The Righteous : A Novel

From the New York Times and National Jewish Book Award winning author of Eli’s Promise and A Place to Hide: a gripping novel of bravery, betrayal, exile, and hope set in World War II Budapest

At the end of 1943, nearly all of Europe’s Jewish population had been deported, captured or killed by Hitler, or had fled; only Hungary retained almost 800,000 Jews. They lived under edicts and restrictions, but without fear of being murdered. That changed in March 1944, after the Nazi defeat at Stalingrad, as a desperate Hitler accelerated his plan for mass extermination.

With the notorious Adolf Eichmann supervising the process, Hungary began rounding up its Jewish population. In this dramatic new novel by Ronald H. Balson, US State department diplomat Teddy Hartigan and his wife Julia set out to rescue as many people as they can. Working with the newly-formed War Review Board, diplomats from neutral nations, and underground resistance groups, Teddy and Julia make contact with Swedish businessman Raoul Wallenberg. Wallenberg’s connections and skills make him the perfect candidate to work within the complex networks of public and secret diplomacy, as he, Teddy, Julia, and others take enormous risks to save tens of thousands of lives.

Authentic, suspenseful, and deeply moving, The Righteous continues Ron Balson’s fictional exploration of World War II and the heroic actions of those who resisted Hitler’s Master Plan.