Death & Blintzes: A Belle Appleman Mystery

Belle Appleman #1

by Dorothy Rosen, Sidney Rosen

It's the Depression, and young widow Belle Appleman is grateful for her new job tacking belt loops on men's pants in a Boston factory. Then she discovers a co-worker's body in the Charles River and, feeling personally involved, begins trading theories with the detective in charge of the case. In the midst of her sleuthing, she's elected shop steward and becomes involved with union politics, as well as with a dashing union leader on whom she tries out her Bette Davis voice and Garbo look. But when one of the factory owners is also murdered and a friend is accused, Belle must make serious efforts to find the killer, for her heart's sake as well as for her friend's.

Genres: Mystery

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Married to Sidney Rosen they write the mystery series starring Belle Appleman, a Jewish immigrant who lives in Boston's West End during the 1930s.

Dorothy also wrote a biography of Mary Lyon, the founder of Mount Holyoke College.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's an out-of-print mystery from 1985 that's worth hunting for. Set in 1930s Boston, while FDR runs for reelection and Hitler takes power in Germany, young Jewish widow Belle Appleman is settling into her new job at the Classic Clothing Company. As Belle puts it, "It didn't take long to figure out everything wasn't exactly hunky-dory." Still, with the Great Depression still shlepping along, she figures she's lucky that her friend Nate from Evening English, was able to get her this job after the local pharmacy where she used to work went belly up.
However, Belle's gut instinct soon pays off. On a Sunday walk with Nate, the sight of a body in the Charles River makes Belle drop her ice cream cone and send for the police. Nate identifies the woman as their department's shop steward, object of desire for many of Classic's male workers and gossip fodder for the female staff.
As a longtime devotee of True Detective magazine, not to mention her talks with her pal, Boston P.D. Detective Jim Connors, Belle is eager to put her acquired knowledge into practice. Despite warnings from friends, she sets off to find the killer, boldly questioning all the suspects, from the boss' son to his fiancée to the victim's mother to her union's dreamy business manager (a regular "Nelson Eddy"). But Belle soon learns "detectiving" is harder than it looks, and far more dangerous, but neither danger, locked doors, union strife, nor another murder will keep Belle from finding the truth.
This novel was a joy to read. The Rosens create a captivating story that felt true to its time period, featuring an engaging amateur sleuth with a unique voice and lots of chutzpah, not to mention plenty of colorful characters to boot. I also learned quite a few words in Yiddish. I look forward to reading the sequel, "Death and Strudel." Five stars!
#dorothyrosen #sidneyrosen #mystery #crimefiction #cozymystery #whodunnit #jewish #yiddish

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amusing atmospheric mystery set in a garment factory in South Boston during the Depression. It features a plucky heroine who plays amateur detective and solves two murders. The story includes many Yiddish phrases and references. However, they shouldn’t be a deterrent to the reader especially if they are familiar with the Yiddish expressions used by comics from the Borscht Belt such as Jackie Mason or Alan King, or in Mel Brooks’ films, or the television shows written by Carl Reiner (eg, the Duck Van Dyke Show).

[Betsy Diamant-cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detective story set in the mid-1930s about Belle Appleman, a garment worker and union member who is also a stubborn sleuth. Colorful story, fabulous descriptions of New York, and fascination characterizations of a Jewish Yenta who is also a fearless sleuth.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

historical, pseudo golden age, too much untranslated yiddish