Sam Bourne

Sam Bourne is the pseudonym of the British journalist, Jonathan Freedland intended to distinguish his work in fiction from his journalism. Freedland is credited on the copyright page as the author of the thriller "The Righteous Men" (2006), "The Last Testament" (2007), and "Final Reckoning" (2008).

His book, "The Righteous Men" was described as "The best thriller I've read in years" by Piers Morgan and "The biggest challenger to Dan Brown's crown" by the British newspaper "The Mirror" [cite news
url = http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/entertainment/books/2006/03/10/the-righteous-men-89520-16794152/
date = 2006-10-03
title = The Righteous Men
accessdate = 2007-08-24
publisher = The Mirror] .

It is about a half-British news reporter Will Monroe (Jr) whose normal life is disrupted when his wife is kidnapped whilst he is reporting on a story of a militia man found dead in his isolated log cabin. Further investigation into the death brings Will to the conclusion that the dead militia man shared an attribute with a New York pimp, also recently murdered. They were both described as being 'righteous'. As more murders of 'righteous men' happen across the globe, time seems to be running out for Will and the old and current friends he has enlisted. With a series of clues from a mysterious source, twists and religious factors Will soon finds himself in the middle of a plot to bring about nothing less than Judgement Day.

"Righteous Men" includes the Hassidim and Wikipedia is also referenced.His second novel, "The Last Testament" (2007) is set in the Middle East, and draws heavily on the author's experiences in that region, both as a reporter for over twenty years, and also a "Guardian" newspaper sponsored dialogue which was influential in the 2003 Geneva Accords. The central character, Maggie Costello, finds herself involved in a mix of the modern political situation and ancient revelations.

His third novel, "The Final Reckoning" was published in August 2008.

Bourne frequently make references to the Internet in his novels. Both "The Righteous Men" and "The Final Reckoning" mention Wikipedia. In "The Last Testament", the online game Second Life is central to the story, and in "The Final Reckoning" the main characters also use Facebook.

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