Fun, quick read showcasing the many skills of Rabbi Daniel Winter in religion, philosophy, negotiating, teaching, listening and investigating.

Enjoyable. ( )

As well as being the Rabbi for a small Los Angeles synagogue Daniel Winter hosts a religious-themed radio show. One Sunday evening he puts together a panel of three women who are outspoken on the issue of feminism and general womens’ issues. One of these women is Rabbi Myra Wahl who is from a different synagogue in the city. The show is a lively one but towards the end Myra Wahl hurls an extremely offensive insult at Daniel Winter and when she begs his forgiveness he does not give it. As she jogs home from the radio station she is killed by a hit and run driver and Daniel is soon a prime suspect although Myra Wahl has made several other enemies in her young life. Daniel is provided information that the police don’t have access to and so runs a somewhat parallel investigation to the official one.

Reading a lot of mysteries as I do it’s difficult to find settings and characters that I haven’t seen a hundred times before so I was attracted to the premise of this book. Happily the execution lived up to the promise. In tandem with the classically well constructed plot was an exploration of the sorts of subjects we’re normally advised against discussing in polite company including religion, abortion and the treatment of homosexuality in the Jewish faith. I’m not sure that I’d want all my books to be so serious but I found it refreshing to read something of a ‘cosy’ that isn’t populated by women who shop. The resolution to the plot wrapped up a few too many loose ends but

Daniel Winter is a very likable character although he seems a bit too perfect to believe. However a minor thread of the novel, in which he has to decide if he wants to continue being a Rabbi or become a full-time radio host with a national show, made him seem more human. The only other character depicted with any real depth is Brenda Goldstein, a some-time member of his synagogue and a police psychologist who becomes involved in the investigation of Wahl’s murder. The one character I found difficult to swallow was Lieutenant Joe Cerezzi who is ostensibly in charge of the case but who seems remarkably cavalier about allowing a psychologist and a Rabbi to do almost all of the investigating.

Ultimately I found the depiction of both the rituals of the Jewish religion and some sensitive issues as seen from the point of view of a Rabbi a quite refreshing change from the more traditional mystery settings. It was definitely this aspect of the novel that led to me reading it in a couple of sittings as the mystery itself was perfectly serviceable but nothing extraordinary. ( )

Fun and interesting story of the murder of a Jewish Feminist Rabbi who has managed to accumulate many, many enemies, Orthodox Rabbi Daniel Winter gets involved in the investigation. A murder mystery reminiscent of the golden age of murder mysteries. ( )