Review Summaries

• The available award and bibliographic sources show that the work was valued for its focused subject and clear structure. Readers can approach it as a book that deepens interest in its setting and historical context.

Reviews

• Enjoyable crime novel

  I thought this was excellent. I loved the insight into the religious Jewish community and thought this was very well balanced with the crime aspect of the story. I raced through the book and look forward to reading the next one, following the 'journey' of the main character.

• Murder in the closed Hassidic community

  The naked body of a woman is found in a scrap yard. Her head is shaven, a Hassidic tradition, and the scrap yard belongs to a rich and influential member of the Hassidic community. Young Tribune reporter Rebekah Roberts gets interested in the case because her mother was raised Hassidic. Aviva abandoned Rebekah as a baby, and has never been in touch since. So Rebekah has a lot of anxiety relating to her mother. Investigating this crime takes her deep into the Hassidic community life that her mother rebelled against, but never fully escaped. Rebekah is interested in getting justice for the murdered woman. But her bosses are even more interested in a possible police cover up. Either way, there's a story here that promises to be the making of Rebekah's career. Although the story reveals the inability of the Hassidic community to deal effectively with violence and child abuse within the community, it also explains, through the words of one of the characters, how the customs of the community arose and how their way of life protects members. So there's an attempt at a balanced view. But the secretive nature of the Hassidic lifestyle does make a perfect backdrop for a murder mystery. Rebekah's investigation is fascinating, and she's particularly appealing because she's inexperienced and finding her way by trial and error, despite a heavy load of personal baggage. I loved this book. I read the sequel, Run You Down, before Invisible City, which wasn't the best approach, but my enjoyment of both books was undiminished by reading them out of order. I look forward to future books in this series.

• Ultraothodoxer Lebensstil

  Ich war in Israel und habe die orthodoxen Wohngebiete in Jerusalem besucht. Die Chassidim sehen besonders urtümlich aus. Sie tragen am Sabbat Streimeln. Das sind osteuropäische Pelzmützen, die sie auch bei 40 Grad im Sommer tragen. An der Farbe der Mäntel läßt sich erkennen, zu welcher Gemeinschaft sie gehören: Gur, Satmer, Bels, Vishnitz, Chabad oder Bratslaw. Einige tragen Knickerbocker-Hosen und Kniestrümpfe, andere breite Gürtel. Die Litauer dagegen wirken weniger fremd. Sie tragen schwarzen Hut und Anzug und einen gestutzten Bart. Und sie verzichten auf lange Schläfenlocken. Das ganze Thema ist äußerst interessant. Eine unsichtbare Stadt innerhalb der Stadt. Diese Geschichte bringt seltene Einblicke in eine verborgene Gemeinschaft. Wie ein ethnographischer Krimi geschrieben. Die Spannung ist eher mäßig. Der Lerneffekt überdurchschnittlich.

• A great read.

  Dahl writes about Brooklyn, johnny rapers, local eateries an friends in high places, tied into the murder of an unhappy spouse. A great read.

• Jewish background intriguing.

  Enjoyed it sufficiently to buy the next novel. Fascinating and illuminating picture of the Ultra Orthodox Community.

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