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Benny Cooperman #7A
The Whole Megillah - a Benny Cooperman Novella
We find Benny Cooperman, the most endearing private eye in Canadian literature, sprung from his small-town home in Grantham near Niagara Falls and working in Toronto.
You and I know that he's just visiting the Queen City, the capital of Ontario, to see his girlfriend, Anna Abraham, who is lecturing for a month in the summer at the University of Toronto.
But Benny can't seem to avoid getting drawn into criminal matters. A dealer in rare books asks him to investigate the theft of an ancient Jewish manuscript. While he's immersed in the strange world of antique book collectors, his client turns up dead and he finds that the robbery isn't all it seems. It's Benny at his best.
Librarian's note: characters, settings, etc. have been completed for the series of 12 novels and 2 novellas: #1. The Suicide Murders (1980), #2. The Ransom Game (1981), #3. Murder On Location (1982), #4. Murder Sees The Light (1984), #5. A City Called July (1986), #6. A Victim Must Be Found (1988), #7. Dead And Buried (1990), #7A. The Whole Megillah (1991) (a novella), #8. There Was An Old Woman (1993), #9. Getting Away With Murder (1995), #10. The Cooperman Variations (2001), #10A. My Brother's Keeper (2001) with co-author Eric Wright (a novella), #11. Memory Book (2005), and #12, East Of Suez (2008). A thirteenth, Over the River, was scheduled for 2018 but never came out.
You and I know that he's just visiting the Queen City, the capital of Ontario, to see his girlfriend, Anna Abraham, who is lecturing for a month in the summer at the University of Toronto.
But Benny can't seem to avoid getting drawn into criminal matters. A dealer in rare books asks him to investigate the theft of an ancient Jewish manuscript. While he's immersed in the strange world of antique book collectors, his client turns up dead and he finds that the robbery isn't all it seems. It's Benny at his best.
Librarian's note: characters, settings, etc. have been completed for the series of 12 novels and 2 novellas: #1. The Suicide Murders (1980), #2. The Ransom Game (1981), #3. Murder On Location (1982), #4. Murder Sees The Light (1984), #5. A City Called July (1986), #6. A Victim Must Be Found (1988), #7. Dead And Buried (1990), #7A. The Whole Megillah (1991) (a novella), #8. There Was An Old Woman (1993), #9. Getting Away With Murder (1995), #10. The Cooperman Variations (2001), #10A. My Brother's Keeper (2001) with co-author Eric Wright (a novella), #11. Memory Book (2005), and #12, East Of Suez (2008). A thirteenth, Over the River, was scheduled for 2018 but never came out.
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First published January 1, 1991
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About the author
Howard Engel
32 books29 followersHoward Engel was a pioneering, award-winning Canadian mystery and non-fiction author. He is famous for his Benny Cooperman private-eye series, set in the Niagara Region of Ontario.
He and Eric Wright are two of the authors responsible for founding Crime Writers Of Canada. He had twins Charlotte and William with authoress, Marian Engel. He has a son, Jacob, with his late wife, authoress Janet Hamilton: with whom he co-wrote "Murder In Space".
A stroke in 2001 famously caused "alexia sine agraphia". It was a disease that hampered Howard's ability to comprehend written words, even though he could continue to write! He retired in Toronto, where he continued to inspire and mentor future authors and writers of all kinds. Maureen Jennings, creator of the Murdoch novels and still-running television series, is among them.
Unfortunately, he died of pneumonia that arose after a stroke. True animal-lovers: Howard's beloved living cat, Kali, is included by their family in his obituary.
He and Eric Wright are two of the authors responsible for founding Crime Writers Of Canada. He had twins Charlotte and William with authoress, Marian Engel. He has a son, Jacob, with his late wife, authoress Janet Hamilton: with whom he co-wrote "Murder In Space".
A stroke in 2001 famously caused "alexia sine agraphia". It was a disease that hampered Howard's ability to comprehend written words, even though he could continue to write! He retired in Toronto, where he continued to inspire and mentor future authors and writers of all kinds. Maureen Jennings, creator of the Murdoch novels and still-running television series, is among them.
Unfortunately, he died of pneumonia that arose after a stroke. True animal-lovers: Howard's beloved living cat, Kali, is included by their family in his obituary.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 17, 2025
5 Stars. Delightful. A compact mystery starring one of my favourite P.I.s, Benny Cooperman. It's a lovely Canadian summer in the 1990s and Benny's special other, Anna, is guest lecturing at the U. of T. in Toronto. His new Grantham office is being refurbished; there are fun things to do in the Big City, and besides, he can stay with his brother Sam and family. All just excuses to visit Anna! Sam lives on Brunswick Avenue in the Annex, a neighbourhood where I used to live - so it's old home week! The stores and restaurants, the people. You are surely asking about the book's name. The phrase, "the whole megillah," is used to describe the entirety of a complicated something. But The Megillah is also a book printed in Hebrew in 15th century Italy containing an early copy of the Book of Esther. Extremely valuable. At Book City, Sam and Benny meet Tony Moore, a dealer in antique books. We learn that Moore's copy of the book has been stolen; can Benny find it? Later Moore gets murdered so our P.I. has lost his paying client! Should he continue his search? I loved it. PS: this novella was commissioned by Book City to celebrate its 15th anniversary. (Ap2024/Oc2025)
May 23, 2021
Any fan of the Benny Cooperman series will enjoy this fast-paced event-driven novella centered in Toronto, home of Benny's older brother and home to the store Book City where some of the action takes place. The story revolves around a rare book and is, as always, peppered with generous measures of humour. While wonderful, it is also sad to come to the end of published books from dearly missed author Howard Engel.
July 6, 2013
I bought this on Smashwords based on a rather comic title, assuming that it was an indie, self-published story. It wasn't until the "About the Author" section after the story, that I learned that Howard Engel is a commercially published author in Canada with a series of Benny Cooperman mysteries and that this book is not the start of the series. I might have enjoyed the book more if I had known more of the character's background. Or I might not have bought it at all.
The Megillah of the title is an actual book, which Cooperman, a private investigator, is hired to find. (The Megillah is a separate copy of the Book of Esther, read by Jews at Purim.) Of course, nothing is simple. The dealer who hires Cooperman is found dead, and another man who might know the book's location is beaten up.
Other than having a Jewish PI as the main character, this felt more like a 1930s novel. It has the obligatory beautiful but mysterious woman, tough guys with tattoos, and people being tailed by walking on the other side of the street. Most characters smoke cigarettes. There is very little character development.
I also felt that a plot point was unresolved at the end.
The Megillah of the title is an actual book, which Cooperman, a private investigator, is hired to find. (The Megillah is a separate copy of the Book of Esther, read by Jews at Purim.) Of course, nothing is simple. The dealer who hires Cooperman is found dead, and another man who might know the book's location is beaten up.
Other than having a Jewish PI as the main character, this felt more like a 1930s novel. It has the obligatory beautiful but mysterious woman, tough guys with tattoos, and people being tailed by walking on the other side of the street. Most characters smoke cigarettes. There is very little character development.
I also felt that a plot point was unresolved at the end.
December 8, 2017
A slight but nonetheless enjoyable novella - set in the world of rare bookselling.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews