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No Saving Grace
Matt Jacob has seen his share of life's darker side as a social worker—and more than his share of its underside as a private eye in the less-than-blueblood districts of Boston. He watches too much late-night TV, smokes too many cigarettes, and thinks too much for his own good. Sometimes high, often down, but never out, Matt Jacob is a survivor.
Maybe that's what draws him to his latest assignment—penetrating the fiercely private world of an embattled Hasidic Jewish sect. In the midst of a holy celebration, a powerful and beloved rabbi is gunned down by the ringleader of a white supremacist hate group—who in turn is shot dead by another rabbi. While trying to clear the rabbi of murder, Matt Jacob delves too deeply into Hasidic orthodoxy and the white supremacist movement. As lines blur between good and evil, right and wrong, even Matt may find it impossible to turn the other cheek.
Maybe that's what draws him to his latest assignment—penetrating the fiercely private world of an embattled Hasidic Jewish sect. In the midst of a holy celebration, a powerful and beloved rabbi is gunned down by the ringleader of a white supremacist hate group—who in turn is shot dead by another rabbi. While trying to clear the rabbi of murder, Matt Jacob delves too deeply into Hasidic orthodoxy and the white supremacist movement. As lines blur between good and evil, right and wrong, even Matt may find it impossible to turn the other cheek.
- GenresMystery
ebook
First published January 3, 1994
70 people want to read
About the author
Zachary Klein
9 books10 followersI'm the author of the critically acclaimed Matt Jacob mystery series, which includes Still Among the Living, Two Way Toll, and No Saving Grace. I think of myself as a “serial careerist." I've worked as a Vista volunteer and a private counselor for individuals, couples, and groups. I was a founder of the People’s School in Uptown, Chicago, a school for high school dropouts. I also worked at Boston’s Project Place when it was a worker-run social service collective that provided free crisis intervention and other community services. And, I served as the Clinical Supervisor for one of Boston's methadone clinics.
For the past decade and change, I’ve consulted with various national attorneys as a trial and jury consultant.
E-book versions of Still Among the Living, Two Way Toll, and No Saving Grace are currently available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, SmashWords, and other major sites. A new Matt Jacob mystery, Ties that Blind, is also on the way. It will be available as an E-book and via print on demand (POD). In Ties that Blind, Matt becomes entangled in the dysfunctional family of his father-in-law's new love interest. As Matt deals with drive-by shootings and suspicious accidents, he struggles with his own fears about the growing attachments to the people in his life.
In addition to writing new Matt Jacob mysteries, I've been learning music and the sax with a very tolerant and supportive teacher, and I play in an eight-person ensemble. I live in Boston with my partner, Susan E. Goodman, a children’s book author (http://www.susangoodmanbooks.com), and have two sons, Matthew and Jacob, and a daughter-in-law, Alyssa.
Find me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/ZacharyKleinA...
Visit my blog at: http://www.zacharykleinonline.com
For the past decade and change, I’ve consulted with various national attorneys as a trial and jury consultant.
E-book versions of Still Among the Living, Two Way Toll, and No Saving Grace are currently available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, SmashWords, and other major sites. A new Matt Jacob mystery, Ties that Blind, is also on the way. It will be available as an E-book and via print on demand (POD). In Ties that Blind, Matt becomes entangled in the dysfunctional family of his father-in-law's new love interest. As Matt deals with drive-by shootings and suspicious accidents, he struggles with his own fears about the growing attachments to the people in his life.
In addition to writing new Matt Jacob mysteries, I've been learning music and the sax with a very tolerant and supportive teacher, and I play in an eight-person ensemble. I live in Boston with my partner, Susan E. Goodman, a children’s book author (http://www.susangoodmanbooks.com), and have two sons, Matthew and Jacob, and a daughter-in-law, Alyssa.
Find me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/ZacharyKleinA...
Visit my blog at: http://www.zacharykleinonline.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 2, 2012
No Saving Grace is the third installment in Zachary Klein’s gritty Matt Jacob series. Similar to the first two novels (Still Among the Living and Two Way Toll), Grace offers a riveting plot and an engaging cast of characters.
When Matt’s lawyer-friend Simon admits he’s been going to Temple, Matt’s surprised. “What are you doing involved with a Temple?”
“I just got tired of having nothing to believe in,” Simon says. “Aren’t you?”
Matt doesn’t respond. “When I had things to believe in,” he thinks, “they usually broke my heart.”
Matt’s faith — or lack thereof — is tested on many levels in No Saving Grace. He’s helping Simon defend a rabbi who killed the leader of a white supremacist hate group. Infiltrating the ranks of a Hasidic Jewish sect isn’t easy. And investigating the hate group known as the “White Avengers” is dangerous. But dealing with his feelings about his dead daughter is a different type of challenge — one that Matt’s not sure he’s ready to face.
Ready or not, memories of his daughter’s tragic death rise to the surface via his relationships with Yakov, the accused rabbi’s teenaged son, and Cheryl, a young reporter for whom Matt has conflicting paternal/sexual feelings. Klein deftly explores his detective’s emotional issues while building a suspenseful story. It’s one of the hallmarks and the pleasures of reading this series.
Another hallmark is the excellent writing: The dialogue that rings true. The humor. The “realness” of the main character. Matt isn’t a former cop or a trained detective. He relies more on instinct than experience. And though he isn’t always confident of his ability to solve the case, he’s determined to see it through. His stubbornness often leads to beat downs and death threats. But usually, he’s his own worst enemy:
“Cigarettes, dope, booze……you’re a walking death wish. I don’t know why you’re scared of anyone else,” Cheryl tells him.
Matt’s got a long way to go before anyone mistakes him for an optimist. But No Saving Grace offers a hopeful ending; one that finds Matt reaching out instead of retreating to his basement apartment. That’s a giant step forward for somebody so shrouded in grief and anger.
This is a terrific series, one that stands out from the pack of detective novels because of the author’s unique voice. I know there are more Matt Jacob novels in the works, and it will be interesting to see whether Matt keeps moving forward — or, more likely, how many steps backwards he’ll first need to take.
When Matt’s lawyer-friend Simon admits he’s been going to Temple, Matt’s surprised. “What are you doing involved with a Temple?”
“I just got tired of having nothing to believe in,” Simon says. “Aren’t you?”
Matt doesn’t respond. “When I had things to believe in,” he thinks, “they usually broke my heart.”
Matt’s faith — or lack thereof — is tested on many levels in No Saving Grace. He’s helping Simon defend a rabbi who killed the leader of a white supremacist hate group. Infiltrating the ranks of a Hasidic Jewish sect isn’t easy. And investigating the hate group known as the “White Avengers” is dangerous. But dealing with his feelings about his dead daughter is a different type of challenge — one that Matt’s not sure he’s ready to face.
Ready or not, memories of his daughter’s tragic death rise to the surface via his relationships with Yakov, the accused rabbi’s teenaged son, and Cheryl, a young reporter for whom Matt has conflicting paternal/sexual feelings. Klein deftly explores his detective’s emotional issues while building a suspenseful story. It’s one of the hallmarks and the pleasures of reading this series.
Another hallmark is the excellent writing: The dialogue that rings true. The humor. The “realness” of the main character. Matt isn’t a former cop or a trained detective. He relies more on instinct than experience. And though he isn’t always confident of his ability to solve the case, he’s determined to see it through. His stubbornness often leads to beat downs and death threats. But usually, he’s his own worst enemy:
“Cigarettes, dope, booze……you’re a walking death wish. I don’t know why you’re scared of anyone else,” Cheryl tells him.
Matt’s got a long way to go before anyone mistakes him for an optimist. But No Saving Grace offers a hopeful ending; one that finds Matt reaching out instead of retreating to his basement apartment. That’s a giant step forward for somebody so shrouded in grief and anger.
This is a terrific series, one that stands out from the pack of detective novels because of the author’s unique voice. I know there are more Matt Jacob novels in the works, and it will be interesting to see whether Matt keeps moving forward — or, more likely, how many steps backwards he’ll first need to take.
August 6, 2012
Not usually a fan of mystery..but this held my interest. Makes us ask what we would ultimately do for our children, how people turn against one another...with only their opinions at hand. Odd ending I thought. Left questions...as life often does. Read it!
July 14, 2015
Hero reminds me a little of Doc in Inherent Vice. This one involves a skinheads vs Hasidim plot, which promises to be interesting
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews