Rabbi (or the detective as a hobby) David Small makes a private exodus to Israel to search himself and soothe his soul. He wants to just enjoy the local scene, go to the synagogue (or not) as he feels. But surprise surprise, there's an international incident and the rabbi gets involved in solving it...I love the cover of this book, and it also seems very promising, "adventure and espionage in the Middle East".But it happened to be the third book in a row where the protagonists are Jewish (after The Kill Artist and The Moses Expedition) and where the Arabs or Moslems are portrayed in quite a stereotypical and unappealing way. One of the characters, Gittel, is racist even to all the "not real Israeli" Jews (those who don't speak Hebrew, to not talk about those who are from some other parts of the world).It takes quite a few pages before the rabbi and his family are in the Holy Land, and even then there's way too much old man talk than actual action or investigation... and the solution would have been better with much more juice. http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/8...Now I guess what I'd love to find next is some detective (or thriller) series with an Arab or Moslem protagonist to balance the last three mysteries/not-too-thrilling thrillers.
I liked the "Rabbi" series of books a lot. The problem is, after "Wednesday" or so, the formula wore a bit thin: the rabbi has some argument or disagreement with someone in his congregation. Someone gets killed. The rabbi has a fight with the Board of Directors at the shul. He threatens to leave. He solves the murder mystery. He resolves the problem with the person in his congregation and his Board of Directors, and everything is fine. Until the next book, where we repeat.Still, these are well-crafted, engaging little mysteries, and frankly, I learned a good amount about Judaism from them.
Do You like book Monday The Rabbi Took Off (2007)?
I enjoyed this story. I enjoyed it for the description it paints of Israel in the early 70’s. I enjoyed it for its description of the relationship between Israeli law enforcement and intelligence. An accurate view, in my opinion, based on other things I've read. I enjoyed it for its description of politics in a small town/suburban Conservative congregation. I enjoyed it for the unexpected theological sidebar between Adoumi and Rabbi Small. This included the Rabbi’s definition of an idealist. One can apply his wisdom on this subject to the present events in the US. This is the third Rabbi Small mystery I’ve read and I kind of wish I read them in order because you get introduced to a couple of characters (Ish-Kosher and Adoumi) who show up in at least one later book. I plan to read all of them.
—Aaron
