Reason To Kill

Amos Parisman Mystery #2

by Andy Weinberger

Somewhat-retired L.A. private eye Amos Parisman is hired by lonely booking agent Pinky Bleistiff to find one of his missing singers, Risa Barsky. But what starts as a simple investigation turns into a complex puzzle when Pinky is murdered and Risa is still nowhere to be found. With suspects dropping dead at every turn, Parisman must act quickly to discover the truth about Risa's relationship with Pinky before an innocent person gets sent to prison.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

Published September 2, 2020

Reviews

[Adam Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way Andy Weinberger writes. His novels have a slower, more methodical pace, but that doesn't mean you don't want to keep reading. This book got much darker than the first one in the Amos Parisman series, but it still kept me engaged.

Hopefully, he writes more books in this series.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 of Amos Parisman story. I enjoy the tone of this book and most of the characters. The storyline in this book made me uncomfortable and the whodunnit seemed to drag. But it's still a fun read & I feel like I'm right there in the story a lot of the times. Great writing. I enjoy Carmen (caretaker) and Loretta. They add a nice touch and it makes me tear up at times...Omar is one of my favorites.

[Nancy Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Los Angeles PI Amos Parisman just can't retire. When music agent Pinky loses Risa, a lead klezmer singer, Amos figures it'll be an easy case. But Pinky gets murdered, Risa keeps disappearing, and her bandmates and boyfriend are suspects too. Amos and the LAPD suspect that there is something more
to the Risa-Pinky relationship...but murder? Another delightful Parisman whodunnit-and-why from the owner of Sonoma city's awesome bookstore!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multiple twists and turns and with everything I had been expecting, I found myself surprised by the outcome. Really loved the background personal story of Amos and Loretta. A very worthwhile read. Will check out other works by this author.

[Susan Rothenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A multilayered mystery with twists and turns about a missing person, murders and an older investigator.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Amos Parisman mystery. I enjoyed the first book and this one too. Amos is a semi-retired private eye in Los Angeles. He is a unique protagonist - older (the latest trend in detective fiction apparently) and Jewish (but not religious). He is contacted by Pinky, a music agent, who asks him to find missing band members from one of the bands he manages. But the man is really only interested in the singer Rissa. Pinky is older and a widower. It is obvious his interest in Rissa is not purely professional. The other band members show up, but she is still missing. Amos finds her, but not before he finds her ransacked apartment. Along with his LAPD friend Malloy and his unlikely ally Omar, Amos delves deeper. When Pinky is murdered and Rissa has been found, that should be the end of Amos's involvement, but he can't leave it alone. Rissa is a suspect. Methodical and patient, he just keeps digging. Another murder and things are more complicated. To make things worse, Rissa seems incapable of telling the truth - about anything. Amos does uncover some ugly truths, and he can surmise, but the actual unvarnished truth will evade him. And me. Amos is a good character and easy to like.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

You gotta love a mystery with a Klemzer band called Dark Dreidel! Amos Parisman is a, ahem, mature guy who is semi-retired from detecting but whose blood gets going when his friend Pinky calls and asks him to look into why members of the band, especially Risa, have been disappearing. Then Pinky is murdered, as is Risa's friend with benefits Amos. Amos finds there's a lot more going on with Risa than anyone could have imagined and, no spoilers, from me, but you know he's going to exonerate the main suspect and find the real villain. He's a great character, whose pronouncements (for want of a better word) made me chuckle. He's a softy at heart. He's also a devoted husband and the scenes with his wife are poignant. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. A good read.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pinky Bleistiff  hires Amos Parisman to find his missing Singer, Risa Barsky. Before he can find her, Pinky is murdered and Risa is the prime suspect. She turns up but claims her innocence and also there are no evidences against her. Now Risa hires Amos to find the killer. The problem is Risa's multiple versions of the events. She doesnt seem to be capable of telling the truth. Yet Amos persists and digs further to uncover some very uncomfortable facts.
The plot, the characters, the narration are good. Amos's efficient sidekick Omar has an interesting approach to problems, where he makes sure he doesn't bring himself to the attention of the police. The story gets into Amos's personal life too , but it doesn't hinder the flow of the story.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the first book in this series, Weinberger writes a decent mystery but focuses mainly on the man of the hour: Amos. There’s a warmth in the way Amos is presented and the ending of the book is so beautiful. Along the way, there’s a lot of talking to get to the bottom of the mystery. Too many twists and turns leave the characters needing to talk a lot to wrap things up. There’s also a sensitivity to Amos’s particular practice of Judaism, not too foreign from my own. A good read, mostly to learn more about Amos.

At lunch…
Amos: I’ll have oysters.
Partner: I thought Jews didn’t eat oysters.
Amos: Jews in Egypt didn’t eat oysters. Jews in America eat whatever the hell they want to eat.

[Stewart · Rating 1 out of 5]

No.

No. No. No. Absolutely not.

I don't think I've ever written a review that says this (maybe Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), but do not read this book under any circumstances. Even if you get it free from the library, like I did.

Hardest of passes. I'm done with Amos Parisman forever.

[Barbara Hall Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second installment of Sonoma bookstore owner Andy Weinberger does not disappoint. In fact, this episode of nearly retired private detective Amos Parisman is even better than the first book. There is of course a murder, and a cast of characters that are both mysterious and intriguing, told in Weinberger's trademark mix of humor and wry observation. Overall, a delightful and entertaining read!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable mystery with plenty of plot twists.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another classic private eye story with special twists. Very entertaining.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the first book better, but this was an entertaining mystery too.

[Dave Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky and quite entertaining

[Sophia Weng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Idk it was ok. I didn't really like the inner voice of the main character so it wasn't that fun to read but I did want to know who was the real killer and motive etc so somehow I finished it

[Michael Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid mystery crafted by Andy Weinberger. And I have to admit that Amos Parisman is a real mensch.

[Harold Cork · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the writing and characters, but the story was not as good as the first book