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Rebekah Roberts #2
Run You Down
Aviva Kagan was just a teenager when she left her Hasidic Jewish life in Brooklyn for a fling with a smiling college boy from Florida-and then disappeared. Twenty-three years later, the child she walked away from is a NYC tabloid reporter named Rebekah Roberts. And Rebekah isn't sure she wants her mother back in her life.
But when a man from the ultra-Orthodox enclave of Roseville, N.Y. contacts Rebekah about his young wife's mysterious death, she is drawn back into Aviva's world. Pessie Goldin's body was found in her bathtub, and while her parents want to believe it was an accident, her husband is certain she was murdered.
Once she starts poking around, Rebekah encounters a whole society of people who have wandered "off the path" of ultra-Orthodox Judaism-just like her mother. But some went with dark secrets, and rage at the insular community they left behind.
In the sequel to her Edgar Award finalist Invisible City, Julia Dahl has created a taut mystery that is both a window into a secretive culture and an exploration of the demons we inherit.
But when a man from the ultra-Orthodox enclave of Roseville, N.Y. contacts Rebekah about his young wife's mysterious death, she is drawn back into Aviva's world. Pessie Goldin's body was found in her bathtub, and while her parents want to believe it was an accident, her husband is certain she was murdered.
Once she starts poking around, Rebekah encounters a whole society of people who have wandered "off the path" of ultra-Orthodox Judaism-just like her mother. But some went with dark secrets, and rage at the insular community they left behind.
In the sequel to her Edgar Award finalist Invisible City, Julia Dahl has created a taut mystery that is both a window into a secretive culture and an exploration of the demons we inherit.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2015
133 people are currently reading
1935 people want to read
About the author
Julia Dahl
8 books548 followersJulia Dahl was born and raised in Fresno, California and currently lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband and son.
Dahl began her career as a journalist working as a fact-checker at Entertainment Weekly. Since then, she has been an editor at Marie Claire, a freelance reporter at the New York Post, the deputy managing editor of The Crime Report, and a crime and justice reporter for CBS News.
She now teaches journalism at NYU.
Dahl's first novel, INVISIBLE CITY, was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, and won the Barry Award, the Shamus Award, and the Macavity Award for Best First Novel. INVISIBLE CITY named one of the Boston Globe's Best Books of 2014, and has been translated into eight languages.
Dahl began her career as a journalist working as a fact-checker at Entertainment Weekly. Since then, she has been an editor at Marie Claire, a freelance reporter at the New York Post, the deputy managing editor of The Crime Report, and a crime and justice reporter for CBS News.
She now teaches journalism at NYU.
Dahl's first novel, INVISIBLE CITY, was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, and won the Barry Award, the Shamus Award, and the Macavity Award for Best First Novel. INVISIBLE CITY named one of the Boston Globe's Best Books of 2014, and has been translated into eight languages.
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January 1, 2019
Review to follow for the tour.
July 20, 2025
In this sequel to Invisible City, the title of Run You Down refers to reporter Rebekah Roberts running down the location of her mother, who abandoned the family when Rebekah was a baby. Told alternately by Rebekah and her mother, Aviva Katz, Rebekah is investigating the death of an ultra-Orthodox woman found in her bathtub. Pessie Goldin’s birth family doesn’t want too much poking around, as they fear that she committed suicide, which would tarnish the family’s reputation; however, Pessie’s husband Levi thinks foul play was involved.
The novel looks not only into the crime, but it also traces Aviva Katz’s history and that of her frum, judgmental family. Author Julia Dahl provides plenty of twists and lots of information on the life of the haredim, although sometimes Dahl provides so much information that it slows down the story. Eve so, I loved this novel.
The novel looks not only into the crime, but it also traces Aviva Katz’s history and that of her frum, judgmental family. Author Julia Dahl provides plenty of twists and lots of information on the life of the haredim, although sometimes Dahl provides so much information that it slows down the story. Eve so, I loved this novel.
June 17, 2016
This continues the story of Rebekah Roberts. It was similar to the first, very. Once again we have the alternating narrator chapters with her Mother who left 23 years before. And the murder case this time is, IMHO, more murky. Was it a murder? But the religious community has once again buried the deceased within 24 hours according to scripture.
It moves slowly, and I began to truly dislike being taken out of Rebekah's story in the present repeatedly by the other tale. I found her Mother's story and 22 year history of the "in between" years, absolutely tedious and ultimately self-serving to that character's own needs of identity. And little else. But then too, there were details of her Mom's story that ALSO didn't make a lot of sense, especially within the involvements with her female cousin. Not realistic, for the years they were supposed to have occurred too- time/era? To me, it didn't fly.
Regardless, the story of the crime itself was nearly a 4 until more than half way through. Then afterwards- past the 3/4ths point of the book, for me, it almost became a 2. It's very similar to the first book overall, and this effort was not better or a progression, IMHO. Disappointed actually that some of the most interesting aspects of Rebekah's psychology, especially with her anxiety condition and IBS disorder, and other attributes or fall-outs from her mixture among her Jewish Hasidic relatives (like any discussions toward faith or their contrasting beliefs) were not really explored to any depths beyond the shallow end questions! How to maintain independence from that rigid style of living and those who hold it WAS explored, but to a rather shallow extent of yes or no answers. Very little, why. And without any hint that any one who DOES want independent life from their strict community IS super bright about any other of their desires or choices they may also hold. Not for work, not really for association to others outside of the Jewish community either. Sexual or love interest slated as the only reason to "out"??
Regardless, I did NOT guess the perp or enablers this time for the homicide. And once again, this book is more sad and whining self-pity than any other overall descriptive quality for our primary principles. All of them, at that. I would read this author again if she had other characters. But I will not read Rebekah Roberts in any further "cases". BTW, I think she, Rebekah, is terrible at her job.
It moves slowly, and I began to truly dislike being taken out of Rebekah's story in the present repeatedly by the other tale. I found her Mother's story and 22 year history of the "in between" years, absolutely tedious and ultimately self-serving to that character's own needs of identity. And little else. But then too, there were details of her Mom's story that ALSO didn't make a lot of sense, especially within the involvements with her female cousin. Not realistic, for the years they were supposed to have occurred too- time/era? To me, it didn't fly.
Regardless, the story of the crime itself was nearly a 4 until more than half way through. Then afterwards- past the 3/4ths point of the book, for me, it almost became a 2. It's very similar to the first book overall, and this effort was not better or a progression, IMHO. Disappointed actually that some of the most interesting aspects of Rebekah's psychology, especially with her anxiety condition and IBS disorder, and other attributes or fall-outs from her mixture among her Jewish Hasidic relatives (like any discussions toward faith or their contrasting beliefs) were not really explored to any depths beyond the shallow end questions! How to maintain independence from that rigid style of living and those who hold it WAS explored, but to a rather shallow extent of yes or no answers. Very little, why. And without any hint that any one who DOES want independent life from their strict community IS super bright about any other of their desires or choices they may also hold. Not for work, not really for association to others outside of the Jewish community either. Sexual or love interest slated as the only reason to "out"??
Regardless, I did NOT guess the perp or enablers this time for the homicide. And once again, this book is more sad and whining self-pity than any other overall descriptive quality for our primary principles. All of them, at that. I would read this author again if she had other characters. But I will not read Rebekah Roberts in any further "cases". BTW, I think she, Rebekah, is terrible at her job.
October 30, 2021
RUN YOU DOWN (Rebekah Roberts, #2)
Julia Dahi
This is my first book about Rebekah Roberts, the newspaper reporter whose mother (Aviva Kagan) ran away from her husband and child 0ver 20 years ago. The desertion left Rebekah somewhat floundering in life, but driven. How does that happen? Rebekah is hunting down her mother and investigating the death of an ultra-Orthodox woman (Pessie Goldin) in Roseville, N.Y after being contacted by the young woman's husband. But the investigation is more than Rebekah bargained for and she gets more family than just a mom. The book is told from 2 POVs, one Aviva's and the other Rebekah's.
I really enjoyed this book, once I got past the first half, the pace picked up and the story barreled along like an out-of-control locomotive.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
Julia Dahi
This is my first book about Rebekah Roberts, the newspaper reporter whose mother (Aviva Kagan) ran away from her husband and child 0ver 20 years ago. The desertion left Rebekah somewhat floundering in life, but driven. How does that happen? Rebekah is hunting down her mother and investigating the death of an ultra-Orthodox woman (Pessie Goldin) in Roseville, N.Y after being contacted by the young woman's husband. But the investigation is more than Rebekah bargained for and she gets more family than just a mom. The book is told from 2 POVs, one Aviva's and the other Rebekah's.
I really enjoyed this book, once I got past the first half, the pace picked up and the story barreled along like an out-of-control locomotive.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
May 28, 2018
A second suspense/ mystery in the series about journalist Rebekah Roberts, in which she continues to explore her family history and ties to the ultra-orthodox community of Jews in New York and Roseville. This time she is investigating the death of a young hassidic woman who seems to have committed suicide by drowning herself in her bathroom. The woman's husband does not believe this for a second, but has no idea what really happened to his wife. Through their common acquaintance, Saul, he reaches out to Rebekah to help him find out what really happened.
The plot is a little less suspenseful and a bit slower in this novel, and I found the fact that everyone is somehow connected to Rebekah's family quite implausible. However, I did enjoy the story and the characters. It is rare to find hassidic characters who seem like individual, real people and not stereotypes. I believe many people find it hard to see through the black "uniform" the ultra-orthodox Jews wear, and understand that there are different personalities, stories and backgrounds under them.
I also enjoyed learning more about the ways of the ultra-orthodox community in New York and about their dealings with the surrounding population, as well as about anti-Semitism in America.
The plot is a little less suspenseful and a bit slower in this novel, and I found the fact that everyone is somehow connected to Rebekah's family quite implausible. However, I did enjoy the story and the characters. It is rare to find hassidic characters who seem like individual, real people and not stereotypes. I believe many people find it hard to see through the black "uniform" the ultra-orthodox Jews wear, and understand that there are different personalities, stories and backgrounds under them.
I also enjoyed learning more about the ways of the ultra-orthodox community in New York and about their dealings with the surrounding population, as well as about anti-Semitism in America.
October 2, 2022
Run You Down is book 2 of the Rebekah Roberts series. Once again, we see testy young reporter Rebekah face down tough obstacles in search of the truth. Through alternate narrations, we - and Rebekah - finally meet her long-lost mother Aviva Kagan, a former Haredi Jew whose tribal baggage - isolation, gloom, corruption, poverty, bigotry, child abuse, sexism - humble her daughter - and enrich the story. In addition to speeding up the book's pace, a cruel white supremacist family also forces Rebekah to grow up as she confronts the soul-killing reality of bloody intolerance. She will learn that a great journalist faces the truth no matter what. By the end of Run You Down, Rebekah has matured (a bit) into a sharper and more attentive reporter who is respectful of cultural differences and mindful of the lingering effects of generational trauma. Still a wary woman, however, she never completely lowers her guard with Aviva and the Kagans. Her mother will have to prove herself worthy of Rebekah's love. Rebekah Roberts' stock is rising.
3 stars
3 stars
August 5, 2015
(3) I am sure all of you have read a book like this one, irritating and mesmerizing at the same time. The first half of this book is truly irritating, hard to follow and a little confusing. The second half you cannot put down, moves faster than hell and just sucks you in until you reach the end. A mother/daughter team are the story and you better be comfortable about a whole lot of Jewish stuff as well. Quite a wild ride with more than a few interesting twists along the way.
March 31, 2016
I really like the first Rebekah Roberts novel, and I was eager to read the sequel, as it ended on a big cliffhanger. Maybe because of the anticipation, I didn't love this as much as I'd hoped, but in the end I thought it was a good effort, and I'd be happy to read another in the series.
The first book was set in the Hasidic community in Brooklyn, and part of the fun was getting a peek into a hidden and misunderstood world along with the protagonist, whose long-disappeared mother had fled from that world before her birth. This time around, the action mostly centered on one of the Hasidic-dominated suburban New York towns (think Kiryas Joel) and, again, it was fascinating to glimpse a world that I know very little about. However, it seemed both implausible and irritating to me that Rebekah -- even in her depressed and PTSD'ed state -- would still not have done even basic research on this world by now, and have at least a glancing knowledge of the basics.
I did really appreciate that the kind of trauma Rebekah went through in the first book was acknowledged and dealt with, however, as it's often not in these kind of series, and I continue to like the way her difficult and slippery job as a modern stringer for a NYC tabloid is handled. It feels realistic and, again, the changes in the way modern journalism works are often not acknowledged in books, unless someone is inserting an evil "blogger" character.
I think what really made it hard for me to like the sequel quite as much, though, were the alternating chapters in mother and daughter's POV. While I was interested in Aviva's story -- in fact, I wish that more time had been spent on her "missing" years after she left Rebekah, and I was glad to see the difficulties women, especially, in these closed communities face when they leave acknowledged, I was uncertain as to whether her chapters were meant to be letters, a conversation or something else entirely. To be fair, that could be entirely a quirk of my own reading, and another reader may just breeze through it and absorb her (very interesting) story.
The central mystery had a lot crammed in (I kept thinking of The Paper -- and old and outdated (terrific) movie about another era of NYC tabloids -- "I don't have nine inches for Nazis!") and I am not sure that linking Rebekah's family drama with the mystery was entirely successful. And, without trying to spoil anything, I will also mention that the shockingly violent ending came a bit out of nowhere and definitely threw me for a loop.
I realize this makes it sound a lot like I disliked the book, but honestly, I think it mostly just suffered from a touch of growing pains. I continue to like this author, and this series, and I'll be ready to snap up the next sequel.
The first book was set in the Hasidic community in Brooklyn, and part of the fun was getting a peek into a hidden and misunderstood world along with the protagonist, whose long-disappeared mother had fled from that world before her birth. This time around, the action mostly centered on one of the Hasidic-dominated suburban New York towns (think Kiryas Joel) and, again, it was fascinating to glimpse a world that I know very little about. However, it seemed both implausible and irritating to me that Rebekah -- even in her depressed and PTSD'ed state -- would still not have done even basic research on this world by now, and have at least a glancing knowledge of the basics.
I did really appreciate that the kind of trauma Rebekah went through in the first book was acknowledged and dealt with, however, as it's often not in these kind of series, and I continue to like the way her difficult and slippery job as a modern stringer for a NYC tabloid is handled. It feels realistic and, again, the changes in the way modern journalism works are often not acknowledged in books, unless someone is inserting an evil "blogger" character.
I think what really made it hard for me to like the sequel quite as much, though, were the alternating chapters in mother and daughter's POV. While I was interested in Aviva's story -- in fact, I wish that more time had been spent on her "missing" years after she left Rebekah, and I was glad to see the difficulties women, especially, in these closed communities face when they leave acknowledged, I was uncertain as to whether her chapters were meant to be letters, a conversation or something else entirely. To be fair, that could be entirely a quirk of my own reading, and another reader may just breeze through it and absorb her (very interesting) story.
The central mystery had a lot crammed in (I kept thinking of The Paper -- and old and outdated (terrific) movie about another era of NYC tabloids -- "I don't have nine inches for Nazis!") and I am not sure that linking Rebekah's family drama with the mystery was entirely successful. And, without trying to spoil anything, I will also mention that the shockingly violent ending came a bit out of nowhere and definitely threw me for a loop.
I realize this makes it sound a lot like I disliked the book, but honestly, I think it mostly just suffered from a touch of growing pains. I continue to like this author, and this series, and I'll be ready to snap up the next sequel.
January 21, 2018
Upon beginning this book, I didn't realize it was part of a series. I found the story intriguing and mysterious as it was unraveling. I enjoyed it for most of the story but felt a bit let down by the ending. This was due in part to the fact that the author kept the history of certain characters still a hidden in order to entice the reader to read the next in the series. The third book in the series did not hold the same interest level for me.
Why did a young mother die shortly after giving birth to yet another child? Why don't the people in the community seem to show concern about the manner in which she has died nor do they seem to mourn her? Why are basic questions not getting addressed and why is it that the very people who should have loved this woman, not seem to be grieving?
I thought of the three stories in this series, the unanswered questions, were disturbing enough to make me stay up late just so I would get to the bottom of death of the main character. Rebekah Roberts is tenacious enough to ignore the threats and stonewalling to unearth the truth.
Why did a young mother die shortly after giving birth to yet another child? Why don't the people in the community seem to show concern about the manner in which she has died nor do they seem to mourn her? Why are basic questions not getting addressed and why is it that the very people who should have loved this woman, not seem to be grieving?
I thought of the three stories in this series, the unanswered questions, were disturbing enough to make me stay up late just so I would get to the bottom of death of the main character. Rebekah Roberts is tenacious enough to ignore the threats and stonewalling to unearth the truth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2015
There are some, not so many, novels in which the setting is within and without the community of ultra-Orthodox Jews (Hasidim, the Haredi). Within that genre, there are 3 novels that are my touchstones - The Romance Reader by Pearl Abraham, The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis Invisible City by Julia Dahl, each an exceptional read. Now comes Dahl with a second novel, Run You Down. The lead player is again Rebekah Roberts, one of the most intriguing fictional characters. Each of these 4 novels comes highly recommended.
September 25, 2015
With how the last book ended I wondered what Rebekah was going to do about her mother. At first I wasn't sure about the 2 different pov's, Rebekah and her mothers. But as the story went on you realized that Aviva's played a big part of the present. As the 2 story lines converged you realized that Rebekah is on the right track with her story. I was a bit surprised at how Rebekah's family came into play and all of a sudden things started to happen really fast.
I liked that Rebekah finally found some closure with her family and seems to have a new start.
I liked that Rebekah finally found some closure with her family and seems to have a new start.
November 4, 2020
Great heroine, a Jewish journalist for a NY paper, who winds up investigating crimes in the strictly observant Jewish enclave in Brooklyn (book 1) and Roseville (this book). The details of life in that type of community are very interesting, and one of the best things about these books. The other good things are the journalist and the very readable down to earth writing. I preferred book 1 because this book had some Nazi loving, hating everyone else, violent gun toting nut jobs in it.
December 4, 2015
Solid second book in the Rebekah the reporter series concerning a very screwed up Hasidic community. Lots of brushing terrible things under the table so siblings can get married without black marks on family name. Child molestation, sweep. Gay child, sweep. Wife beating, sweep. Ugh. Decent mystery but pretty sad.
October 7, 2015
see my review for Invisible City.
August 16, 2019
Run You Down – Gripping
Run You Down is the follow up to the successful debut Invisible City by Julia Dahl, and she does not let you down. The great thing about this book is that you do not need to have read the previous book to enjoy this, it is an excellent standalone thriller.
Aviva Kagan, a teenage Hasidic Jew wants out of the restrictive life, she wants to live, she wants to escape everything about the community. Aviva is in love with a college boy, Brian and they are in love. They run away to Florida to where he is studying, but Aviva has finally escaped Brooklyn and her community. When she gives birth, she knows she cannot cope with being a parent and runs away leaving behind her daughter, Rebekah.
Twenty three years later Rebekah is a reporter with the New York Tribune, and making quite a name for herself, especially looking at the religious communities, and the secrets they hold. When an ultra-Orthodox Jew approaches Rebekah with the story of his wife’s death and he thinks she has been murdered and nobody cares.
Little does Rebekah know that she is being drawn into a world her mother did so much to escape. While at the same time, she finds that White Supremacists might be involved in the story and a long lost uncle. She cannot get her head around the story at first, and for the first time she reaches out to her mother, and a world she does not understand.
Julia Dahl has written a great thriller, that crosses the bounds of New York States Jewish communities, White Supremacists and the politics involved. With a deft touch, she writes about race, religion and politics in New York, without preaching. An excellent and believable thriller that is gripping.
Run You Down is the follow up to the successful debut Invisible City by Julia Dahl, and she does not let you down. The great thing about this book is that you do not need to have read the previous book to enjoy this, it is an excellent standalone thriller.
Aviva Kagan, a teenage Hasidic Jew wants out of the restrictive life, she wants to live, she wants to escape everything about the community. Aviva is in love with a college boy, Brian and they are in love. They run away to Florida to where he is studying, but Aviva has finally escaped Brooklyn and her community. When she gives birth, she knows she cannot cope with being a parent and runs away leaving behind her daughter, Rebekah.
Twenty three years later Rebekah is a reporter with the New York Tribune, and making quite a name for herself, especially looking at the religious communities, and the secrets they hold. When an ultra-Orthodox Jew approaches Rebekah with the story of his wife’s death and he thinks she has been murdered and nobody cares.
Little does Rebekah know that she is being drawn into a world her mother did so much to escape. While at the same time, she finds that White Supremacists might be involved in the story and a long lost uncle. She cannot get her head around the story at first, and for the first time she reaches out to her mother, and a world she does not understand.
Julia Dahl has written a great thriller, that crosses the bounds of New York States Jewish communities, White Supremacists and the politics involved. With a deft touch, she writes about race, religion and politics in New York, without preaching. An excellent and believable thriller that is gripping.
August 19, 2018
Second book in a trilogy and picks up right where Invisible City left off. I finally figured out how to describe this series - they're mysteries for your snooty friend who thinks they're "too good" for genre fiction. This read like someone threw a suspense thread and general fiction into a blender - with the alternating points of view between the protagonist and her long-lost mother.
What stuck out most for me on this book were the "bad guys." With the benefit of hindsight, it's basically foreshadowing a lot of insidious hate groups that have become emboldened in the past couple of years. Toss in religious organizations covering up child molestation and it feels like the author wrote the book yesterday.
What stuck out most for me on this book were the "bad guys." With the benefit of hindsight, it's basically foreshadowing a lot of insidious hate groups that have become emboldened in the past couple of years. Toss in religious organizations covering up child molestation and it feels like the author wrote the book yesterday.
December 5, 2020
This book really opened my eyes to the levels of hate, discrimination, prejudice, and bigotry in our country. Although fiction, easily could be true...
April 30, 2018
Wow, heart pumping at the end. Just as good or better than Invisible City. Very contemporary issues and answers to questions from book 1. A must read for anyone who liked Invisible City. Again great reporter writing and moral issues covered. Could not put the book down!
June 5, 2015
It was a bit hard to get into the novel at first, the main reason for this is that it was written from the view point of the two main characters. First there was Aviva, the mother, who ran away from her Jewish upbringing and family because she didn't like the strictness of the culture. Then there is her daughter, Rebekah, whom she has with a "protestant" who is shunned by her community. They had fled to Florida from New York and that is where Rebekah is born.
Aviva abandons her daughter and husband because of her shame, her guilt, her anxiety and the fear that she is mentally ill. So, Rebekah has not grown up with her mother. Then twenty plus years down the road mom is trying to come back into Rebekah's life. Why now? What does she want? What could it mean?
So, each chapter is about the opposite person. The chapters about Aviva deal with her pain, her fears and her desire to tell her story to her daughter, but how can she, they aren't together. The chapters about Rebekah deal mainly with her job as a reporter for a local tabloid newspaper. It also deals with Rebekah's conflict of whether to respond to her mothers desire to meet.
Now, the plot of the story is that a young Jewish mom was found dead in her apartment and it was ruled a suicide, but her husband thinks she was murdered. Because of the Jewish communities desire to remain aloof from the rest of the culture they do not want an autopsy, nor do they want an investigation. They want to bury the body within 24 hours and be done with it.
But the woman, Pessie, did not commit suicide as the religious community believes, at least that is what her husband thinks, he is convinced that someone did this to her. So, he contacts Rebekah because she is a reporter and she printed stories about another Jewish community murder until the truth came out. He hopes she will do the same here.
The story goes back and forth between Aviva and Rebekah and amazingly enough their two worlds collide because of the death of this woman Pessie. At first you might think this is a bit to contrived, but the author makes it work and it becomes so obvious that it could collide that it is amazing.
I love the character development, the story line is good, the plot finds itself through the threads of investigation that happens and the book comes together for an ending that you won't really see coming.
Two worlds will also collide, the world of the Jewish community and the world of "White Supremacy" hatred. That is what makes this a hard read at times because the hatred is so deep and so awful to acknowledge.
As I said up front, it was hard to get into because of the writing style, but as you move through the book the style becomes much easier to catch and the story is well developed because of going back and forth between the two worlds, the two views of things, and the clash of cultures.
Enjoy!
Aviva abandons her daughter and husband because of her shame, her guilt, her anxiety and the fear that she is mentally ill. So, Rebekah has not grown up with her mother. Then twenty plus years down the road mom is trying to come back into Rebekah's life. Why now? What does she want? What could it mean?
So, each chapter is about the opposite person. The chapters about Aviva deal with her pain, her fears and her desire to tell her story to her daughter, but how can she, they aren't together. The chapters about Rebekah deal mainly with her job as a reporter for a local tabloid newspaper. It also deals with Rebekah's conflict of whether to respond to her mothers desire to meet.
Now, the plot of the story is that a young Jewish mom was found dead in her apartment and it was ruled a suicide, but her husband thinks she was murdered. Because of the Jewish communities desire to remain aloof from the rest of the culture they do not want an autopsy, nor do they want an investigation. They want to bury the body within 24 hours and be done with it.
But the woman, Pessie, did not commit suicide as the religious community believes, at least that is what her husband thinks, he is convinced that someone did this to her. So, he contacts Rebekah because she is a reporter and she printed stories about another Jewish community murder until the truth came out. He hopes she will do the same here.
The story goes back and forth between Aviva and Rebekah and amazingly enough their two worlds collide because of the death of this woman Pessie. At first you might think this is a bit to contrived, but the author makes it work and it becomes so obvious that it could collide that it is amazing.
I love the character development, the story line is good, the plot finds itself through the threads of investigation that happens and the book comes together for an ending that you won't really see coming.
Two worlds will also collide, the world of the Jewish community and the world of "White Supremacy" hatred. That is what makes this a hard read at times because the hatred is so deep and so awful to acknowledge.
As I said up front, it was hard to get into because of the writing style, but as you move through the book the style becomes much easier to catch and the story is well developed because of going back and forth between the two worlds, the two views of things, and the clash of cultures.
Enjoy!
June 28, 2015
I was eager to read Run You Down, since I really enjoyed Invisible City, the first novel in Julia Dahl’s mystery series featuring New York reporter Rebekah Roberts. In that book, Rebekah started to learn about the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community that her mother Aviva grew up in, a world completely foreign to Rebekah because her mother abandoned her as a baby.
Run You Down allows readers to learn Aviva’s story in her own words. Chapters alternate between Aviva narrating her life story, and Rebekah investigating the mysterious death of a young Orthodox woman in an upstate New York community at the request of the woman’s husband, who fears she was the victim of a crime. The two story lines converge because Rebekah’s uncle, Samuel, was the dead woman’s best friend. As she investigates the story, Rebekah discovers that in spite of being Jewish, Sam is connected to a group of white supremacists—a group that hates the Jewish people who are moving to their community in ever-greater numbers.
As with the first book in the series, I don’t really think the mystery is the chief selling point of this novel. The death of the young woman is the reason Rebekah is drawn into the plot, but there’s a lot of other stuff going on in the book, so much so that her death winds up being somewhat incidental to the larger story.
The main reason to read this book, in my opinion, is the window it provides into the Haredi community. The world of ultra-Orthodox Judaism is largely closed to outsiders, for reasons that make perfect sense from within—after all, Jews have often been persecuted by the outside world for their beliefs. At the same time, it’s hard to understand a group that would, for example, protect a pedophile rather than submit itself to the scrutiny of outsiders by reporting a crime against one of their children. The strength of this book is that it gives some insight into why members of the ultra-Orthodox community might make that kind of choice, while not excusing the damage that their insularity and rigidity can cause, as Aviva, Sam, and Rebekah herself have all been damaged in various ways.
I’m curious to see where Rebekah and Aviva go from here, and whether they can overcome some of that damage and mend their relationship. I’ll be looking for the next book in the series—Dahl is definitely now on my must-read list!
An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Run You Down allows readers to learn Aviva’s story in her own words. Chapters alternate between Aviva narrating her life story, and Rebekah investigating the mysterious death of a young Orthodox woman in an upstate New York community at the request of the woman’s husband, who fears she was the victim of a crime. The two story lines converge because Rebekah’s uncle, Samuel, was the dead woman’s best friend. As she investigates the story, Rebekah discovers that in spite of being Jewish, Sam is connected to a group of white supremacists—a group that hates the Jewish people who are moving to their community in ever-greater numbers.
As with the first book in the series, I don’t really think the mystery is the chief selling point of this novel. The death of the young woman is the reason Rebekah is drawn into the plot, but there’s a lot of other stuff going on in the book, so much so that her death winds up being somewhat incidental to the larger story.
The main reason to read this book, in my opinion, is the window it provides into the Haredi community. The world of ultra-Orthodox Judaism is largely closed to outsiders, for reasons that make perfect sense from within—after all, Jews have often been persecuted by the outside world for their beliefs. At the same time, it’s hard to understand a group that would, for example, protect a pedophile rather than submit itself to the scrutiny of outsiders by reporting a crime against one of their children. The strength of this book is that it gives some insight into why members of the ultra-Orthodox community might make that kind of choice, while not excusing the damage that their insularity and rigidity can cause, as Aviva, Sam, and Rebekah herself have all been damaged in various ways.
I’m curious to see where Rebekah and Aviva go from here, and whether they can overcome some of that damage and mend their relationship. I’ll be looking for the next book in the series—Dahl is definitely now on my must-read list!
An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 5, 2015
Rebekah Roberts works at the New York Tribune. She moved to New York after graduation from the University of Florida with her close friend Iris and finds herself at her dream job just beginning to learn her way around. But Rebekah's past and long time anxiety is catching up with her. Aviva, her birth mother had left a deeply religious Jewish world many years ago. After Aviva ran off with Brian, Rebekah's dad, she had abandoned everything she knew and disappeared. More than twenty years later Rebekah finds herself on a story investigating murder in the very community her mother ran from. While she closely looks for clues, Rebekah shockingly finds a trail leading to her mother's past and a religious world she finds both hard to understand or defend. Discovering this very isolated community and battling her own personal conflicts with religion and motherlessness cause Rebekah to confront her deepest questions and fears. Through this exciting sequel to Invisible City (which I loved - but you can read the two novels independently) we once again meet Saul, the ex NYPD turned private eye that knew Rebekah's mother and helps her navigate this Chassidish world she has trouble understanding. While Rebekah works to solve this supposed murder which has been covered up - but by whom? - Rebekah learns about her own past and present self. This suspenseful page turner is a fabulous read. I highly recommend both of these well done, throughly enjoyable novels by author Julia Dahl. Cannot wait to see what she comes up with next! www.readingandeating.com
July 31, 2015
As the description of the book explains, Rebekah’s mother reappears after a 23 year absence. In the meantime Rebekah has been asked to investigate an apparent suicide in the Hassidic community of Roseville, NY by the husband of the victim because he believes it was murder. Like her first book the story delves into the very private lives of the Hasidim community, their good and bad things. The book is interesting but not an improvement on the first one. The description of the Hasidim way of life is repetitive and parts of it resonate with the story in the first book, I guess that is okay if this is your first book by this author.
The format of the book is distracting. The author begins with two different stories and alternates chapters between her mother’s story, told by her mother, and the mystery of the deceased. I found that just as I was getting interested in the mystery the author broke the trend by reverting to Rebekah’s mother’s story. Throughout every chapter I had to try to remember where the story left two chapters before. To the author’s credit she does eventually merge the stories even though a lot of coincidences had to be fabricated. The story also has a very strong political subtext and I will let the reader decide what Ms. Dahl’s political affiliations
The format of the book is distracting. The author begins with two different stories and alternates chapters between her mother’s story, told by her mother, and the mystery of the deceased. I found that just as I was getting interested in the mystery the author broke the trend by reverting to Rebekah’s mother’s story. Throughout every chapter I had to try to remember where the story left two chapters before. To the author’s credit she does eventually merge the stories even though a lot of coincidences had to be fabricated. The story also has a very strong political subtext and I will let the reader decide what Ms. Dahl’s political affiliations
February 23, 2017
This is an interesting look at the Hasidic Jewish community and the discrimination that they face. The story begins when a teenage girl, Aviva, leaves her Hasidic community to live a life she believes is more free and open to ideas, expression, and opportunities. When she has a child Aviva is unprepared and unable to handle being a mother. She leaves her daughter, Rebekah, behind and finds herself back on the fringes of the community she left. Rebekah becomes a reporter and is suddenly within miles of the mother she never knew. As she investigates an unusual death of an Hasidic woman she begins to form opinions about being Jewish, about the Hasidic culture, and about what her mother must be like. It is interesting to test your own ideas about this ultra closed Orthodox religion and wonder how easy it is to judge those we don't really know.
April 3, 2016
Thanks to my dad for the recommendation! I plowed through this in three days, and honestly didn't want to ever put it down. It's a mystery, and discovery, on many levels: discovery/uncovering of the ultra-orthodox Jewish way of life and its place in the central mystery of the book, discovery of the connection between a mother and daughter (can't reveal more without spoilers), discovery of self when breaking away from one's community, and much more. While an easy read (it goes down smoothly, so to speak), when I think back on it, it's multi-layered and many-faceted.
I will be requesting the 1st Rebekah Roberts book now, and wish I'd begun with that one....and eagerly await the 3rd installment. Highly recommend.
I will be requesting the 1st Rebekah Roberts book now, and wish I'd begun with that one....and eagerly await the 3rd installment. Highly recommend.
February 15, 2021
DNF—A disappointing follow-up to Invisible City, which I enjoyed very much. Others have noted that this book starts slowly. But when I am on chapter 17 of 25, and still dealing with backstory, I decided to give up. It is just not for me.
March 3, 2017
A fascinating look at the closed world of the ultra orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn. The main character is a newspaper reporter who covers crime; she has a passion to get to the real facts of her story!
A really great read!
A really great read!
Read
July 21, 2015Review by Miriam Bradman Abrahams for the Jewish Book Council.
May 21, 2016
Awesome fast read. Informative, too; had I not read this I might have forgotten at a recent business meeting to not extend my hand for a shake to the Orthodox dudes.
Can't wait for book three!
Can't wait for book three!
November 22, 2017
I am a relative newcomer to the world of audiobooks; I just find my mind wanders way too easily to be an attentive listener. I decided, though, that with my ever-expanding list of books to be read, I was just going to have to add audio to my routine.
Since I had waited (without luck) for this book to be available at the library, once I discovered I could borrow the audio book from Hoopla (a free service offered through my library), I decided I'd give it a go.
Chapters shift between Rebekah Roberts' voice and that of her mother, Aviva. We knew from the first novel that Rebekah had been abandoned by Aviva, and this follow-up won't disappoint. The glimpses into the world of Hasidic Jews is fascinating, and Aviva's story redeemed the rest of the novel for me.
The mystery itself began with a heartbreaking scenario -- a young Hasidic mother is found drowned in her bathtub, her baby strapped safely into his carset in another room of the house. Rebekah is contacted by her widower, who doesn't buy for a moment that his wife committed suicide.
But the story just spirals out of control, and pretty soon every "ripped from the headlines" plot twist is getting thrown at the reader. Sometimes too much is just too much. I won't even list all of those themes, since that's sort of spoiler-y.
I can't say I was a particular fan of the reader, whose narration I found to be stilted. I appreciated her attempts to alter her pitch for the male characters, and her adopting appropriate accents for several of the characters, but I just couldn't shake the sense that she wasn't particularly interested in the book she was reading.
I can't say for sure whether listening to this book made me feel less connected to it, and that may well have cost it one star in the review, but honestly? The mess of plot developments to get to the resolution of the mystery would have annoyed me even in print.
Since I had waited (without luck) for this book to be available at the library, once I discovered I could borrow the audio book from Hoopla (a free service offered through my library), I decided I'd give it a go.
Chapters shift between Rebekah Roberts' voice and that of her mother, Aviva. We knew from the first novel that Rebekah had been abandoned by Aviva, and this follow-up won't disappoint. The glimpses into the world of Hasidic Jews is fascinating, and Aviva's story redeemed the rest of the novel for me.
The mystery itself began with a heartbreaking scenario -- a young Hasidic mother is found drowned in her bathtub, her baby strapped safely into his carset in another room of the house. Rebekah is contacted by her widower, who doesn't buy for a moment that his wife committed suicide.
But the story just spirals out of control, and pretty soon every "ripped from the headlines" plot twist is getting thrown at the reader. Sometimes too much is just too much. I won't even list all of those themes, since that's sort of spoiler-y.
I can't say I was a particular fan of the reader, whose narration I found to be stilted. I appreciated her attempts to alter her pitch for the male characters, and her adopting appropriate accents for several of the characters, but I just couldn't shake the sense that she wasn't particularly interested in the book she was reading.
I can't say for sure whether listening to this book made me feel less connected to it, and that may well have cost it one star in the review, but honestly? The mess of plot developments to get to the resolution of the mystery would have annoyed me even in print.
May 14, 2023
Run You Down is the second entry in Julia Dahl’s Rebekah Roberts mystery series. The first book, Invisible City, won several awards. This second book is every bit as good and I am saddened that there are only 3 books in this series. Rebekah is working as a reporter for a New York newspaper. In the first book, she helped find out who killed a Hasidic woman, and because of that, she is asked by a Hasidic man if she will look into the death of his wife. He is sure that her death was not an accident or suicide. Hasidic Jews are not autopsied and because his wife had been taking anti-depressants it was assumed that she committed suicide.
Rebekah had been abandoned by her Jewish mother, Aviva, when she was a few months old. Aviva had run away with a Christian boy and quickly become pregnant. She disappeared and neither her husband or Rebekah saw her again. Rebekah is hoping that she may have returned to her family in the Brooklyn area and that someday they may reunite. The book alternates chapters of Rebekah’s investigation with Aviva’s story of how and why she came to leave Rebekah and what happened to her.
This is an outstanding series and I am fascinated by details of lives of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Conviction is the last book (at least for now) and I’m looking forward to more of Julia Dahl’s excellent writing.
Rebekah had been abandoned by her Jewish mother, Aviva, when she was a few months old. Aviva had run away with a Christian boy and quickly become pregnant. She disappeared and neither her husband or Rebekah saw her again. Rebekah is hoping that she may have returned to her family in the Brooklyn area and that someday they may reunite. The book alternates chapters of Rebekah’s investigation with Aviva’s story of how and why she came to leave Rebekah and what happened to her.
This is an outstanding series and I am fascinated by details of lives of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Conviction is the last book (at least for now) and I’m looking forward to more of Julia Dahl’s excellent writing.
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