The Final Reckoning (Abridged‪)‬

From the author of Number One bestseller The Righteous Men. How are hundreds of unexplained deaths, spanning the globe, connected to the last great secret of the Second World War?

Tom Byrne has fallen from grace since his days as an idealistic young lawyer in New York. A gambling addiction has lost him his home, his wife and his good character.

So when the UN call him in to do their dirty work, he accepts the job without hesitation. A suspected suicide bomber shot by UN security staff has turned out to be a harmless old man: Tom must placate the family and limit their claims for compensation.

In London, Tom meets the dead man’s alluring daughter, Rebecca, and learns that her father was not quite the innocent he seemed. He unravels details of a unique, hidden brotherhood, united in a mission that has spanned the world and caused hundreds of unexplained deaths.

Pursued by those ready to kill to uncover the truth, Tom has to unlock a secret that has lain buried for more than 60 years – the last great secret of the Second World War.

Reviews

Praise for Sam Bourne:

‘The biggest challenger to Dan Brown’s crown … a highly charged, theologically accurate tale’ Mirror

‘Compulsive reading … successfully blends ancient teachings with the highly charged ways of the 21st century … bears all the hallmarks of a blockbuster’ Daily Express

‘The best thriller I’ve read in years’ Piers Morgan

'More readable than The Da Vinci Code – the sense of menace is darker and the characters more believable' Esquire

‘Sharper and vastly more authoritative than Dan Brown’ Telegraph

‘A gripping read’ Guardian

‘Immensely diverting … a pacy read, constructed with a crisp control of tension and narrative drive’ Observer

About the author

Sam Bourne is the pseudonym of Jonathan Freedland, an award-winning journalist and broadcaster. He has written a weekly column for the Guardian since 1997, having previously served as the paper's Washington correspondent.

In the annual What the Papers Say Awards of 2002 Jonathan Freedland was named Columnist of the Year. His first novel, ‘The Righteous Men,’ was a Number 1 bestseller in the UK. He lives in London with his wife and their two children.