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Michael Ohayon #1
The Saturday Morning Murder
From award-winning and internationally acclaimed author, Batya Gur, comes a hair-raising mystery in which Israeli investigator Michael Ohayon’s detective skills are put to the ultimate test.
When Dr. Eva Neidorf is found dead on the morning that she is to give a lecture to the Jerusalem Psychoanalytic Society, Chief Inspector Michael Ohayon investigates―revealing, along the way, intimate details about his own life. As he works around the clock to find the killer, he must also solve the riddle of the enigmatic self-contained world of the Psychoanalytic Society. A fast-paced, chilling, labyrinthine mystery, Saturday Morning Mystery attests to Batya Gur’s suspense writing genius in another fascinating, unforgettable novel.
When Dr. Eva Neidorf is found dead on the morning that she is to give a lecture to the Jerusalem Psychoanalytic Society, Chief Inspector Michael Ohayon investigates―revealing, along the way, intimate details about his own life. As he works around the clock to find the killer, he must also solve the riddle of the enigmatic self-contained world of the Psychoanalytic Society. A fast-paced, chilling, labyrinthine mystery, Saturday Morning Mystery attests to Batya Gur’s suspense writing genius in another fascinating, unforgettable novel.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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794 people want to read
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March 16, 2025
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/רצח-...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/רצח-...
March 23, 2012
I wish I could remember who recommended this book to me because she deserves a personal thank you. I had seen the title before now - it was published in 1993. But it didn't particular call to me. But I took a flyer because of the recommendation. I had to buy it because the library doesn't have a copy and the library has so many other wonderful mysteries why should I bother with this one.
Well, I did, and I am very pleased with what I found. An almost flawless plot, a couple of superb characters and lots of other, interesting ones, and lots of information about Jerusalem, which I didn't realize I was interested in until I read this book. In fact the teaser in The Saturday Morning Murder: A Psychoanalytic Case sent me to the new Biography of Jerusalem by Simon Sebag Montefiore.
The story takes place in a psychoanalytic clinic and everybody who works there or comes for help has a story. The stories intertwine and it isn't until the very end of the book that the red thread becomes apparent. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
2011 No 198
Well, I did, and I am very pleased with what I found. An almost flawless plot, a couple of superb characters and lots of other, interesting ones, and lots of information about Jerusalem, which I didn't realize I was interested in until I read this book. In fact the teaser in The Saturday Morning Murder: A Psychoanalytic Case sent me to the new Biography of Jerusalem by Simon Sebag Montefiore.
The story takes place in a psychoanalytic clinic and everybody who works there or comes for help has a story. The stories intertwine and it isn't until the very end of the book that the red thread becomes apparent. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
2011 No 198
March 24, 2018
Al principio me pareció que era bastante predecible, pero debo admitir que logró engañarme. Me gustó bastante como se desarrolló la historia y el giro que dio la historia.
June 13, 2021
Lo que me ha empujado a leer esta novela ha sido el hecho de estar ambientada en Jerusalén y que la autora es israelí. Nunca antes había leído una novela policiaca ambientada en Israel y me parecía interesante empezar por esta.
La novela gira entorno al asesinato de la psiquiatra Eva Neidorf que el inspector jefe Michael Ohayon tiene que esclarecer.
En sus páginas hay numerosas referencias al psicoanálisis y al funcionamiento del mundo de la psiquiatría, las intrigas, los celos y el hermetismo con el que se mueven los psicólogos y psiquiatras.
Lo mejor de la novela es, sin duda, su protagonista. El inspector jefe Michael Ohayon está muy bien perfilado, física y emocionalmente y, desde el principio, empatizas con él y con su mundo.
Lo peor de la novela es tal vez las numerosas descripciones y la escasez de diálogos que ralentizan la lectura. De todas formas no es un libro muy extenso y los capítulos no son largos.
He de reconocer que quizás esperaba que la autora profundizara más en el conflicto Israel - Palestina, hecho por el que pasa de puntillas hacia la mitad de la novela, pero aún así, es un buen libro para conocer el Jerusalén actual y la vida cotidiana de sus habitantes, especialmente de los judíos de ascendencia alemana.
Sabiendo que este es el primer libro de una serie de 6, sé que volveré a sumergirme en los casos del inspector Ohayon.
La novela gira entorno al asesinato de la psiquiatra Eva Neidorf que el inspector jefe Michael Ohayon tiene que esclarecer.
En sus páginas hay numerosas referencias al psicoanálisis y al funcionamiento del mundo de la psiquiatría, las intrigas, los celos y el hermetismo con el que se mueven los psicólogos y psiquiatras.
Lo mejor de la novela es, sin duda, su protagonista. El inspector jefe Michael Ohayon está muy bien perfilado, física y emocionalmente y, desde el principio, empatizas con él y con su mundo.
Lo peor de la novela es tal vez las numerosas descripciones y la escasez de diálogos que ralentizan la lectura. De todas formas no es un libro muy extenso y los capítulos no son largos.
He de reconocer que quizás esperaba que la autora profundizara más en el conflicto Israel - Palestina, hecho por el que pasa de puntillas hacia la mitad de la novela, pero aún así, es un buen libro para conocer el Jerusalén actual y la vida cotidiana de sus habitantes, especialmente de los judíos de ascendencia alemana.
Sabiendo que este es el primer libro de una serie de 6, sé que volveré a sumergirme en los casos del inspector Ohayon.
January 10, 2022
Reading any of Batya Gur's books from the Michael Ohayon series was chosen as a book selection by my book club. Murder mysteries are not my genre, but I was open to trying to read one of the books from the series. I decided to start with the first in the series called "A Psychoanalytic Case (Michael Ohayon Mysteries, No. 1)" because I thought it would introduce the main character, detective Michael Ayalon. I was mistaken. I really did not learn much about the detective and I found the book very tedious. I felt that the author overdid it with the description of every details of the psychologists' world. I found the descriptions of the investigations to be very slow-moving. I just wanted to know who did the murder so that I could finish the book. My opinion of the book may not be an accurate portrayal for others who love this genre of murder mysteries.
February 5, 2022
i should've known that a book based around Freud's theory wouldn't be It for me ngl
May 23, 2011
I read this book in two days--was I avoiding stuff I need to do?--actually I got a lot of it done.
It was gripping for several reasons:
•strong, appealing detective
•interesting but incomplete insight into Israeli culture
•depiction of relatively closed psychoanalytic organization
•psychological aspects (always important in good detective fiction)
It was gripping for several reasons:
•strong, appealing detective
•interesting but incomplete insight into Israeli culture
•depiction of relatively closed psychoanalytic organization
•psychological aspects (always important in good detective fiction)
May 14, 2021
Me da pena ponerle una estrella porque es el primer libro de Siruela policíaca que no me ha gustado.
Capítulos eternos, descripciones sin sentido, argumentos irreales, personajes vacíos, trama lenta, no hay diálogos....
:_ "sufrision" total
Capítulos eternos, descripciones sin sentido, argumentos irreales, personajes vacíos, trama lenta, no hay diálogos....
:_ "sufrision" total
December 28, 2025
Aunque este libro se clasifica como un libro policiaco, no estoy segura que su objetivo principal sea descubrir al asesino, parece más bien que esto solo es un vehículo para exponer lo que hay detrás de una rama de la salud mental como es el psicoanálisis.
El asesinato ocurre en las instalaciones de una asociación élite de psicoanalistas, que congrega a lo mejor del gremio, donde no cualquiera puede entrar y que da el prestigio suficiente para asegurar clientes que permitan una buena calidad de vida, o bueno eso es lo que prometen.
Dentro de esta sociedad tan cerrada se busca al asesino que como ya dije pues realmente no parece ser el objetivo ya que solo al final y al principio se centra en el misterio, por un lado el descubrimiento del cuerpo y al final el descubrimiento del asesino y por supuesto los motivos.
En medio de eso leemos un montón de información acerca de la estructura, los mecanismos de ingreso, las diversas corrientes y la aplicación de las terapias, debo confesar que lo sentí medio espeso, en algunas partes algo aburridas aunque nunca perdí el interés sobre el asunto principal.
Me gustó que el escritor se tomara en serio mostrar lo más realista posible un mundo tan específico sin volverlo banal, espectacular o solo un mero pretexto para ambientar un crimen, esa parte la valoro bastante y por eso aumentó mi calificación.
Si te gusta el tema de los psicólogos, psiquiatras y sus teorías, este libro te encantará, si lo lees por el puro misterio arremángate para poder descubrir al asesino, pero hazlo paso a paso porque el contexto es largo y bien construido.
El asesinato ocurre en las instalaciones de una asociación élite de psicoanalistas, que congrega a lo mejor del gremio, donde no cualquiera puede entrar y que da el prestigio suficiente para asegurar clientes que permitan una buena calidad de vida, o bueno eso es lo que prometen.
Dentro de esta sociedad tan cerrada se busca al asesino que como ya dije pues realmente no parece ser el objetivo ya que solo al final y al principio se centra en el misterio, por un lado el descubrimiento del cuerpo y al final el descubrimiento del asesino y por supuesto los motivos.
En medio de eso leemos un montón de información acerca de la estructura, los mecanismos de ingreso, las diversas corrientes y la aplicación de las terapias, debo confesar que lo sentí medio espeso, en algunas partes algo aburridas aunque nunca perdí el interés sobre el asunto principal.
Me gustó que el escritor se tomara en serio mostrar lo más realista posible un mundo tan específico sin volverlo banal, espectacular o solo un mero pretexto para ambientar un crimen, esa parte la valoro bastante y por eso aumentó mi calificación.
Si te gusta el tema de los psicólogos, psiquiatras y sus teorías, este libro te encantará, si lo lees por el puro misterio arremángate para poder descubrir al asesino, pero hazlo paso a paso porque el contexto es largo y bien construido.
May 30, 2020
Started this novel both because crime fiction is my favorite genre and because it was loaned to me by an acquaintance with similar taste.
I hung in there for about 120 pages constantly wondering when it was going to draw me in. Some books I’ve read do that in the first paragraph. Others like this one I have set down after only a chapter or two. Out of respect for my friend I tried to like it. Eventually I started skimming it to find that irresistible reading experience. Never found it.
I have spent more time while reading this wondering why some books are so much more engaging than other books than actually enjoying this book.
If seeking an answer to that question is a worthwhile endeavor than I did get something out of this book.
I hung in there for about 120 pages constantly wondering when it was going to draw me in. Some books I’ve read do that in the first paragraph. Others like this one I have set down after only a chapter or two. Out of respect for my friend I tried to like it. Eventually I started skimming it to find that irresistible reading experience. Never found it.
I have spent more time while reading this wondering why some books are so much more engaging than other books than actually enjoying this book.
If seeking an answer to that question is a worthwhile endeavor than I did get something out of this book.
August 21, 2014
El asesinato del sábado por la mañana, es una historia coherente sin cabos sueltos pero con un desarrollo argumental lento - a lo que contribuye en parte la falta de diálogos- por lo que puede ser difícil de leer, si se espera una novela de acción trepidante y giros argumentales al final de cada capítulo. Interesante y completa descripción del mundo del Psicoanalistas y sus gentes presentándolo como organización cerrada elitista en el que coexisten alianzas, rivalidades, pequeños odios y envidias.
June 14, 2021
ארבעה כוכבים וחצי. כתיבה יפה, איטית, עשירה. התעלומה היא החלק החלש בסיפור, אבל זה לא פגם בהנאה שלי. בקיצור, מצאתי סדרת מתח חדשה לבינג' באיחור של איזה 30 שנה.
January 13, 2023
The Goodreads Jewish Book Club wanted to read an Israeli mystery novel in Feb, so I took a chance and started The Saturday Morning Murder, the first book of the Michael Ohayon series. I liked that it was written by a woman, Batya Gur. I actually gave it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because it was the author's first. Despite getting off to a good start with the dead body being found in Chapter One, the novel spent/wasted a lot of time explaining about the Psychiatric Institute: its formation, its members and how they're selected and trained. This book really needed a cast of characters at the beginning. There were a few red herrings and dead ends until the mystery was solved, but that seemed more realistic for a detective's life. So I'll probably read Book #2 in the series, but not until I've finished The Missing File.
June 30, 2022
Al fin y al cabo, dijo despacio, ¿cómo podría haber ido a verla allí alguien que no perteneciera al Instituto? Y ningún miembro del mismo tenía por costumbre pasearse los sábados por la mañana con un arma en el bolsillo.
July 11, 2014
En el Instituto Deutsch acaban de descubrir el cadáver de Eva Neidorf, una figura mítica en el ambiente psicoanalítico de Jerusalem. La doctora debía pronunciar una conferencia sobre los límites éticos en su disciplina. Ahora está en un sillón, con un balazo en la sien. La pistola y todos sus papeles han desaparecido.
Quien conduce la investigación es el inspector Michael Ohayon, un hombre de 38 años que ingresó a la policía por razones económicas, abandonando una carrera académica como historiador. Algo en su formación renace al contacto con ese extraño escenario que es el Instituto Psicoanalítico: un ambiente con claros ecos de la Edad Media; un espacio cerrado e híper ritualizado donde la endogamia es la ley, donde se le da un sentido casi religioso a la pertenencia, donde se exige un lento, farragoso y exclusivo proceso de formación.
La historia –un policial clásico– plantea muchas preguntas. ¿Qué clase de intimidad se construye en una sesión psicoanalítica? ¿Cuánto se parece un detective a un psicoanalista? ¿Acaso un policía puede guiarse con la herramienta de la asociación libre? ¿Un analista tiene derecho a convertirse en detective de un relato que se le ofrece en confidencia? ¿Qué es un secreto? ¿Cuándo estamos obligados a develarlo?
Parte del trabajo de un buen analista es no interpretar, no forzar lo que se ve sino, por el contrario, permanecer inmóvil, en blanco, hasta que las cosas develen su forma; una forma que siempre será dinámica, confusa, apenas vislumbrada. Con ese estilo trabaja el inspector Ohayon.
La novela transcurre en Jerusalem y no es un dato menor. Las tensiones, el clima, el paisaje de esa ciudad atraviesan la historia a cada paso. El asesinato del sábado por la mañana tiene la virtud de resaltar situaciones que, lamentablemente, siguen vigentes en Israel. Las persecuciones, los guetos, la discriminación, la opresión. Cuando la policía interroga a un jardinero árabe, el hombre se comporta con la resignación de quien sabe que pueden “arrestarlo por cualquier cosa”.
Batya Gur nació en Tel Aviv en 1947. Descendiente de una familia polaca que sobrevivió al Holocausto, siempre estuvo atenta a que su propio país no repitiera los horrores que había sufrido su pueblo. Hasta su muerte, en 2005, la novelista defendió la idea de un Israel laico, progresista y pacífico y fue reconocida por muchos intelectuales palestinos como una aliada en el trabajo por la paz. En diversas oportunidades criticó explícitamente ciertas políticas del gobierno. En 2003 fue detenida por intervenir frente a tres jóvenes militares israelíes que acosaban a un anciano palestino. Sus declaraciones para explicar porqué había decidido actuar así fueron contundentes: “No quiero sentirme como un alemán que miraba para otro lado cuando los nazis maltrataban a los judíos en la calle.” En cierto modo, sus novelas de misterio también siguen esa línea. Gur solía resaltar el carácter subversivo de la novela policial señalando que este género “saca a flote lo oculto y demuestra que la sociedad y las personas no son lo que parecen”.
Eugenia Almeida
http://eugeniaalmeidablog.blogspot.co...
Quien conduce la investigación es el inspector Michael Ohayon, un hombre de 38 años que ingresó a la policía por razones económicas, abandonando una carrera académica como historiador. Algo en su formación renace al contacto con ese extraño escenario que es el Instituto Psicoanalítico: un ambiente con claros ecos de la Edad Media; un espacio cerrado e híper ritualizado donde la endogamia es la ley, donde se le da un sentido casi religioso a la pertenencia, donde se exige un lento, farragoso y exclusivo proceso de formación.
La historia –un policial clásico– plantea muchas preguntas. ¿Qué clase de intimidad se construye en una sesión psicoanalítica? ¿Cuánto se parece un detective a un psicoanalista? ¿Acaso un policía puede guiarse con la herramienta de la asociación libre? ¿Un analista tiene derecho a convertirse en detective de un relato que se le ofrece en confidencia? ¿Qué es un secreto? ¿Cuándo estamos obligados a develarlo?
Parte del trabajo de un buen analista es no interpretar, no forzar lo que se ve sino, por el contrario, permanecer inmóvil, en blanco, hasta que las cosas develen su forma; una forma que siempre será dinámica, confusa, apenas vislumbrada. Con ese estilo trabaja el inspector Ohayon.
La novela transcurre en Jerusalem y no es un dato menor. Las tensiones, el clima, el paisaje de esa ciudad atraviesan la historia a cada paso. El asesinato del sábado por la mañana tiene la virtud de resaltar situaciones que, lamentablemente, siguen vigentes en Israel. Las persecuciones, los guetos, la discriminación, la opresión. Cuando la policía interroga a un jardinero árabe, el hombre se comporta con la resignación de quien sabe que pueden “arrestarlo por cualquier cosa”.
Batya Gur nació en Tel Aviv en 1947. Descendiente de una familia polaca que sobrevivió al Holocausto, siempre estuvo atenta a que su propio país no repitiera los horrores que había sufrido su pueblo. Hasta su muerte, en 2005, la novelista defendió la idea de un Israel laico, progresista y pacífico y fue reconocida por muchos intelectuales palestinos como una aliada en el trabajo por la paz. En diversas oportunidades criticó explícitamente ciertas políticas del gobierno. En 2003 fue detenida por intervenir frente a tres jóvenes militares israelíes que acosaban a un anciano palestino. Sus declaraciones para explicar porqué había decidido actuar así fueron contundentes: “No quiero sentirme como un alemán que miraba para otro lado cuando los nazis maltrataban a los judíos en la calle.” En cierto modo, sus novelas de misterio también siguen esa línea. Gur solía resaltar el carácter subversivo de la novela policial señalando que este género “saca a flote lo oculto y demuestra que la sociedad y las personas no son lo que parecen”.
Eugenia Almeida
http://eugeniaalmeidablog.blogspot.co...
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July 2, 2021What would Freud make of the modern insatiable interest in murder mysteries?
The Saturday Morning Murder takes us into the rarefied and highly selective realm of psychoanalysts, those who study beyond medicine and psychiatry to specialize in the classic couch analysis.
The Institute is a building somewhere in Jerusalem where these analysts are accepted as candidates, train and treat patients under supervision, and undergo mandatory analysis themselves until, years later, they are accepted as full members themselves. On this Saturday morning, candidate Gold arrives early to set up chairs and coffee for a noon lecture by one of the Institute's leading leaders, Dr. Eva Neidorf. Instead of a quiet, busy morning setting up, however, he is traumatized by the sight of the doctor herself shot and propped up in a chair.
The ensuing chaos and suspicion stirs up this little isolated community. The lead detective, Michael Ohayon, is at first bemused by all the structure and strictures, but begrudgingly comes to admiration and affection for the 80-year old leader of the Institute, Ernst Hildesheimer, as he aids the investigation and guides Ohayon through the world of specialized psychiatry. Was the doctor meeting a patient? A candidate who was failing the process? A simple robbery? Paths lead down crooked paths to dead ends, of course. Some of the staff disliked her, but was that enough to result in murder? Was it the colleague who differed on her rigorous professional standards? The police team follow several suspects and discover that her lecture intended for that day was the only thing missing, along with a list of her patients. They step around confidentiality and delve deeper, and think it's solved when they discover the identity of the last unknown patient, who has good reason to not want his therapy to come to light, but other events occur that bring the final answer.
In addition to explaining many concepts of analysis and the practicalities of psychiatric practice, Gur, a literature professor in Israel, lays open the larger landscape of Jerusalem and it's many neighborhoods and cultures. She describes aspects of Israeli life and doesn't shy from the darker aspects. A West Bank laborer who discovers a discarded pistol goes through convoluted steps with a patient to remove himself, as he knows he will immediately be arrested due to who he is. Ohayon, who is himself queasy about secret interviews in a safe house, is equated with the Nazis by a neighbor. Politics also come into play.
If you need fast-paced plots, this is not the series for you. This first one is paced much like analysis, with almost snail's pacing with gold at the beginning, and remaining thoughtful and focused on the intellectual process of analysis and demonstrating the very similar steps between analysis and detection and investigation. I enjoyed the layers and the pace that others might find slow. This is the first of six. Recommend if you like these kinds of slow, meandering, and thought-based procedurals.
The Saturday Morning Murder takes us into the rarefied and highly selective realm of psychoanalysts, those who study beyond medicine and psychiatry to specialize in the classic couch analysis.
The Institute is a building somewhere in Jerusalem where these analysts are accepted as candidates, train and treat patients under supervision, and undergo mandatory analysis themselves until, years later, they are accepted as full members themselves. On this Saturday morning, candidate Gold arrives early to set up chairs and coffee for a noon lecture by one of the Institute's leading leaders, Dr. Eva Neidorf. Instead of a quiet, busy morning setting up, however, he is traumatized by the sight of the doctor herself shot and propped up in a chair.
The ensuing chaos and suspicion stirs up this little isolated community. The lead detective, Michael Ohayon, is at first bemused by all the structure and strictures, but begrudgingly comes to admiration and affection for the 80-year old leader of the Institute, Ernst Hildesheimer, as he aids the investigation and guides Ohayon through the world of specialized psychiatry. Was the doctor meeting a patient? A candidate who was failing the process? A simple robbery? Paths lead down crooked paths to dead ends, of course. Some of the staff disliked her, but was that enough to result in murder? Was it the colleague who differed on her rigorous professional standards? The police team follow several suspects and discover that her lecture intended for that day was the only thing missing, along with a list of her patients. They step around confidentiality and delve deeper, and think it's solved when they discover the identity of the last unknown patient, who has good reason to not want his therapy to come to light, but other events occur that bring the final answer.
In addition to explaining many concepts of analysis and the practicalities of psychiatric practice, Gur, a literature professor in Israel, lays open the larger landscape of Jerusalem and it's many neighborhoods and cultures. She describes aspects of Israeli life and doesn't shy from the darker aspects. A West Bank laborer who discovers a discarded pistol goes through convoluted steps with a patient to remove himself, as he knows he will immediately be arrested due to who he is. Ohayon, who is himself queasy about secret interviews in a safe house, is equated with the Nazis by a neighbor. Politics also come into play.
If you need fast-paced plots, this is not the series for you. This first one is paced much like analysis, with almost snail's pacing with gold at the beginning, and remaining thoughtful and focused on the intellectual process of analysis and demonstrating the very similar steps between analysis and detection and investigation. I enjoyed the layers and the pace that others might find slow. This is the first of six. Recommend if you like these kinds of slow, meandering, and thought-based procedurals.
September 10, 2016
Este libro es el primero de la saga protagonizada por Michael Ohayon, un policía del departamento de investigación de Jerusalén. La saga está formada por seis libros y fue interrumpida por el prematuro fallecimiento de su creadora.
Me ha gustado mucho el estilo de la escritora que se centra en el estudio psicológico de los personajes. La narración está hecha desde distintos puntos de vista por lo que, aunque el personaje principal sea el investigador, casi se trata de una novela coral.
Además de crear personajes interesante, otro aspecto destacable es la visión que nos ofrece de Israel y cómo es la relación entre palestinos e israelís. No es el tema principal de la novela, pero aparece de forma natural ya que el conflicto está ahí e influye, de una u otra forma, en la vida de algunos personajes. Aunque la novela está escrita en 1998, la relación entre israelís y palestinos no ha cambiado demasiado, si acaso ha empeorado. Por lo que he leído, la escritora era laica y progresista, y su posición crítica queda patente en la obra.
Me ha gustado mucho el estilo de la escritora que se centra en el estudio psicológico de los personajes. La narración está hecha desde distintos puntos de vista por lo que, aunque el personaje principal sea el investigador, casi se trata de una novela coral.
Además de crear personajes interesante, otro aspecto destacable es la visión que nos ofrece de Israel y cómo es la relación entre palestinos e israelís. No es el tema principal de la novela, pero aparece de forma natural ya que el conflicto está ahí e influye, de una u otra forma, en la vida de algunos personajes. Aunque la novela está escrita en 1998, la relación entre israelís y palestinos no ha cambiado demasiado, si acaso ha empeorado. Por lo que he leído, la escritora era laica y progresista, y su posición crítica queda patente en la obra.
February 1, 2013
Właściwie bardziej zasługuje na 3*, ale: to pierwszy kryminał z Izraela jaki czytałam; akcja rozgrywa się w środowisku psychoanalityków - oryginalnie!; jest troche izraleskich realiów, no i dowiedziałam się z niej sporo o terapii, np. czym jest przeniesienie i przeciwprzeniesienie;)
Rozwiązanie zagadki może nie zwala z nóg, ale miało swój smaczek i prawie do końca nie było oczywiste kto zabił i z jakiego powodu. Ciekawa pozycja!
Rozwiązanie zagadki może nie zwala z nóg, ale miało swój smaczek i prawie do końca nie było oczywiste kto zabił i z jakiego powodu. Ciekawa pozycja!
November 20, 2017
A senior analyst is set to give a presentation at the institute where she works but before the event, she is found dead of a single gunshot wound. How did it happen and why?
That is the premise set before Chief Inspector Michael Ohayon in this first book of the series by Batya Gur. And it is only the tip of the iceberg for Ohayon who has to not only find out all he can about the practice of psychoanalysis, but the personalities of those who the dead woman worked and consulted.
Its complicated by the secrets an analyst must keep and the secrets of those around her. And the clues seem to disappear or lose their potency right before Ohayon and his team's eyes.
An interesting and particularly insightful tale with wonderful, fully developed, likable characters and a tale that runs true -- in this case, you can see that the truth may never come out and the murderer won't be found. A very good read.
That is the premise set before Chief Inspector Michael Ohayon in this first book of the series by Batya Gur. And it is only the tip of the iceberg for Ohayon who has to not only find out all he can about the practice of psychoanalysis, but the personalities of those who the dead woman worked and consulted.
Its complicated by the secrets an analyst must keep and the secrets of those around her. And the clues seem to disappear or lose their potency right before Ohayon and his team's eyes.
An interesting and particularly insightful tale with wonderful, fully developed, likable characters and a tale that runs true -- in this case, you can see that the truth may never come out and the murderer won't be found. A very good read.
July 28, 2020
I love reading crime fiction novels and am very happy when I find a new (to me) author in the genre, especially when I know there is a series to be enjoyed.
This was quite a difficult read for me as it is set in modern day Israel, a country with which I am not familiar, and the victim is a psychoanalyst. The world of psychoanalysis is totally unknown to me.
I like the author’s style - proceeding slowly with a lot of character description and seeing the events through their eyes. Michael Ohayon, her police detective, has a very interesting personality - well respected for his success but can be difficult to work with.
I have already tracked down the next book in the series and I’m looking forward to reading it.
This was quite a difficult read for me as it is set in modern day Israel, a country with which I am not familiar, and the victim is a psychoanalyst. The world of psychoanalysis is totally unknown to me.
I like the author’s style - proceeding slowly with a lot of character description and seeing the events through their eyes. Michael Ohayon, her police detective, has a very interesting personality - well respected for his success but can be difficult to work with.
I have already tracked down the next book in the series and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Read
November 2, 2019Mir hat das Buch gut gefallen, auch wenn ich den Anfang etwas zu langatmig fand. Dr. Gold war mir nicht so sympatisch, dass ich so ausgiebig über ihn Bescheid wissen wollte, und ich war froh, dass er erst gegen Ende wieder auftauchte. Inspektor Ochajon hingegen war ein angenehmer Weggefährte, und insgesamt haben mir die liebevoll gestalteten Protagonisten gut gefallen, egal ob sympathisch oder nicht. Zugegeben, manchmal habe ich nicht ganz so genau gelesen, wenn die Vorgehensweise des Instituts beschrieben wurde. Ein Krimi, der sich von anderen abhebt - liegt das jetzt am Herkunftsland oder am therapeutischen Umfeld?
July 7, 2019
Gur's books are heavy on character development and atmosphere. The victim in this story is an analyst in a prestigious psychoanalytic institute in Jerusalem, and the suspects are fellow psychoanalysts. The author explores the idea that we are mistaken in thinking that we can ever completely know a person, despite having years of access to their innermost thoughts and emotions. The story reminded me of Murder on a Kibbutz, also by Gur, which explores the relationships and histories of characters in a closed society.
August 13, 2020
Me gustó mucho. No es sólo una buena, o muy buena, novela policial en el sentido de entregar personajes creíbles y una trama que atrapa, sino que además, en el camino va informando muy adecuadamente del contexto en que se desarrolla la trama. En este caso, habiendo ocurrido el hecho en un instituto de psicoanálisis, se da el lujo de informar un poco sobre el psicoanálisis y los psicoanalistas en general. Además todo en el ambiente de un Israel contemporáneo con toda su complejidad sin atisbo de chauvinismo. Seguiré con ella
August 23, 2023
Very interesting - I read it with the group for the Hebrew and learned a lot. I like Gur's style and the idea of a murder and investigation in a psychoanalytic institute. Her detective is a very appealing, difficult character, kind and smart, and the professor Hildesheimer the perfect Yekke analyst. Details of the mystery are imperfect, but this is Gur's first novel. Sometimes, too much repetition of the leit-motifs she labels on her characters, while other details, like the arrest of the exposed perp, are omitted entirely.
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December 7, 2010[My comments are taken from a mailing list discussion and as such contain spoilers!]
[on the characters]
I'm not done with the book yet but I'm finding the setting to be themost disappointing part of the book. I was looking forward tolearning something of Israel and Jerusalem but the places haven't comealive for me really. My reasoning is that since the book wasoriginally written in Hebrew the author expected her readers to havereasonable knowledge of the area in which it was set and didn't put invery much in the way of "sightseeing" descriptions. It seems to methat the book could be transposed to another city without losing verymuch atmosphere.
Alternatively, if you take the setting to be the psychoanalytic worldinstead of the physical location then I'm finding the setting to bemostly interesting and enjoying finding out how this weird trainingsystem works and what everybody thinks of it.
As for the characters I'm finding the story a bit bitty to followbecause we no sooner seem to meet someone than they vanish again. Weget to know Hildesheimer for a couple of chapters and then he wandersoff into the background. I thought Joe Linder was an interestingperson while he was in the foreground but then he went off backstagetoo.
So I've been trying to get to know the police characters as they willno doubt be the ones who reappear through the series. I quite likeMichael though I haven't really got a handle on the way he deals withthings yet, he seems to have plenty of depth to his character thoughand I like the way bits of his private life are included. I thoughtEli and Tzilla were the other characters to remember but in the partI've just read (about 2/3rds of the way through) a whole stack morepolice seemed to appear and I'm getting rather confused.
So far I'd rate Gur as a little below average on both characters andsetting but I'm willing to give the book/series a chance to pick up.
[on the plot]
One of the things that struck me about this book was that I always expected the author to play fair with the reader. Even though I haven't any previous experience of the author it just didn't feel like a book where the ending was going to appear out of a cloud of smoke. So the resolution definitely worked for me because it all seemed to be there beforehand and the pieces came together nicely at the end.
The plot seemed quite plausible and I liked the way the motivations of the criminals were directly related to the setting. As well as Silver killing to cover up the fact that she was abusing her position as a psychoanalyst, the major red herring of Alon breaking into Neidorf's house happened because he wanted to cover up the fact that he was undergoing therapy. That link means that this story could only have happened in this setting and that's a major point in favour of this plot with me.
[on pacing]
I thought the book went really slow to start with and I started skim reading a little and putting the book down and not really wanting to pick it up again. But each time I picked the book up I liked it a bit more than the time before and found the pace sped up throughout the story. Partially I think this was due to me getting used to Gur's style of writing but I also think the fact that time speeds up as you go through the book helped too, more things seemed to happen, thicker and faster as the book went on.
There definitely seemed to be more dialogue in the second half of the book than the first but I might be misremembering that. Definitely the scenes I remember from near the end such as Alon's interrogation seemed to be written with more dialogue than had come before and that made them more memorable for me.
Oh, I also wanted to comment on the way that Shlomo Gold "bookends" the story being involved only at the beginning and the end. I think this device works quite well when you've *finished* the book but when you've just started it it throws you out of kilter. I can see why Gur thought it was good for her book structurally but I think it leaves the beginning of the book feeling a bit incomplete and that the book could have had a better opening.
[on this as a first book and the rest of the series]
I don't think I found anything that marked this book out as a first book really, the writing flowed and the plot didn't have any gaping holes in it as far as I was concerned. (I can see why other people think the break in at Neidorf's house was a procedural error on Michael's part but it didn't seem that way to me, it seemed to fit the pace of the book that the police were slow in getting to the house and didn't expect anyone to be there before them). I didn't much care for the way characters appeared and disappeared or for the treacly slow pace at the beginning but on the whole I felt the author had made a conscious decision to write her story this way rather than doing what came easiest as a first time author.
Was this in fact Gur's first book? Is it just the first one translated into English?
I like the concept for the series and am glad to find that the other books are set in similarly closed worlds to the world explored in this one. I can't say that if I'd have read this book by myself I'd have been in a hurry to seek out the second but I'm quite looking forward to seeing what happens next now I've got some idea of what to expect and know some of the characters before the book begins.
May 31, 2018
Es una serie que tenía pendiente de hace tiempo, ya que me llamaba la atención que tanto la autora, como el protagonista fueran judíos; y el lugar de la trama, una investigación policial en Israel. Pero me ha decepcionado. Lo he encontrado lento, con situaciones poco convincentes, un desarrollo muy plano, personajes poco desarrollados..... Lo más interesante, las costumbres de la vida en Jerusalén.
December 26, 2021
Η βαθμολογία είναι 2,5 αστεράκια. Είναι πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα η υπόθεση αλλά μέχρι εκεί. Μετά τον φόνο αρχίζει η πολυλογία χωρίς νόημα. Ανακαλυπτουμε ότι όλοι έχουν ψυχολογικά προβλήματα αλλά μόνο ένα άτομο είναι ικανό για φόνο. Ο τρόπος γραφής είναι κουραστικός καθώς μαθαίνουμε για τις ζωές 3-4 ατόμων που έχουν ή δεν εχουν σχέση με τον φόνο. Προς το τέλος λίγο γίνεται πιο ξεκάθαρη η υπόθεση και υπάρχει κάποιο ενδιαφέρον.
July 29, 2025
Das Buch hat mir leider nicht so viel gegeben. Die Hauptfigur ist für meine Begriffe doch ein wenig blass geblieben und auch recht glatt. Gerade im Vergleich zu der überaus charmanten Lisi Baldichi. Überdies habe ich aus diesem Buch auch gar nicht so viel über Israel erfahren, wie ich gehofft hätte.
Wegen der soliden Arbeit am Plot und der realistischen Darstellung der Ermittlungen aber immer noch stabile drei Punkte.
Wegen der soliden Arbeit am Plot und der realistischen Darstellung der Ermittlungen aber immer noch stabile drei Punkte.
January 31, 2025
The setting was unique. But… At times all of the psychological background was too much. I felt like I was in a Psych 101 class at times and it did not advance the plot or make the story any more interesting. The detective was hardly developed as a character so I’m surprised this turned into a series.
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