The Gaon Code

When Paul, an ordinary Lithuanian-American immigrant living in the Chicago suburbs, receives a mysterious letter written in broken English, long buried family secrets threaten to blow up his carefully crafted life. Together with Galya, a Latvian-Israeli history student, Paul embarks on a dangerous search for a priceless artifact last seen in Lithuania in the hands of his grandfather. On the run from Russian mobsters, an ancient cult of assassins, Mossad agents, and shadows from the past, Paul and Galya explore ancient cities in Europe and the Middle East, tracking the centuries-old story of the famous Lithuanian rabbi known as the Vilna Gaon, and unraveling his secret symbols that send them on a race against time in a breathtaking adventure.

Set in the present day, with historical flashbacks, the fast-paced storyline of The Gaon Code is centered around the secrets of the 18th century rabbi’s mystical code to predict future events. While this is a work of fiction, the Vilna Gaon is a real figure, and the historical events brought to life in the flashbacks are true.

Praise for The Gaon Code:

In short: we have the Lithuanian Dan Brown. ~Mažvydas Karalius, author, book critic

Rytis Sabas debuts as a skillful master of intrigue. Once you start to read The Gaon Code you cannot pull away until the author’s hand guides you to the last line. A breathtaking thriller, where the lives of Paul Willemsen, an immigrant to the US from Lithuania, and his relatives intertwine with Mossad, FSB, GRU and Lithuanian intelligence seeking a Gaon’s note with the powerful code...

The author skilfully rolls out a dynamic story about the Jews, Lithuanian history and Holocaust. Yet, it is not a textbook. The history unfolds in dialogs and arguments of the main characters, Lithuanian Paul and Israelite Galya... We've never had such an easy novel of our difficult past. We needed it. Now we have it. ~ Rimvydas Valatka, historian, signatory of Lithuanian Independence

The author collected hundreds of real historical facts about the Jewish communities of Želva, Ukmergė and Vilnius.
About the religious and historical heritage of this nation. About the world famous Litvaks for their scientific and cultural inventions and their great works. And about how much the same world lost during the Holocaust. And at the same time, he's created a suspenseful thriller, where the main characters embark on a journey to find an artifact, pursued by the intelligence services of several states and shady mobsters. You can't help but be enthralled by these stories, that knowledge and those described destinies of real people, widely known in the world, but so little known in Lithuania, who once lived in our land.
~ Indrė Ramanavičienė

As expected, the book is very engaging and will keep you awake until you finish it. ~ Adas Vasiliauskas