Murder Duet

Michael Ohayon #4

by Batya Gur, Dalya Bilu (Translator)

With tension as taut as strings on a cello, the fourth Michael Ohayon mystery from “Israel’s Agatha Christie,” in which the police officer must solve the murder of two musicians, is “pure reading pleasure” ( New York Times ).

After his cellist friend's father and brother—who are also well-known musicians—are brutally murdered, Chief Superintendent Michael Ohayon, a classical music afficionado, sets out to solve the crime. From the opening pages, where the detective plays a compact disc of Brahm's First Symphony, to the newly discovered music for an unknown Vivaldi requiem that provides a rock-solid motive for the crime, lovers of crime novels, as well as music, will thrill to every dulcet note.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Israel, Fiction, Music, Mystery Thriller, Middle East

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/המרח...

[Doron Veeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

ספר טוב, אבל הרגיש לי ארוך כאורך הגלות...
כבר לא כותבים ככה היום, ממש שיעור במוזיקולוגיה.

[Moshe · Rating 3 out of 5]

נעשה ניסיון להפוך את הבלש/השוטר שלנו לרגיש יותר ממה שהוא באמת יכול להפיק
מעצמו והתוצאה היא מעין רגשנות שקרית (פייק), מלאכותית ולא מקבלים תחושה
אמתית של הבעת הרגש אצלו (גם אם יש באמת אחד כזה).

תוסיפו על זה דרמה משפחתית מוסיקלית ברקע עם מעורבות אישית שלא משתמעת
לשתי פנים של החוקר המוביל (קרי, הדמות הראשית שלנו) אצל החשודים המרכזיים.
נוצר בלגן לא כל כך מובן של כן הוא רוצה לעסוק בזה אך לא יכול. יעביר את המושכות
למישהו אחר, אך רוצה לשלוט בנרטיב. על אחת כמה וכמה כשמכניסים לכל המרכיב הזה,
מרכיב מאוד דומיננטי - מוסיקה קלאסית. מקבלים כאב ראש לא קטן.

אני מניח שחובבי מוסיקה קלאסית ובעלי רקע קל שבקלים בהיסטוריה של האומנים בתחום
ייהנו מהספר הרבה יותר ממני.

[Juncal García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cada libro te abre una ventana.Una ventana por la que entra la brisa o el aire huracanado o el gélido viento invernal. Este libro es una ventana abierta a la música especialmente la música del Barroco y Vivaldi como gran protagonista. Y esa música suena en un país Israel que todavía no acaba de superar su adversión por Wagner.La historia de una familia de músicos que se destruye por el descubrimiento de una partitura. Además de una novela policíaca es también una disgresión musical y una historia de un amor tan delicado que puede llegar a romperse.La recomiendo para amantes de la música o para los que quieran leer una novela policíaca sútil y muy original.

[Moni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hab es mit fast 25 Jahren Abstand ein 2. Mal gelesen, weniger Krimi als Innenansicht eines in die Jahre gekommenen Kommissars , sehr menschlich, man muss aber klassische Musik kennen und am besten auch sehr mögen, andernfalls wird man sicher die seitenlangen Ausflüge in die die Musiktheorie überblättern.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Critics praise this author for the wealth of detail and the complexity of characters in her writing and this is certainly true. However, for me the extensive detail and complexity got in the way of the story. Whole pages dedicated to an esoteric lecture on music delivered by one of the characters was a bridge too far in my opinion and demonstrates that even the good stuff can be carried too far.

[Shahar · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 The best book in the series so far.
As Batya gur say it herself in the book ( in total other words )- it’s not really about the whodunit, but more about the story of the characters.
Made me want to listen and study classical music and that is so not my cup of tea.

[Anke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mooi verhaal, maar het was veel te lang.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a big murder mystery fan, but I always wanted to read Batya Gur, as she is Israeli, and it's fun to read a mystery that takes place in Jerusalem. Not sure if starting with #4 in the series meant there was anything I missed, but it seemed pretty self-contained.

The lead character was the most interesting character in the book, and I was hoping he would have a neat and tidy ending, but I guess the author was leaving things open for the next book.

This was fun and compelling at times, and I actually learned a bit about music, but the book went on a bit too long and the ending left me sadder than I wanted to be at the end of a novel like this. I'll probably read some of the others in the series, but not immediately.

[Mirrordance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Faticoso, lento, senza il ritmo caratteristico di un giallo. Tante storie parallele come tracce e fili che si perdono nel nulla e che non sono di nessuno scopo per la trama. Svolte improvvise che compaiono dal nulla, si approfondisce l'emotività di alcuni personaggi come in un romanzo ed all'improvviso... si molla tutto lì.
Una strana sensazione, se leggessi il libro pulito di ogni riferimento geografico penserei di rovarmi in un libro svedese di sapore "bergmaniano".
Arrivata fino in fondo senza nessuna soddisfazione anche perchè il colpevole è segnalato da metà libro e si tratta solo di seguire le indagini (e in questo nulla di male, è uno stile diverso di gialli) che però scorrono in modo frammentato e poco interessante.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've now read all six Chief Superintendent Ohayon murder mysteries set in Israel. Each one focuses in great detail on a segment of Israeli society. The plot twists and dialogue are rambling and realistic. I ended up skimming over some flashbacks and conversations that really weren't important in my opinion. "Murder Duet" has much authentic-sounding music history of the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical periods.

[Xerxessia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieser Krimi von Batya Gur gefällt mir in der Reihe um Inspektor Ochajon bisher am besten. Der Spannungsbogen ist nicht so trocken, wie bei den vorherigen.
Toll, wie die Autorin sich mit Musikthemen auseinandersetzt. Wo sie wohl ihre ganzen Informationen her hat? Das ist eindeutig ein Buch für Klassik-Musik-Liebende.

[Paul Secor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too wordy with an inane plot. I love music, but the ruminations on music in this novel were long winded and out of place, almost as if the author wanted to show of her knowledge and opinions.

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not love the story, characters or the stilted translation.

[Adi Elkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

כנראה הספר הטוב בסדרה עד עתה, דווקא בגלל שהוא מרשה לעצמו לגלוש מעבר לרצח

[Gabingy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que es interesante por el estudio musical que presenta y cómo la autora hila todo el caso pero lo que le bajó puntos para mí fue lo extenso que es. Siento que hay muchas conversaciones o personajes olvidables y que no llegaron a nada que se pudieron cortar. No lo volvería a leer, me agobiaba que alargaran bastante el misterio para que el final fuera insatisfactorio. (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth book featuring charming Israeli detective Michael Ohayon who finds an abandoned baby which leads him to an arrangement with a neighbour from a musical family. It gets complicated by the murder of the neighbour’s father set in Jerusalem.

[Dhartridge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow pace, too much lengthy exposition about classical music,though it did push me to listen to some Rossellini.For a woman author, her books are short on relatable female characters. I skimmed about half of this one.

[Xolrax · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice murder story with music as well.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too much description. Took away from the story line.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat slow in places but lovely all the same. And plenty of excitement toward the end. So different from British mysteries and American detective fiction. I’m going to read more of her books.

[Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, as always.

[Béatrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

La partie musicale est assez ardue, mais la psychologie des personnages est très bien analysée...même si cette histoire de bébé semble un peu invraisemblable !

[Natalie Shtivelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

(audio)

[Susan Mock · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is the most amazing author. Her attention to detail makes this book, not just a murder mystery, but a novel of import. I am only sorry that there are only 6 books and I am on number 5. I cannot recommend her writing high enough.

[Bev]

Picked up another Batya Gur book at the library. Having enjoyed Literary Murder so much, I was expecting a good read with Murder Duet. Um, not so much. From the way the blurb read, I thought I would be reading the next in the series...but found that this one takes place sometime before LM. I don't like Michael (the protaganist of the series) in this one. I don't know what happened to him in between these two stories, but he's much more appealing and interesting in LM. And the story just didn't hold my interest. One of the few times I've not finished a book. But as I get older (and have less time in front of me), I've added my own rider to the phrase "So many books, so little time"...."to waste any of it on books I don't care for."

[Nathanial]

Oh, this was great. Compelling, believable characters, fully committed in a complex, nuanced plot with high stakes and vivid repercussions, just enough aesthetic attention to detail, wry social commentary, moving family drama, historical imaginings, and even a touch of mid-nineties post-modern self-conscious irony. She's got such great intimate moments--the opening chapter of the stereotypical loner detective who's completely wrapped up in the process of changing a baby's diaper is absolutely fabulous--that she can pull off quick sketches of minor characters in just a line or two, and never verge on cliche.

[Deb Oestreicher]

As usual, Batya Gur delivers a gripping whodunit while exposing a particular segment of Israeli society (in this case, professional classical musicians). In addition, her protagonist, Detective Michael Ohayon, decides to manage his intimacy issues in a rather surprising way. Gur's plots are always compelling and her characters are fascinating. Even if you guess whodunit early, the novel is a pleasure to read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved the immense amount of detail about music; it was absolutely fascinating. I also thought the pacing was well-done as were the characterizations. Gur was incredibly good at portraying her characters' thought processes on the page. What really annoyed me was the painful way the sexual minorities were portrayed as well as women, but I do wonder if that's because of the stereotypes that were prevalent at the time the book was written 20-25 years ago.