When his temple is defaced, Lieberman battles Chicago’s most hateful citizens
Over a decades-long career in Chicago homicide, Abe Lieberman has something most cops only dream of: a personal life. He has hobbies, a wife, and a grandchild who is about to celebrate his bar mitzvah. But Lieberman’s personal and professional lives collide when his temple is attacked by vandals, and he uncovers a river of hate that runs right through the heart of Chicago’s North Side. Too moderate for the hard-liners, too outspoken to win friends among the Arabs, the Conservative Temple Mir Shavot is caught in the middle of the Israeli-Palestinian debate. When a hate group breaks into the temple, scrawling graffiti and stealing a valuable Torah, Lieberman must decide if the guilty party was neo-Nazis, militant Palestinians—even, perhaps, a group of uncompromising Orthodox Jews. Death waits at the intersection of politics and religion, and Abe Lieberman must face it head on.
Stuart M. Kaminsky wrote 50 published novels, 5 biographies, 4 textbooks and 35 short stories. He also has screenwriting credits on four produced films including ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, ENEMY TERRITORY, A WOMAN IN THE WIND and HIDDEN FEARS. He was a past president of the Mystery Writers of America and was nominated for six prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Awards including one for his short story “Snow” in 1999. He won an Edgar for his novel A COLD RED SUNRISE, which was also awarded the Prix De Roman D’Aventure of France. He was nominated for both a Shamus Award and a McCavity Readers Choice Award.
Kaminsky wrote several popular series including those featuring Lew Fonesca, Abraham Lieberman, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, and Toby Peters. He also wrote two original "Rockford Files " novels. He was the 50th annual recipient of the Grandmaster 2006 for Lifetime Achievement from the Mystery Writers of America.
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2007.
His nonfiction books including BASIC FILMMAKING, WRITING FOR TELEVISION, AMERICAN FILM GENRES, and biographies of GARY COOPER, CLINT EASTWOOD, JOHN HUSTON and DON SIEGEL. BEHIND THE MYSTERY was published by Hot House Press in 2005 and nominated by Mystery Writers of America for Best Critical/Biographical book in 2006.
Kaminsky held a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in English from The University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Speech from Northwestern University where he taught for 16 years before becoming a Professor at Florida State. where he headed the Graduate Conservatory in Film and Television Production. He left Florida State in 1994 to pursue full-time writing.
Kaminsky and his wife, Enid Perll, moved to St. Louis, Missouri in March 2009 to await a liver transplant to treat the hepatitis he contracted as an army medic in the late 1950s in France. He suffered a stroke two days after their arrival in St. Louis, which made him ineligible for a transplant. He died on October 9, 2009.
An enjoyable read, like all Kaminsky's books I've read so far. But this one was a bit more serious, I think, and dealt with some volatile issues, such as the Israeli-Palestinian problems and racism among skin-heads, radical Muslims, and even blacks. But there seemed to be no agenda by the author, except perhaps that there are good and bad people on both sides, except for the skinheads.
There was a lot of Jewish culture thrown about, and I'm not sure if someone completely ignorant of this would follow some of the book. Most likely it would not be a roadblock, but if you are Jewish, you might relate to it more, especially some of the food references. It made me hungry, but unfortunately, there is no Jewish food anywhere close to where I live.
I didn't give it 5 stars, mostly because in the end, there was one mysterious bad guy who just kind of faded away and we never find out who he was or what happened to him... apparently, nothing.
I have really enjoyed this series so far. This is #5. I like the characters and the story line has been very engaging since book one. Quick Recap. Abe Lieberman and Bill Hanrahan are Chicago area cops. Abe is Jewish and Bill is Catholic. Despite their religious differences, they are good friends. Abe is married to Bess. They have a daughter, Lisa, who is divorced and lives in California. Bess and Abe are raising her 2 kids. I don't care much for the character Lisa. She is selfish and how can a mother abandon her kids like that. Bill is divorced. He is a recovering alcoholic. He had 2 sons and up until this book, they haven't spoken to Bill. Michael has come home to recover from his alcohol addiction and he has asked his father to help. Bill is engaged to an Asian woman named Iris, but I think he still loves his first wife, Maureen. Maish, is Abe's brother who owns a restaurant. HIs son was murdered by a black man. Lisa, in this book, has come home for her son Barry's bar mitzvah and she has just married a black man, a doctor.
This book is about terrorism. Local terrorism. It starts as a flash back to a scene in Isreal where a brother and sister see their family murdered by a Jewish man. But, as an ironic turn, they are actually saved by another Jewish man. Fast forward to today and this brother and sister now live in Chicago and they are still reeling from their past and inflict their hate on others. Kaminsky kind of complicates things because he gets the skin head Nazi's involved in this war between the Muslims and the Jews. It really hits home when the Synagogue that the Lieberman's attend has been broken into and trashed and the invaluable Torah has been stolen.
So, the book progresses with the plot of the terrorism as well as the story line of the 2 cops and their families.
I have to be honest, the first part of this book was slow going for me. I didn't have much interest in getting back to it. It finally picked up in the middle. From there, it was engaging until the end. The end was a bit confusing and there are some loose ends that did not get resolved like the Korean thug who vows revenge against the young girl who shot him. I know there is more to this series and I intend to continue. This one, however, was not one of my favorites but I really like the characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Abe Lieberman, a Jewish Chicago Detective and his partner an Irish Detective are dealing with the attack on Abe's synagogue as well as a number of others and also with gangs and groups of Skinheads, Muslims, Jewish activists, Korean and black kids from the projects as well as everyday home life of each of them. A busy and gritty tale of the underside of Chicago.
Here, Lieberman is more of a tough guy, like an old, Jewish Lucas Davenport, than his usual low key self. I prefer Lieberman’s usual persona, so this doesn’t get the usual four stars. But it is a fine page-turner.
Lieberman and Hanrahan performed on point, it was the ending that I felt didn’t deliver. I just didn’t feel like the author elaborated enough on the true villain of the book.
If I didn't know as much about Chicago and for more than half of the last century with first hand experience within it, I would have given this Lieberman's Law a 4 stars. But because #5 is far more dire I feel that this 3.5 star rating cannot be rounded up. Not because of the seriousness of these issues and events at all- but because Kaminsky doesn't traipse the lines I think he should have. I think he wasn't brave enough to even approach the destruction and criminality of the past against Chicago citizens and their property and lives. Only my opinion, but when you write about cases of terrorism in Chicago in the 1990's, in the 1960's, in the 2010's or 2020's- I think you just HAVE to realistically portray the depth and the outcomes more closely to what truly exists/ happens/ happened. It has lifelong effect and injury and it isn't just fixing screens, or walls, or finding a stolen Torah. Many never recover despite remaining alive. Many don't remain alive through pure prejudice, as well. And media has NEVER approached the scale or depth of outcomes either. Never.
No synopsis. Most do that with this one because of great changes in Lieberman's and Hanrahan's lives composed and composited upon and next to the anti-Jewish hatred expressed in the violation of the synagogues. And far more than just the criminal elements of expression for anti-Jewish prejudice and vile words and behaviors.
The first half had so much background information and inner synagogues' hierarchies etc. that it was more difficult to read than the Lieberman series I've finished so far. Also there is more violent death than the last few. Overall the book also held immense sadness, IMHO. Even within the various top 2 or 3 families. Alcoholism inherited. Daughter who abandons her children. This is NOT happy face.
The assistance of the Mexican gang in the outcomes was interesting. Straight arrows with crooked parts for "asides" do not often become so exposed in this genre of fiction, IMHO. But Abe has connections, of course. He wouldn't remain alive without the worst elements of them. Yet, the ending left too many stray situations unsettled. The girl who shot the Korean stream of events was impossible to follow. Actually on 2 or 3 counts this ending also did not earn 4 stars.
The entire time I read this book I thought about what Kaminsky would think/feel about Chicago's current "kill the Jews" Jewish hatred. Because it's nearly the opposite of what visible and invisible elements of aggressions of nasty against others portrayed in this book. Nor is the single political party of authority rule at all posited in the same position as it was then either. Close to the opposite as well. Nazi skinheads I've never seen in all my years in Chicago. Hate I sure have. And not only this brand either. So this book truly didn't make me laugh as much as the others, nor resound with the consequences of outcomes. Mid-1990's here? Of course they exist, but they are just about as elemental as Jussie Smollett's noose carrying attacker for equivocal propensities of comparisons. Also, Kaminsky should have had SOME equivocation to the massive Southside other than 3 blocks around the U. of Chicago in Hyde Park to get the true picture for terror and terrorist as a subject in that age. Most of this book happens in Skokie! Chicago policemen work cases for Chicago violations. Not only about who hates Jews and expresses it either but about violent prejudice more general, and far more visible in assaults. But also how vile prejudice goes just as strongly in reverse or quite tangential directions and that fact of reality CANNOT be omitted. For outcomes too far worse than vandalism by far.
This book begins when a Palestinian family living in the West Bank in Israel is slaughtered by a mentally unstable Jew with an automatic weapon. The shooter is killed by another Jew who then carries two wounded children, the only survivors, to a first aid station for care and treatment. Based in New York City, much of the rest of the book does not feel linked to the Prologue until very close to the end.
This book was written in 1996. The Twin Towers were still up, personal computers were very common, and smart phones were not yet fully dispersed. A Jewish synagogue serving the protagonist, Police Detective Lieberman, of Mir Shavot congregation was seriously vandalized inside and out. The damaged temple was seriously desecrated, and a valuable Torah stolen. Other temples, churches and community centers in Jewish, black and other minority communities suffered damage also. The culprits left just enough clues to make them appear like hostile blacks. Lieberman and his partner are just experienced enough to feel that there is too much clue material, but they do not have confidence to move against any other known terrorist group. Nor do they know how to recover the stolen Torah.
Kaminsky shows no concern that both he, his protagonist and his victim are all Jewish. He gives them all the usual activities and fears that any church or any group of police and minorities in North America would experience. Lieberman gets a break as the date of a planned terror massacre by the same group is unearthed; unfortunately, he does not know where. Police are positioned throughout the precinct with Lieberman, his partner and a handful of police located at the location he believes to be most likely. The conclusion is elegant, and Lieberman delivers good news.
This book would be of interest to any reader who likes a good detective story. It is also of interest to readers who wish to see Jewish people appearing in the plot in the same way that the black community began to appear in the 1980s and now are present but barely noticed. Three 1/2 stars
Growing up on the northwest side of Chicago, I always had a soft spot for mysteries that were based in those neighborhoods. One of the best was Stuart Kaminsky's Abe Lieberman series, featuring a world-weary Jewish cop and his Irish Catholic partner, dealing with the crime and detritus of gritty Chicago.
This is Abe's fifth outing, and this one is quite personal. A group of hate mongers desecrates his temple, vandalizing the synagogue and stealing a valuable Torah as well. This was one of several temples hit in one night, an organized attack against the Jews. With violent tensions already simmering between the Arabs and the Jews, the finger-pointing and calls for retribution might just push the city over the edge. With the addition of white supremist Nazi's into the mix, Abe and his partner Hanrahan have to catch the criminals before more violence threatens to kill the innocent.
What else is going on in this excellent, dense police procedural? A Korean protection racket is out for revenge after Abe and Hanrahan bust their scheme. A murder of one of the (Arab) vandals is blamed on the Jews. A militant Jewish scholar is trying to indoctrinate Abe's grandson. Hanrahan is getting ready to marry his Asian girlfriend which doesn't sit well with that community. And Hanrahan's son returns home, an alcoholic trying to recover. And Abe continues to fight his battles with cholesterol and weight, while avoiding his wife's oversight. All in a day's work.
Great to get back to this series after a break of 20+ years for me.
Love the series and the characters. Storylines are interesting and informative (especially of the times about which they were referring). Narrator is excellent for the parts and uses different tones and accents. On to the next in the series …
O templo de Abe Lieberman é atacado e uma valiosa Torah desemcaminhada. A filha do rabino arranja namorado e o filho do padre regressa a casa. Mais um volume da saga Lieberman que continua a manter a história a um bom ritmo.
In the prologue, a Palestinian family is ambushed by a Jewish gunman and all but the young daughter and her badly wounded brother are killed. Years later, the two survivors are in Chicago and become the focus of a police investigation (involving Abe Lieberman and his partner) following the vandalizing of several Jewish temples in the city (including Liebermans). Eventually, we see that ther crimes are part of complicated conspiracy involving militant Arabs, neo-Nazi skinheads and shadowy (but well funded) white supremacists who are using each other for their own ends despite there mutual antipathies.
As in all the Lieberman books we have several side stories. Kim the sociopathic wanna-be Korean gang leader. Lisa's new man. Hanrahan's alcoholic son comes to his father for help.
There were a couple of dodge plot elements toward the end, but all-in-all an enjoyable read.
This was one of our "Lutretia on Tuesday" books, and #9 on our 2017 Read-alouds list
I have never particularly cared for mysteries, especially murder mysteries. Stuart Kaminsky and Dorothy Sayers have changed my mind. I didn't think it was possible for a mystery author to philosophize about life and death, evil and good, as well as write an intriguing, twisting plot... Well, that was then and this is now. Kaminsky is a bit less polite than Sayers, but just as amusing and introspective. There are many other series by this same author, but the review I read recommended the Lieberman mysteries because of their religious undertones (Abe Lieberman is a Jewish cop, Bill Hanrahan is his Catholic partner). I should have read the first Lieberman book first, as this book refers to previous happenings in the cops' careers, but Kaminsky nicely refreshed the memories of his readers and updated new readers as myself, so can be read as a stand-alone.
4.5 What a difference an extra hundred pages make. It's not that there's suddenly breathing room for the sheer numbers of characters, their development, the plotting or subplots - there's more, more of everything, and it's still in beautiful balance, restrained and thorough. Perhaps it's simply that the anti-Semitic nature of main plot both afforded and required all that much more community, family and reflection - his understanding of humans is, after all, his unique gift. There are reasons he received a Grand Master award, and this is among his finest. (But ferchrissake, don't start here. Go back at least one or two first.)
Continuing the series of Abe Liebermann and his partner Michael Hanrahan. These two characters are wonderfully alive and changing from book to book. The central story in the book is about trying to find out who vandalized four Hebrew temples, including Abe's. The side stories are what makes the books so compelling, from Hanrahan's engagement to the Korean Iris to Abe's relationship with the tentaculos gang.
Although I think the mystery portion of the story was a bit thin, the enjoyment factor was very large. Abe is a wonderful character, as is his partner, Hanrahan. The characters are approachable and complete with human frailty. Makes me want to read more about them, their families, and even their underworld allies. Lieberman will be on my "to read" list going forward.
Let's have a (race?) war Unless the cops figure out we're gonna Let's have a (gang?) war Hold that thought - day game at Wrigley Let's have a war We'll start it in Skokie (guitar solo)