D.A. Mishani

This second entry in the Israeli crime series continues where the first left off (see >199 arubabookwoman:). In this one, Avi is having self-doubts about the mistakes he made or may have made during the investigation into the missing teen that was the subject of the first book. His self-doubt may affect how he is handling the new investigation.

In the present case, what appears to be a bomb has been left outside of a daycare center. It does not explode, but the police fear that it may have been a warning--to whom and about what is unknown. Avi begins to suspect that one of the fathers whose son goes to the daycare may be involved in some way, but his superiors think he's on the wrong track.

I like this Israeli series. There are excellent characterizations. It's not a "chase" book or a "shoot-'em-up". It's a more cerebral crime-solving book. And the Israeli setting and culture are interesting. I also like that the detective is not always right, and that he has doubts and is regularly second guessing himself. Amazon describes the series as "more-thoughtful than action-packed," which I quite liked.

3 stars… (más)

This is the first entry in a crime series featuring Israeli detective Avraham Avraham. While I found it somewhat slow moving, I much prefer that to crime novels that are all action and shoot-'em-up.

This case involves a school-boy teenager who left for school one morning and never came home. At first (and probably for too long) the case is treated as a simple runaway situation.

The interesting twist about this book for me is that Avraham's hobby is to read detective novels and prove to himself that the solutions the fictional detectives in these novels come up with are incorrect, with Avraham then determining what the correct solution is. Here, after the case of the missing teen is solved, Avraham's girlfriend poses an alternative solution, equally plausible. As the book ends, we cannot know whether the potential new culprit will be pursued, whether there will be further investigation, or whether the case will stand closed as is.

Which is why I have to go on to read the next volume--will there be further developments regarding this first case? And will alternate solutions be offered in all Avraham's cases?

Recommended.

3 stars… (más)