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Nine Tenths of the Law
Two sisters, their mother, and a Nazi thief.
In 1939, a beautiful enameled heirloom menorah was looted by the Nazis, grabbed from the hands of its young Jewish owner. Too beautiful to kill, Aurora herself was singled out by the SS for "special duties".
Eighty years later, Aurora's daughters Zara and Lilly discover the family menorah in a New York museum. Haunted by their mother's buried memories, the sisters scheme to get it back--but their quest takes a dangerous turn when the menorah disappears, leaving a trail of murder and mayhem behind it.
Aurora's memories, it turns out, are very much alive; and now her secrets can bind the sisters together or tear them apart.
In 1939, a beautiful enameled heirloom menorah was looted by the Nazis, grabbed from the hands of its young Jewish owner. Too beautiful to kill, Aurora herself was singled out by the SS for "special duties".
Eighty years later, Aurora's daughters Zara and Lilly discover the family menorah in a New York museum. Haunted by their mother's buried memories, the sisters scheme to get it back--but their quest takes a dangerous turn when the menorah disappears, leaving a trail of murder and mayhem behind it.
Aurora's memories, it turns out, are very much alive; and now her secrets can bind the sisters together or tear them apart.
- GenresJewishHistorical Fiction
240 pages, Paperback
Published March 27, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 29, 2020
My Review:
In “Nine Tenths of the Law” Claudia Long uncoils a story about the memories of a Nazi regime survivor in Poland and her children’s remembrances and mis-remembrances. Add to that the search for a looted family treasure, now newly stolen, an heirloom that might afford the opportunity to bridge the gaps between the generations and between the children themselves. The real heart of the story concerns the siblings, two very different sisters, Zara and Lilly, and their current and past relationships with one another, as well as with their dead mother, who nonetheless figures prominently in the tale. Into this quest narrative that features mystery, danger, survivors’ guilt, and a clash of religions, Long manages to expertly blend humor, warmth, and poignancy.
Highly Recommended!
James Conroyd Martin, Author of "Fortune's Child"
In “Nine Tenths of the Law” Claudia Long uncoils a story about the memories of a Nazi regime survivor in Poland and her children’s remembrances and mis-remembrances. Add to that the search for a looted family treasure, now newly stolen, an heirloom that might afford the opportunity to bridge the gaps between the generations and between the children themselves. The real heart of the story concerns the siblings, two very different sisters, Zara and Lilly, and their current and past relationships with one another, as well as with their dead mother, who nonetheless figures prominently in the tale. Into this quest narrative that features mystery, danger, survivors’ guilt, and a clash of religions, Long manages to expertly blend humor, warmth, and poignancy.
Highly Recommended!
James Conroyd Martin, Author of "Fortune's Child"
October 14, 2020
Thank you to the author for this book which I won on a FB page. If it wasn't for winning this book I probably would have never found the author and this wonderful book.
Have your tissues ready! I was laughing at the antics of Zara and Lilly who are sisters on one page and crying on the next of the horrible life of their late mom Aurora who survived The Holocaust and was present in Zara's voice on some pages. Mixed in was the missing unusual looking menorah which was stolen from her mom when it was looted by the Nazis when she was a young girl. Zara remembers seeing this unusual menorah in the museum growing up and then 40 years later when she moves there with her husband Sam when he is on sabbatical. She also has a ring with the same pattern so she knows it's her mother's menorah.
It turns into a murder mystery with the museum's director also and the involvement of Lev Zimmerman who Zara reaches out to trying to find the supposed donor of the menorah.
Cannot wait to read her other books.
I loved Zara and Lilly and their bantering back and forth and the love they have for each other and their mother growing up.
Have your tissues ready! I was laughing at the antics of Zara and Lilly who are sisters on one page and crying on the next of the horrible life of their late mom Aurora who survived The Holocaust and was present in Zara's voice on some pages. Mixed in was the missing unusual looking menorah which was stolen from her mom when it was looted by the Nazis when she was a young girl. Zara remembers seeing this unusual menorah in the museum growing up and then 40 years later when she moves there with her husband Sam when he is on sabbatical. She also has a ring with the same pattern so she knows it's her mother's menorah.
It turns into a murder mystery with the museum's director also and the involvement of Lev Zimmerman who Zara reaches out to trying to find the supposed donor of the menorah.
Cannot wait to read her other books.
I loved Zara and Lilly and their bantering back and forth and the love they have for each other and their mother growing up.
October 7, 2020
A trip to the Jewish Studies Museum, in New York, triggers a memory of a long lost family heirloom. Aurora, a survivor of the Shoah, recognizes an ornate menorah in an exhibit that bears a remarkable resemblance to family ring, worn by her daughter, Zara.
Fast forward a few decades and Zara finds herself revisiting the exhibit, while living in New York, during her husband’s sabbatical. When she and her sister, Lilly determine the menorah once belonged to their family, they decide to pursue recovering the looted keepsake. But neither could have imagined what would happen next.
Long does an expert job of building a captivating thriller while exploring the complex mother-daughter bond, sisterhood, and survivor’s guilt. The story is brilliantly crafted and fast-paced with a wide range of emotions. I appreciated Long’s use of humor. It was a nice way to occasionally break the tension in the story.
This one definitely belongs on your TBR list!
Fast forward a few decades and Zara finds herself revisiting the exhibit, while living in New York, during her husband’s sabbatical. When she and her sister, Lilly determine the menorah once belonged to their family, they decide to pursue recovering the looted keepsake. But neither could have imagined what would happen next.
Long does an expert job of building a captivating thriller while exploring the complex mother-daughter bond, sisterhood, and survivor’s guilt. The story is brilliantly crafted and fast-paced with a wide range of emotions. I appreciated Long’s use of humor. It was a nice way to occasionally break the tension in the story.
This one definitely belongs on your TBR list!
March 8, 2021
Nine Tenths of the Law well deserves this five star rating: fascinating historical fiction, multigenerational family drama, secrets, a love story, a familiar NYC Madison Avenue/Jewish Museum setting .. don’t miss it! Brava, talented author, Claudia Hagadus Long
February 26, 2022
Sisters Zara and Lilly couldn't be more different. One is tall and elegant, the other is short and uninterested in fashion. One has been married to the same man for 40 years, the other divorced multiple times. And only one of them, Zara, hears from the ghost of their Holocaust survivor mother. Zara calls them her "episodes."
Anyway, the tale begins with Zara visiting a Jewish cultural museum and seeing a striking menorah, the enamel of which matches a ring her mother gave her as a child. On the spot, she has an episode in which her mother reveals that the menorah was taken by the Nazis during WWII.
Right away, Zara decides that she needs to recover the menorah. She starts contacting museum staff, and even the man whose name is on the provenance card ... and people start disappearing in nearly the same order.
It's pretty much a fair play puzzle that eventually turns into a thriller as Zara figures out "whodunnit," and then the readers have to see whether the villain can be stopped before further harms are done.
The author's note reveals that some of the tale is based on stories that her father told. One of the things I truly appreciated is the author's unflinching willingness to look at the rise in anti-Semitism that took place during the previous presidential administration.
Even with the paranormal element, the book felt realistic to me. Highly recommended.
Anyway, the tale begins with Zara visiting a Jewish cultural museum and seeing a striking menorah, the enamel of which matches a ring her mother gave her as a child. On the spot, she has an episode in which her mother reveals that the menorah was taken by the Nazis during WWII.
Right away, Zara decides that she needs to recover the menorah. She starts contacting museum staff, and even the man whose name is on the provenance card ... and people start disappearing in nearly the same order.
It's pretty much a fair play puzzle that eventually turns into a thriller as Zara figures out "whodunnit," and then the readers have to see whether the villain can be stopped before further harms are done.
The author's note reveals that some of the tale is based on stories that her father told. One of the things I truly appreciated is the author's unflinching willingness to look at the rise in anti-Semitism that took place during the previous presidential administration.
Even with the paranormal element, the book felt realistic to me. Highly recommended.
December 5, 2020
Exceptional storytelling! The relationship between the sisters develops tenderly with truth, humor and depth. The plot lines across time and place are mesmerizing - I could not put this book down and then missed the characters as soon as I finished.
March 16, 2022
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Nine Tenth of the Law by Claudia Hagadus Long follows two sisters, reformed Jews, hunting down an artifact stolen by the Nazis during World War II. Ms. Long is a writer and lawyer from California, this is her fifth novel.
During World War II, 1939, a young woman, Aurora, has been deemed too pretty to kill by the Nazis. Furthermore the Nazis rob the family of their prized possessions, including a beautiful Hanukkiah.
Decades later, Aurora’s daughters, Zara and Lilly, see the Hanukkiah in a New York Museum. In their attempt to investigate it, they discover a nefarious art theft ring.
This book takes a modern approach to tell a historical story. I enjoyed Nine Tenth of the Law by Claudia Hagadus Long very much. It was a fast read, interesting subject, as well as a unique, creative way for flashbacks.
The book juggles the narrative between a historical mystery, murder, art theft, coupled with sibling rivalry. One of the most interesting aspects, for me, was the topic of inherited trauma. I haven’t read much about the topic, and the bit I did was disappointing. However, I think the author did a good job presenting the subject.
The book shows the struggle of getting stolen family heirlooms back. There are many issues, of course, from provenance, to identification, to proof, and many more. Not to mention that the more valuable the artifact is, it certainly changes the equation, indeed not always for the better. There are mentions of The Monuments Men, which many are familiar with.
The author does a fine job telling two parallel stories. One of Aurora escaping from the Nazis, the other of her daughters attempting to get the Hanukkiah back.
I also enjoyed the first-person narration, which gives the story a sense of energy and emergency. The book, while certainly dealing with serious issues, comes across as light hearted, with poignant and clever observations.
One of the aspects I enjoyed, is that food has a starring role in the book, as it does at the home of any Jewish family. There are many aspects which one can enjoy while reading this book, humor, a bit of mystery, and family relationships.
Nine Tenth of the Law by Claudia Hagadus Long follows two sisters, reformed Jews, hunting down an artifact stolen by the Nazis during World War II. Ms. Long is a writer and lawyer from California, this is her fifth novel.
During World War II, 1939, a young woman, Aurora, has been deemed too pretty to kill by the Nazis. Furthermore the Nazis rob the family of their prized possessions, including a beautiful Hanukkiah.
Decades later, Aurora’s daughters, Zara and Lilly, see the Hanukkiah in a New York Museum. In their attempt to investigate it, they discover a nefarious art theft ring.
This book takes a modern approach to tell a historical story. I enjoyed Nine Tenth of the Law by Claudia Hagadus Long very much. It was a fast read, interesting subject, as well as a unique, creative way for flashbacks.
The book juggles the narrative between a historical mystery, murder, art theft, coupled with sibling rivalry. One of the most interesting aspects, for me, was the topic of inherited trauma. I haven’t read much about the topic, and the bit I did was disappointing. However, I think the author did a good job presenting the subject.
The book shows the struggle of getting stolen family heirlooms back. There are many issues, of course, from provenance, to identification, to proof, and many more. Not to mention that the more valuable the artifact is, it certainly changes the equation, indeed not always for the better. There are mentions of The Monuments Men, which many are familiar with.
The author does a fine job telling two parallel stories. One of Aurora escaping from the Nazis, the other of her daughters attempting to get the Hanukkiah back.
I also enjoyed the first-person narration, which gives the story a sense of energy and emergency. The book, while certainly dealing with serious issues, comes across as light hearted, with poignant and clever observations.
One of the aspects I enjoyed, is that food has a starring role in the book, as it does at the home of any Jewish family. There are many aspects which one can enjoy while reading this book, humor, a bit of mystery, and family relationships.
February 23, 2022
I received this book as a giveaway on a Facebook group - Jews Love to Read!
I devoured the book in one day. I was fascinated that it was based on real events (of course fictionalized), and the subject - Holocaust art stolen by the Nazis - is near and dear to me. My children's great-grandmother and her family, were refugees from Lodz, Poland. In their home, the most treasured items were the paintings by her (Sofia Guttentag Davidson). When they came back to Poland after the war, the people who had taken possession of the apartment refused to let them in. The door was open just enough for them to see that all of their possessions were still there. Those paintings have never been retrieved.
So, I was intrigued...and not disappointed. I loved the mystery, the danger, the unexpected twists and turns, and the satisfying retrieval of their oh so precious hanukkiah! The family, all with their unique strengths and foibles made for a page turner.
I was happy to see how the author explained Judaism to might not understand. I know that my children's cousins who escaped Poland became practicing Christians, and are to this day, so that was a realistic outcome. And yet, those who embraced Christianity still kept some of their Jewish roots.
My only regret was that I didn't see more about their lives in South Texas. I too am from Texas, and know people who immigrated there from Spain, Poland, etc. But I didn't get enough of their Sephardi roots...I don't remember hearing of people emigrating from Spain to Poland.
Regardless, I loved the book...and would highly recommend it!
I devoured the book in one day. I was fascinated that it was based on real events (of course fictionalized), and the subject - Holocaust art stolen by the Nazis - is near and dear to me. My children's great-grandmother and her family, were refugees from Lodz, Poland. In their home, the most treasured items were the paintings by her (Sofia Guttentag Davidson). When they came back to Poland after the war, the people who had taken possession of the apartment refused to let them in. The door was open just enough for them to see that all of their possessions were still there. Those paintings have never been retrieved.
So, I was intrigued...and not disappointed. I loved the mystery, the danger, the unexpected twists and turns, and the satisfying retrieval of their oh so precious hanukkiah! The family, all with their unique strengths and foibles made for a page turner.
I was happy to see how the author explained Judaism to might not understand. I know that my children's cousins who escaped Poland became practicing Christians, and are to this day, so that was a realistic outcome. And yet, those who embraced Christianity still kept some of their Jewish roots.
My only regret was that I didn't see more about their lives in South Texas. I too am from Texas, and know people who immigrated there from Spain, Poland, etc. But I didn't get enough of their Sephardi roots...I don't remember hearing of people emigrating from Spain to Poland.
Regardless, I loved the book...and would highly recommend it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2021
Two Sisters Refuse to Bury Their Past
Remember the movie The Monuments Men? Audiences around the world were awestruck at how the Nazis stole and sought to destroy valuable artifacts during the war. NINE TENTHS OF THE LAW by Claudia Long serves as a much-needed reminder that even after the war, thieves and vandals continued to hide, and often destroy, objects that were highly valued both monetarily and to the Jewish families who once owned them.
Two sisters, with diametrically opposite recollections, are the center of the story as they search for a menorah they are convinced belongs to the family. After seeing it years prior at a museum, they return to claim their right to it. But it is gone, and the one person who might have a clue to its whereabouts has been murdered. Thus begins an intriguing tale of “whodunit” and “whereisit” that is both dangerous and sometimes humorous as the sisters share their childhood memories in an attempt to unbury the past.
By taking a contemporary approach to an historical event, Long answers critics who warn that if we don’t remember the past, we’re apt to repeat it. NINE TENTHS OF THE LAW will help ensure we don’t forget.
Remember the movie The Monuments Men? Audiences around the world were awestruck at how the Nazis stole and sought to destroy valuable artifacts during the war. NINE TENTHS OF THE LAW by Claudia Long serves as a much-needed reminder that even after the war, thieves and vandals continued to hide, and often destroy, objects that were highly valued both monetarily and to the Jewish families who once owned them.
Two sisters, with diametrically opposite recollections, are the center of the story as they search for a menorah they are convinced belongs to the family. After seeing it years prior at a museum, they return to claim their right to it. But it is gone, and the one person who might have a clue to its whereabouts has been murdered. Thus begins an intriguing tale of “whodunit” and “whereisit” that is both dangerous and sometimes humorous as the sisters share their childhood memories in an attempt to unbury the past.
By taking a contemporary approach to an historical event, Long answers critics who warn that if we don’t remember the past, we’re apt to repeat it. NINE TENTHS OF THE LAW will help ensure we don’t forget.
April 28, 2023
Nine Tenth of the Law
By Claudia Hagadus long
A Mystery
Book Review by Sylvia Jacobs
This book is about a fifteen year old girl that survived the Holocaust. The story is being told by her daughter named Zara. It still seemed dangerous to be Jewish in her mothers eyes. Zara and her mom went to a museum in NY and they happened to see a menorah that was possibly owned before the Holocaust by her mom. That menorah tied her mom to her mom and to her own past. Now it ties Zara to her mom. How does this museum have her moms menorah? Her mom didn’t even want to say she was Jewish. Therefore, Zara couldn’t try to get the Menorah back for her mom. Her mom was too scared to ask for the menorah back. Her mom was super brave during the war, but it really messed her up. “ It blocked her off from the world for the rest of her life even after.” Her mothers name was Aurora Judita. She was born in Poland in 1927.
She spoke six languages. The languages she spoke were English, Spanish, French, Polish, Russian and German. Speaking all these languages helped save her life.
She never spoke about her losses, or about her family, or any pain she went through. She spoke about her dressmaker, her butcher, and the food she loved. Therefore, the family treasures, her parents and her world we’re a blank in our lives.
A positive of the book is there is some drama in the book that really makes you want to turn each page with enthusiasm. You really need to know what happens. What happened to the school teacher?
One will want to know. Is Zara’s sister Lilly missing?
Wait till you hear who set up the robbery of the menorah?
A negative about the book was learning that Aurora developed Alzheimer’s before she passed away.
This book deserves a rating of 5 out of 5 Stars for all the twists and turns the book took. It was not a predictable book which is quite good.
By Claudia Hagadus long
A Mystery
Book Review by Sylvia Jacobs
This book is about a fifteen year old girl that survived the Holocaust. The story is being told by her daughter named Zara. It still seemed dangerous to be Jewish in her mothers eyes. Zara and her mom went to a museum in NY and they happened to see a menorah that was possibly owned before the Holocaust by her mom. That menorah tied her mom to her mom and to her own past. Now it ties Zara to her mom. How does this museum have her moms menorah? Her mom didn’t even want to say she was Jewish. Therefore, Zara couldn’t try to get the Menorah back for her mom. Her mom was too scared to ask for the menorah back. Her mom was super brave during the war, but it really messed her up. “ It blocked her off from the world for the rest of her life even after.” Her mothers name was Aurora Judita. She was born in Poland in 1927.
She spoke six languages. The languages she spoke were English, Spanish, French, Polish, Russian and German. Speaking all these languages helped save her life.
She never spoke about her losses, or about her family, or any pain she went through. She spoke about her dressmaker, her butcher, and the food she loved. Therefore, the family treasures, her parents and her world we’re a blank in our lives.
A positive of the book is there is some drama in the book that really makes you want to turn each page with enthusiasm. You really need to know what happens. What happened to the school teacher?
One will want to know. Is Zara’s sister Lilly missing?
Wait till you hear who set up the robbery of the menorah?
A negative about the book was learning that Aurora developed Alzheimer’s before she passed away.
This book deserves a rating of 5 out of 5 Stars for all the twists and turns the book took. It was not a predictable book which is quite good.
May 7, 2020
I recently finished this brand new literary whodunit--what a wonderful treat! Here’s a quick outline of the story: A heirloom menorah that was looted by the Nazis reappears at a museum in New York City. Aurora, lone survivor in her family, recognizes the turquoise enameled Hanukkiah as belonging to her family and reveals this to her youngest daughter, Zara. Three years after Aurora’s death, Zara and her sister Lilly try to find the menorah and get caught in a web of intrigue and danger.
This is the framework for a book that at its heart reveals the weight of history on children of Holocaust survivors that is also engrossing, funny, and sometimes scary. Claudia Long offers up a complex story that makes you cry and smile. The eccentric narrator Zara and her buxom sister Lilly with mile-long legs are a delightful team.
Will the author write another novel featuring Zara and Lilly?
This is the framework for a book that at its heart reveals the weight of history on children of Holocaust survivors that is also engrossing, funny, and sometimes scary. Claudia Long offers up a complex story that makes you cry and smile. The eccentric narrator Zara and her buxom sister Lilly with mile-long legs are a delightful team.
Will the author write another novel featuring Zara and Lilly?
May 30, 2023
Zara remembers being with her mother thirty years before on a visit to the Jewish Museum, when her mother recognized a unique menorah as a family heirloom. Zara is haunted by her mother’s memory, and schemes to get it back, but the menorah and other Holocaust art works suddenly disappear from the museum. The assistant who might have stolen it is murdered, and Zara hallucinates her mother’s experiences as a young girl in 1939, when Nazis took the family’s possessions and singled her out for “special duties.”
It's a zany mystery with quirky characters that touches upon important subjects like art theft, cultural memory, being a child of Holocaust survivors, and taking care of each other in a family.
It's a zany mystery with quirky characters that touches upon important subjects like art theft, cultural memory, being a child of Holocaust survivors, and taking care of each other in a family.
April 17, 2024
This novel has everything--mystery, action, history, and humor arising from the entertaining relationship of two very different sisters. When their mother--a holocaust survivor--recognizes the family menorah in a Jewish museum, the sisters set out to recover it, only to discover that it has been stolen from the museum along with other artifacts. How the sisters establish a link to the menorah is critical to their case. Interwoven in the story is the concept of generational trauma or the notion that what has happened in previous generations can manifest itself later, that what happened to their mother during the holocaust had impacted her daughters. A thoroughly entertaining mystery.
February 1, 2024
I loved this book! While the theme, looted Holocaust artifacts recovered, isn’t new, when it is woven with the complicated relationships of mothers with daughters and sisters with each other and the story is compelling. The characters are nuanced and complex and there is a good balance between the introspection of Zara and the action of the story. Not only are the characters and plot engaging but, added bonus, it’s well-written! I’m a hard grader and the only reason this isn’t a 5 star is because that’s reserved for Pride and Prejudice!
March 24, 2023
Long has written an intriguing mystery. I particularly liked her focus on the affects of the holocaust on the children of the victims. Besides being a page turner, there are valuable reminders in this novel such as: "Inherited trauma, the inherited memory of pain, across the generations, across cultures...When the memory of trauma isn't dealt with, pain passes to the next generation." (pp. 183-184)
May 7, 2021
Claudia Long's "Nine Tenths of the Law" is a warm, poignant, and fast-paced murder mystery. Long's story about familial relationships, remembrance, and family heritage will keep your interest and make you smile and at times, make you laugh.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and always look forward to Long's next novel. Excellent read.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and always look forward to Long's next novel. Excellent read.
November 10, 2021
I liked the premise of the story very much. It did feel a little all over the place with the plot but I enjoyed the characters and wanted to see what happened in the end.
April 8, 2024
Well done, enlightening
Remarkable, touching, and tragic. Heroism comes in many forms, as shown through the survivors, each in their own way. Recommended!
Remarkable, touching, and tragic. Heroism comes in many forms, as shown through the survivors, each in their own way. Recommended!
September 27, 2021
A valuable artifact looted by the Nazis; two sisters trying to track down the artifact that once belonged to their family and come to terms with their mother’s traumatic memories of the Holocaust; a villain who wants the artifact for himself and wouldn’t stop at murder to get it—NINE TENTHS OF THE LAW is a well-written nail-biter of a tale that makes me want to read the author’s earlier books, as well.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews