Thursday the rabbi walked out (Harry Kemelman)

Thursday the rabbi walked out  

by Harry Kemelman 
© Ann Kemelman   1978, 2003 

ISBN 0-7434-5860-5
Also available as an ibook from May 2003 
(www.ibooks.net)

As I read this mystery murder novel, 
I got to know quite a bit about the 
Jewish faith. Apparent anti-Semite 
sentiment is brought to the fore, but, 
surprisingly, the resolution is devoid
of this prejudice. 

Rabbi Small is conservative, but not 
full of himself. He makes himself
available to assist some of the
characters in times of need, as you
would expect a religious figure to do,
but without preaching. This quality 
sets him apart from the power-hungry
and money-rich that causeso much 
of the needless harm in the story.

To tell too much more would give 
away the plot, which is well-thought
through and presents a thorough 
background ofeach main character 
and is related in delightfully delicate
morsels thatgrow into a rounded tale
of the greed and petty-mindedness 
of relentlessly selfish individuals.

It is the seventh book in a series of
12 Rabbi Small books which began
with Friday the rabbi slept late. 
The author, Harry Kemelman, who
wrote many other novels including
The Nicky Welt stories (8 in all), 
died in late 1996, aged 88, after the 
release of the twelfth Rabbi Small 
book The day the rabbi left town
earlier that year. 

I intend to read more of his books
despite the poor print size of the 
USA-printed paperback I borrowed 
from my local library.