The author of an award-winning Jewish-themed thriller, which became an instant bestseller when it was published in Lithuania, is hoping to emulate his success as the book now launches in the UK.
Lithuanian author and journalist Rytis Sabas (pictured top), 52, previously worked as an international correspondent in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo.
He has published two bestselling thrillers in his home country, The Gaon Code and its sequel, The Tail Of The Dragon.
Now The Gaon Code is available in English in the UK, and is already proving to be hugely popular with readers.
Dubbed the ‘Jewish Da Vinci Code’ by the Jewish Chronicle, the book centres around the secrets of the real life 18th century Lithuanian rabbi known as the Vilna Gaon, and his mystical code to predict future events.
Rytis said: “While I’m fascinated by the amazing story of the Vilna Gaon, and his significance to the world, what I most wanted to do in this book is draw attention to the remarkable history and heritage of Lithuanian Jews, known as Litvaks.
“This gentle community was virtually destroyed during the Holocaust; and I wanted to celebrate its people and history, and think about the miracles they created and the traces of those miracles they’ve left all around the world.”
The Gaon Code tells the story of Paul, an ordinary Lithuanian-American immigrant living in the Chicago suburbs, who receives a mysterious letter written in broken English, causing long buried family secrets to threaten to blow up his carefully crafted life.
Together with Latvian-Israeli history student Galya, Paul embarks on a dangerous and breathtaking adventure in search of a priceless artefact – last seen in Lithuania in the hands of his grandfather – chased by Russian mobsters, an ancient cult of assassins, Mossad agents and shadows from the past.
The book is set in the present day, with historical flashbacks, and while it’s a work of fiction, the historical events brought to life in the flashbacks are true.
The author added: “I have a personal connection to almost all of the places described in the book. I used to live and study in some of them, and I’ve recreated them from memory and from old accounts and maps.”
- The Gaon Code by Rytis Sabas is published by Inspired World Publishing and available now from Amazon and at selected bookstores.
