Book summary

Set in a parallel past where the Jewish state has been built in Alaska instead of Israel, alcoholic detective Meyer Landsman investigates the mysterious death of an addict chess player, and discovers evidence of an American conspiracy that resulted in the plane crash death of his younger sister. His investigation is complicated by the involvement of his ex-wife, the chief of police, and also the upcoming expiration of the Alaskan Settlement Act after which the Jewish community will have to find a new home. Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Chabon continues to prove his keen ability to blend genre fiction with literature, and his exhilarating imagination is on full dizzying display. THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION won the 2008 Nebula Prize and Hugo Prize for Best Novel.

Media reviews

"Imagine a mutant strain of Dashiell Hammett crossed with Isaac Bashevis Singer.... A page turning noir, with a twist of Yiddish, that satisfies on many levels." (starred review)