The Last Jew Standing: A Novel [Hardcover]

Michael Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 16, 2007

Will detective Dan Reles arrest his own father . . . or will the mob find him first?

Lieutenant Dan Reles has a new house, a wife, and a son, and a great career as head of Austin Homicide, but it’s funny how your past catches up with you. When Dan’s deadbeat father Ben Reles, a Mafia legbreaker who’s spent the last twenty years on the run, shows up on Dan’s doorstep with an escaped prostitute in tow, trouble is sure to follow.

That trouble is Sam Zelig, a sociopathic godfather with limitless resources and boundless rage. In several diabolical strokes, he now holds Austin hostage, forcing Dan to choose between the town he’s sworn to protect, his new family, and his father. In the process he faces trial by fire, bullet, bridge embankment, and one very angry woodchipper. Sure to satisfy Simon’s core devotees as well as fans of Dennis Lehane and James Ellroy, Last Jew Standing is fastpaced and suspenseful from start to finish.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lieutenant Dan Reles (rhymes with trellis) doesn't fit in on the Austin, Texas, police force. He's from New York, he's Jewish, and his estranged father's ties to the Mob have limited his opportunities for career advancement. In his fourth appearance (the last was Little Faith, 2006), Reles' past catches up with him in a hurry when his father, Ben, shows up one night with a Russian prostitute in tow—and fearsome Mob boss Sam Zelig in hot pursuit. Simon usually explores social inequity, and while race, religion, and class still inform the action (and Reles' dismal home life provides plenty of pathos), this time he's written more of a straight thriller with the requisite larger-than-life villain. It's fast, furious, and more anarchic than usual. Procedural fans might query a few points, and the bombastic ending might be less creative than Simon's capable of, but never mind. We keep comparing Simon to L.A. Quartet–era James Ellroy, and the comparison is still apt; fans tired of the latter's telegrammatic tics will read this very strong series with a sigh of relief. Graff, Keir

About the Author

Michael Simon, former actor, playwright, and Texas probation officer, is the author of the Dan Reles thrillers Dirty Sally, Body Scissors, and Little Faith. He has taught at Brooklyn College and New York University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (August 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067006324X
• ISBN-13: 978-0670063246
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,042,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty, tough, and filled with suspense, January 4, 2008

By 

Cheryl C. Malandrinos "johnnycat15" (Western Mass) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Jew Standing: A Novel (Hardcover)

Gritty, tough, and full of suspense "The Last Jew Standing" by Michael Simon is a sure winner for crime fiction fans.

This fourth installment of Simon's Detective Dan Reles series finds Dan with a new home, a new wife, a son, and far removed from the life he once had in New York. But there is no way that Dan will ever escape his past...especially when it shows up on his doorstep.

Dan's father, Abe has been on the run from the Mafia for twenty-five years, and when he shows up at Dan's new house with a Russian prostitute on his arm, Dan--who still blames his father for his mother abandoning them--can't imagine what he wants.

But he knows it isn't good.

When a former employee of Mafia boss, Sam Zelig turns up dead, Dan is even more concerned about his father's arrival in Austin. And when Sam Zelig and his goons make it personal, Dan is forced to make some tough decisions...never knowing if he's right or wrong.

Michael Simon gets the award for drawing me into a book with the very first sentence. Late nights, skipped meals, and falling into bed with my clothes on were all well worth it, just to read a bit more of this oustanding novel. The danger, the suspense, the raw hatred and violence that poured forth from this crime thriller, leaves the reader clamoring for Simon's next book. "The Last Jew Standing" is one of the best examples I've read of pushing a character so far into desperation that even the reader can't guess what he'll do next.

If all of Michael Simon's books are as thrilling and intense as this one, Simon has just gained a life-long fan.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another outstanding Dan Reles novel, January 8, 2008

By 

Jonathan Geffner "ventriloquist" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Jew Standing: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is the fourth in Michael Simon's series featuring Detective Dan Reles of the Austin TX PD. Beginning with Dirty Sally, the previous three were all fast-paced, gripping stories, peopled with colorful, believable characters. The Last Jew Standing does not disappoint - it is a first-rate addition to the series. As with the previous books, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.

Simon's writing style is concise, clever and witty, with lots of snappy dialog and wry observations. I hope that Simon is busy working on another Dan Reles novel - the series is addictive!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fourth Book of the Dan Reles Series, January 29, 2008

By 

365andMe - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Last Jew Standing: A Novel (Hardcover)

Michael Simon's "The Last Jew Standing" is his fourth book starring Dan Reles. In the first three books, "Dirty Sally", "Body Scissors", and "Little Faith", Reles was a detective for the Austin, Texas Police Homicide Squad. In this latest installment, Dan Reles has made lieutenant, and bought a new house for his live-in girlfriend and son. Things are looking up. That is until his father, Ben, an ex-mafia leg-breaker, shows up on Dan's doorstep with a prostitute, both fleeing from mob boss, Sam Zelig. Now Dan is torn between what's right and helping his father. As Zelig closes in, it becomes a struggle to stay alive and keep his family safe.

Suspense and thriller enthusiasts will enjoy this tightly woven, dark tale. I found myself so submerged in its pages, life stopped around me and I couldn't do much else.