The Melancholy Menorah

The Melancoly Menorah written by Libi Astaire is another fun,light read from this terrific author.

I love Libi Astaire and all her Jewish Regency mystery novels. The gentleman sleuth, Ezra Melamed along with General Well’ngone , the leader of the pickpocket boys are so wonderfully described that you can see them in your mind’s eye as you are reading. These are my favorite recurring characters. The mysteries are also always clever and offer a good twist at the end when Mr. Melamed reveals the culprit. 

This is a light entertaining mystery series with a great historical perspective on Jewish life in Regency England.  In this story it is the week before Chanukah and everyone is getting ready to celebrate.  As is the custom in the Great Synagogue of England there is a special menorah that is lit at the evening service each night of the holiday and then the men go home to light a menorah in each home and have family dinner.  In this book there is a mystery surrounding the synagogue’s menorah.  As Mr Melamed uncovers the troublemaker and unravels the reasons behind the crime, we also learn about the Jewish practice of this community.  We meet the members of the shul and their wives and children.

We also learn about the less wealthy members of the community.  There are three tiers of society, the wealthy, the shopkeepers who are not as successful and then the people either in a poor house or in these stories, orphans in a home or the young boys who run as pickpockets for General Welln’gone.  He is very much a Shylock type of character.  

I do find that Astaire writes in a beautifully descriptive way that brings the characters and synagogue and its menorahs into full color pictures in my mind.