Mystery Midrash: An Anthology of Jewish Mystery & Detective Fiction

by Shelley Singer, Richard Fliegel, Janice Steinberg, et al.

Book Overview

An award-winning, mystery-filled collection of short stories with a Jewish twist. Throughout the tangled puzzles and suspenseful adventures, the characters not only solve whodunits but also struggle to solve the mystery of their Jewish lives.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580230555
• ISBN13: 9781580230551
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

I know about a Yiddishe Kop, but a Yiddishe Cop?

A Yiddishe Kop, I know... but a Yiddishe Cop? Will dvar mysteries replace dvar torahs on Shabbat morn? Will parents stop hoping their child will be a doctor or a lawyer, and hope for a Jewish cop or detective? What is midrash? Isn't it a deep investigation of the text in order to learn more about it, and piece things together, to compare various texts and clues? Isn't that what a P.I. (Private Investigator) does, too? In this book are original stories by notable mystery writers. Batya contributes "Kaddish", a mystery about a secular Jew who must console a dead rabbi's family by helping them focus on the rabbi's goodness and not the alleged, scandalous events surrounding his death. In "Bread of Affliction" by Michael Kahn (author of the Rachel Gold series, Sheer Gall, Grave Designs), Chicago Attorney Rachel Gold must use her knowledge of Pesach to solve a mystery surrounding a contested will. Richard Fliegel, creator of the Jewish detective, Shelly Lowenkopf ("A Minyan for the Dead"), writes in "A Final Midrash" about four rabbi's who help a detective solve a murder that one of them has committed. If I had a sack of cash, I would certainly option the film rights for "A Final Midrash"! For not only is it an interesting short mystery, but it is a well crafted allusion to the 3 rabbis who entered Pardes with Rabbi Akiva, as well as the four ways to create a drash, namely Pshat, Sot, Drash, and Mysticism. Other contributors include: Toni Brill, Howard Engel, Stuart Kaminsky, Faye Kellerman, Ronald Levitsky, Ellen Rawlings, Shelly Singer, Bob Sloan, Janice Steinberg, and James Yaffe. I was not used to reading mysteries prior to reading this book, but I think this anthology has sparked that "Pintelye Mystery".

A treat for all mystery enthusiasts

Clever, funny, humane, with a nod at the dark side of the human mind, Mystery Midrash is just what it says: the exploration and development of a common theme, in this case, the mystery short story. As with all midrash, each different take on a story tells us something new; as with all good midrash, that something new returns us to the innate unchangability of the human dilemma, and to humankind's steady relationship with the forces of order in a world of chaos. Even readers who are not sure why a cheeseburger is a moral decision for a Jew will love this feast.

Isn't detective just another word for yenta?

Lawrence Raphael has edited a collection of short stories that allowed me to do two of my favorite things at the same time: reading mysteries and reading about Jews. The collection is a great delight. It combines the comfort of familiarity with the intrigue of the mysterious. The stories span the spectrum of the religious to the assimilated; there's something for everyone. I'm looking forward to Volume II.

This is a great book, for any mystery and detective fiction

The short stories are really fun, from great authors. It's a really fun book. Larry Raphael teaches a class on Jewish mystery and detective fiction, so those of us active in his class couldn't wait to read this anthology. It was well worth waiting for. The stories are all from authors who have written major books, but the short stories are really different. It's great for traveling people, lots of time to finish each story and not forget what you read the day before. While the stories give us a place to escape, we know that they will end and we can go back to our chaotic lives, and pick up the book the next day and read for another moment of escape. You have time to feel like you are a part of the story and help solve the mystery, before you go back to reality.There is a little bit of history and tradition so you can connect with the people in the stories and their lives, you feel like they are a part of your own Jewish Community. You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy and love these stories, just a mystery and detective fiction lover. You will be guaranteed hours of fun in reading Mystery Midrash.

You don't have to be Jewish to delight in these stories!

You don't have to be Jewish to delight in these stories; but it doesn't hurt either! From the Preface by Joel Siegel, where we are "commanded" to "Enjoy", through to the final story, aptly named "Kaddish", we are not only entertained, but given the chance to think about important issues such as assimilation, inter-marriage and stereotyping. But don't think the collection is "heavy"! "Mystery Midrash" contains some of our favorite characters from full length mystery novels - Midge Cohen, a New Yorker's New Yorker, Abe Lieberman of Chicago - the cop as "rabbi", Nate Rosen the civil liberties lawyer, and Benny Cooperman, the P.I. from Canada. We get a chance to attend a high school reunion, pre-wedding festivities for an upstate New York Catholic wedding, and an intellectual evening of literary readings! Of course in all cases someone is murdered and our favorite sleuths figure out "who done it".So get a copy, and don't expect to arise from your chair until you are done, since after each one you will say to yourself that you'll get back to what you were doing after 'just one more'!