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The Rabbi Small Mysteries #5
Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red
Paperback.
245 pages
First published January 1, 1973
375 people are currently reading
612 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 142 reviews
October 4, 2024
A GR friend asked me why I''m bothering with these books as they from the late 60s/early 70s. In my case I happen to be a 1970s retrophile so this is up my alley.
A part from a crackling good detective yarn, how Rabbi Small uses logic and intuition to solve a crime. It also has educational insights into Judaism for the lay person, and a scope on social issues of the time in this case dealing with early 70s radicals (when you got the Weathervane terrorists, and feminism was comm0nly called Women's Lib.
I enjoy these books.
A part from a crackling good detective yarn, how Rabbi Small uses logic and intuition to solve a crime. It also has educational insights into Judaism for the lay person, and a scope on social issues of the time in this case dealing with early 70s radicals (when you got the Weathervane terrorists, and feminism was comm0nly called Women's Lib.
I enjoy these books.
November 21, 2017
Op een of andere manier kan ik sinds de zomervakantie mijn draai wat betreft boeken even niet vinden. Dit boek lag nog klaar na een lovende recensie hier op Goodreads. En het is goed bevallen. Het is een whodunnit, maar anders dan anders. Nergens had ik het gevoel dat ik echt een misdaadroman aan het lezen was. Het verhaal zit goed in elkaar, geen haastige spoed maar langzame zekere schreden richting de oplossing. Het meest interessant vind ik het inkijkje in de Joodse cultuur. Daar weet ik weinig van en het is uitermate boeiend om te lezen over Joodse gebruiken, filosofie en het leven van een Rabbi. Erg interessant.
Somehow, eversince the summer holidays, I have not been able to reminder nu readingmojo. This book looked like a welcome break and was sitting on my shelf, after a rewarding review on Goodreads. And it is well-liked. It's a whodunnit, but different than anything else. Nowhere did I feel like I was really reading a crime novel. The story is well-connected, not fast-paced but slow-moving to the solution. Most interestingly I find the bits on Jewish culture. I know little about it and it is extremely interesting to read about Jewish practices, philosophy and the life of a Rabbi. I will certainly read some more by this author.
Somehow, eversince the summer holidays, I have not been able to reminder nu readingmojo. This book looked like a welcome break and was sitting on my shelf, after a rewarding review on Goodreads. And it is well-liked. It's a whodunnit, but different than anything else. Nowhere did I feel like I was really reading a crime novel. The story is well-connected, not fast-paced but slow-moving to the solution. Most interestingly I find the bits on Jewish culture. I know little about it and it is extremely interesting to read about Jewish practices, philosophy and the life of a Rabbi. I will certainly read some more by this author.
July 31, 2022
In Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red, Rabbi David Small accepts an offer to teach a course in Jewish Thought and Philosophy at Windemere Christian College in Boston. If you’ve read any of the books in the Rabbi Small Mysteries series (this is the fifth), you know that this is right up the rabbi’s alley. He believes that a rabbi’s primary role is to be a teacher.
He is disappointed to discover that most of his students enrolled in his class because it’s considered an easy A. What’s more, the majority of the students regularly cut the Friday afternoon session of the class. In order to overcome his frustration, he has to work harder than he expected to engage the students.
Things take an unexpected turn when another professor is found dead after an explosion. The police suspect some of Rabbi Small’s students of planting the bomb, but the rabbi doesn’t agree that the facts support the official position. As he has done in the past, he applies his Talmudic reasoning skills and his acute powers of observation to help solve the case.
Listening to Rabbi Small expound on Jewish thought is one of the best aspects of the books in this series, and this one is no exception. Teaching at a (nominally) Christian college provides an opportunity for him to teach his students about some of the differences that he sees between Judaism and Christianity. He is very respectful of Christianity but quite naturally prefers the Jewish approach.
He tells his students that “‘Christianity is … other-worldly, heaven-oriented, while our religion is this-world oriented. We oppose what is evil in the world and enjoy the good things, spiritual and material, it has to offer.’” “‘Christianity is a very pleasant religion. It offers a number of highly desirable responses to questions that have beset man down through the ages. He fears death and finds life too short, and the church offers him a world after death with a life everlasting. All we can offer in that respect is the hope that he will live on in his children and in the memory of his friends.’” When a student questions the benefit of that worldview, he says, “‘It doesn’t permit us to dodge problems, but it does help us to solve them, if only by recognizing they exist.’”
Maybe this explains why Rabbi Small takes such an interest in, and is so good, at solving crimes.
I’ve been enjoying the books in this series, and Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red is no exception. I did guess the identity of the perpetrator quite a while before it was revealed, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. It’s a pleasant mystery story (to the extent that any story involving murder can be described as “pleasant”) with interesting insights into Jewish thought and culture added to the mix.
He is disappointed to discover that most of his students enrolled in his class because it’s considered an easy A. What’s more, the majority of the students regularly cut the Friday afternoon session of the class. In order to overcome his frustration, he has to work harder than he expected to engage the students.
Things take an unexpected turn when another professor is found dead after an explosion. The police suspect some of Rabbi Small’s students of planting the bomb, but the rabbi doesn’t agree that the facts support the official position. As he has done in the past, he applies his Talmudic reasoning skills and his acute powers of observation to help solve the case.
Listening to Rabbi Small expound on Jewish thought is one of the best aspects of the books in this series, and this one is no exception. Teaching at a (nominally) Christian college provides an opportunity for him to teach his students about some of the differences that he sees between Judaism and Christianity. He is very respectful of Christianity but quite naturally prefers the Jewish approach.
He tells his students that “‘Christianity is … other-worldly, heaven-oriented, while our religion is this-world oriented. We oppose what is evil in the world and enjoy the good things, spiritual and material, it has to offer.’” “‘Christianity is a very pleasant religion. It offers a number of highly desirable responses to questions that have beset man down through the ages. He fears death and finds life too short, and the church offers him a world after death with a life everlasting. All we can offer in that respect is the hope that he will live on in his children and in the memory of his friends.’” When a student questions the benefit of that worldview, he says, “‘It doesn’t permit us to dodge problems, but it does help us to solve them, if only by recognizing they exist.’”
Maybe this explains why Rabbi Small takes such an interest in, and is so good, at solving crimes.
I’ve been enjoying the books in this series, and Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red is no exception. I did guess the identity of the perpetrator quite a while before it was revealed, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. It’s a pleasant mystery story (to the extent that any story involving murder can be described as “pleasant”) with interesting insights into Jewish thought and culture added to the mix.
June 9, 2019
3.5*
I found the mystery in this 5th book in the series below the standard of the previous books (I could tell who the culprit was right away, even before the body was discovered!). However, I enjoyed the setting (a small liberal arts college in the early 1970s) immensely and I also liked the fact that for once there was very little about the politics of Rabbi Small's congregation.
I found the mystery in this 5th book in the series below the standard of the previous books (I could tell who the culprit was right away, even before the body was discovered!). However, I enjoyed the setting (a small liberal arts college in the early 1970s) immensely and I also liked the fact that for once there was very little about the politics of Rabbi Small's congregation.
February 14, 2025
I love Rabbi David Small. He is so intuitive, and I learn a bit more about the Jewish religion in each mystery I read. I love how the author throws in some red herrings along the way too to keep you guessing at who really did the crime and what the motive was. Great story.
ETA: I just relistened to this book and I love the sardonic humor, especially between Rabbi David Small and the Catholic chief of police (whose name escapes me at the moment). There is trouble brewing at the local campus where Rabbi Small is filling in as a visiting professor. However, after some student protests, the other professor doesn't show up to work.
Set in Barnard’s Cross, where most of the residents are Jewish, and most businesses shut down for the Sabbath from Friday night to Saturday night, it’s a very homogenous community; at least on first glance. But rivalries, petty bickering and vengeance can rear its head in very ugly ways – including murder.
Was the murder the work of anti-Semitism? Student protest? Some other political or cultural reason. Tag along with Rabbi Small and see if you can uncover the culprit and why they did it before he does.
ETA: I just relistened to this book and I love the sardonic humor, especially between Rabbi David Small and the Catholic chief of police (whose name escapes me at the moment). There is trouble brewing at the local campus where Rabbi Small is filling in as a visiting professor. However, after some student protests, the other professor doesn't show up to work.
Set in Barnard’s Cross, where most of the residents are Jewish, and most businesses shut down for the Sabbath from Friday night to Saturday night, it’s a very homogenous community; at least on first glance. But rivalries, petty bickering and vengeance can rear its head in very ugly ways – including murder.
Was the murder the work of anti-Semitism? Student protest? Some other political or cultural reason. Tag along with Rabbi Small and see if you can uncover the culprit and why they did it before he does.
February 15, 2009
Another short little murder mystery with some interesting observations about Jewish customs and religion. I feel like the author keeps us at too much of an emotional distance from Rabbi Small, and that keeps these books from being more than just pleasant, light reads. But I'm interested enough to continue on to the Wednesday book.
April 20, 2017
Very enjoyable and I particularly like the Rabbi's Talmudic discussions.
January 25, 2021
I can't really give this book a bad rating. Its well told and the characters are interestingly developed and presented.
Its just not for me. It takes more than ten chapters before the Rabbi gets involved in a case, and even then its 90% people talking and going about their lives and 10% actual case. Did not finish.
Its just not for me. It takes more than ten chapters before the Rabbi gets involved in a case, and even then its 90% people talking and going about their lives and 10% actual case. Did not finish.
August 5, 2025
Rabbi Smalls is called in to pinch hit teaching at a small college. It's a regular Peyton Place with all the faculty, the administrations, and the students having all kinds of secrets. Because it's the early 70's, there are protests and a bombing.
The book has a critique of higher education, that only now people are starting to accept as true.
The book has a critique of higher education, that only now people are starting to accept as true.
December 8, 2018
Absolutely love this series
Another fantastic story in the life of Rabbi Small. This book like the previous books in this series left me smiling. Not a modern fiction starting in the midst of action and rushing strait through to the finish. This is an old school style where characters are fully developed til you feel like you’ve known them forever. Both sides are shown to each issue mentioned and the depth is remarkable. This one is at a new location with new characters and as Rabbi Small gets to know them you see them and some of their alibis. Then the bombing / murder happens and you are right their trying to figure it out. I really love this series. After reading book one I bought the first seven in this series. Plan on buying the next five tomorrow. The characterization, plots, and depth of discussion in these books is beyond compare. Highly recommend!
Another fantastic story in the life of Rabbi Small. This book like the previous books in this series left me smiling. Not a modern fiction starting in the midst of action and rushing strait through to the finish. This is an old school style where characters are fully developed til you feel like you’ve known them forever. Both sides are shown to each issue mentioned and the depth is remarkable. This one is at a new location with new characters and as Rabbi Small gets to know them you see them and some of their alibis. Then the bombing / murder happens and you are right their trying to figure it out. I really love this series. After reading book one I bought the first seven in this series. Plan on buying the next five tomorrow. The characterization, plots, and depth of discussion in these books is beyond compare. Highly recommend!
December 21, 2015
I thought this was one of the better books in this series. The change of place from the community to a college gave the Rabbi a little more personality and made the education into Jewish law and life not quite so out of place.
September 23, 2021
It's mid-September and Rabbi Small fills in as a substitute teacher for a college course in Jewish Thought and Philosophy at a small Liberal Arts college nearby. Student unrest contributes to challenges for the Rabbi as well as the usual congregational politics. when another professor is killed (supposedly during a bomb explosion), Rabbi Small, with some help from Police Chief Lanigan, investigates.
September 23, 2021
Rabbi Small battles a storm (both literal and figurative)in this sixth book of the series. During a wind storm the wrong prescription is given to an old man who dies as a result -- accident or ??? David has the usual disagreements with the Temple's Board of Directors and we get lots of discussions about Talmudic Judaism. The Rabbi, as usual, uses his Talmudic reasoning skills to help Chief Lanigan uncover the truth and clear innocent people of suspicion.
June 29, 2021
This was the second time I read this book. Can't remember when I first came across the series, but it was probably back in the 70s.
It's one of a series of entertaining murder mysteries with a mild-mannered rabbi at their heart, and a
lovely flavour of Jewishness about them.
It's one of a series of entertaining murder mysteries with a mild-mannered rabbi at their heart, and a
lovely flavour of Jewishness about them.
June 7, 2021
The rabbi begins teaching a college class on Jewish beliefs. He finds it difficult to work with the young people. This book was probably written during the time of college unrest on campuses in the U.S. At a time of disruption, one of the professors is killed. It happens that the rabbi shared an office with the professor. Once again the rabbi uses his critic thinking to determine the guilty person. The plot was a nice change of pace as there is not much interaction with the temple board.
November 26, 2021
O rabino concretiza o sonho de ensinar, mas não deixa de exercer os seus dotes de detective nas horas vagas.
May 7, 2025
Probably a 3.5. My first in this series. Definitely intend to read more.
Good characters and world-building. Satisfying (albeit slightly intricate) conclusion to the mystery. VERY bad actual ending.
Good characters and world-building. Satisfying (albeit slightly intricate) conclusion to the mystery. VERY bad actual ending.
September 3, 2025
I really enjoy rabbi Small!
I guessed the culprit from the very beginning though. Still a simple enjoyment.
I guessed the culprit from the very beginning though. Still a simple enjoyment.
September 1, 2017
Three Days with the Rabbi
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
June 10, 2021
Ah, back in the fascinating world or Rabbi David Small. What a treat this was, as they always are. I fear this is the last of them I’ve not read, so this may well be a long and heart-felt farewell to the only rabbi I’ve ever known. But I’ll keep that long stuff only in my head and keep the review short for your sake. I regret that, because I can’t find spellings of character names, I won’t refer to them in this review. That’s the major glaring downside of an audiobook.
Rabbi Small takes the call in early September. Windemere Christian College needs a rabbi who can teach a class on Jewish philosophy and thought. The previous guy didn’t want to do it, and since the dean of the college grew up in the same town where Rabbi Small has his congregation, she felt he would do an excellent job. He accepted.
The quiet rabbi shares an office with an irascible English department head who proudly displays a heavy bust of Homer on a high shelf above his desk. Small’s officemate has little good to say about Jews, but his nastiness is all-inclusive, since he lashes out at blacks, the Irish, and any other minority. But the quiet rabbi doesn’t use the office much, so he doesn’t interact with the guy enough to dislike him.
Classes aren’t easy at first. The students with their lack of respect anger Small. This is a little liberal arts college in the years after Kent State but before the end of the Vietnam War, so tensions run high. Students are unhappy that a somewhat radical Jewish professor won’t get a contract renewal, and they have a dialogue-filled sit-in at the dean’s office. They get nasty and profane with her, and she walks out of the office and doesn’t return. Minutes later, someone explodes a bomb near Rabbi Small’s office, and the heavy bust of Homer leaves the shelf and takes up a new resting place on the head of Small’s curmudgeonly officemate. The explosion didn’t kill him; but that bust of Homer did. The question is, did the bust fall because of the explosion? Or did some other sinister force come into play?
Like the other books in the series, this one teaches much about Judaism as it existed in the early and mid-1970s. I love the philosophical stuff here. You learn so much about Judaism, and the good rabbi relies heavily on his knowledge of the Talmud to help crack the case.
Rabbi Small takes the call in early September. Windemere Christian College needs a rabbi who can teach a class on Jewish philosophy and thought. The previous guy didn’t want to do it, and since the dean of the college grew up in the same town where Rabbi Small has his congregation, she felt he would do an excellent job. He accepted.
The quiet rabbi shares an office with an irascible English department head who proudly displays a heavy bust of Homer on a high shelf above his desk. Small’s officemate has little good to say about Jews, but his nastiness is all-inclusive, since he lashes out at blacks, the Irish, and any other minority. But the quiet rabbi doesn’t use the office much, so he doesn’t interact with the guy enough to dislike him.
Classes aren’t easy at first. The students with their lack of respect anger Small. This is a little liberal arts college in the years after Kent State but before the end of the Vietnam War, so tensions run high. Students are unhappy that a somewhat radical Jewish professor won’t get a contract renewal, and they have a dialogue-filled sit-in at the dean’s office. They get nasty and profane with her, and she walks out of the office and doesn’t return. Minutes later, someone explodes a bomb near Rabbi Small’s office, and the heavy bust of Homer leaves the shelf and takes up a new resting place on the head of Small’s curmudgeonly officemate. The explosion didn’t kill him; but that bust of Homer did. The question is, did the bust fall because of the explosion? Or did some other sinister force come into play?
Like the other books in the series, this one teaches much about Judaism as it existed in the early and mid-1970s. I love the philosophical stuff here. You learn so much about Judaism, and the good rabbi relies heavily on his knowledge of the Talmud to help crack the case.
February 28, 2020
This is the sixth book in the Rabbi series that I have read. Somehow I read the sixth book (Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet) before I read this one which is the fifth in the series.
As I mentioned in my earlier reviews, I am not a fan of mystery books so the fact that I’ve gotten hooked on this series says quite a bit about how enjoyable Harry Kemelman’s books are. I am an atheist who is culturally Jewish so reading the Rabbi books is a bit like comfort food; not necessary the most delicious or best for you but something that takes you to a place where you feel good. Reading these books I “know” all of the characters - the devout, the “twice a year Jews”, and the board presidents who battle for control with the Rabbi. Whether you were dragged to temple by your parents when you were young or if you are someone who goes to services every week, you will enjoy the “cultural comfort” of these books. And, if you know nothing of Judaism, these books are a kind of “behind the scenes” peek at how it all works.
The best part of the Rabbi books are where Rabbi Small brings argument and interpretation from the Talmud (books which contain 517 chapters on Jewish law) to help the local Catholic chief of police solve a murder. This is about as extreme of the adage, “what’s old is what’s new” as you can get!
Kemelman’s characters and his story lines are engaging and enjoyable which makes these books a quick and entertaining read. Most of the storyline in this book takes place at a college in Boston. Not only is this a nice change of scenery but I’m sure that the residents of Barnard's Crossing were relieved that they went a whole book where someone wasn’t murdered in their small town ;-)
I was disappointed with the book after this one, Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet, and was concerned that Kemelman has lost his touch. I’m anxiously awaiting the seventh book - Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out - to arrive via interlibrary loan to see if the sixth book was just an anomaly.
As I mentioned in my earlier reviews, I am not a fan of mystery books so the fact that I’ve gotten hooked on this series says quite a bit about how enjoyable Harry Kemelman’s books are. I am an atheist who is culturally Jewish so reading the Rabbi books is a bit like comfort food; not necessary the most delicious or best for you but something that takes you to a place where you feel good. Reading these books I “know” all of the characters - the devout, the “twice a year Jews”, and the board presidents who battle for control with the Rabbi. Whether you were dragged to temple by your parents when you were young or if you are someone who goes to services every week, you will enjoy the “cultural comfort” of these books. And, if you know nothing of Judaism, these books are a kind of “behind the scenes” peek at how it all works.
The best part of the Rabbi books are where Rabbi Small brings argument and interpretation from the Talmud (books which contain 517 chapters on Jewish law) to help the local Catholic chief of police solve a murder. This is about as extreme of the adage, “what’s old is what’s new” as you can get!
Kemelman’s characters and his story lines are engaging and enjoyable which makes these books a quick and entertaining read. Most of the storyline in this book takes place at a college in Boston. Not only is this a nice change of scenery but I’m sure that the residents of Barnard's Crossing were relieved that they went a whole book where someone wasn’t murdered in their small town ;-)
I was disappointed with the book after this one, Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet, and was concerned that Kemelman has lost his touch. I’m anxiously awaiting the seventh book - Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out - to arrive via interlibrary loan to see if the sixth book was just an anomaly.
January 31, 2021
I find myself drawn to books from an earlier time of late. This one, with a dash of social unrest seems quaint by today's standards. I mean the students want to protest, so they protest at their school - they don't storm the capitol. But I guess if they were in their late teens early twenties in the 1970s then maybe, maybe they could have been in the crowd on January 6th 2021.
I was pretty surprised in the opening chapter that the bride to be is considering a caterer who serves lobster. Shellfish? Really? What's that all about? I really couldn't imagine why she was doing that. Her dad seems mad only because the caterer wasn't his long time client and he wanted his business to be reciprocal. But I guess we are trying to show she is "modern." Modern enough to want a non-kosher wedding at a Jewish temple? I mean, seriously? Is that a thing? Do people do that? I'm kinda wondering how anyone in this book got through their bar/bat mitzvahs - the world will never know Even her fiance' is visibly uncomfortable with having a non-kosher wedding dinner. And even though this is not a spoiler nor even an important plot point I like how the incident paints a picture of this community.
Mostly I read these books for the slice of life that is offered up. Science Fiction writers call this "world building." At the time it was written it was wasn't "world building" it just Was the world, but now that the world has changed so much the series is a lovely artifact.
Although I consistently enjoy them sometimes I need to take a break because the constant squabbling of the board members of the congregation is depressing. They don't appreciate Rabbi Small and he seems like such a freakin' reasonable character. Even tempered, polite, precise. He usually solves by deduction, not lucky breaks. But then I go back for yet another book in the series and I am not disappointed
I was pretty surprised in the opening chapter that the bride to be is considering a caterer who serves lobster. Shellfish? Really? What's that all about? I really couldn't imagine why she was doing that. Her dad seems mad only because the caterer wasn't his long time client and he wanted his business to be reciprocal. But I guess we are trying to show she is "modern." Modern enough to want a non-kosher wedding at a Jewish temple? I mean, seriously? Is that a thing? Do people do that? I'm kinda wondering how anyone in this book got through their bar/bat mitzvahs - the world will never know Even her fiance' is visibly uncomfortable with having a non-kosher wedding dinner. And even though this is not a spoiler nor even an important plot point I like how the incident paints a picture of this community.
Mostly I read these books for the slice of life that is offered up. Science Fiction writers call this "world building." At the time it was written it was wasn't "world building" it just Was the world, but now that the world has changed so much the series is a lovely artifact.
Although I consistently enjoy them sometimes I need to take a break because the constant squabbling of the board members of the congregation is depressing. They don't appreciate Rabbi Small and he seems like such a freakin' reasonable character. Even tempered, polite, precise. He usually solves by deduction, not lucky breaks. But then I go back for yet another book in the series and I am not disappointed
July 6, 2018
This was an entertaining book. Kemelman seemed to enjoy imparting lessons from the Talmud and seemed eager to educate his readers on Jewish thought. Some of the more entertaining portion of the book is when the rabbi is explaining Jewish philosophy to gentiles and other Jews.
The language that Kemelman uses for the college kids is dated. I found the dialogues involving the college students annoying. I don't think that Kemelman had much respect for the intelligence of college students.
The plot and the crime solving were good, except for the manner in which the murder is committed. For the murder to happen the way it was described would have to involve everything being perfect. A few inches to the right or left and there would have been no book. The murderer was not assured of success in the way it was committed.
It was nice to have a lesson in Jewish thought and how the rabbi views the world, society and the individual's place in both.
I was about a third into the book when I realized that I had read it a long time ago and since I didn't remember much I decided to continue reading. I remember that I enjoyed the book when I first read it and the second time around the book was still enjoyable, even though I had an inkling on the resolution of the plot.
The language that Kemelman uses for the college kids is dated. I found the dialogues involving the college students annoying. I don't think that Kemelman had much respect for the intelligence of college students.
The plot and the crime solving were good, except for the manner in which the murder is committed. For the murder to happen the way it was described would have to involve everything being perfect. A few inches to the right or left and there would have been no book. The murderer was not assured of success in the way it was committed.
It was nice to have a lesson in Jewish thought and how the rabbi views the world, society and the individual's place in both.
I was about a third into the book when I realized that I had read it a long time ago and since I didn't remember much I decided to continue reading. I remember that I enjoyed the book when I first read it and the second time around the book was still enjoyable, even though I had an inkling on the resolution of the plot.
June 8, 2020
In this one Rabbi Small has been asked to take over a course in Jewish Thought at the local college. The story was written in the early 1970s and there's a lot of beeswax about Kids These Days and hippie stereotypes and giggling over people who use "Ms." The rabbi is our central investigator and is portrayed as sensible, trained in the methods of rabbinical judgment, yet capable of thinking unconventionally. These are comfy books in much the same way the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency books are: a pleasant protagonist and many mundane concerns.
There was one point I found less than comfy, and that was the police detective's repeated assertion, which went unchallenged, that cleaning ladies -- "you know how they are" -- were routinely dishonest in small ways. I found this strange because, in the first place, it's been my experience that housecleaners are scrupulously honest, and in the second place, everywhere else in the narrative we're being reminded to treat people with respect. Just not a housekeeper, apparently.
Aside from that, a pleasant read where it was easy to keep turning the pages.
There was one point I found less than comfy, and that was the police detective's repeated assertion, which went unchallenged, that cleaning ladies -- "you know how they are" -- were routinely dishonest in small ways. I found this strange because, in the first place, it's been my experience that housecleaners are scrupulously honest, and in the second place, everywhere else in the narrative we're being reminded to treat people with respect. Just not a housekeeper, apparently.
Aside from that, a pleasant read where it was easy to keep turning the pages.
November 7, 2019
A re-read off my shelves after some years. I enjoy Harry Kemelman's Rabbi Small series and this is no different. I suppose one would class them as cosy mysteries but Kemelman said in print somewhere that part of his reason for writing this series was to explain the Jewish faith and culture. He does this excellently along with providing a good mystery. In this book I don’t always agree with his rather glib comments about Christianity; they may be true for some Christians but we come with many different ideas and beliefs even though we all worship the triune God. OTOH I find much that is interesting and desirable in his accounts of the Jewish faith.
The book is very much located in the world of the 1960s to 70s, (it was written at that time) with student unrest and the background of civil rights movements.
The rabbi is invited to teach three one-hour classes each week in a small Bostonian college. Throughout the story we see academic and student thought as it was then as well as the struggles in being part of a 'religious' organisation. A good picture of the time.
The book is very much located in the world of the 1960s to 70s, (it was written at that time) with student unrest and the background of civil rights movements.
The rabbi is invited to teach three one-hour classes each week in a small Bostonian college. Throughout the story we see academic and student thought as it was then as well as the struggles in being part of a 'religious' organisation. A good picture of the time.
June 13, 2022
As with most/all of the Rabbi Small mysteries, it’s important to note that these books were a product of their time, and some of what takes place in them doesn’t quite square with modern sensibilities.
That said, this one goes from 3 to 4 stars for being probably the hardest mystery to figure out thus far, or it’s probably better to say that I was totally wrong about the culprit.
One thing I didn’t like was that the reason the Rabbi saw red seemed horribly contrived. He’s well versed with college-aged students and has rarely been the type to make snap judgements of situations, so him getting so angry instead of just asking a few questions was vastly out of character, especially when he wasn’t at all provoked by a particularly boorish colleague.
The sexual dynamics in this book also show how loony the attitudes from the 50s colliding with the those of the 70s were. The way the epilogue shook out would never happen in 2022.
Still, these books are so fun that I can’t help but give my highest recommendation again for fans of the series.
That said, this one goes from 3 to 4 stars for being probably the hardest mystery to figure out thus far, or it’s probably better to say that I was totally wrong about the culprit.
One thing I didn’t like was that the reason the Rabbi saw red seemed horribly contrived. He’s well versed with college-aged students and has rarely been the type to make snap judgements of situations, so him getting so angry instead of just asking a few questions was vastly out of character, especially when he wasn’t at all provoked by a particularly boorish colleague.
The sexual dynamics in this book also show how loony the attitudes from the 50s colliding with the those of the 70s were. The way the epilogue shook out would never happen in 2022.
Still, these books are so fun that I can’t help but give my highest recommendation again for fans of the series.
March 22, 2023
I liked this one quite a bit, except for the ending, which (IMO) is terrible. (rant ahead)
May 27, 2024
Another murder solved by the Rabbi. This one centers around a college in Boston not to far from Barnard’s Crossing. Besides his part in solving the crime it also tells of his class on Jewish Thought that he is asked to teach at the college. It ends up being a learning experience for the Rabbi as well as the students. At times he is disappointed but eventually he is able to adjust and interest the students.
This time the Rabbi is not dealing with the local Barnard’s Crossing police but the Boston police department and an assistant District Attorney from Boston. At one point Rabbi Small is even consider a suspect. The police and District Attorney’s office stumble through their list of suspects and in the end, it is the Rabbi who figures out the murderer and how they did it.
As usual we are given a lesson in Jewish thought and culture and a glimpse into the congregation at the synagogue that David Small is the Rabbi at. I always find the congregation's interactions interesting since I am not Jewish, but very similar in Baptist churches I have attended. Regardless of the religion most people are the same.
This time the Rabbi is not dealing with the local Barnard’s Crossing police but the Boston police department and an assistant District Attorney from Boston. At one point Rabbi Small is even consider a suspect. The police and District Attorney’s office stumble through their list of suspects and in the end, it is the Rabbi who figures out the murderer and how they did it.
As usual we are given a lesson in Jewish thought and culture and a glimpse into the congregation at the synagogue that David Small is the Rabbi at. I always find the congregation's interactions interesting since I am not Jewish, but very similar in Baptist churches I have attended. Regardless of the religion most people are the same.
April 18, 2018
Rabbi David Small agrees to substitute for one term for a friend of his who is teaching a course in Jewish Thought and Philosophy at a local college. After the Kent State shootings, there is unrest among the student activists, and one of them sets off a small bomb in the dean's office on a day when the building was supposed to be empty. But the body of a professor is found in his office, a seeming accidental death, until the rabbi takes a closer look at the evidence.
Like the previous book of the series, this one was rather heavy on the politics of the time, focusing in this volume on the student activism that proliferated across the country after the Kent State shootings in 1970. I'm afraid it rather bored me for most of the book because the characters were not very likeable, and my interest was only piqued in the end when the rabbi pieces together how the murder took place. I think I'll take a break from this series for awhile.
Like the previous book of the series, this one was rather heavy on the politics of the time, focusing in this volume on the student activism that proliferated across the country after the Kent State shootings in 1970. I'm afraid it rather bored me for most of the book because the characters were not very likeable, and my interest was only piqued in the end when the rabbi pieces together how the murder took place. I think I'll take a break from this series for awhile.
August 13, 2021
#5 in the Rabbi Small mystery series. David Small is the rabbi at the synagogue in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts. He is conservative, a scholar rather than out going cheer leader type of person, so is not what his congregation expects a rabbi to be. So he finds himself working the police chief to solve a murder while also dealing with congregation leaders who would rather have someone else as rabbi or are at odds with him over their personal goals and what is good for the congregation.
As usual, for a variety of reasons, people in Small's congregation would like to see him gone and can't accept it when he won't don't what they want because it doesn't fit his view of how things should be. He takes I job teaching a course on Jewish philosophy at Windemere Christian College which also is dealing with protesting students a recent bombing. Then a fellow professor is murdered and Small becomes involved in the investigation when the chief suspect is a Jew he recently married.
As usual, for a variety of reasons, people in Small's congregation would like to see him gone and can't accept it when he won't don't what they want because it doesn't fit his view of how things should be. He takes I job teaching a course on Jewish philosophy at Windemere Christian College which also is dealing with protesting students a recent bombing. Then a fellow professor is murdered and Small becomes involved in the investigation when the chief suspect is a Jew he recently married.
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