Strong characters propel 'The Last Good Man'
"The Last Good Man" (Scribner) by A.J. Kazinski: "The Last Good Man," a collaboration of filmmaker Anders Ronnow Klarlund and author Jacob Weinreich under the pseudonym A.J. Kazinski, delivers an intense read.
This translation of the award-winning book from Denmark will appeal to readers who love international intrigue and suspense. Detective Niels Bentzon is afflicted with a phobia that prevents him from leaving Copenhagen. Every time Bentzon attempts to leave the city limits, his body begins to shake and he almost passes out. His wife works far away. She demands that he visit her before their marriage is destroyed. He tries, but needs to be escorted off an airplane after he has another reaction.
Bentzon decides that a murder case will be the perfect distraction.
A police detective in Florence begins to unravel an unusual string of murders around the world. He enlists Bentzon's help. Bentzon recruits mathematician Hannah Lund, who has scars of her own, to help with the investigation. She quickly deciphers a pattern, noting that each of the 34 victims has a unique number in the sequence of murders burned in code on their backs. Jewish prophecy proclaims that 36 righteous people protect the Earth. They don't know who they are or what their role is. Only two people are left before the end of the world.
The authors spin a story that unfolds slowly but has moments of rapid-fire suspense. The characters are strong, and they help propel "The Last Good Man" to a truly compelling and worthwhile journey.
