36 Righteous Men

September 1, 2019
In the spring of 2034, during a relative cool spell in New York--it's only 112 degrees outside--a lone assassin has targeted 36 men whose elimination promises to bring about the end of the world. The letter-shaped bruises found on the crushed throats of four early victims point to a Jewish legend, Biblical scholar Jake Instancer tells NYPD Detective James Manning: After the flood, God promised that "so long as there are Thirty-Six Righteous Men somewhere on Earth, He will never again take action to destroy the human race." Unaware of their special status, these men are hidden around the world. As long as any one of the righteous men remains alive, things are safe. Manning is a "troglodyte," says his hip 28-year-old underling, "Dewey" Duwai, who narrates the story. "The closest he comes to conversation is thinking out loud." In going up against a seemingly invincible villain, Manning puts his Neanderthal traits to good use. With its caustic sensibility, fast and furious action scenes, and brusque dialogue (which is presented in a boxy screenplay format), the book boasts a lively comic-book sensibility. The action extends to Israel, where an intense do-or-die climax takes place in archaeological tunnels beneath accursed Gehenna. This leads to a conference in Cyprus dubbed "Earth's Last Chance," which may leave you wondering whether Pressfield, had he known when he started the book just how fast climate change is progressing, would have put global warming on a more equal footing with his human serial killer as an immediate threat. Cop mentality meets religious fanaticism meets the future in a highly entertaining pop noir.

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Starred review from September 30, 2019
Set in 2034, when global warming has pushed humankind to the brink of extinction, this un-put-downable apocalyptic thriller from Pressfield (The Profession) is steeped in Jewish eschatology—specifically the legend of the Thirty-Six Righteous Men, whose existence justifies the purpose of humankind in the eyes of God and prevents God from destroying the entire race. But when a serial killer begins murdering the Righteous, New York City police detectives James Manning and Covina “Dewey” Duwai set out to stop the killer before he triggers an end-of-the-world event of biblical proportions. While many narrative elements are noteworthy—the character depth, the powerful political and social commentary, the nonstop action, the breakneck pacing—it’s the author’s meticulously described and alarmingly realistic near-future Earth that will chill readers to their core. This dystopian cautionary tale stands as Pressfield’s most ambitious work to date. Agent: Sterling Lord, Sterling Lord Literistic.

September 15, 2019
In 2034, amid a climate apocalypse of raging superstorms, floods, and drought, NYPD detectives Covina Dewey Duwai and Jim Manning track a killer bent on destroying humanity. They've linked an energy department undersecretary's murder to the killings of three climate-change activists whose bodies all bear strange LV marks. Certain that those marks are the key, the detectives follow an anonymous tip that the markings represent the Jewish Lamed Vev ( hidden ones ) legend. According to the legend, God promised not to punish humanity while 36 hidden righteous men live on Earth. After Manning and Dewey's search for an expert on the legend leads to another murder and a violent encounter with the killer, they find an unlikely ally in their tipster. Rabbi Rachel Davidson is also hunting the killer, armed with a list of the righteous she's created using a controversial algorithm. The story, told through Dewey's case notes, is an absorbing take on good vs. evil, and disasters pulled from today's headlines lend unsettling realism to the supernatural-tinged apocalyptic setting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)