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Agatha Krinsky Mysteries #1
The Latke in the Library & Other Mystery Stories for Chanukah
Oy vey! When elderly mystery writer Agatha Krinsky falls for the fifth time, her nephew Sheldon insists she move into an assisted living facility. True to form, on her first day in her new home Agatha discovers a body in the library. But the staff won’t take her seriously, and even her elderly luncheon companions — Herschel Perlow, Miss Eppel, and Ronny and Rubles Bernfeld — are more interested in talking about bodies they encountered in their earlier careers than helping Agatha solve her mystery.Included in this humorous Chanukah-themed homage to Dame Agatha Christie are these four short mystery The Latke in the Library, Evil Under the Wick, And Then There Were Gornisht, and The Olive Cracked.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2015
20 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Libi Astaire
37 books56 followersI am a mystery writer and explorer of Jewish history who was born in Kansas and now lives in Jerusalem.
The first book in my Ezra Melamed/Jewish Regency Mystery Series, The Disappearing Dowry, was named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for 2010. Other books in the Jewish Regency Mystery Series, which revolves around Regency London's Jewish community, include The Moon Taker (2015) The Doppelganger's Dance (2013) Tempest in the Tea Room (2012), and Jewish Regency Mystery Stories (2015).
I also work as a journalist, where I frequently write about Jewish history. A topic dear to my heart is the Anusim - Spanish Jews who were forced to convert during the Middle Ages and who became the target of the Spanish Inquisition. My novel about modern-day descendants of Anusim living in Catalonia, Terra Incognita, was published by Targum Press in 2010 and is now available as an ebook and paperback at Amazon.com, etc.
My other books include The Banished Heart, a novel about Shakespeare's writing of The Merchant of Venice; Day Trips to Jewish History, a collection of essays about lesser known people and places in Jewish history; and several ebooks for the Jewish holidays, including: Choose Life! 8 Chassidic Stories for the Jewish New Year, 36 Candles: Chassidic Tales for Chanukah, Pass Over to Freedom: 15 Jewish Tales for Passover, and The World Is Built With Kindness: 15 Chassidic Tales for Shavuos, which bring Chassidic masters such as the Baal Shem Tov and Zusya of Hanipoli into the eReader era.
The first book in my Ezra Melamed/Jewish Regency Mystery Series, The Disappearing Dowry, was named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for 2010. Other books in the Jewish Regency Mystery Series, which revolves around Regency London's Jewish community, include The Moon Taker (2015) The Doppelganger's Dance (2013) Tempest in the Tea Room (2012), and Jewish Regency Mystery Stories (2015).
I also work as a journalist, where I frequently write about Jewish history. A topic dear to my heart is the Anusim - Spanish Jews who were forced to convert during the Middle Ages and who became the target of the Spanish Inquisition. My novel about modern-day descendants of Anusim living in Catalonia, Terra Incognita, was published by Targum Press in 2010 and is now available as an ebook and paperback at Amazon.com, etc.
My other books include The Banished Heart, a novel about Shakespeare's writing of The Merchant of Venice; Day Trips to Jewish History, a collection of essays about lesser known people and places in Jewish history; and several ebooks for the Jewish holidays, including: Choose Life! 8 Chassidic Stories for the Jewish New Year, 36 Candles: Chassidic Tales for Chanukah, Pass Over to Freedom: 15 Jewish Tales for Passover, and The World Is Built With Kindness: 15 Chassidic Tales for Shavuos, which bring Chassidic masters such as the Baal Shem Tov and Zusya of Hanipoli into the eReader era.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 15, 2018
I was excited to see an adult Chanukah themed book of fiction, but this was more like reading Reader's Digest than a good book.
December 28, 2015
I absolutely enjoyed every bit of these stories. What an adorable group of characters! It was so nice to read about seasoned citizens who are active, fun-loving & continue with everything they enjoy. Most of all, they are treated with respect by the facility. Libi Astaire has developed a phenomenal group of main characters. Each of them brings a different personality & skill set to the group. Each is ornery, opinionated, & most of all, lovable.
I also enjoyed the Chanukah traditions sprinkled throughout the plot. Even with all that was going on in their residence, the crew was careful to observe their religion. There is no violence or risky situations- just good, clean fun. I highly recommend reading it. It's not lengthy, but very enjoyable. I give it 5 stars.
I also enjoyed the Chanukah traditions sprinkled throughout the plot. Even with all that was going on in their residence, the crew was careful to observe their religion. There is no violence or risky situations- just good, clean fun. I highly recommend reading it. It's not lengthy, but very enjoyable. I give it 5 stars.
December 16, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. In this gentle parody of Agatha Christie’s short story collections, Libi Astaire has lovingly trotted out caricatures of the Dame of Mystery’s most famous detective characters, together for the first time in a posh assisted living facility. There, at the luncheon table, they embark on a reminiscent journey through murders past which took place during Chanukah, while all the while noted author Agatha Krinsky is fast and furiously trying to figure out how to direct her fellow diners’ attention to the body in the library.
November 25, 2021
Thanks to a handful of nasty falls, mystery writer Agatha Krinsky is moved into an assisted living facility with the help of her nephew Sheldon. On her first day she gets lost and finds herself inside the library with a dead body. To her dismay, no one believes her story or offers to call the police. She is taken to the dining room where she meets Ukrainian PI Herschel Perlow, knitting enthusiast Miss Eppel, and husband and wife team Ronny and Rubles Bernfeld. As they take turns reminiscing a la “The Tuesday Night Club,” Agatha impatiently waits for another opportunity to bring up the body in hopes that someone will do something. Will her new friends help, or are they too distracted by their mystery-solving memories?
In my search for Hanukkah books, this short story collection caught my eye because Agatha Christie is my favorite author. I was excited to start reading but also nervous because those are big shoes to fill. I couldn’t help but smile at all the details added to make her characters and stories Jewish. The names and Yiddish vocabulary and mentions of Hanukkah were great, but the transition was not flawless. The mystery-aspect got lost in the shuffle, leaving behind more novelty than quality. I know this is a short read for the holiday season, but don’t promise me Agatha and not deliver on the intrigue.
It’s hard to rate something that tugs on my Jewish heartstrings, but I have to be honest. 3 stars for novelty and 2 stars for quality which averages out to 2.5 Stars. If you’re a Jewish Agatha Christie fan, this book is good for a one-sitting read and some fun. Don’t expect too much from the mysteries and enjoy it for what it is.
If you’re not knowledgeable about the works of Agatha Christie, here’s a cheat sheet:
Characters:
Agatha Krinsky - Agatha Christie
Agatha’s nephew Sheldon - Miss Marple’s nephew Raymond West
Ukrainian PI Herschel Perlow - Belgian PI Hercule Poirot
Miss Eppel - Miss Marple
Ronny & Rubles Bernfeld - Tommy & Tuppence Beresford
Inspector Haddock & his grandfather Sir Harold Withering - Sir Henry Clithering & his godson Detective Inspector Dermot Eric Craddock
Stories:
“The Latke in the Library” - “The Body in the Library”
“Evil Under the Wick” - “Evil Under the Sun”
“And Then There Were Gornisht” - “And Then There Were None”
“The Olive Cracked” - “The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side”
In my search for Hanukkah books, this short story collection caught my eye because Agatha Christie is my favorite author. I was excited to start reading but also nervous because those are big shoes to fill. I couldn’t help but smile at all the details added to make her characters and stories Jewish. The names and Yiddish vocabulary and mentions of Hanukkah were great, but the transition was not flawless. The mystery-aspect got lost in the shuffle, leaving behind more novelty than quality. I know this is a short read for the holiday season, but don’t promise me Agatha and not deliver on the intrigue.
It’s hard to rate something that tugs on my Jewish heartstrings, but I have to be honest. 3 stars for novelty and 2 stars for quality which averages out to 2.5 Stars. If you’re a Jewish Agatha Christie fan, this book is good for a one-sitting read and some fun. Don’t expect too much from the mysteries and enjoy it for what it is.
If you’re not knowledgeable about the works of Agatha Christie, here’s a cheat sheet:
Characters:
Agatha Krinsky - Agatha Christie
Agatha’s nephew Sheldon - Miss Marple’s nephew Raymond West
Ukrainian PI Herschel Perlow - Belgian PI Hercule Poirot
Miss Eppel - Miss Marple
Ronny & Rubles Bernfeld - Tommy & Tuppence Beresford
Inspector Haddock & his grandfather Sir Harold Withering - Sir Henry Clithering & his godson Detective Inspector Dermot Eric Craddock
Stories:
“The Latke in the Library” - “The Body in the Library”
“Evil Under the Wick” - “Evil Under the Sun”
“And Then There Were Gornisht” - “And Then There Were None”
“The Olive Cracked” - “The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side”
Read
September 12, 2025This is a cute little book. It’s a spoof on the great Agatha Christie, and the more you know about Agatha Christie, the more you will enjoy it. The author references book titles and character names, and themes from Ms Christie’s books, all with a Jewish twist. The main character of this book, Agatha Krinsky, is obviously meant to be Agatha Christie herself. Among the people she meets, Miss Eppel is Miss Marple. Herschel Perlow is Hercule Poirot.
The story is that Agatha Krinsky, a writer of mystery stories, has had a series of falls, and is being admitted to an assisted living facility. On her first day there she is trying to go to lunch, but takes a wrong turn and ends up in the library. There she finds the body of a woman sprawled on the floor. She goes to alert someone, and no one seems to care.
She is escorted to the lunch room, where she meets her new friends. They ignore her concerns about a body in the library, and take turns telling stories of mysteries they have been involved in, all Christie-like, and all centered around Chankakah. Agatha Krinsky, being new here, and not wanting to rock the boat too much, just listens, and waits for the opportunity to steer the conversation back to the body.
That does happen eventually. The whole thing is light, unchallenging, fun, and all the loose ends are tied up by the last page. The state of the world being what it is, I thoroughly enjoyed something light and unchallenging.
The story is that Agatha Krinsky, a writer of mystery stories, has had a series of falls, and is being admitted to an assisted living facility. On her first day there she is trying to go to lunch, but takes a wrong turn and ends up in the library. There she finds the body of a woman sprawled on the floor. She goes to alert someone, and no one seems to care.
She is escorted to the lunch room, where she meets her new friends. They ignore her concerns about a body in the library, and take turns telling stories of mysteries they have been involved in, all Christie-like, and all centered around Chankakah. Agatha Krinsky, being new here, and not wanting to rock the boat too much, just listens, and waits for the opportunity to steer the conversation back to the body.
That does happen eventually. The whole thing is light, unchallenging, fun, and all the loose ends are tied up by the last page. The state of the world being what it is, I thoroughly enjoyed something light and unchallenging.
July 28, 2024
Loved it!
The characters were extremely engaging. The mysteries were certainly fun, but again, the personalities were what clinched it for me! I never read the original Agatha Christies but I have watched enough Poirot to see that Astaire nailed the writing style and tone of the original series - and it was extremely entertaining!
I really enjoyed her Jewish twists to everything and found it more wholesome (as an Orthodox Jew) and very clever!
Another novel well done, Astaire!
The characters were extremely engaging. The mysteries were certainly fun, but again, the personalities were what clinched it for me! I never read the original Agatha Christies but I have watched enough Poirot to see that Astaire nailed the writing style and tone of the original series - and it was extremely entertaining!
I really enjoyed her Jewish twists to everything and found it more wholesome (as an Orthodox Jew) and very clever!
Another novel well done, Astaire!
January 23, 2018
Agatha Krinsky has just moved into a retirement home following a series of falls. On her way to lunch she takes a wrong turn and finds a body in the library. She makes her way to the dining room and tries to tell her lunch mates about it but everyone ignores her and instead each of them tells a tale of intrigue.
There is a twist and the end that made me smile. All in all this was a very enjoyable little book. I'm glad I picked it off the library shelf.
There is a twist and the end that made me smile. All in all this was a very enjoyable little book. I'm glad I picked it off the library shelf.
December 29, 2019
A quick read Chanukah-themed mystery, featuring an elderly mystery writer who herself discovers a body in the library of her new-to-her assisted living facility on her very first day of living there. Except no one will listen to her. Instead every one of her dining companions at lunch has their own mystery to share. There is a major twist at the end I did not see coming.
April 16, 2022
Clever stories
It pays to know Agatha Christie's characters. They are parodied in these tales. The stories are not only fun, but well written. This is an easy read 📚 on a lazy, rainy day.
It pays to know Agatha Christie's characters. They are parodied in these tales. The stories are not only fun, but well written. This is an easy read 📚 on a lazy, rainy day.
January 7, 2019
It was wonderful. I loved the plot, she kept me guessing until the end.
December 19, 2021
If you enjoy spoof mysteries, this book will be a lot of fun.
December 20, 2022
If you have read Agatha Christie this is a very fun read. The characters are all Christie characters in disguise. If you celebrate Hanukkah this is a good read. Worth the time.
December 22, 2022
This is such a cute book! Definitely left me wanting more. I think it's a bit of a satire of the genre, but it is incredibly well done and thoroughly enjoyable!
December 1, 2023
A delightful spoof on four classic Agatha Christie stories!
December 7, 2024
rounded up
Less a mystery than a series of anecdotes with contrived plots so Christie fans can identify trivia and "Easter eggs" (sorry--Is there a more appropriate term?).
Less a mystery than a series of anecdotes with contrived plots so Christie fans can identify trivia and "Easter eggs" (sorry--Is there a more appropriate term?).
December 24, 2025
What I liked: A Hanukkah season parody of an Agatha Christie “Who Done It” with a twist at the end.
What I disliked: There never were any Latkes in the library.
What I disliked: There never were any Latkes in the library.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2025
Adorable holiday mystery stories with an ending that brings it all together. 4 stars
December 25, 2018
This was a likeable book, written in a series of related short stories. The book is set within a senior citizens' retirement home in England. Each story presents a fully resolved mystery, the first instigated by a new resident finding a dead body in the home's library. I don't recall that he latkes ever were in the library, but that's a very minor issue. As this new resident is sat at her place in the dining room, she and her fellow table mates share stories of mysteries that they had each witnessed or taken part in.
While I enjoyed this compilation of stories, I admit to thinking them a little dry and forced. No one believes the new resident, Agatha, a professional mystery writer, when she insists that she's seen the dead body. They treat her as if she's hallucinating, and each time she brings up the body, each of the others at table feel compelled to tell their own tale of some murder of which they have knowledge.
While this wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, I'd be happy to read another book by this author. This is light reading and good for when you only have time to read one chapter, before heading off to bed to to deal with some other task.
While I enjoyed this compilation of stories, I admit to thinking them a little dry and forced. No one believes the new resident, Agatha, a professional mystery writer, when she insists that she's seen the dead body. They treat her as if she's hallucinating, and each time she brings up the body, each of the others at table feel compelled to tell their own tale of some murder of which they have knowledge.
While this wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, I'd be happy to read another book by this author. This is light reading and good for when you only have time to read one chapter, before heading off to bed to to deal with some other task.
December 31, 2025
A fun set of smaller mystery stories told by characters within the main story, as a novel way to distract the main character and confuse the reader until the main reveal at the end. Quaint, clever, and very Jewish- which you don't have to be to appreciate this book! Perfect, quick, and cozy Hanukkah read.
March 15, 2022
This was cute. Well paces and all the stories were interesting. I deducted one star only because I'm not a fan of when the "solution" to a mystery seemingly comes out of nowhere.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews