The Last Commission

by Eytan Halaban

Overview

Maury Green was once a proud man. Now middle-aged, unmarried, and stuck in a dead-end job as a small-time real estate agent, he has few social prospects and fewer friends. The local Jewish community wrote him off years ago, when he slunk home to New Haven from the Israeli War of Independence, his spirit broken by the very men he tried to help.

But now, twenty-five years later, Israeli General Yaacov Ronen is passing through the city on a fundraising tour, ahead of his run for prime minister. Somehow, the nebbish Maury winds up on the guest list for a soiree in the general's honor. When he finally meets the general, Maury sees not an Israeli hero, but the taunting smile that's been haunting his nightmares for decades. As he soon learns, General Ronen needs someone to do a bit of dirty work, someone expendable-someone like Maury. The general promises an impressive commission-but Maury will only collect if he lives.

Maury launches a daring gambit the like of which nobody ever dreamed he could pull off: Outwit the great tactician, get even, and, in the process, regain his pride, his manhood, and the love of a wonderful woman-not to mention pocket the commission. If he survives.

It's Maury's chance to be a hero once more ... but to whom, and at what price?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629010373
Publisher:	First Books
Publication date:	01/28/2014
Pages:	322
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.72(d)

Editorial Reviews

★ 2014-10-31
In Halaban's (The Perfect Wish, 2013) latest novel, an emotionally traumatized, middle-aged man gets the chance to confront his past and transform its meaning. In 1977, Maury Green is a 50-year-old real estate salesman living in New Haven, Connecticut. For almost 30 years, he's seemed old and defeated—ever since he returned home after a short stint in the Israeli army, following his service in World War II, during which he moved bodies in Dachau. Even more soul-killing was his treatment by Israeli soldiers from a rival political faction, who subjected him to a mock execution by firing squad, leaving him humiliated and broken-spirited. At his job, Maury used to be a top salesman, but lately he's had a long string of lean months; the only respect he ever seems to get is when he writes checks for Jewish fund-raising efforts. At one such event, he recognizes Israeli Gen. Yaacov B. Ronen, the possible future prime minister of Israel and the cruel leader of his long-ago humiliation—but Ronen doesn't recognize him. When Maury is asked to be a go-between for the general, who has some priceless, ancient scrolls to sell, he conceives a daring plan of revenge and redemption. Halaban makes palpable the little routines and rhythms of Maury's life, which later become helpful in working out his plans. He effectively establishes Maury as both a nebbish and a mensch; for example, Maury resents his more successful co-workers but also buys a daily breakfast for a homeless woman he calls Queen Esther. As the book goes on, Maury's deep sensitivity becomes more apparent. The scrolls, for example, become a litmus test. The general cynically exploits them: " ‘Remember the camps, Maury. Remember the camps,' he whispered….Maury wasn't buying." Later, Maury gains courage and hope from two academics' passionate, awed response to them: "We have to save the scrolls, Maury. We have to save them," says one. Throughout, Halaban makes Maury's transformation believable and highly engaging. A clever, humane and deeply satisfying novel.

Kirkus Reviews