A Death in Jerusalem

 Historical novels are always so satisfying because the reader learns something new that they had not known before.  When you combine the historical history with a clever mystery plot at the same time the book is even more fascinating.

Author Jonathan Dunsky has combined the intrigue of a good mystery with the history of Israel in 1952, in  his new novel A Death in Jerusalem.  This newest novel follows our protagonist, Adam Lapid as he risks his life to solve another case of unexpected death.

Lapid is a survivor who was lost his family in the Auschwitz.  He has police training but now, in the new young state of Israel, he is working as a private detective. At the start of this novel Lapid gets himself in trouble with the law when he joins the protestors in Jerusalem marching to the Knesset to speak out against Israel accepting reparations from Germany.  Germany in 1952 was becoming successful through industrial production.  Lapid represents the survivors who were not ready to forgive Germany for their crimes and did not want to accept money or goods and products from the recent enemy.  

The history of Jerusalem as a divided city and the efforts of David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin during the time in Israel's history are all interesting facts that are intertwined with imagined the mystery plot of a young girl, Moria Gafni, who has committed suicide.  Her father, Baruch Gafni,  who is a wealthy business man with connections in high places, is able to rescue Adam Lapid when he gets into trouble with the police at the protest outside the Knesset.  In exchange, Lapid has agreed to find out why Moria committed suicide.  

There are many twists and turns that lead Lapid into some very dangerous situations and a few red herrings that keep the reader guessing who Moria was involved with that led her to end her life. 

Some  of the violent descriptions were difficult to believe. It was hard to imagine a person really living through the harm he encountered.  The storyline was unusual and will keep the reader's interest.  The Israeli history is an added bonus, learning about the early days of the state's first leaders and how they were able to to bring Israel avert financial catastrophe and was the beginning of full diplomatic relations with Germany established in 1965.