The Jewish Policeman

Adam Lapid Mysteries #9

by Jonathan Dunsky

World War II was over. But his war was just beginning.

Germany 1945 - Former police detective Adam Lapid survived Auschwitz. Now he lives in a displaced persons camp for Holocaust survivors.

Consumed by a desire for vengeance, Adam dreams of hunting Nazis and making them pay for their crimes.

But when another crime strikes closer to home, Adam will need to set aside the role of the avenger and become a detective once more.

Genres: Mystery

272 pages, Paperback

Published March 18, 2026

About the author

Jonathan Dunsky is the author of eight crime novels, seven of which -- Ten Years Gone, The Dead Sister, The Auschwitz Violinist, A Debt of Death, A Deadly Act, The Auschwitz Detective, and A Death in Jerusalem -- are mysteries taking place in the early days of the State of Israel and featuring private investigator Adam Lapid, a holocaust survivor and former soldier and Nazi hunter. He has also published a standalone thriller called The Payback Girl and a number of short stories in various genres.

Born in Israel, he served for four years in the Israeli Army. After his military service he worked as a team leader in various high-tech firms, ran his own Search Engine Optimization business, and lectured in the faculty of Business Management in Tel Aviv University. He holds a degree in computer sciences and business. He's lived for several years in Europe and currently resides in Israel with his wife and two sons.

You can contact him at http://jonathandunsky.com/contact/

Reviews

[David Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say the least, the Jewish Policeman was a very fascinating and unusual police procedural. In this ninth book of the series, Adam Lapid, a former Hungarian detective and survivor of Auschwitz, has been tasked with solving a murder inside a Displaced Persons Camp in Germany shortly after the end of WWII. Although Adam would much rather be tracking down and killing former SS officers, he reluctantly agrees to temporarily “forego” this mission while he searches for clues leading to the killer. Along the way, Adam comes across black marketeers, crooked policeman, and, to his surprise, a hint of romance with another survivor of the concentration camps.

Aside from being well-researched for historical accuracy, this is one of those well-written novels that are hard to put down after the first chapter. What’s more, amidst the background of post-war Germany in 1945, the plot is filled with mystery, suspense, and unexpected turns in the road as Adam sets out to solve the murder. For anyone unfamiliar with this series, the Jewish Policeman would be a fine place to start.

[Ellen Byron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic addition to the Adam Laid series

Powerful, evocative, and deeply moving. Jonathan Dunsky is a brilliant author. I took sick day to finish this because I couldn't stop reading. I cannot wait for the next addition to what is one of my favorite series.

[Judie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE JEWISH POLICEMAN is the ninth novel in the Adam Lapid mystery series by Jonathan Dunsky. The first seven were set in Tel Aviv in the early 1950s. The eighth took place during World War II in a Nazi concentration camp. THE JEWISH POLICEMAN is another prequel. It is now 1945 and Adam is now living in a Displaced Persons Camp in Germany. While it overseen by the United States, Jewish survivors have quite a bit of influence on how it operates.
Most of the residents in the DP had lost their ties to their past. Friends and family. Their homes were gone. They also had to figure out what to do to survive.
They did not have the luxury of revenge. They had to find a way to create a viable future. The previous careers were not transferable. Having done so much forced labor in concentration camps, more labor was not a high priority goal.
A former police detective, Adam now wants vengeance for the Nazis who carried out the horrific crimes. He is approached by someone who tells him the location of one of the murderers. As he goes to carry out his plan, things become quite complicated He ends up having to be detective again.
As in all of the previous books in the series, Dunsky presents a logical, thoughtful, and engrossing story with an important but rarely covered background. My only criticism is that at one point Lina, one of the characters, and Adam were sharing some hard-to-get food. He asked her where she got them. She replied, “You first.” He complied. She never did.
Definitely five stars.

[JR007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding page-turning addition to the Adam Lapid series. While I don’t want to give any spoilers, the setting of a displaced person’s camp was a fine addition to this historical fiction mystery series. Like the rest of this series, I devoured it, needing to know what happened next! I’m already looking forward to the next addition to the series.

[Tamar...playing hooky for a few hours today · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author and have a copy waiting for me on my shelf! RTF - I don't need to read it first to know it is already a five start book for me!

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dunsky keeps getting better and better.

I've read all of Jonathan Dunsky's Adam Lapid novels, and I believe this one is the best. Well written and well plotted, given today's insanities this book is very satisfying. Strongly recommended!

[Robert Lurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The newest Adam Lapid book from Jonathan Dunsky.

The action flashes back to Adam's time in a Displaced Persons Camp following the end of the war and his liberation prior to his migration to Tel Aviv. Adam is enlisted by the Jewish head of the camp to solve a murder in the camp to show that the Jews can govern themselves without American help. In the meantime, Adam is on his revenge tour, which he promised each day to help him get through his days in the camps. The solving of the mystery and his own exacting of revenge over lap and he is able to solve the crime while avoiding accountability for the murder he himself commits. The Black Market, corrupt Jewish police, the demonstration that Jews can govern themselves are all strong themes. Dunsky also write about a potential romance that Adam is not ready for after the murder of his wife and family.

Dunsky again paints a picture through words of the depths of anguish and pain of survivors that is his best attribute as a writer. He presents Adam and others as complex, flawed, righteous and, and in some way, Dunsky allows me to feel as Adam does.

[Jaqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the ninth book in the series featuring Adam Lapid.

I have read all of them and enjoyed each of them. I think this must be the best one in the series so far. I was hooked from the beginning and found it hard to put the book down.

I find Adam's character beguiling and deep. With each book, Mr. Dunsky explores his psyche, character, and motivation, so we understand how what happened to him connects with history. the history of the Jewish people. Much of the past reverberates with what is happening today. It's subtly but beautifully told.

Recommend. I'm already looking forward to book ten. Hope the wait isn't too long.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and I'm so happy the author decided to go back to the end of the war in Germany. As someone born in 1951 and WWII not being part of my "reality," I had no idea about displaced persons camps that were set up after the liberation. I guess I somehow naively believed that once everyone was freed from the death camps, they went home. But where was home? Homes were destroyed or occupied by others. This was a real eye opener for me. The ending of The Jewish Policeman leaves open endless possibilities about what happens next to Adam Lapid. I look forward to the next book in this fantastic series.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following Adam Lapid throughout his adventures in Tel Aviv. This is a fabulous way to flesh out the series with a history of what he has experienced in his past. Each of the mystery novels written by Jonathan Dunsky has helped to make Lapid a more likable and human character. This novel is also special because it brings to life a topic not often covered in Holocaust fiction, the Displaced Persons' Camp. Dunsky does a fabulous job of making the reader really feel whhat lif was like for the people who had livd through the concentration camps, many of them without family or homes to return to and no direction forward.

[Jeep Gidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 9th Adam Lapid mystery/historic fiction book I’ve read. It was excellent. This is a bit of a prequel to most of the other books and takes place before Adam moves to Tel Aviv but after he leaves Auschwitz. The historic details are excellent, painting a picture of a time after the nazi’s were defeated one rarely reads about. No spoiler here, read the book, it’s top notch, you won’t be disappointed. The start is a bit dark but all will be revealed as you read more. It’s on par or better than Jonathan Dunsky’s other books.

[David K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting police mystery, investigating a murder in a Displaced Person (DP) camp immediately post WWII in Bavaria. Adam Lapid a detective before the war, who lived in Czechoslovakia. Now after liberation from Auschwitz, and a camp resident, he is asked to solve a violent camp murder. The novel gives real insight into the minds of the DPs. How they think and see the world after the horrid tragedies that filled their lives leaving a vast emptiness. Adam doubted his ability, because of the losses he suffered and weather he could rise to solve "the case".

[Carol Sapin-chasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read every one of the Adam Lapid novels in the order released. This prequel to the Israel setting of the majority of the books was well-written and enlightening. It was very interesting to learn of Adam’s experiences in a DP camp following his liberation from Auschwitz. Reading about how people coped or didn’t cope with their new-found freedom was informative. How Adam was able to solve yet another murder was well worth the read. I look forward to reading more about Adam’s Nazi hunting ventures in the next release.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 this was the 9th book in the series and was the second prequel. It was set in a DP camp after WWII. it was an excellent portrayal of desperate, homeless, abused and grieving survivors of the camps and Nazis.
Its plots centered on Adam Lapid who had lost his wife and daughters at Auschwitz and was a former Detective in Hungary. As all the books it focused on his internal questions about morality and his future, as he sought to kill any Nazi leader he could find.

[Chris Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very surprised by the change in time and location in this book. The Jewish Policeman is set in Germany at a displaced persons camp (DP). Adam is on a mission, but a murder pulls him back. Adam agrees to discover the murderer in the camp. Lapid refers to this time in the Tel Aviv books.
All the books about Adam Lapid’s story have been great. I recommend them whenever I can.
If you like History Mysteries you will like this series.

[Amy M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I promise no spoilers, as the mystery unfolds in this well written book I kept remembering another book I have read. It is called The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal. Both are similar but one is based on a true story and one is fiction. The struggle in both feels the same. The solution definitely surprised me.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these Adam Lapid mysteries!

I absolutely devoured this book. I’ve read all in this series, and what Dunsky has done is create a fascinating character in Adam Lapid. Over the series we’ve seen him grow and develop and he deals with the losses of the past. Add to this a mystery that keeps you scratching your head to the end. I can’t wait for the next one.

[Yenta Knows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable, fast moving story. This one, set in the Landsberg Displaced Persons camp, includes a few characters who were real people.

It is a murder mystery, so there’s not much (IMHO) delving into the psychological wounds of these deeply injured characters. This isn’t a criticism, you can’t expect that from a murder mystery. Nor is Adam, a man of action, one to probe.

[Michelle M. Such · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readolic

It really was nice to have some background of Adams life right after the liberation. I know he is a ficti
onal character, I wish he could find some peace and forgive himself for things beyond his control. Let himself live as he would have wanted his wife to keep living without him. These stories are haunting.

[Jeff Petar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another must read from Jonathan Dunsky

This fantastic book, based on sure on many truths about humanity. None of us can know that when the world you know has abandoned you to what lengths we would go to for survival. This fantastic book explores that. Please please read this

[Debbie Trammell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

I have read all of Adam's books and find them fascinating. He has been through and done so much. But his humanity always breaks through. These books are different than most holocaust related books. I highly recommend these books so get started today with them.

[janet Geary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book!

Dunsky did a great job with this book!
I would enjoy reading more of his books!
And, for certain, I will!

[Stacey B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one. Review to come

[Howard Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

fast enjoyable read.

Loved it as I do all the Adam Lapid sagas. Interesting introduction to the displaced person camps that heretofore Inever read about.

[Reuben Tatz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dunsky at his best

These books can be hard to read but they’re interesting and capture moments in history that should be read. Keep them coming Jonathan.

[Teri LaBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathan never disappoints with his stories about Adam! Great book!!

[Don D. Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

I enjoy this series tremendously and look forward to each book as it arrives. Good background research and realistic personalities.

[Yohanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reading: 4 1/2 stars

[Mary Flossmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

you’ll be interested.

Takes you into the mind and life of Jews who survived the camps and now have to deal with moral ambiguity as to their actions now.