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The Rabbi Small Mysteries #3
Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home
As Passover approaches, Rabbi Small contends with infighting, backstabbing, and an actual murder in this New York Times bestseller
As Rabbi David Small’s 5-year contract winds down at the synagogue in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts, some members of the congregation are plotting to remove him; others are whispering about starting a new temple of their own across the street. When the rabbi gets an invitation to perform Passover services at a local university, he’s eager to get away from the bickering and spend a few days on campus. But instead of peace and enlightenment, he finds a murder wrapped up in drug deals and racial tensions.
From tuned-out hippies to political zealots, the college is full of potential suspects. Once again it’s up to the rabbi to draw on his deductive skills to solve the case—and avoid getting sucked into the bitter culture war—before the killer strikes again.
As Rabbi David Small’s 5-year contract winds down at the synagogue in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts, some members of the congregation are plotting to remove him; others are whispering about starting a new temple of their own across the street. When the rabbi gets an invitation to perform Passover services at a local university, he’s eager to get away from the bickering and spend a few days on campus. But instead of peace and enlightenment, he finds a murder wrapped up in drug deals and racial tensions.
From tuned-out hippies to political zealots, the college is full of potential suspects. Once again it’s up to the rabbi to draw on his deductive skills to solve the case—and avoid getting sucked into the bitter culture war—before the killer strikes again.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1969
418 people are currently reading
566 people want to read
About the author
Harry Kemelman
64 books146 followersHarry Kemelman was an American mystery writer and a professor of English. He was the creator of one of the most famous religious sleuths, Rabbi David Small.
His writing career began with short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine featuring New England college professor Nicky Welt, the first of which, "The Nine Mile Walk", is considered a classic.
The Rabbi Small series began in 1964 with the publication of Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, which became a huge bestseller, a difficult achievement for a religious mystery, and won Kemelman a 1965 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The Rabbi Small books are not only mysteries, but also considerations of Conservative Judaism.
His writing career began with short stories for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine featuring New England college professor Nicky Welt, the first of which, "The Nine Mile Walk", is considered a classic.
The Rabbi Small series began in 1964 with the publication of Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, which became a huge bestseller, a difficult achievement for a religious mystery, and won Kemelman a 1965 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The Rabbi Small books are not only mysteries, but also considerations of Conservative Judaism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
December 26, 2020
This is the third book in the Rabbi Small mysteries. The first book, Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, was published in 1964 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. I am old enough to remember when that was a bestseller. This novel though pales in comparison. It starts out very slow and it is not until the halfway point where the action starts.
Rabbi David Small’s 5-year contract at the synagogue in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts is nearing an end. There are two factions in the synagogue and the congregation is on a verge of a split with one faction ready to start a new temple. When the story opens Rabbi Small is preparing to leave to perform services at a local university. There is to be a regularly scheduled meeting while he is away and since he won't be there the congregation's president and his followers take advantage to push their agenda. This no mystery. It is all internal politics. A soap opera.
The book was first published in 1969 and revolves around marijuana with a dose of the racial situation at the time thrown in. The story does not hold up to the test of time very well. What makes the Rabbi Small stories stand out is they provide the opportunity to learn more about Jewish culture and religion. Rabbi Small applies Jewish law to help his friend, police chief Hugh Lanigan, solve crimes.
A quick read. A cozy mystery. Doesn't hold up to the test of time but still enjoyable.
Rabbi David Small’s 5-year contract at the synagogue in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts is nearing an end. There are two factions in the synagogue and the congregation is on a verge of a split with one faction ready to start a new temple. When the story opens Rabbi Small is preparing to leave to perform services at a local university. There is to be a regularly scheduled meeting while he is away and since he won't be there the congregation's president and his followers take advantage to push their agenda. This no mystery. It is all internal politics. A soap opera.
The book was first published in 1969 and revolves around marijuana with a dose of the racial situation at the time thrown in. The story does not hold up to the test of time very well. What makes the Rabbi Small stories stand out is they provide the opportunity to learn more about Jewish culture and religion. Rabbi Small applies Jewish law to help his friend, police chief Hugh Lanigan, solve crimes.
A quick read. A cozy mystery. Doesn't hold up to the test of time but still enjoyable.
April 9, 2022
The unique pleasure of the Rabbi Small Mysteries books comes from their integration of a cozy-ish mystery story with insights into Judaism and Jewish cultural life. In my view, though, this third book in the series shortchanges the mystery part of the mix, resulting in a weaker book than its predecessors.
There is a murder in this book, but it doesn’t occur until more than halfway through the story. Before that point, the book is mostly about the conflict between two warring factions in Rabbi Small’s temple, with the rabbi caught in the middle as he typically is. A small dose of temple politics can go a long way—for me, anyway (as well as for the rabbi himself). It’s a setup for the murder mystery, but it felt unnecessarily drawn out.
Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home does treat readers to numerous pearls of Jewish wisdom and lessons on Jewish tradition from Rabbi Small. I enjoyed those elements of the book. I also liked the comparisons that are made between Judaism and Catholicism, which are prompted by the rabbi’s encounters with a priest and with his friend Hugh Lanigan, the police chief.
A significant theme in the book is the gap between the generations, which was, of course, a hot topic when the book was published in 1969. The two factions in the temple mostly represent different generations, the older tradition-oriented conservatives and the younger social-justice-oriented progressives. A third generation is made up of college-age young people (I was their age in 1969), but most of them could hardly be described as counter-cultural, so to me, it seemed to be “generation gap lite.” Marijuana comes into play, but I don’t recall any references to the Vietnam War, which was top of mind for many of us at the time. Rabbi Small’s rapport with these young people plays a key role in the plot.
Rabbi Small sees himself as a scholar and a teacher (chafing at the temple politics he has to get involved in). But readers have come to see him also as an amateur detective, if a cerebral one. I would have liked to see this part of Rabbi Small’s persona developed more fully in this book.
There is a murder in this book, but it doesn’t occur until more than halfway through the story. Before that point, the book is mostly about the conflict between two warring factions in Rabbi Small’s temple, with the rabbi caught in the middle as he typically is. A small dose of temple politics can go a long way—for me, anyway (as well as for the rabbi himself). It’s a setup for the murder mystery, but it felt unnecessarily drawn out.
Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home does treat readers to numerous pearls of Jewish wisdom and lessons on Jewish tradition from Rabbi Small. I enjoyed those elements of the book. I also liked the comparisons that are made between Judaism and Catholicism, which are prompted by the rabbi’s encounters with a priest and with his friend Hugh Lanigan, the police chief.
A significant theme in the book is the gap between the generations, which was, of course, a hot topic when the book was published in 1969. The two factions in the temple mostly represent different generations, the older tradition-oriented conservatives and the younger social-justice-oriented progressives. A third generation is made up of college-age young people (I was their age in 1969), but most of them could hardly be described as counter-cultural, so to me, it seemed to be “generation gap lite.” Marijuana comes into play, but I don’t recall any references to the Vietnam War, which was top of mind for many of us at the time. Rabbi Small’s rapport with these young people plays a key role in the plot.
Rabbi Small sees himself as a scholar and a teacher (chafing at the temple politics he has to get involved in). But readers have come to see him also as an amateur detective, if a cerebral one. I would have liked to see this part of Rabbi Small’s persona developed more fully in this book.
April 1, 2008
I'd heard of this mystery series since I was a kid--I think my mom read them--and given my newly acquired taste for mysteries and my current run of Judaism-related books, I thought now was an apropos time to read one. This is the third book in the series, written in 1969, and well, it doesn't really hold up to the test of time. With its quaintness and with teens figuring heavily in the story, I felt like I was reading a Nancy Drew mystery with some temple politics and pot thrown in. Plus, I didn't like the rabbi--but I guess nobody in his congregation really does (which was kinda funny). Maybe I need to read the first book.
May 27, 2019
Maybe I'd have liked it better if I hadn't read it immediately after finishing the first two books. The two plots - the mystery and the temple politics - don't seem as related to each other as they were in the first two. One thing I really enjoyed about Friday the Rabbi Slept Late was feeling I was learning about a religion and culture; in this one, the non-mystery part of the plot was ordinary internal politics you could encounter anywhere, with just a bit of flavor from happening in a temple as opposed to a corporate office.
It's definitely a product of the time when it was written. I mentioned the role of women in my review of Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry; in Sunday, we learn that women didn't get a vote in temple affairs, and we read a casual description of a football player's attempt to sexually assault a college girl. Added issues here are marijuana (a "narcotic"; there's a scene that describes what sounds to me like an acid trip but I think is supposed to depict a person high on pot) and civil rights. It's sort of a window into one viewpoint on the civil rights era, in which the rabbi's position is something like "each individual should choose whether & how to participate" which reminds me a little bit of the states' rights arguments people used to make back in the day. One of the suspects here is black, and (as with the anti-Semitism pockets in Saturday) there's some racism operating in the town; I thought that overall it was addressed appropriately but there are definitely some cringe-inducing moments.
With all that said, though, I'm probably going to move right on to the 4th in the Kindle collection. The stories are interesting, the prose is easy to follow, I like some of the characters (although frankly I don't like the rabbi or his police buddy Lanigan as well as I did before reading this one), and even the temple politics are kind of fascinating, in the slow-down-to-see-the-accident way.
It's definitely a product of the time when it was written. I mentioned the role of women in my review of Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry; in Sunday, we learn that women didn't get a vote in temple affairs, and we read a casual description of a football player's attempt to sexually assault a college girl. Added issues here are marijuana (a "narcotic"; there's a scene that describes what sounds to me like an acid trip but I think is supposed to depict a person high on pot) and civil rights. It's sort of a window into one viewpoint on the civil rights era, in which the rabbi's position is something like "each individual should choose whether & how to participate" which reminds me a little bit of the states' rights arguments people used to make back in the day. One of the suspects here is black, and (as with the anti-Semitism pockets in Saturday) there's some racism operating in the town; I thought that overall it was addressed appropriately but there are definitely some cringe-inducing moments.
With all that said, though, I'm probably going to move right on to the 4th in the Kindle collection. The stories are interesting, the prose is easy to follow, I like some of the characters (although frankly I don't like the rabbi or his police buddy Lanigan as well as I did before reading this one), and even the temple politics are kind of fascinating, in the slow-down-to-see-the-accident way.
June 11, 2019
Another bit of light reading. This time the rabbi has been there six years, and his five-year contract is about to run out. The grass starts looking greener over the fence, and when the congregation starts to split he is tempted for a short time to take another job. His irritation with the congregation's president, who treats David as just another employee wanes, and his growing trust in the the local chief of police flowers into a real friendship. He helps solve another murder, his differences with the president are resolved, and future is secure—for another year.
October 2, 2020
MID 20TH CENTURY NORTH AMERICAN CRIME READATHON
1969
After reading the first 2 in this series (Friday, Saturday), I was expecting great things.
HOOK – 3 stars: Opening: ”Now that’s what I call praying, Rabbi,” said Harvey Andelman. “We
finished five minutes…no seven minutes ahead of schedule.” Kemelman’s light comic touch
is on display here and apparently everyone is in a hurry.
PACE – 1: Absolutely glacial. This novel lacked the nice flow of “Friday” and “Saturday”. It jumped around a lot, scene to scene and towards the end I didn’t much care to even finish it. And I don’t much like books in the single chapter tradition with lots of open space: I want to READ a story, not just turn pages.
PLOT – 2: There are multiple plot lines and many red herrings. Rabbi Small’s Temple has 2 competing groups with different objectives and the Temple might split in half. There seems to be a bad cop on the side. There might be pot dealing. Small entertains the idea of just quitting as he is tired of 6 years of the politics of the Temple. About 4/5ths through the book there is a murder. And it is resolved almost as an afterthought.
CAST- 1 stars: Massive. I listed 36 characters then stopped. Rabbi Small really doesn’t do much at all until the last few pages when he solves in all in a matter of a few sentences, and the resolution all has to do with electricity going out during a storm. Kemelman could have told this story with half this cast. And outside of Small, his wife Miriam and their young son Jonathan, I didn’t much care for anyone here. Other than the guy wrongly accused. A huge miss for this element.
ATMOSPHERE- 3: As in the previous 2 books, much is made of Jewish traditions. I enjoyed it, learned some things, but much of it is repeated from previous outings. I’ve been involved in the splitting of a Christian/Baptist church, so I know how messy that can get.
SUMMARY: 2.0 overall. I was disappointed in this work. It lacked the pace and plot of the first 2 in this series and the major weakness was the massive cast.
1969
After reading the first 2 in this series (Friday, Saturday), I was expecting great things.
HOOK – 3 stars: Opening: ”Now that’s what I call praying, Rabbi,” said Harvey Andelman. “We
finished five minutes…no seven minutes ahead of schedule.” Kemelman’s light comic touch
is on display here and apparently everyone is in a hurry.
PACE – 1: Absolutely glacial. This novel lacked the nice flow of “Friday” and “Saturday”. It jumped around a lot, scene to scene and towards the end I didn’t much care to even finish it. And I don’t much like books in the single chapter tradition with lots of open space: I want to READ a story, not just turn pages.
PLOT – 2: There are multiple plot lines and many red herrings. Rabbi Small’s Temple has 2 competing groups with different objectives and the Temple might split in half. There seems to be a bad cop on the side. There might be pot dealing. Small entertains the idea of just quitting as he is tired of 6 years of the politics of the Temple. About 4/5ths through the book there is a murder. And it is resolved almost as an afterthought.
CAST- 1 stars: Massive. I listed 36 characters then stopped. Rabbi Small really doesn’t do much at all until the last few pages when he solves in all in a matter of a few sentences, and the resolution all has to do with electricity going out during a storm. Kemelman could have told this story with half this cast. And outside of Small, his wife Miriam and their young son Jonathan, I didn’t much care for anyone here. Other than the guy wrongly accused. A huge miss for this element.
ATMOSPHERE- 3: As in the previous 2 books, much is made of Jewish traditions. I enjoyed it, learned some things, but much of it is repeated from previous outings. I’ve been involved in the splitting of a Christian/Baptist church, so I know how messy that can get.
SUMMARY: 2.0 overall. I was disappointed in this work. It lacked the pace and plot of the first 2 in this series and the major weakness was the massive cast.
May 27, 2025
Would have been a quick read if life didn’t get in the way. Author spent a quarter of the book describing characters that were probably already introduced in the 1st two books of the series. Wish that the murder was revealed earlier. Also like of all the people who could have been the killer, I was disappointed with the lack of motive
December 19, 2022
This is the 2nd book in the Rabbi Small series I have read. I mainly learned from this take synagogue politics are not much different from church politics.
November 2, 2015
No, I'm sorry, this wasn't really good enough. After a promising second novel, we are back to extreeeeeemely slooooow setup (over half the novel) and then cramming all the actual events and investigation into the last 30 pages or so. Which for a book with over 200 pages is not stellar. The Rabbi, in fact, does not "stay home"--he goes away for a weekend in which the events happen, so everything he gets is second or third hand. He doesn't even do much sleuthing--he just kind of sits around. Oh, he wanders in to the police station now and then and holds forth, but that's about it.
There were many characters but none of them developed--and none of them particularly sympathetic. Two black guys (that's what they called themselves in those days), one obnoxious and the other almost invisible in terms of personality. An old codger who hardly speaks. The obligatory airheaded female. The shiksa wife (who in this case always spoke to her husband of many years as "lover" and set my teeth on edge every time). The obligatory spiritual head-case. Even the rabbi and his wife and son hardly really interact.
What we do get is over a hundred pages of--you guessed it--temple politics and chatter. Who gets to sit where, what the seats are like, do they get their nameplate or not? And more important than that--who cares and what does that have to do with anything? Not a lot. And he's still putting strange dialogue into the mouths of his characters. I really don't think that Jewish people talking to each other about their plans for their families would say things like, "You know how we Jews feel about education...blah, blah blah..." No, they'd say something like, "Everybody wants to give their kids the best chance in life," or "You know how important a degree is, if they want to do well later on..."
I've read that Kemelman wanted to write novels about Judaism and his publisher said no, no-one would be interested, he should write crime novels. Well, hey, I guess poor old Chaim Potok got it wrong, then. *sarcasm* Or maybe it was a nice way of telling him his particular elucubrations on Judaism weren't fascinating. That I could go along with.
This book would have worked a lot better if the author had managed to interleave the talktalk with a little more plot. But it is neither detective fiction, nor a real mystery. I am startled that he was given an award for his writing.
After the second novel I had higher hopes than this. After this one, I'm debating whether to bother with more of the small rabbi's smalltown concerns. *Yawn*
There were many characters but none of them developed--and none of them particularly sympathetic. Two black guys (that's what they called themselves in those days), one obnoxious and the other almost invisible in terms of personality. An old codger who hardly speaks. The obligatory airheaded female. The shiksa wife (who in this case always spoke to her husband of many years as "lover" and set my teeth on edge every time). The obligatory spiritual head-case. Even the rabbi and his wife and son hardly really interact.
What we do get is over a hundred pages of--you guessed it--temple politics and chatter. Who gets to sit where, what the seats are like, do they get their nameplate or not? And more important than that--who cares and what does that have to do with anything? Not a lot. And he's still putting strange dialogue into the mouths of his characters. I really don't think that Jewish people talking to each other about their plans for their families would say things like, "You know how we Jews feel about education...blah, blah blah..." No, they'd say something like, "Everybody wants to give their kids the best chance in life," or "You know how important a degree is, if they want to do well later on..."
I've read that Kemelman wanted to write novels about Judaism and his publisher said no, no-one would be interested, he should write crime novels. Well, hey, I guess poor old Chaim Potok got it wrong, then. *sarcasm* Or maybe it was a nice way of telling him his particular elucubrations on Judaism weren't fascinating. That I could go along with.
This book would have worked a lot better if the author had managed to interleave the talktalk with a little more plot. But it is neither detective fiction, nor a real mystery. I am startled that he was given an award for his writing.
After the second novel I had higher hopes than this. After this one, I'm debating whether to bother with more of the small rabbi's smalltown concerns. *Yawn*
January 16, 2019
I don’t generally read mysteries. I came across the rabbi small books several years ago and had an occasion to find one this weekend so I said well let’s give it a try. I liked that he included temple politics and some discussion of Jewish rituals combined with social action and events that were occurring in the time that he wrote these books. This book combines temple politics and marijuana sales and use with slight religious friends activities but nothing so serious as today. By the time you get to the place where the actual murder occurs when there is so much activity going on that it’s kind of hard to figure out who done it. Now I am right now. But I don’t know that I can come up with anything like this I had a hard time following who did what although by the end of the book I was trying to figure it out The ending did surprise me I didn’t think it would go in that direction. I am sure I will pick up more of the books in the series so it may be a couple of months before I do that. This book is an easy read.
February 6, 2017
An Old Series That Stands The Test of Time
These Rabbi Small novels were written as contemporary mysteries by a best selling mystery writer. Look him up on Wikipedia and you will not be able to resist the temptation to read some of these novels. Today they read as great historical mysteries because of all their oddball details included without a mistake!
In this one you will notice many of the clues to who did it and why are extremely dated and perhaps you will miss those clues if you did not live in that time.
One thing stands out because these novels are set in the 1960's -- here is a community that staunchly refuses to assume the perpetrator is the only "Colored" guy in the suspect group. Colored was the polite term and black the pejorative.
These Rabbi Small novels were written as contemporary mysteries by a best selling mystery writer. Look him up on Wikipedia and you will not be able to resist the temptation to read some of these novels. Today they read as great historical mysteries because of all their oddball details included without a mistake!
In this one you will notice many of the clues to who did it and why are extremely dated and perhaps you will miss those clues if you did not live in that time.
One thing stands out because these novels are set in the 1960's -- here is a community that staunchly refuses to assume the perpetrator is the only "Colored" guy in the suspect group. Colored was the polite term and black the pejorative.
October 19, 2019
What happens when you rearrange your TBR piles? You discover buried treasure. I was so close to the end of this book, so I polished it off. The Rabbi David Small books are mysteries, but are also treatises about the Jewish faith. We learn a lot about the life of a rabbi and the Temple and its congregants. Written in 1969, I shouldn’t have been surprised that there was some racist content, but it struck a sour note. The rabbi speaks out against it, unsurprisingly, and that helps some. I didn’t like this one as much as the first 2, but I’ll probably continue with the series.
June 7, 2019
3.5*
I thought that this 3rd book in the Rabbi Small series was more dated than the previous books, though the late 1960's suburban perspectives on marijuana and the civil rights movement was thought-provoking. I still like Rabbi Small and the police chief Hugh Lanigan. Perhaps one reason why I didn't think that this book was quite as good as the first two was the amount of time spent on the internal politics of the synagogue - my mother would have enjoyed it more than I did!
I thought that this 3rd book in the Rabbi Small series was more dated than the previous books, though the late 1960's suburban perspectives on marijuana and the civil rights movement was thought-provoking. I still like Rabbi Small and the police chief Hugh Lanigan. Perhaps one reason why I didn't think that this book was quite as good as the first two was the amount of time spent on the internal politics of the synagogue - my mother would have enjoyed it more than I did!
March 25, 2021
This isn't a mind-blowing mystery, but gosh with all three of these Kemelman books I was reminded yet again that if Americans would read (or even watch) more broadly, then they wouldn't be so terrified and immersed in the weird shock / learned helplessness combo that plagues our culture so far this century.
Here is a small town puzzle with a fairly obvious guilty party -- obvious for anyone who reads a lot of mysteries, anyway. But that's not the good part of a mystery series, is it? The dynamics between recurring characters is the good part. And the characters in this series are a lot like people you and I know today.
Please. Less reading the people who tell you what was going on in a place and time, and then interpret it all for you. Read broadly for yourself, and figure it out. It doesn't even have to be super intense history and literature. This light series, another light series, one each from a bunch, whatever. Broadly, that's the part that matters.
Here is a small town puzzle with a fairly obvious guilty party -- obvious for anyone who reads a lot of mysteries, anyway. But that's not the good part of a mystery series, is it? The dynamics between recurring characters is the good part. And the characters in this series are a lot like people you and I know today.
Please. Less reading the people who tell you what was going on in a place and time, and then interpret it all for you. Read broadly for yourself, and figure it out. It doesn't even have to be super intense history and literature. This light series, another light series, one each from a bunch, whatever. Broadly, that's the part that matters.
August 29, 2020
Fooled
O thought this was one of his mysteries but instead it's a novelette about his congregation squabbling about a type of service.
O thought this was one of his mysteries but instead it's a novelette about his congregation squabbling about a type of service.
April 11, 2018
There's a progressive faction in Barnard's Crossing that is planning to take over, and possibly oust Rabbi David Small. In retaliation, another faction is planning to build another temple. Local politics is put on hold when a young man is found dead after a teenage party at the beach, and several kids are under investigation. But when it appears the police are all too ready to pin it on the outsider, a young black man, the rabbi puts his two cents in.
Another well done book in the series, and this time the pace did not lag at any time. I'm really enjoying this cozy series, and I think it's standing the test of time, considering this was published in 1969. Though I winced a little at the use of "groovy" and other cliches of the era, it did not spoil the story for me as I imagine the teens of the day would talk just like that. The ending kind of snuck up on me, as I was just reading without realizing how far along I was, when the rabbi tells the police chief who he believes the murderer to be. This series is great for a relaxing read when you need a break from heavier stuff.
Another well done book in the series, and this time the pace did not lag at any time. I'm really enjoying this cozy series, and I think it's standing the test of time, considering this was published in 1969. Though I winced a little at the use of "groovy" and other cliches of the era, it did not spoil the story for me as I imagine the teens of the day would talk just like that. The ending kind of snuck up on me, as I was just reading without realizing how far along I was, when the rabbi tells the police chief who he believes the murderer to be. This series is great for a relaxing read when you need a break from heavier stuff.
November 12, 2012
These book are different, the mystery isn't given at the beginning like most book, the mystery didn't even start till about half way through. The whole first half of the book is set up. What happening in the community and getting everything in place. I am not really sure if I like it or not. I keep wanting the meat of the story but I find it interesting at the same time. It must be working for me since I will continue to read the next book in the series.
December 8, 2012
I very much enjoyed reading this book. The mystery is good but not great but the cultural teaching about Judaism I found fascinating. I would highly recommend this to someone who wants to learn more about Jewish culture presented in an interesting way and not just dry facts in an ethnographic nonfiction book. The way Rabbi Small applies Jewish law to help the police solve crimes is very instructive. I also enjoy the writing style by Kemelman.
November 11, 2018
Delightful
Really enjoyed this book. It was so nice to hear both sides of the coin / argument / debate and “You’ll find, Rabbi,” he said, and he patted him on the arm, “that if you have faith, everything comes out right in the end.”
I keep forgetting just how much I enjoy reading this series. Highly recommend.
Really enjoyed this book. It was so nice to hear both sides of the coin / argument / debate and “You’ll find, Rabbi,” he said, and he patted him on the arm, “that if you have faith, everything comes out right in the end.”
I keep forgetting just how much I enjoy reading this series. Highly recommend.
October 19, 2017
Maybe it's because the previous story was so good, but this one seemed very weak. Way too much temple politics, and the solution to the mystery was compressed to a few paragraphs followed by an abbreviated and very weak capture of the murderer. My least favorite Rabbi mystery so far.
July 19, 2018
I’ve love the Rabbi books for years. I’m enjoying working my way through them again!
June 12, 2021
If you're reading the Rabbi Small series for the titular mysteries, I could see it being a frustrating experience. In this third volume, the murder plot doesn't start until halfway through, and the clergyman is only brought in to consult at the two-thirds mark. On the other hand, the rest of the novel is a really enjoyable look at 1960s temple politics, with one newly-ascendant faction pushing for greater involvement in the Civil Rights movement and similar social justice causes -- plus a more democratic seating chart in the sanctuary -- and the old guard pettily thinking about breaking away to create a new synagogue across town. As ever, I feel as though author Harry Kemelman mostly just wants to write that side of things, but has crammed in some criminal matters to help the book sell. The publisher would likely say that the congregational intrigue and accurate (#ownvoices) Jewish elements are simply there to provide background flavor to the cases, yet that's the aspect of the text that I find particularly engaging.
It's a tough balancing act, and I don't know that I can give the work my full endorsement as a cohesive whole, especially given certain dated cultural views, like casual use of the n-word or treating the very idea of black Jews as ridiculous. And while I love seeing the beginnings of the antiracist streak that's now become common in my faith community, it's important to note that most of the characters seem to treat it as the talk of radical firebrands, so I can't say that that's entirely a win either. In the end I suppose I'll stay agnostic with a middle-ground three-star rating, which at least is better than the Jews-telling-Jews-what-Jews-believe vibe of the previous story.
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It's a tough balancing act, and I don't know that I can give the work my full endorsement as a cohesive whole, especially given certain dated cultural views, like casual use of the n-word or treating the very idea of black Jews as ridiculous. And while I love seeing the beginnings of the antiracist streak that's now become common in my faith community, it's important to note that most of the characters seem to treat it as the talk of radical firebrands, so I can't say that that's entirely a win either. In the end I suppose I'll stay agnostic with a middle-ground three-star rating, which at least is better than the Jews-telling-Jews-what-Jews-believe vibe of the previous story.
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March 16, 2021
This feels very dated. There is concern about college students getting marijuana. Some members of the temple want it to get more involved in the civil rights movement. There are two black characters mentioned - one is a poet at a local university, the other is a convenient suspect in a murder.
The murder doesn't happen until almost halfway thru the book. Prior to that, the story focuses on a division within the temple: One group wants to be more socially active and also wants seating at the high holiday services to be first-come, first-serve; the other group is more traditional, doesn't want to update rituals, and supports assigned seating.
I had read this in the 1970s and didn't remember anything, but I think I liked it better then.
The murder doesn't happen until almost halfway thru the book. Prior to that, the story focuses on a division within the temple: One group wants to be more socially active and also wants seating at the high holiday services to be first-come, first-serve; the other group is more traditional, doesn't want to update rituals, and supports assigned seating.
I had read this in the 1970s and didn't remember anything, but I think I liked it better then.
March 19, 2021
I really enjoyed this Rabbi David Small mystery where a young man is found murdered in an old house. But who killed this man? Was it one of the other new adults at the beach that night? Was it some stranger that just happened to be in town? Or was it something more sinister. I love the wit and intelligence of this rabbi and how he helps get to the bottom of things while helping is congregation. Great story telling and history of the Jewish religion and people.
November 7, 2021
Enjoyable mystery series from the 1960s. So far (this is the 3d novel) the murders are not graphic. Although a quick read, it seemed to take its time getting to the crime (49% per Kindle), instead going in great detail about a possible split of the congregation of the synagogue.
December 12, 2020
Another very fast, enjoyable read. Clearly this is eye-candy; but, the plot is interesting and as always the Rabbi's logic is magnificent.
January 2, 2024
Audible version: I love Rabbi Small so much. His people are always trying to get rid of him and he’s just trying to do his job. He’s principled and a bit archy. He holds his own with dignity and wit if occasional whining to his wife.
April 30, 2021
It didn’t seem to me that Rabbi Small didn’t have as much input in the first part of the book. That’s the part I like; so I didn’t like this book as well as I have the others. Finally the Rabbi used his deductive skills to help solve the crime. These are quick reads, and I will read more.
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September 17, 2020Couldn’t read it, too much religious Jewish information without getting to story line.
August 30, 2020
This was the best mystery so far. The others dwelled on the traditions and rites of the Jewish people then on a mystery. This one was about half and half. There was mainly a synagogue political situation that ran through out the story. As usual the Rabbi wrapped it up at the end. I had asked the same question the rabbi asked, but didn't develop it enough to solve the mystery myself. Recommend.
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