καλούς ανθρώπους σε όλη την υφήλιο;
Στην Κοπεγχάγη, όταν φτάνει το σήμα της Ιντερπόλ για τις μυστηριώδεις δολοφονίες, την υπόθεση αναλαμβάνει ο ντετέκτιβ Νιελς Μπέντσον. Η αποστολή του είναι να βρει τους «καλούς ανθρώπους» της Δανίας και να τους προειδοποιήσει. Όμως ο Μπέντσον έχει εκπαιδευτεί να διακρίνει μόνο το κακό… Ένας προς ένας τα ονόματα στη λίστα του διαγράφονται, καθώς ανακαλύπτει τα μυστικά και τα κρυφά πάθη τους.
Τη στιγμή που ετοιμάζεται να τα παρατήσει, συναντά τη Χάννα Λουντ, μια διακεκριμένη αστροφυσικό. Με τη βοήθειά της ο αστυνόμος αρχίζει να συναρμολογεί κομμάτι κομμάτι τα στοιχεία του παζλ για την εξήγηση αυτών των θανάτων. Και τότε έρχονται αντιμέτωποι με ένα τρομακτικό εύρημα: δυο θάνατοι ακόμα επίκεινται. Και μπορούν να προβλέψουν τον τόπο και το χρόνο: Στην Κοπεγχάγη και τη Βενετία.
Και ο χρόνος ΕΙΝΑΙ ΤΩΡΑ.
492 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2010
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1564 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 355 reviews
November 29, 2011
According to the Talmud, thirty-six righteous people exist on earth and if they all die, so does humanity. Now, people are dying all over the world with strange marks on their backs and it's up to a Danish policeman named Niels Bentzon to find out why. There have been thirty-four deaths already. Can Niels save the last two good men and save the world?
First off, I received this ARC from Scribner in exchange for reviewing it. This did not influence my opinion in the least. To be honest, The Last Good Man didn't have a whole lot going for it when I read the back cover blurb comparing it to The DaVinci Code and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a book I'll never read and one I'm skeptical of because of all the hype. Still, free is free, and I begrudgingly gave it a read. Despite my initial misgivings, I wound up liking The Last Good Man quite a bit.
The main characters are an interesting bunch. Niels Bentzon, the protagonist, is a hostage negotiator who's manic depressive, can't bring himself to shoot anyone, and is manic depressive. He's a far cry from the macho hero I was dreading in this outing. The female lead, Hannah Lund, is also atypical. She's a divorced astrophysicist with a dead son and difficulty relating to anyone who isn't a genius. Interested yet?
Here's something else to pique your curiosity. This book has so many twists that it could be called The Last Good Man and his One Hundred Red Herrings. Some of the twists are predictable, many are not. One thing that I loved was that Kazinski avoided a lot of the thriller cliches that I hate.
For a thriller, it's surprisingly deep. The nature of good and evil are explored, as well as the existence of God. I liked that the plot was rooted in Jewish texts. The way Hannah figured out how to predict where the final two victims would be was pretty cool. Also, loved the ending. Not what I expected at all when I first picked up the book.
That's about all I can say without blowing any surprises. The Last Good Man is a good thriller and good entertainment for a rainy evening.
First off, I received this ARC from Scribner in exchange for reviewing it. This did not influence my opinion in the least. To be honest, The Last Good Man didn't have a whole lot going for it when I read the back cover blurb comparing it to The DaVinci Code and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a book I'll never read and one I'm skeptical of because of all the hype. Still, free is free, and I begrudgingly gave it a read. Despite my initial misgivings, I wound up liking The Last Good Man quite a bit.
The main characters are an interesting bunch. Niels Bentzon, the protagonist, is a hostage negotiator who's manic depressive, can't bring himself to shoot anyone, and is manic depressive. He's a far cry from the macho hero I was dreading in this outing. The female lead, Hannah Lund, is also atypical. She's a divorced astrophysicist with a dead son and difficulty relating to anyone who isn't a genius. Interested yet?
Here's something else to pique your curiosity. This book has so many twists that it could be called The Last Good Man and his One Hundred Red Herrings. Some of the twists are predictable, many are not. One thing that I loved was that Kazinski avoided a lot of the thriller cliches that I hate.
For a thriller, it's surprisingly deep. The nature of good and evil are explored, as well as the existence of God. I liked that the plot was rooted in Jewish texts. The way Hannah figured out how to predict where the final two victims would be was pretty cool. Also, loved the ending. Not what I expected at all when I first picked up the book.
That's about all I can say without blowing any surprises. The Last Good Man is a good thriller and good entertainment for a rainy evening.
December 12, 2011
Full disclosure about this review: Scribner offered me an ARC in exchange for this write up, and being the cheap and shameless person I am, I accepted it in the hopes of opening a pipeline of free books. The problem is that I’ve only got about three stars worth of love for this, and I don’t know if that’s good enough to convince them to send me more. So if anyone from Scribner’s asks, I gave it an enthusiastic five stars. Shhhh. It’ll be our little secret.
This starts with a pretty intriguing premise. Niels Bentzon is a Danish police negotiator who has irritated his colleagues with his almost complete refusal to resort to force in hostage situations. As Denmark prepares for an international climate conference with high profile politicians from all over the world attending, Bentzon is given an odd assignment. A cop in Venice has put out an Interpol bulletin documenting the mysterious deaths all over the world of several ‘good’ people with strange marks on their backs and predicting that the next victim is in Denmark.
Bentzon is supposed to find potential good people and warn them but struggles with how to identity potential targets. What constitutes a good person and what is he supposed to warn them about? Niels gets some help from Hannah, a scientist dealing with her own tragedy, and they soon learns that the case is based on an ancient Jewish legend that claims that there are always 36 righteous people on earth. They don’t know that they’ve been chosen, but their presence is necessary to keep the world from ending. And 34 of the 36 are already dead.
If I can believe the blurbs on the back cover, this book was pretty well received and won some prizes in Europe. Overall, I thought the writing was good and the characters interesting. The idea of the 36 righteous people dying off certainly had a lot of potential. However, while it was good enough to hold my interest, I found it lacking in a lot of respects.
It takes a long time to get started. I figured out one of the biggest plot twists early in the book, but then had to endure a few hundred pages of red herrings to get to the big reveal. Time is spent developing characters just to drop them the second they’ve served their purpose.
Overall, this is one where the execution of the story just didn’t live up to the potential of its basic idea. I enjoyed reading it, but found myself disappointed that there wasn’t more meat on the bone.
Still, free book!
This starts with a pretty intriguing premise. Niels Bentzon is a Danish police negotiator who has irritated his colleagues with his almost complete refusal to resort to force in hostage situations. As Denmark prepares for an international climate conference with high profile politicians from all over the world attending, Bentzon is given an odd assignment. A cop in Venice has put out an Interpol bulletin documenting the mysterious deaths all over the world of several ‘good’ people with strange marks on their backs and predicting that the next victim is in Denmark.
Bentzon is supposed to find potential good people and warn them but struggles with how to identity potential targets. What constitutes a good person and what is he supposed to warn them about? Niels gets some help from Hannah, a scientist dealing with her own tragedy, and they soon learns that the case is based on an ancient Jewish legend that claims that there are always 36 righteous people on earth. They don’t know that they’ve been chosen, but their presence is necessary to keep the world from ending. And 34 of the 36 are already dead.
If I can believe the blurbs on the back cover, this book was pretty well received and won some prizes in Europe. Overall, I thought the writing was good and the characters interesting. The idea of the 36 righteous people dying off certainly had a lot of potential. However, while it was good enough to hold my interest, I found it lacking in a lot of respects.
It takes a long time to get started. I figured out one of the biggest plot twists early in the book, but then had to endure a few hundred pages of red herrings to get to the big reveal. Time is spent developing characters just to drop them the second they’ve served their purpose.
Overall, this is one where the execution of the story just didn’t live up to the potential of its basic idea. I enjoyed reading it, but found myself disappointed that there wasn’t more meat on the bone.
Still, free book!
March 29, 2019
Με μια ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία και μια αρκετά γρήγορη πλοκή στο δεύτερο μισό,ολοκληρώθηκε η πρώτη επαφή με το συγγραφικό δίδυμο.Μου άρεσε αρκετά η ιδέα των 36 δίκαιων ανθρώπων που ανανεώνονται ανά γενιά,παρόλο που σχετική αναζήτηση για το συγκεκριμένο θέμα δεν επιβεβαίωσε την ύπαρξη του μύθου.Από την άλλη βέβαια,υπάρχει το σημείωμα των συγγραφέων στην αρχή του βιβλίου πως τα στοιχεία που περιγράφονται είναι προϊόν μυθοπλασίας και δεν αντιστοιχούν στην πραγματικότητα.Επειδή η σύγκριση είναι αναπόφευκτη με άλλα βιβλία που έχουν παρόμοιο ύφος,μου έλειψαν λίγο τα "πραγματικά" στοιχεία και γεγονότα που μπλέκονται με την μυθοπλασία.Κατά τα λοιπά,με εξαίρεση το μέσον περίπου,όπου φλυαρεί χωρίς πολλές εξελίξεις,είχε και την εντασούλα του,είχε και τις ανατροπούλες του,είχε και ωραίο τέλος!3,5⭐
February 10, 2025
English version below
****************
Dieser dänische Thriller war über lange Strecken ziemlich spannend, aber durch die Auflösung war für mich die Luft total raus.
Es geht um den dänischen Polizisten Niels Betzon, dessen Frau gerade beruflich in Kapstadt ist. Er konnte sie nicht begleiten, da er schwerste Angstzustände bekommt, sobald er Kopenhagen verlässt.
Durch einen italienischen Kollegen offenbart sich ihm eine weltweite Mordserie, die er in Folge versucht aufzuklären.
Die Autoren haben die Geschichte auf dem jüdischen Mythos der 36 Gerechten aufgebaut, was dem Buch einen schwer mystischen Einschlag gab.
Ich fand den Roman sehr spannend, weil ich mich gefragt habe, wie die Autoren es schaffen werden, aus der übernatürlichen Schiene wieder herauszukommen.
Natürlich ist das ein typischer Thriller, geschrieben von Menschen aus dem Filmgeschäft. Deshalb haben wir kurze bis sehr kurze Kapitel, schnelle Schnitte, völlig unglaubwürdige Aktivitäten und massenhaft unerwartete Wendungen. Unter der Prämisse, dass dies ein Thriller ohne größeren Anspruch ist, der einfach nur unterhalten soll, hat mir das ziemlich gut gefallen.
Das Ende hat mich jedoch dann sehr enttäuscht. Ich fand es wirklich billig, wie die Autoren sich aus der mythologischen Ebene herausgewunden haben, um dann mit ihrer Krimiserie und ihrem Protagonisten im nächsten Band weitermachen zu können. Da kann ich gar nicht anders, als in der Bewertung Abzüge zu machen.
Größtenteils gut lesbar, aber für mich die Lesezeit für den nächsten Band nicht wert. 2,5 Sterne, aufgerundet.
------------------
This Danish thriller was quite exciting for long stretches, but the solution left me totally disappointed.
It's about Danish policeman Niels Betzon, whose wife is currently in Cape Town on business. He couldn't accompany her because he gets severe anxiety attacks as soon as he leaves Copenhagen.
An Italian colleague reveals a worldwide series of murders to him, which he then tries to solve.
The authors have based the story on the Jewish myth of the 36 righteous, which gives the book a heavy mystical flavour.
I found the novel very exciting because I wondered how the authors would manage to get out of the supernatural track.
Of course, this is a typical thriller, written by people from the film business. That's why we have short to very short chapters, quick cuts, completely implausible activities and unexpected twists galore. Under the premise that this is a thriller without any great pretensions, which is simply meant to entertain, I quite liked it.
However, I was very disappointed with the ending. I thought it was really cheap how the authors wriggled out of the mythological level in order to continue with their crime series and their protagonist in the next volume. I can't help but make deductions in the rating.
Mostly easy to read, but for me not worth the reading time for the next volume. 2.5 stars, rounded up.
****************
Dieser dänische Thriller war über lange Strecken ziemlich spannend, aber durch die Auflösung war für mich die Luft total raus.
Es geht um den dänischen Polizisten Niels Betzon, dessen Frau gerade beruflich in Kapstadt ist. Er konnte sie nicht begleiten, da er schwerste Angstzustände bekommt, sobald er Kopenhagen verlässt.
Durch einen italienischen Kollegen offenbart sich ihm eine weltweite Mordserie, die er in Folge versucht aufzuklären.
Die Autoren haben die Geschichte auf dem jüdischen Mythos der 36 Gerechten aufgebaut, was dem Buch einen schwer mystischen Einschlag gab.
Ich fand den Roman sehr spannend, weil ich mich gefragt habe, wie die Autoren es schaffen werden, aus der übernatürlichen Schiene wieder herauszukommen.
Natürlich ist das ein typischer Thriller, geschrieben von Menschen aus dem Filmgeschäft. Deshalb haben wir kurze bis sehr kurze Kapitel, schnelle Schnitte, völlig unglaubwürdige Aktivitäten und massenhaft unerwartete Wendungen. Unter der Prämisse, dass dies ein Thriller ohne größeren Anspruch ist, der einfach nur unterhalten soll, hat mir das ziemlich gut gefallen.
Das Ende hat mich jedoch dann sehr enttäuscht. Ich fand es wirklich billig, wie die Autoren sich aus der mythologischen Ebene herausgewunden haben, um dann mit ihrer Krimiserie und ihrem Protagonisten im nächsten Band weitermachen zu können. Da kann ich gar nicht anders, als in der Bewertung Abzüge zu machen.
Größtenteils gut lesbar, aber für mich die Lesezeit für den nächsten Band nicht wert. 2,5 Sterne, aufgerundet.
------------------
This Danish thriller was quite exciting for long stretches, but the solution left me totally disappointed.
It's about Danish policeman Niels Betzon, whose wife is currently in Cape Town on business. He couldn't accompany her because he gets severe anxiety attacks as soon as he leaves Copenhagen.
An Italian colleague reveals a worldwide series of murders to him, which he then tries to solve.
The authors have based the story on the Jewish myth of the 36 righteous, which gives the book a heavy mystical flavour.
I found the novel very exciting because I wondered how the authors would manage to get out of the supernatural track.
Of course, this is a typical thriller, written by people from the film business. That's why we have short to very short chapters, quick cuts, completely implausible activities and unexpected twists galore. Under the premise that this is a thriller without any great pretensions, which is simply meant to entertain, I quite liked it.
However, I was very disappointed with the ending. I thought it was really cheap how the authors wriggled out of the mythological level in order to continue with their crime series and their protagonist in the next volume. I can't help but make deductions in the rating.
Mostly easy to read, but for me not worth the reading time for the next volume. 2.5 stars, rounded up.
February 12, 2014
Ο Βενετός αστυνομικός Τομάζο ντι Μπάρμπαρα στέλνει σήμα στην Ιντερπόλ προκειμένου να ενημερώσει ότι έχουν σημειωθεί 21 ανεξήγητοι θάνατοι σε όλο τον πλανήτη μη σχετιζομένων μεταξύ τους αλλά με ένα κοινό χαρακτηριστικό. Στην πλάτη κάθε θύματος υπάρχουν αριθμημένα σχέδια-σύμβολα και στη ζωή τους έχουν πασχίσει για το κοινό καλό ή έχουν διακριθεί για πράξεις αυτοθυσίας. Ο Τομάζο τίθεται σε διαθεσιμότητα για τον υπερβάλλοντα ζήλο του όταν μάλιστα θεωρεί ότι η αιτία είναι μάλλον μυστικιστική-θρησκευτική καθώς βασίζεται στον εβραϊκό μύθο των δίκαιων ανθρώπων: Σε κάθε γενιά υπάρχουν 36 καλοί άνθρωποι που πασχίζουν για την ανθρωπότητα.
Όταν ανατίθεται η υπόθεση ως μη μείζονος σημασίας στο Δανό διαπραγματευτή-αστυνομικό Νίλς Μπέντσον, αυτός αναλαμβάνει να προειδοποιήσει κάποιους πιθανόν καλούς ανθρώπους στη Δανία που ίσως διατρέχουν κίνδυνο. Ο δρόμος του διασταυρώνεται με μια ευφυή, πλην δυστυχισμένη, αστροφυσικό, τη Χάνα Λούντ, η οποία ανακαλύπτει ένα μαθηματικό σύστημα που υποστηρίζει τις απόψεις του Βενετού αστυνομικού και έχει τις απαρχές του πριν εκατομμύρια χρόνια, όταν υπήρχε η ήπειρος της Ροδινίας (πριν ακόμα και την Παγγαία). Έτσι, ανακαλύπτει ότι συνολικά έχουν βρει το θάνατο, όχι 21, αλλά 34 άνθρωποι και ότι οι επόμενοι 2 θάνατοι θα συμβούν στη Βενετία και στην Κοπεγχάγη, με χρονική απόσταση 7 ημερών και ακριβώς στη δύση του ηλίου. Το ερώτημα είναι ποια από τις 2 πόλεις έχει σειρά... γι' αυτό ενημερώνουν και τον Τομάζο.
Η Χάνα πιστεύει ότι δεν μπορούν να ξεφύγουν από κάτι που μοιάζει με αναπόφευκτο νόμο της Φύσης... Είναι άραγε έτσι;
Όταν ανατίθεται η υπόθεση ως μη μείζονος σημασίας στο Δανό διαπραγματευτή-αστυνομικό Νίλς Μπέντσον, αυτός αναλαμβάνει να προειδοποιήσει κάποιους πιθανόν καλούς ανθρώπους στη Δανία που ίσως διατρέχουν κίνδυνο. Ο δρόμος του διασταυρώνεται με μια ευφυή, πλην δυστυχισμένη, αστροφυσικό, τη Χάνα Λούντ, η οποία ανακαλύπτει ένα μαθηματικό σύστημα που υποστηρίζει τις απόψεις του Βενετού αστυνομικού και έχει τις απαρχές του πριν εκατομμύρια χρόνια, όταν υπήρχε η ήπειρος της Ροδινίας (πριν ακόμα και την Παγγαία). Έτσι, ανακαλύπτει ότι συνολικά έχουν βρει το θάνατο, όχι 21, αλλά 34 άνθρωποι και ότι οι επόμενοι 2 θάνατοι θα συμβούν στη Βενετία και στην Κοπεγχάγη, με χρονική απόσταση 7 ημερών και ακριβώς στη δύση του ηλίου. Το ερώτημα είναι ποια από τις 2 πόλεις έχει σειρά... γι' αυτό ενημερώνουν και τον Τομάζο.
Η Χάνα πιστεύει ότι δεν μπορούν να ξεφύγουν από κάτι που μοιάζει με αναπόφευκτο νόμο της Φύσης... Είναι άραγε έτσι;
April 8, 2012
I won this book in one of Goodreads give-away promotions. Honestly, I didn't have really high expectations before I started it, but within the first few pages I was hooked. It is better written than I had expected and the story is not only gripping, it keeps you guessing up until the very end. (I really like that in a mystery/thriller.)
The story revolves around the murders of diverse people around the world who have in common a strange mark on their backs at the time of death. The case catches the attention of an Italian police detective who begins collecting evidence and who discovers that the victims are all "good people". The Italian refers the case to Danish police detective, Niels Bentzon, through an Interpol alert on the eve of an international climate summit. In the course of alerting "good people" about a possible threat to their lives, Bentzon discovers a connection to the Jewish Talumdic tale of the 36 good men who are always on the earth to stand between us and destruction.
This is a fast paced, well thought out story. It is not only a thriller, not only a murder mystery, it is also a thought provoking philosophical book in a strange way. For several days after I finished it my thoughts would wander to musing on what makes a "good person", how much of our lives is really being guided by a higher force.
I would highly recommend this book (even if I had paid for it!). But don't expect to get much else done once you have started it.
The story revolves around the murders of diverse people around the world who have in common a strange mark on their backs at the time of death. The case catches the attention of an Italian police detective who begins collecting evidence and who discovers that the victims are all "good people". The Italian refers the case to Danish police detective, Niels Bentzon, through an Interpol alert on the eve of an international climate summit. In the course of alerting "good people" about a possible threat to their lives, Bentzon discovers a connection to the Jewish Talumdic tale of the 36 good men who are always on the earth to stand between us and destruction.
This is a fast paced, well thought out story. It is not only a thriller, not only a murder mystery, it is also a thought provoking philosophical book in a strange way. For several days after I finished it my thoughts would wander to musing on what makes a "good person", how much of our lives is really being guided by a higher force.
I would highly recommend this book (even if I had paid for it!). But don't expect to get much else done once you have started it.
August 30, 2017
Ξεκινάει καλά, αφήνει υποσχέσεις για κάτι πολύ καλό, αλλά στο τέλος καταντάει βαρετό, κουραστικό και κάπως προβλέψιμο. Αν ήταν 100 σελίδες πιο μικρό, θα ήταν πολύ καλύτερο!
2.5* αστεράκια από μένα.
2.5* αστεράκια από μένα.
October 10, 2018
Certainly not my cup of tea...
June 14, 2020
For being a book about the Lamed-Vavniks (the 36 righteous men and women), they sure go to church a lot. And also, will not shut up about Christmas?
This book was a major disappointment. I didn't know it was written by non-Jewish authors coming in, and I felt like you could really tell. Although the plot centers around the Jewish concept of there being 36 righteous men and women in the world at once (often called the Lamed-Vav Tzadkikim, or, fondly in Yiddish, the Lamed-Vavniks), there was only one Jewish character, a rabbi who the main character consults for two chapters.
There were too many settings and too many characters, who I felt fell especially flat. I didn't care for most of the cast in general. There's a weird subplot about terrorist attacks that just felt very stereotyped and racist, leaving me with a "yuck" feeling. More than once, the characters made off-hand comments about mental illness that seemed misinformed and frustrating to read.
I was also extremely frustrated that the characters kept calling the 36 righteous a myth, while also hanging out around Churches, never calling Christmas a myth. Personally, I view it more as folklore or Talmudic tradition than a "myth" even though I do agree in general religion can be categorized as modern mythology. But it felt very belittling and "other-ing."
Just my two cents, but if you're going to have a book centered around a religious belief, maybe have more than one character show up who's a part of that religion.
This book was a major disappointment. I didn't know it was written by non-Jewish authors coming in, and I felt like you could really tell. Although the plot centers around the Jewish concept of there being 36 righteous men and women in the world at once (often called the Lamed-Vav Tzadkikim, or, fondly in Yiddish, the Lamed-Vavniks), there was only one Jewish character, a rabbi who the main character consults for two chapters.
There were too many settings and too many characters, who I felt fell especially flat. I didn't care for most of the cast in general. There's a weird subplot about terrorist attacks that just felt very stereotyped and racist, leaving me with a "yuck" feeling. More than once, the characters made off-hand comments about mental illness that seemed misinformed and frustrating to read.
I was also extremely frustrated that the characters kept calling the 36 righteous a myth, while also hanging out around Churches, never calling Christmas a myth. Personally, I view it more as folklore or Talmudic tradition than a "myth" even though I do agree in general religion can be categorized as modern mythology. But it felt very belittling and "other-ing."
Just my two cents, but if you're going to have a book centered around a religious belief, maybe have more than one character show up who's a part of that religion.
April 1, 2019
This book reads like a who-dunnit but of the ethereal kind where the question of ‘who’ becomes the question of ‘what’ is committing these murders.
I enjoyed the fast paced tempo of the book and the metaphysical allusions - I use this word as from reading other reviews it is clear that not everyone understands the fullness of the narrative – I appreciated the insertion that spirituality and science are closer cousins than may be commonly understood.
Perhaps I am alone in thinking this but, and without giving any spoilers, I found the ending quite elegant and could be summed up in the one word ‘trust’.
So why have I given it 3 stars? Well the writing was slightly tedious and long-winded but the main protagonist Niels Bentzon did grow on me eventually. I also tend to give books 4 stars and above if I could imagine myself reading it again. This one was an entertaining read – but one time only thanks.
I enjoyed the fast paced tempo of the book and the metaphysical allusions - I use this word as from reading other reviews it is clear that not everyone understands the fullness of the narrative – I appreciated the insertion that spirituality and science are closer cousins than may be commonly understood.
Perhaps I am alone in thinking this but, and without giving any spoilers, I found the ending quite elegant and could be summed up in the one word ‘trust’.
So why have I given it 3 stars? Well the writing was slightly tedious and long-winded but the main protagonist Niels Bentzon did grow on me eventually. I also tend to give books 4 stars and above if I could imagine myself reading it again. This one was an entertaining read – but one time only thanks.
November 29, 2014
I loved this book! One of the best fiction books I've read this year. I would give it 4.5 stars. The beginning of the book (maybe the first 2/3) is excellent, and after that it gets a little slow, but still interesting. I did feel there were plot lines that were left hanging a bit, but the main stuff is all resolved. The book is set primarily in Copenhagen and the main premise is that there are apparently 36 good/righteous people on earth and they are being killed off. This is based on something from the Talmud. Anyway, great book, sad it is done.
June 16, 2025
Overall it has three and a half stars on Goodreads. I give it 3.0 because I liked the core/premise of the story. 39 Righteous men. Biblical. Jewish. Look it up. God maintains 39 righteous men on earth. They do not know who they are. If anything happens to them it is end times.
But. If you are reading this, or planning to read it, let me assure you that it will eventually end. At times you will think it won't, but it will.
I don't review details of the narrative, just pass on my take. Others do that well.
I liked this pretty much up to half way, then it just seemed like there were way too many obstacles after obstacles after obstacles placed in the way of the antagonist(s). For me, it unnecessarily dragged the whole thing too long. I was OK with the eventual ending, but after the obstacle courses it seemed almost to easy and fast.
I put this in the Dan-Brown-wannabe file. Maybe cinema would be a better vehicle than print.
Just my take. Recommended with a caution.
But. If you are reading this, or planning to read it, let me assure you that it will eventually end. At times you will think it won't, but it will.
I don't review details of the narrative, just pass on my take. Others do that well.
I liked this pretty much up to half way, then it just seemed like there were way too many obstacles after obstacles after obstacles placed in the way of the antagonist(s). For me, it unnecessarily dragged the whole thing too long. I was OK with the eventual ending, but after the obstacle courses it seemed almost to easy and fast.
I put this in the Dan-Brown-wannabe file. Maybe cinema would be a better vehicle than print.
Just my take. Recommended with a caution.
August 20, 2012
I spent a lot of the book thinking I already knew what was going on based on the explanation at the beginning of the book and the description of the death in China. It was annoying the characters didn't know what I did and it felt like a big waste of time for them to investigate. I mean probably 8 of the 12 CDs were pretty much useless and at times boring. There was so much unnecessary stuff about random people that did nothing for the plot of the story. Maybe it's a foreign language thing, people have different preferences in their writing in other places, like depressing endings in Asian movies.
Things finally got exciting toward the end of the book but nothing was explained and I didn't really like the perspective it seemed to be taking on righteousness. As I think about it more and take away my own beliefs it's more acceptable, but it still feels rather pointless. Why did they go through all that? I'd entirely forgotten the near death stuff from the beginning of the book and there didn't seem to be any reason for it, though maybe the author felt that strengthened the position of something greater than people. I think the random deaths with no physical murderer was a good enough reason to think there was something more out there. I just felt like the author was chickening out on an explanation, not being mysterious.
I just really did not like the idea that the only way not to die was to be evil or sacrifice your goodness. I think they misunderstood the story of Abraham's sacrifice, he wasn't doing something evil, he was being obedient to a commandment from God and he was stopped once his obedience was tested. The people dying weren't being told to do something bad, if anything they were compulsive about doing good. If one of the 35 before him had done evil would it have stopped the system? Would not giving money to the homeless man have been enough to save Tomasi or was his mom talking about paying for the bathroom which avoiding wouldn't have saved him anyway?
I don't think God would kill good people so he could destroy the world which is where they seemed to leave things. I'd spent most of the book thinking it was the devil doing it which made more sense with the pain and suffering and evilness. Kind of him striking out at the good people in an attempt to end the world.
I feel like a lot of cool ideas were introduced, but not finished. The near-death stuff got concluded (unnecessarily to me) but the system-Krypton-36-Rhodesia-God/devil stuff I felt was left under explained. I'd also have liked a bit more about Niels and his wife and what Hannah was going to do next.
Things finally got exciting toward the end of the book but nothing was explained and I didn't really like the perspective it seemed to be taking on righteousness. As I think about it more and take away my own beliefs it's more acceptable, but it still feels rather pointless. Why did they go through all that? I'd entirely forgotten the near death stuff from the beginning of the book and there didn't seem to be any reason for it, though maybe the author felt that strengthened the position of something greater than people. I think the random deaths with no physical murderer was a good enough reason to think there was something more out there. I just felt like the author was chickening out on an explanation, not being mysterious.
I just really did not like the idea that the only way not to die was to be evil or sacrifice your goodness. I think they misunderstood the story of Abraham's sacrifice, he wasn't doing something evil, he was being obedient to a commandment from God and he was stopped once his obedience was tested. The people dying weren't being told to do something bad, if anything they were compulsive about doing good. If one of the 35 before him had done evil would it have stopped the system? Would not giving money to the homeless man have been enough to save Tomasi or was his mom talking about paying for the bathroom which avoiding wouldn't have saved him anyway?
I don't think God would kill good people so he could destroy the world which is where they seemed to leave things. I'd spent most of the book thinking it was the devil doing it which made more sense with the pain and suffering and evilness. Kind of him striking out at the good people in an attempt to end the world.
I feel like a lot of cool ideas were introduced, but not finished. The near-death stuff got concluded (unnecessarily to me) but the system-Krypton-36-Rhodesia-God/devil stuff I felt was left under explained. I'd also have liked a bit more about Niels and his wife and what Hannah was going to do next.
February 16, 2014
"The last good man" is an exciting and fascinating novel were Niels Bentzon as the main character runs against time to solve the mystery about the 36 good people who are according to the Jewish mythology, the ones God has put on earth to make a counterbalance between good and evil, but if all the 36 people dies the world will be doomed. A. J. Kazinski takes the reader on a world tour to Africa, China, Venice, Copenhagen and many other places were there has been mysterious killing’s, nobody understands until the cases are connected by the policeman Tommaso Di Barbara in Venice. Bentzon gets help by Hannah and she discovers a system in the killings and that this system is much bigger and more complex – beyond what humanity can understand.
The novel combines different sciences which are very fascinating and keeps the reader well occupied and engaged as the narrative goes along and the reader follows the tracks and the exciting mystery. I think that the most important in the novel is the deep physiological aspect in the characters which shows their different ways of handling life and problems which comes along and of course the myth of the 36 good men. The book is a very good read written in 3. Person narrative and with many intertextualities which gives the book a little more spice.
The novel combines different sciences which are very fascinating and keeps the reader well occupied and engaged as the narrative goes along and the reader follows the tracks and the exciting mystery. I think that the most important in the novel is the deep physiological aspect in the characters which shows their different ways of handling life and problems which comes along and of course the myth of the 36 good men. The book is a very good read written in 3. Person narrative and with many intertextualities which gives the book a little more spice.
October 31, 2011
This book started off really slowly. I almost gave up, but wanted to read because books coming from this part of the world are getting a lot of attention. I felt lost within the first couple of chapters jumping from person and subject. I couldn't get a clearly defined hold on who where the main characters of the book until reading quite far into the story.
But, once I got into the story of Niels and Hannah, the story moved along quickly. I have to say that I realized Niels place in the story as soon as I understood what he was investigating. That wasn't much of a reveal. At also read very much like a Dan Brown novel. A little too much for me. The one thing I can say is that the ending was much more satisfying than any Dan Brown novel I've read.
The science and mystery intermingle well. I wanted more to happen between Niels and Hannah, but can say that the teasing of their relationship worked well.
I would recommend this to read for anyone who likes the Dan Brown style.
But, once I got into the story of Niels and Hannah, the story moved along quickly. I have to say that I realized Niels place in the story as soon as I understood what he was investigating. That wasn't much of a reveal. At also read very much like a Dan Brown novel. A little too much for me. The one thing I can say is that the ending was much more satisfying than any Dan Brown novel I've read.
The science and mystery intermingle well. I wanted more to happen between Niels and Hannah, but can say that the teasing of their relationship worked well.
I would recommend this to read for anyone who likes the Dan Brown style.
November 14, 2011
In the Jewish Scripture it is said that 36 righteous people on earth protect us and without them we perish.
A series for murders have occurred in different locations around the world. The victims are all good humanitarians.
Tomaso di Barbara, a police in Venice, Italy, starts making a connection of the different murders but his boss does not want him investigating. Tomaso sends information to Copenhagen. Niels Bentzon , a police in Copenhagen, starts investigating and receives the information Tomaso sent. Niels teams up with Hannah, an astrophysics scientist, who develops a system where she has plotted all 34 death and gets the coordinates for the other 2 murders.
The style has great rhythm keeping a balance of characters. The author lets us read between the lines about the social problems in Denmark and the lax of the government. The author has done his research very well keeping a good flow of the plot. It is important to get to the end of the book to understand its contect.
A series for murders have occurred in different locations around the world. The victims are all good humanitarians.
Tomaso di Barbara, a police in Venice, Italy, starts making a connection of the different murders but his boss does not want him investigating. Tomaso sends information to Copenhagen. Niels Bentzon , a police in Copenhagen, starts investigating and receives the information Tomaso sent. Niels teams up with Hannah, an astrophysics scientist, who develops a system where she has plotted all 34 death and gets the coordinates for the other 2 murders.
The style has great rhythm keeping a balance of characters. The author lets us read between the lines about the social problems in Denmark and the lax of the government. The author has done his research very well keeping a good flow of the plot. It is important to get to the end of the book to understand its contect.
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April 11, 2012This is the second book that Ive now read about this Jewish myth about the 36 good people. In both books, the people who were being killed were of questionable character and so the whole premise of the story cannot hold up. The very foundation of the story isnt built correctly because of this and so the story itself crumbles. This book was written much better than the other story though{The Torah Code}. This story was actually quite interesting until part 2 and than it just completely fell apart into awful. I would have given the first part a 4 star and then second part a 1 star and so how should I score the book as a whole? I dont think I need to read anymore books on this myth...
December 3, 2011
Idea of the myth that there is always 36 righteous people on Earth is intriquing. What happens when someone starts to murder them one by one? What will happen if none is left?
The idea was good, great even, but somehow I got bit bored before even reaching the mid section of the book. Maybe the pace was bit too slow, can't really say... Maybe it's just another DaVinci code.
But while reading you must ask yourself this question, at the end, Who really is Righteous?
Book & story itself really ain't that bad, but maybe we've just seen these types too many times by now.
The idea was good, great even, but somehow I got bit bored before even reaching the mid section of the book. Maybe the pace was bit too slow, can't really say... Maybe it's just another DaVinci code.
But while reading you must ask yourself this question, at the end, Who really is Righteous?
Book & story itself really ain't that bad, but maybe we've just seen these types too many times by now.
April 14, 2013
I was excited by the premise of the book,but very disappointed in the execution. Maybe it had to do with the translation,but it seemed silly having cops running around looking for "good people".There should have been more deductive work,more of Hannah's puzzle solving...more something.The end was also quite disappointing,but I don't want to spoil the ending for those who haven't read it so I won't say more about that.
September 4, 2016
A fascinating twisting tale of religion, death, physics and the possibilities of afterlife. A murder hunt turns into a manhunt of the hunter with various twists along the way. I had no idea how this one was going to turn out, partly because of the science fiction thread that runs through the story.
The plot twists kept me engaged to the very end, and I found myself wanting to read more and more of the book the further into the story I got.
The plot twists kept me engaged to the very end, and I found myself wanting to read more and more of the book the further into the story I got.
January 14, 2014
I enjoyed this book - the mathematical and religious elements made it Dan Brown-esque, but heaps less predictable. A touch of Scandinavian darkness helped make the characters more interesting, and I wanted to get back to it frequently to see what happened next. Pacing in the last 3rd of the book could have been better, but it's worth the read.
March 19, 2014
I loved this! I would liken it to a Dan Brown "Robert Langdon" story, but with differences. Where Mr. Langdon is seemingly flawless man with a good heart, Niels is a troubled man with his heart in the right place. I wasn't sure if be able to follow as the story is based on a Jewish myth (?). Well written, a real page-turner, LOVED the end. Highly recommended!
January 30, 2018
Cool thriller with an interesting twist. Unfortunately the twist occurred two thirds of the way into the book and the story was not so gripping after that. Excellent characters and quirky detectives without the usual anti-social tendencies of most modern creations. What is is about authors from this part of the world that make them such good crime writers? (He's Danish by the way)
July 27, 2018
Un roman captivant care mi-a placut foarte mult. Desi are peste 800 de pagini, cartea se citeste rapid datorita actiunii care are un ritm foarte alert iar cele cateva intorsaturi de situatie fac povestea si mai captivanta.
Recenzia mea: https://agendadecarti.wordpress.com/2...
Recenzia mea: https://agendadecarti.wordpress.com/2...
April 21, 2019
*SPOILER*
I didn't quite get this book. It was well-written and filled with suspense.
The fact that
There is a lot of religious philosophy going on, something I didn't expect.
I didn't quite get this book. It was well-written and filled with suspense.
The fact that
There is a lot of religious philosophy going on, something I didn't expect.
August 1, 2017
Reasonably good plot - if you buy the metaphysical mumbo jumbo.
Characters well described and develops within reason.
Setting is quite realistic, in time as well as in place.
A bit of an mass-market suspense "easy reader", which in my opinion weights it down, thus only eligible for 3 stars.
Characters well described and develops within reason.
Setting is quite realistic, in time as well as in place.
A bit of an mass-market suspense "easy reader", which in my opinion weights it down, thus only eligible for 3 stars.
February 7, 2015
DNF @ 3|4s in. Completely lost interest. Not as riveting as I expected it to be.
January 6, 2016
A good book for a cold day - enjoy!
June 6, 2019
Bought this book at a church rummage sale and was pleasantly surprised! Interesting characters and plot. All for 25 cents. What a deal. Will try others by them
August 26, 2025
"Dios dijo, entre otras cosas, que siempre existirían 36 hombres justos en la tierra. Los 36 nos protegen a todos. Sin ellos, la humanidad parecerá"
La historia gira en torno a una serie de muertes que a simple vista parecen esporádicas pero en realidad están conectadas entre sí. Niels Bentzon es un policía Danés a cargo de las negociaciones dentro de la agencia lo que significa que es especializado en intervenir en situaciones límite como lo es el trato con terroristas, asesinos, casos de secuestro o intentos de suicidio.
Cierto día llega desde Italia la información sobre una investigación en curso por unos casos de asesinatos que parecen estar conectados entre sí a cargo de Tommaso Di Bárbara un policía veneciano que contraviniendo a sus superiores decide seguir este caso por su cuenta y darle la importancia que le corresponde tratando de contactar con las autoridades de otros países.
Le encargan a Niels localizar a las posibles víctimas para advertirles del peligro, pero ni remotamente sospecha hasta dónde estará involucrado, al punto de terminar huyendo de su destino. Esta seudo investigación lo lleva a cruzarse con Hannah una astrofísica brillante que está dispuesta a implicarse, tan así que termina desarrollando una especie de "modelo" propio para explicar las muertes descubriendo que son más de las que imaginaban inicialmente, precisando los detalles exactos como fecha, día, hora y lugar de los crimenes cometidos como también de los que aún no se concretaron, esto los conduce a ambos a una carrera contra reloj para impedir los crímenes que aún no se cometieron.
Y todo esto sucede con el telón de fondo de la cumbre del cambio climático en Dinamarca, activistas en las calles, despliegue de seguridad, jefes de estado y hasta escenas de Barak Obama.
La novela empieza con la reincorporación de Niels a la agencia después de que le dieran una baja provisoria por salud mental, empieza con una escena ya de por sí intensa para adentrarnos en la historia, un militar despedido atrincherado en su departamento armado y con su familia dentro.
Más allá de tener capitulos cortos y una pluma ágil la novela tiene bien marcada su profundidad y un desarrollo y despliegue de personajes excelente que me fascinó. Acción, suspenso y drama, tiene todos los condimentos, es como estar viendo una película de acción.
La historia gira en torno a una serie de muertes que a simple vista parecen esporádicas pero en realidad están conectadas entre sí. Niels Bentzon es un policía Danés a cargo de las negociaciones dentro de la agencia lo que significa que es especializado en intervenir en situaciones límite como lo es el trato con terroristas, asesinos, casos de secuestro o intentos de suicidio.
Cierto día llega desde Italia la información sobre una investigación en curso por unos casos de asesinatos que parecen estar conectados entre sí a cargo de Tommaso Di Bárbara un policía veneciano que contraviniendo a sus superiores decide seguir este caso por su cuenta y darle la importancia que le corresponde tratando de contactar con las autoridades de otros países.
Le encargan a Niels localizar a las posibles víctimas para advertirles del peligro, pero ni remotamente sospecha hasta dónde estará involucrado, al punto de terminar huyendo de su destino. Esta seudo investigación lo lleva a cruzarse con Hannah una astrofísica brillante que está dispuesta a implicarse, tan así que termina desarrollando una especie de "modelo" propio para explicar las muertes descubriendo que son más de las que imaginaban inicialmente, precisando los detalles exactos como fecha, día, hora y lugar de los crimenes cometidos como también de los que aún no se concretaron, esto los conduce a ambos a una carrera contra reloj para impedir los crímenes que aún no se cometieron.
Y todo esto sucede con el telón de fondo de la cumbre del cambio climático en Dinamarca, activistas en las calles, despliegue de seguridad, jefes de estado y hasta escenas de Barak Obama.
La novela empieza con la reincorporación de Niels a la agencia después de que le dieran una baja provisoria por salud mental, empieza con una escena ya de por sí intensa para adentrarnos en la historia, un militar despedido atrincherado en su departamento armado y con su familia dentro.
Más allá de tener capitulos cortos y una pluma ágil la novela tiene bien marcada su profundidad y un desarrollo y despliegue de personajes excelente que me fascinó. Acción, suspenso y drama, tiene todos los condimentos, es como estar viendo una película de acción.
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