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Adam Lapid Mysteries #1
Ten Years Gone
On the dusty streets of post-war Tel Aviv, a crafty killer roams free…
Israel, 1949 - Private detective Adam Lapid knows how it feels to lose everything. His whole family died in Auschwitz. He barely survived. Now he spends his nights haunted by nightmares and his days solving cases the police won’t handle.
Hired to find a missing boy, Adam thinks the case is hopeless. But he can’t turn down a mother searching for her only child.
What Adam doesn’t realize is that this case will soon put him in mortal danger. For at the root of the mystery lies a double murder that has stayed unsolved for ten long years.
Adam must untangle a web of lies and betrayal to get to the truth. And he’d better watch his back because some of the suspects are willing to kill to keep their dark secrets buried.
Israel, 1949 - Private detective Adam Lapid knows how it feels to lose everything. His whole family died in Auschwitz. He barely survived. Now he spends his nights haunted by nightmares and his days solving cases the police won’t handle.
Hired to find a missing boy, Adam thinks the case is hopeless. But he can’t turn down a mother searching for her only child.
What Adam doesn’t realize is that this case will soon put him in mortal danger. For at the root of the mystery lies a double murder that has stayed unsolved for ten long years.
Adam must untangle a web of lies and betrayal to get to the truth. And he’d better watch his back because some of the suspects are willing to kill to keep their dark secrets buried.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2017
3216 people are currently reading
1866 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Dunsky
20 books212 followersJonathan Dunsky is the author of eight crime novels, seven of which -- Ten Years Gone, The Dead Sister, The Auschwitz Violinist, A Debt of Death, A Deadly Act, The Auschwitz Detective, and A Death in Jerusalem -- are mysteries taking place in the early days of the State of Israel and featuring private investigator Adam Lapid, a holocaust survivor and former soldier and Nazi hunter. He has also published a standalone thriller called The Payback Girl and a number of short stories in various genres.
Born in Israel, he served for four years in the Israeli Army. After his military service he worked as a team leader in various high-tech firms, ran his own Search Engine Optimization business, and lectured in the faculty of Business Management in Tel Aviv University. He holds a degree in computer sciences and business. He's lived for several years in Europe and currently resides in Israel with his wife and two sons.
You can contact him at http://jonathandunsky.com/contact/
Born in Israel, he served for four years in the Israeli Army. After his military service he worked as a team leader in various high-tech firms, ran his own Search Engine Optimization business, and lectured in the faculty of Business Management in Tel Aviv University. He holds a degree in computer sciences and business. He's lived for several years in Europe and currently resides in Israel with his wife and two sons.
You can contact him at http://jonathandunsky.com/contact/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
February 7, 2023
Ten Years Gone was the first book in the Adam Lapid Mystery series. It was written by Jonathan Dunsky. This was the first book that I have read by Jonathan Dunsky but look forward to reading the rest of this series. I was intrigued by this book because it took place in Israel shortly after Israel had won its independence from the Arabs. It was most definitely a plot driven detective novel that was well written and researched. The characters were well drawn, interesting and complex. There were several twists and turns throughout Ten Years Gone that kept me guessing.
Ten Years Gone took place in Tel Aviv in 1949, shortly after the War of Independence. Adam Lapid, the protagonist, was born in Hungary. He had been employed as a policeman there before the outbreak of World War II. Adam, his wife and two daughters were deported to Auschwitz. His wife and two daughters were sent to the crematorium upon arrival. Adam was the only one in his family to survive. He remained in Europe for a while after he was liberated from the concentration camp and managed to kill a few Nazis. Adam felt guilty that he was unable to protect his wife and daughters from the Nazis. By killing some really bad Nazis, Adam felt that he was revenging his family’s deaths. He finally immigrated to Israel in 1937 and fought in the War of Independence. Adam was recognized as a hero in Israel for his heroic efforts of exposing and eliminating an Egyptian machine gun nest in the Negev that would have otherwise obliterated his unit. Adam was a very private person and was not in the habit of boasting about his heroism or sharing the sad fate of his own family with others. After the war, Adam settled in Tel Aviv and became a private detective.
In 1949, Adam spent most of his days at his friend Greta’s Cafe. He enjoyed spending his time there drinking her coffee and playing chess against himself. One day, a woman named Henrietta came into Greta’s Cafe looking for Adam. She had already spoken to several policemen and the last one had suggested that Adam might be able to help her. Henrietta was looking for her son Willy. The last time that Henrietta had seen Willy was ten years ago. Willy had been just a few months old in 1939. Henrietta and Willy had been living in Germany and things were getting really bad for its Jewish citizens. Henrietta’s husband had already been taken away and she had no idea where he had been taken. When Henrietta learned that an old school friend was attempting to escape from Germany and go to Palestine, Henrietta begged her to take Willy with her. Her friend finally agreed after much thought and Henrietta promised to follow shortly after. Henrietta waited for her husband to return to no avail so she ultimately decided to pay for false papers. Since Henrietta had blonde hair and blue eyes she was able to move to Frankfort and live as an Aryan out in the open for the duration of the war. Ten years had now passed since Henrietta’s friend had left with her son Willy and settled in Israel. Henrietta wanted to reconnect with her son but she had no idea if he and her friend had ever made it to Israel. The only thing that Henrietta was able to tell Adam was that the ship they eventually took to Israel departed from Greece. Adam did not hold much hope of finding them for Henrietta. After all, ten years had passed. Henrietta insisted that he try and Adam agreed to that.
Adam began to dig for information. He called in favors and discovered that the Irgun was instrumental in helping Henrietta’s friend and Willy arrive safely in Tel Aviv after spending time at a safe house. Henrietta’s friend and Willy were given new identities and they settled in. Then Adam discovered that both Henrietta’s friend and Willy had been brutally murdered shortly after they arrived in Tel Aviv. That should have been the end of Adam’s investigation but he did not have the heart to tell Henrietta what he had discovered. Adam decided to keep investigating and find out who had viciously murdered both Henrietta’s friend and the baby boy and why. He interviewed many people and discovered that some had lied to him and others were still keeping secrets. Adam’s search for the murderer was systematic and well planned out. Would Adam Lapid be able to find the murderer after all these years? Why was the murder so brutal? Who would kill an innocent baby?
I was so glad to have discovered the Adam Lapid Mysteries. Now I plan to read the series. I really enjoyed Adam’s character. He was kind, direct, enjoyed helping others, a good friend, lonely, haunted by his wartime experiences, smart and humble. If you enjoy good detective novels, then check out the Adam Lapid Mystery series. I highly recommend it.
Ten Years Gone took place in Tel Aviv in 1949, shortly after the War of Independence. Adam Lapid, the protagonist, was born in Hungary. He had been employed as a policeman there before the outbreak of World War II. Adam, his wife and two daughters were deported to Auschwitz. His wife and two daughters were sent to the crematorium upon arrival. Adam was the only one in his family to survive. He remained in Europe for a while after he was liberated from the concentration camp and managed to kill a few Nazis. Adam felt guilty that he was unable to protect his wife and daughters from the Nazis. By killing some really bad Nazis, Adam felt that he was revenging his family’s deaths. He finally immigrated to Israel in 1937 and fought in the War of Independence. Adam was recognized as a hero in Israel for his heroic efforts of exposing and eliminating an Egyptian machine gun nest in the Negev that would have otherwise obliterated his unit. Adam was a very private person and was not in the habit of boasting about his heroism or sharing the sad fate of his own family with others. After the war, Adam settled in Tel Aviv and became a private detective.
In 1949, Adam spent most of his days at his friend Greta’s Cafe. He enjoyed spending his time there drinking her coffee and playing chess against himself. One day, a woman named Henrietta came into Greta’s Cafe looking for Adam. She had already spoken to several policemen and the last one had suggested that Adam might be able to help her. Henrietta was looking for her son Willy. The last time that Henrietta had seen Willy was ten years ago. Willy had been just a few months old in 1939. Henrietta and Willy had been living in Germany and things were getting really bad for its Jewish citizens. Henrietta’s husband had already been taken away and she had no idea where he had been taken. When Henrietta learned that an old school friend was attempting to escape from Germany and go to Palestine, Henrietta begged her to take Willy with her. Her friend finally agreed after much thought and Henrietta promised to follow shortly after. Henrietta waited for her husband to return to no avail so she ultimately decided to pay for false papers. Since Henrietta had blonde hair and blue eyes she was able to move to Frankfort and live as an Aryan out in the open for the duration of the war. Ten years had now passed since Henrietta’s friend had left with her son Willy and settled in Israel. Henrietta wanted to reconnect with her son but she had no idea if he and her friend had ever made it to Israel. The only thing that Henrietta was able to tell Adam was that the ship they eventually took to Israel departed from Greece. Adam did not hold much hope of finding them for Henrietta. After all, ten years had passed. Henrietta insisted that he try and Adam agreed to that.
Adam began to dig for information. He called in favors and discovered that the Irgun was instrumental in helping Henrietta’s friend and Willy arrive safely in Tel Aviv after spending time at a safe house. Henrietta’s friend and Willy were given new identities and they settled in. Then Adam discovered that both Henrietta’s friend and Willy had been brutally murdered shortly after they arrived in Tel Aviv. That should have been the end of Adam’s investigation but he did not have the heart to tell Henrietta what he had discovered. Adam decided to keep investigating and find out who had viciously murdered both Henrietta’s friend and the baby boy and why. He interviewed many people and discovered that some had lied to him and others were still keeping secrets. Adam’s search for the murderer was systematic and well planned out. Would Adam Lapid be able to find the murderer after all these years? Why was the murder so brutal? Who would kill an innocent baby?
I was so glad to have discovered the Adam Lapid Mysteries. Now I plan to read the series. I really enjoyed Adam’s character. He was kind, direct, enjoyed helping others, a good friend, lonely, haunted by his wartime experiences, smart and humble. If you enjoy good detective novels, then check out the Adam Lapid Mystery series. I highly recommend it.
April 19, 2023
Very compelling backdrop and tough-as-nails yet compassionate protagonist in this noir style mystery that holds quite a few twisty surprises, especially kicking into overdrive in a denouement that was truly shocking in its revelations despite the subtle ways it fell together. Very well played by Dunsky. I will certainly be reading more in this series.
August 6, 2018
Ten Years Gonebrings together three things I love: Israel, mystery, and sequels. It is the first of four novels by Jonathan Dunsky featuring Adam Lapid, a private detective in post-Independence Tel Aviv. (By first, I mean that the events it narrates come first in the series. It was actually written third.) Having completed it, I’m already on to the next novel, The Dead Sister.
Lapid was a Jewish police detective in Hungary before World War II. His wife and children didn’t survive Auschwitz, but he did. After the Allies liberated Buchenwald, he stayed in Europe for a time, hunting down former Nazi officers and meting out vengeance. Then he immigrated to Palestine, joined the Haganah, and fought heroically in the War of Independence. After the war, he took up private detecting on the streets of Tel Aviv.
In that capacity, a German Jewess who was able to pass herself off as Gentile during the war comes to him with a request. In 1939, she had sent her son ahead with a friend to Palestine, hoping soon to follow in their steps. That didn’t happen. Ten years later, she can’t find either the woman or her son, so she hires Lapid to do so.
The problem? Both the woman and the boy were murdered in 1939. Lapid doesn’t have the heart to tell his client just yet, so instead, he reopens the case to solve their murders. Along the way, he uncovers secrets and lies involving the dead woman, her circle of acquaintances, and the Irgun, the radical group which worked hard in the pre-Independence era to speed both Jewish entry and British exit from Palestine…violently, if necessary.
The tale is competently told. It’s not at the level of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch novels or Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon novels, but it’s good. My first rule for evaluating mysteries is that it must keep me turning pages to see what happens next. Ten Years Gonedid. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
Book Reviewed
Jonathan Dunsky, Ten Years Gone: An Adam Lapid Mystery (Charleston, NC: CreateSpace, 2017).
P.S. If you found my review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.
Lapid was a Jewish police detective in Hungary before World War II. His wife and children didn’t survive Auschwitz, but he did. After the Allies liberated Buchenwald, he stayed in Europe for a time, hunting down former Nazi officers and meting out vengeance. Then he immigrated to Palestine, joined the Haganah, and fought heroically in the War of Independence. After the war, he took up private detecting on the streets of Tel Aviv.
In that capacity, a German Jewess who was able to pass herself off as Gentile during the war comes to him with a request. In 1939, she had sent her son ahead with a friend to Palestine, hoping soon to follow in their steps. That didn’t happen. Ten years later, she can’t find either the woman or her son, so she hires Lapid to do so.
The problem? Both the woman and the boy were murdered in 1939. Lapid doesn’t have the heart to tell his client just yet, so instead, he reopens the case to solve their murders. Along the way, he uncovers secrets and lies involving the dead woman, her circle of acquaintances, and the Irgun, the radical group which worked hard in the pre-Independence era to speed both Jewish entry and British exit from Palestine…violently, if necessary.
The tale is competently told. It’s not at the level of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch novels or Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon novels, but it’s good. My first rule for evaluating mysteries is that it must keep me turning pages to see what happens next. Ten Years Gonedid. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
Book Reviewed
Jonathan Dunsky, Ten Years Gone: An Adam Lapid Mystery (Charleston, NC: CreateSpace, 2017).
P.S. If you found my review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.
July 26, 2020
This is the first of a series featuring Adam Lapid, a former Hungarian police detective who has become a private detective in Tel Aviv. He's a camp survivor who lost his wife and daughters in the Holocaust. The year is 1949.
The mystery is enjoyable and suspenseful.
I did wonder about the aspect of Adam's character whereby an opportunity for violence allows him a peaceful night's sleep sans nightmares. Is that typical of PTSD? If so, I hadn't heard. He has been subjected to trauma and brutality. Yes, this is a detective story, not to mention a male protagonist, but still ran that through my mind, wondering if it could be true: freed by violence. Fits with Franz Fanon? But the heroes we look up to have other ways of maintaining their humanity. Although, some may be seeking to change that.
Possibly a romantic element to that character flaw; also, the ladies whose reaction to him became unchanging and fixed in stone, thus allowing him to avoid the interference of romantic entanglements, thankfully without the author's having to bump off any love interests.
I also entertained myself by thinking about the language, which for the most part seems like everyday modern American English -- not withstanding a few anachronisms. I love the verb "morph," but it didn't exist in 1949. (Short for Metamorphose, associated with film and animation, first known use 1982)
The author know a lot of the street names in Tel Aviv! And includes history. But I recently read A Tale of Love and Darkness, and despite Jonathan Dunsky's references to the black market, food is too plentiful and housing too available and roomy.
But, it's a detective story.
I had some idea of how it might end but did fall for false leads he left lying around.
Maybe one twist too many at the end.
Self-published yet well-edited. The author loves to write. Includes an afterword on how at first he couldn't bring this book to a satisfactory close; went on to several other books and then came back and able to do this. He has a sense of what he wanted and didn't force himself to publish prematurely.
I read it right through to the end!
The mystery is enjoyable and suspenseful.
I did wonder about the aspect of Adam's character whereby an opportunity for violence allows him a peaceful night's sleep sans nightmares. Is that typical of PTSD? If so, I hadn't heard. He has been subjected to trauma and brutality. Yes, this is a detective story, not to mention a male protagonist, but still ran that through my mind, wondering if it could be true: freed by violence. Fits with Franz Fanon? But the heroes we look up to have other ways of maintaining their humanity. Although, some may be seeking to change that.
Possibly a romantic element to that character flaw; also, the ladies whose reaction to him became unchanging and fixed in stone, thus allowing him to avoid the interference of romantic entanglements, thankfully without the author's having to bump off any love interests.
I also entertained myself by thinking about the language, which for the most part seems like everyday modern American English -- not withstanding a few anachronisms. I love the verb "morph," but it didn't exist in 1949. (Short for Metamorphose, associated with film and animation, first known use 1982)
The author know a lot of the street names in Tel Aviv! And includes history. But I recently read A Tale of Love and Darkness, and despite Jonathan Dunsky's references to the black market, food is too plentiful and housing too available and roomy.
But, it's a detective story.
I had some idea of how it might end but did fall for false leads he left lying around.
Maybe one twist too many at the end.
Self-published yet well-edited. The author loves to write. Includes an afterword on how at first he couldn't bring this book to a satisfactory close; went on to several other books and then came back and able to do this. He has a sense of what he wanted and didn't force himself to publish prematurely.
I read it right through to the end!
June 1, 2018
This is my first book by Jonathan Dunsky. I can't praise it enough. There are many twists and turns in this book that keep the reader engaged. The characters are very human, imperfections and all. I definitely recommend this book if you are in to twisty mysteries; however, there is also another I highly recommend this book. It takes place almost 70 years ago in Israel, shortly after the war. The main character, Adam Lipid, has suffered great indignities during his time in Auschwitz. For me, a lot of learning went along with the book. The struggles of Israel and its two different factions. It makes me want to learn more. I rarely give five stars, but this book, in my opinion, deserved it. I've already downloaded his next in the series.
July 26, 2020
1939, a mother gives her son away to a beautiful woman about to board a ship, to save him. Awash with grief, she has been trying to find him for ten years. She finally makes it to Israel and hires Adam Lapid, a holocaust survivor with complicated grief of his own - to find the baby.
Lots of twists and turns, some political, some good old jealousy and infidelity. A lot of broken people, and yet strength and resilience and deep bonds shine through. Many times in the same person. It was raw and complicated. But rather good, I would say.
Lots of twists and turns, some political, some good old jealousy and infidelity. A lot of broken people, and yet strength and resilience and deep bonds shine through. Many times in the same person. It was raw and complicated. But rather good, I would say.
August 17, 2020
This is the first time I've been surprised, after reading a book, to see that it was independently published. Excellent similies and metaphors, especially in the early part of the book, and quite moving. He gave a satisfying ending, and a very nice author's note at the end. I think he also does a very good job of raising a social critique while not making it too much of an issue. Very nicely done. Well worth the read.
May 1, 2019
Utterly brilliant. The best crime thriller I have read in two years.
I loved this book. It is rare, I have found, that a crime thriller writer can write characters that have depth and dimension and feel real in a genre that is primarily plot driven. Often irritatingly, many are exciting but with characters it is hard to feel any empathy for and with writing that is all tell and not any show. This writer writes so well and has succeeded in bringing to life characters that sing from the pages. He has welded together a great plot with twists and turns that kept me guessing. The book was absolutely terrific. I loved Adam Lapid. He is a flawed hero who has survived Auschwitz and become a Private Investigator in Israel in the early years of Israel's birth. It's intelligent, thought provoking writing on big questions, the characters are well drawn, the dialogue is great, and I loved the setting and time frame. "This is a great story, Adam," he said grinning " They'll talk about this in the cafes on Dizengoff for weeks. " I've had this book on my kindle for months. I wish now I had leapt to read it earlier.Terrific!! Intricately weaved, politically telling and with a great main character I fell in love with. Recommended. I have already bought the next book in the series. Can't wait to begin reading it. A new favorite writer I think.
I loved this book. It is rare, I have found, that a crime thriller writer can write characters that have depth and dimension and feel real in a genre that is primarily plot driven. Often irritatingly, many are exciting but with characters it is hard to feel any empathy for and with writing that is all tell and not any show. This writer writes so well and has succeeded in bringing to life characters that sing from the pages. He has welded together a great plot with twists and turns that kept me guessing. The book was absolutely terrific. I loved Adam Lapid. He is a flawed hero who has survived Auschwitz and become a Private Investigator in Israel in the early years of Israel's birth. It's intelligent, thought provoking writing on big questions, the characters are well drawn, the dialogue is great, and I loved the setting and time frame. "This is a great story, Adam," he said grinning " They'll talk about this in the cafes on Dizengoff for weeks. " I've had this book on my kindle for months. I wish now I had leapt to read it earlier.Terrific!! Intricately weaved, politically telling and with a great main character I fell in love with. Recommended. I have already bought the next book in the series. Can't wait to begin reading it. A new favorite writer I think.
August 16, 2018
A Page Turner
The only reason I didn't read this book straight through is because I had to recharge my Kindle battery. Best detective story I've read in years. Good writing style, characters, and plot. Can't wait to read next book in the series, which will be today.
The only reason I didn't read this book straight through is because I had to recharge my Kindle battery. Best detective story I've read in years. Good writing style, characters, and plot. Can't wait to read next book in the series, which will be today.
May 25, 2020
A well constructed mystery with likeable characters set in Tel Aviv in the late 1940s. I'm looking forward to the other books in the series.
June 12, 2023
I gave up this book because I got to a part where a baby's murder is described in ways I can't handle, as a mother of a 7 month old baby.
But the book itself is poorly written. It's tropy as hell and, for an Israeli with a wide knowledge of WW2, the Holocaust and Israeli history, the many explenations for foreign readers are tedious and unnecessary.
But the book itself is poorly written. It's tropy as hell and, for an Israeli with a wide knowledge of WW2, the Holocaust and Israeli history, the many explenations for foreign readers are tedious and unnecessary.
September 12, 2019
What a terrific mystery. I Really enjoyed this page-turner though parts were pretty dark, and the violence, well let's just say i skipped over a beating or two.
July 28, 2023
As a straightforward mystery, this works well. A woman hires a detective to find her son, now missing 10 years, and he takes the case for dark personal and professional reasons. It's a solid noir style mystery with a satisfying conclusion. Yet, it's more than that. I know next to nothing about post-WWII/Holocaust history. This setting - the story takes place in 1949 Israel and the private detective, Adam Lapid, is concentration camp survivor who immigrated from Hungary - elevates what is a solid mystery into something extra. The setting is well researched, and I frequently stepped away from the book to look up some new concept, word, or historical event to even better understand Lapid's motives and the setting. The sparse almost technical writing style took a little getting used to (so 4 instead of 5 stars), but I'll absolutely be reading the other books of this series.
November 30, 2023
Fast paced story set in Israel circa 1949. Adam Lapid is a former Hungarian cop and an Auschwitz survivor doing PI work. He’s asked to find a woman and a child who emigrated to Palestine in 1939. His client is the child’s mother who finally left Germany after the war. It doesn’t look promising. Did they even make it to Israel? But Adam takes the case because he knows others would and just take her money. It’s quite a ride and Adam uncovers a lot as he connects dots and does old fashioned footwork. Pretty soon he’s attracting attention and has three suspects with motives, of which two go after him. The ending is just mind blowing. Adam is like Dirty Harry too. He’s all about justice. Some people deserve to die.
February 7, 2024
Excellent book! Looking forward to digging into this series!
August 22, 2018
Hurrah! A new author, a new detective, a new series of historical detective fiction. Sue Grafton produced the longest series of mysteries by developing a fabulous character, Kinsey Milhone, who lived amongst a milieu of sympathetic supporters whom we all loved. Dunsky's Adam Lapid is a compelling character, with a damaged past that he alternately hides from, relies upon, and rejects.
Barabara Cleverly reveals the world of the British Empire after WWI through her Detective Joe Sandilands. To understand the demise of royalty and the changing role of women in society in the 1920s is greatly aided by observing characters in fiction, the author can probe the dilemmas that people faced during a transition and how they acted in the face of those dilemmas. Our compassion today can be bolstered by understandings that we gleam from historical fiction novels. Dunsky has set his novels in Israel in the period following the War for Independence. Today we look upon Israel with a sense of sympathy for the peril that they live in, a sense of admiration for having developed such a strong country out of meager resources in such a short time, and a sense of frustration at their inability to address the injustices done to Arab residents of that land. In Ten Years Gone Dunsky begins to show us the character of Israel and Tel Aviv in 1949, two years after the War of Independence. Israel is receiving refugees from all over Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Food is scarce. Israel is filled with people of desperation and determination, hope and sorrow.
The third author that I will compare Dunsky to is Sara Andrews, author of the Em Hansen, forensic geologist series. Andrews was a whiz at illuminating an aspect of geology, tying it to a locality, and then weaving the mystery through the geology. One of my favorites was about detecting forged paintings through pigments and how those pigments tied to the rocks in Chugwater, Wyoming Dunsky is taking the politics and the events of the era and weaving his mystery around. In Ten Years Gone he opens us up to learning about the Irgun, and about the conflict between Menachim Begin and David Ben-Gurion.
I am hoping that Dunsky weaves as many tales as Grafton and enlightens us as much as Andrews and Cleverly, and continues to entertain us with his character Adam Lapid has he uses his strength and fights his demons.
Barabara Cleverly reveals the world of the British Empire after WWI through her Detective Joe Sandilands. To understand the demise of royalty and the changing role of women in society in the 1920s is greatly aided by observing characters in fiction, the author can probe the dilemmas that people faced during a transition and how they acted in the face of those dilemmas. Our compassion today can be bolstered by understandings that we gleam from historical fiction novels. Dunsky has set his novels in Israel in the period following the War for Independence. Today we look upon Israel with a sense of sympathy for the peril that they live in, a sense of admiration for having developed such a strong country out of meager resources in such a short time, and a sense of frustration at their inability to address the injustices done to Arab residents of that land. In Ten Years Gone Dunsky begins to show us the character of Israel and Tel Aviv in 1949, two years after the War of Independence. Israel is receiving refugees from all over Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Food is scarce. Israel is filled with people of desperation and determination, hope and sorrow.
The third author that I will compare Dunsky to is Sara Andrews, author of the Em Hansen, forensic geologist series. Andrews was a whiz at illuminating an aspect of geology, tying it to a locality, and then weaving the mystery through the geology. One of my favorites was about detecting forged paintings through pigments and how those pigments tied to the rocks in Chugwater, Wyoming Dunsky is taking the politics and the events of the era and weaving his mystery around. In Ten Years Gone he opens us up to learning about the Irgun, and about the conflict between Menachim Begin and David Ben-Gurion.
I am hoping that Dunsky weaves as many tales as Grafton and enlightens us as much as Andrews and Cleverly, and continues to entertain us with his character Adam Lapid has he uses his strength and fights his demons.
July 12, 2020
Finished this yesterday. Good read. Nice change from what I've been reading and certainly kept my attention. Quite a few characters to keep track of (found it interesting that this male author always went into head to toe description of what a character looked like and clothes they were wearing on first introduction) . Plenty of plot twists and I like his afterward description of how the book came about. Will likely pick up another of his books down the line. A good choice and new exposure to an author I was unaware of.
June 8, 2019
Like the detective, Adam Lapid, I’m losing sleep. But the problem is that I’ve been binge reading the last two nights in order to read the first two books of the series. And I’m afraid I’ll read late tonight as well. I lived in Israel 21 years after these books take place, but parts of it still feel true to my memory. I know Yafo well because my sister lives there. Many of the streets he mention I’ve walked down within the last year.
Having said all this, these books are original and bear no resemblance to the Israel I know today. They are noir in the same way that Sam Spade is noir, dark and honorable, romantic and brutal, all at the same time. Lapid struggles with some of his choices, and hates his desire for violence which is over-matched by his desire for justice.
Today we live in a world of corruption and evil on a much larger scale than the human-sized corruption and evil described in these books, and our heroes are relatively much smaller. Part of the appeal of these books for me is the same appeal that westerns have for the detective: the problems are dealt with expeditiously; there is an answer to the problems and everything is completed by the final page. However, the author never lets us forget the inexplicable desire to destroy others that seems to be part of human nature so far.
Having said all this, these books are original and bear no resemblance to the Israel I know today. They are noir in the same way that Sam Spade is noir, dark and honorable, romantic and brutal, all at the same time. Lapid struggles with some of his choices, and hates his desire for violence which is over-matched by his desire for justice.
Today we live in a world of corruption and evil on a much larger scale than the human-sized corruption and evil described in these books, and our heroes are relatively much smaller. Part of the appeal of these books for me is the same appeal that westerns have for the detective: the problems are dealt with expeditiously; there is an answer to the problems and everything is completed by the final page. However, the author never lets us forget the inexplicable desire to destroy others that seems to be part of human nature so far.
May 15, 2019
What a fun read!
Adam Lapid, an Auchwitz survivor and, before that, Hungarian police detective, is hired to find a Jewish woman's son five years after WWII in the newly established nation of Israel. He finds the boy has been murdered, but there's more.... and he's going to dig it all up to get the answer to every question.
He meets all kinds of characters in post-war Israel, and is caught up in the swirling current of a dozen or so implicated lives. The cast is appealing, and you can tell right away which ones will be returning in the rest of the series, and which are staying inside the pages of Ten Years Gone. It's good though - it created a kind of family feel. I wanted to meet up with some again, and was happy to find some left behind.
The style is very much true to the detective genre, and Adam Lapid is very much the classic wounded and closed detective who just wants to make the world a better place maybe in order to quell his own demons. He's a cliche, but a very likeable one.
I read it on a plane both going and coming on a weekend trip - it was the perfect length; it held my attention; it left me smiling. Recommended.
Adam Lapid, an Auchwitz survivor and, before that, Hungarian police detective, is hired to find a Jewish woman's son five years after WWII in the newly established nation of Israel. He finds the boy has been murdered, but there's more.... and he's going to dig it all up to get the answer to every question.
He meets all kinds of characters in post-war Israel, and is caught up in the swirling current of a dozen or so implicated lives. The cast is appealing, and you can tell right away which ones will be returning in the rest of the series, and which are staying inside the pages of Ten Years Gone. It's good though - it created a kind of family feel. I wanted to meet up with some again, and was happy to find some left behind.
The style is very much true to the detective genre, and Adam Lapid is very much the classic wounded and closed detective who just wants to make the world a better place maybe in order to quell his own demons. He's a cliche, but a very likeable one.
I read it on a plane both going and coming on a weekend trip - it was the perfect length; it held my attention; it left me smiling. Recommended.
January 30, 2019
Was not disappointed
I enjoyed Ten Years Gone very much. It read at a nice pace and it held my interest from beginning to end. I really liked the main protagonist, Adam Lapid. He’s a good man with a tragic past. He believes in justice and will do his best to find it for those deserve it. He has a bit of darkness inside him (I believe we all have a bit) but you only see it when it’s absolutely necessary and, in my opinion, warranted. I liked that the story took place in the past; it’s nice to travel back to another time; I have been reading books lately, some fiction and nonfiction, that have taken place in and around WWII and the Holocaust; I have learned a lot. I also appreciated that the story took place in Israel; I enjoyed looking up the places mentioned in the story like Moghrabi Theater and Zion Square and learning what tehine is. I’ve always wanted to visit Israel and our church takes groups there a couple of times a year but my husband and I can’t afford to go; maybe someday. Anyway, I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I enjoyed Ten Years Gone very much. It read at a nice pace and it held my interest from beginning to end. I really liked the main protagonist, Adam Lapid. He’s a good man with a tragic past. He believes in justice and will do his best to find it for those deserve it. He has a bit of darkness inside him (I believe we all have a bit) but you only see it when it’s absolutely necessary and, in my opinion, warranted. I liked that the story took place in the past; it’s nice to travel back to another time; I have been reading books lately, some fiction and nonfiction, that have taken place in and around WWII and the Holocaust; I have learned a lot. I also appreciated that the story took place in Israel; I enjoyed looking up the places mentioned in the story like Moghrabi Theater and Zion Square and learning what tehine is. I’ve always wanted to visit Israel and our church takes groups there a couple of times a year but my husband and I can’t afford to go; maybe someday. Anyway, I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
April 13, 2022
A survivor of the Shoah, Adam Lapid immigrated to Israel, working as a private detective. Tasked with a seemingly hopeless case, Lapid has a soft spot for a mother seeking her missing son. He finds himself attempting to untangle a web of secrets, lies, and deception that could put him in mortal danger.
This is the first book in a seven book series and I’m looking forward to reading more from Dunsky. The execution of this PI mystery is excellent. Dunsky brings exceptional depth to his cast of characters. They seem to leap off the page as if real.
The setting of this book is very interesting with the state of Israel still in conception and infancy. The history of the time, along with the very messy politics, is almost a character unto itself. The book is clearly well researched.
I am looking forward to continuing in this series. If the other books in this series are as well presented as this one, Dunksy has created a bingeable series I very much look forward to indulging in.
This is the first book in a seven book series and I’m looking forward to reading more from Dunsky. The execution of this PI mystery is excellent. Dunsky brings exceptional depth to his cast of characters. They seem to leap off the page as if real.
The setting of this book is very interesting with the state of Israel still in conception and infancy. The history of the time, along with the very messy politics, is almost a character unto itself. The book is clearly well researched.
I am looking forward to continuing in this series. If the other books in this series are as well presented as this one, Dunksy has created a bingeable series I very much look forward to indulging in.
August 19, 2021
Ten Years Gone is an Adam Lapid mystery by Jonathan Dunsky. Dunsky’s novels are riveting. He has a way of writing that draws you in and refuses to let go until you finished the book. They are well-written and although complicated, the mystery is such that if you pay attention to all the clues, you can figure out the end before you read it.
Adam Lapid is a Holocaust survivor. He survived Auschwitz and although he lost his wife and daughters, he is still thankful for his life and return to the living. Although it has been ten years since they have been gone, he hasn’t forgotten a single thing about them. He left Hungary and came to Israel where he fought for independence. Instead of returning to his profession as a police officer, he has chosen to go the route of a private investigator.
Henrietta Ackerland has come to him asking him to find her son. Ten years ago, as she and her family were being collected for the roundup in her hometown, she managed to give her son to a school classmate who was leaving Hungary for Israel. Esther Greunewald agreed to take young Willie to Israel and care for him until Henrietta could get there. She made one of those choiceless choices to save her son. She had already lost his father. Henrietta then spent six weeks looking for her husband who had disappeared and then she went to Frankfurt and went into hiding in the open. Her blond hair and blue eyes definitely helped her. After the war, she managed to get on a ship for Israel but was stopped by the British and kept in a camp on Cyprus. Finally, two months ago, she made it to Israel and started looking for Esther. She had found no sign of them. The police were of no help either.
Adam takes the job and sets out to find out what he can although he is sure he will find that Esther and Willie are no longer among the living. He tried to tell Henrietta that but she refuser to listen. Adam’s hunt leads to a hunt for a murderer as well. Will he have any luck finding the baby, now an 11-year-old?
Adam Lapid is a Holocaust survivor. He survived Auschwitz and although he lost his wife and daughters, he is still thankful for his life and return to the living. Although it has been ten years since they have been gone, he hasn’t forgotten a single thing about them. He left Hungary and came to Israel where he fought for independence. Instead of returning to his profession as a police officer, he has chosen to go the route of a private investigator.
Henrietta Ackerland has come to him asking him to find her son. Ten years ago, as she and her family were being collected for the roundup in her hometown, she managed to give her son to a school classmate who was leaving Hungary for Israel. Esther Greunewald agreed to take young Willie to Israel and care for him until Henrietta could get there. She made one of those choiceless choices to save her son. She had already lost his father. Henrietta then spent six weeks looking for her husband who had disappeared and then she went to Frankfurt and went into hiding in the open. Her blond hair and blue eyes definitely helped her. After the war, she managed to get on a ship for Israel but was stopped by the British and kept in a camp on Cyprus. Finally, two months ago, she made it to Israel and started looking for Esther. She had found no sign of them. The police were of no help either.
Adam takes the job and sets out to find out what he can although he is sure he will find that Esther and Willie are no longer among the living. He tried to tell Henrietta that but she refuser to listen. Adam’s hunt leads to a hunt for a murderer as well. Will he have any luck finding the baby, now an 11-year-old?
January 24, 2023
This is one of the better detective novels I've read. After the book ends, the author talks about how he had finished book #2 and #3 in the series but had struggled to finish this debut novel featuring detective Adam Lapid. I see why. It's about an Israeli detective in 1949 who has seemingly taken on a cold case. What makes the read great is how Dunsky gets us into Adam Lapid's mind, as we follow his digging for information process: Who he has to interview, many seemingly dead ends, etc. We wonder, when will that key piece of information(s) come in that leads to a hotter trail and, of course, who dunnit? Therefore, the pacing of the logos is what makes this book amazing. When the crime is solved, the pieces all fit together, extremely logically, and then we get the sense of pathos with the resolution. The book is also sprinkled with enough vignettes of action to prevent it from becoming too cerebral. A well-crafted story. Read it!
February 27, 2022
Adam Lipid is a private detective in Israel, 1949. Adam lost his entire family in Auschwitz, fought for the creation of Israel and is now looking for a boy who's mother put him in the arms of another some ten years before. Adam is haunted by nightmares and is rarely able to sleep the night through. Strength, resilience and tenacity allow Adam to doggedly follow each lead he comes across to locate this boy. I loved the writing which brought the characters and their country to life as well as the anguish of their suffering. This is no cheezy detective story but one worthy of being made into a movie and I will definitely continue with the rest of the series.
August 12, 2023
Had to drop after a few pages.
May 27, 2025
4.5 So good. A different kind of murder mystery
December 31, 2022
A riveting read which keeps one in suspense until the end. The author masterfully wraps up all of the loose ends of this mystery in the final chapter, revealing an unexpected culprit. I'm ready to read more of Adam Lapid's exploits.
January 4, 2025
I like a solid historical mystery series, and so picked up this first in a series featuring former Hungarian Jewish police detective Adam Lapid, who is working as a private investigator in newly independent Israel in 1949. The hook is pretty solid -- a newly arrived immigrant asks him to find out what happened to the baby she entrusted to a friend to get out of Germany a decade previously. This provides the opportunity for a window into the difficulties Jews had emigrating to British-ruled Palestine leading up to and during the years of the Holocaust.
However, Lapid soon discovers the child and caretaker were both brutally murdered in an unsolved case. And so he undertakes to find out who did it and why. The mystery itself is well-constructed, with some subtle threads, interesting connections, and plenty of misdirection. Unfortunately, the story's main big twist is far too obvious from very early on. So while the mechanics and details of the plot all work quite well, I certainly couldn't have worked out the motives for the murders.
Lapid borders on a cliche, he's haunted by having lost his wife and children to the Holocaust, and so is driven to seek out justice at all costs. He's intelligent but doesn't hesitate to bully and intimidate, and is comfortable in personally deciding how to mete out justice. The book does a nice job of portraying the wobbly economic conditions of Israel at the time, although I could have done with a little more color and street life. What's a little curious is that for a book that takes great pains to depict the wide range of Jews in Israel at the time, from long-time native, to pre-war immigrants, to Holocaust survivors, Irgun, kibbutzim, etc., Arabs are never mentioned as existing. Of course, the war resulted in the vast majority of the native Arab population being driven across borders, but there they still comprised 10-15% of the population, and the exclusion is odd.
Another cultural note that felt implausible is that everyone can communicate perfectly with each other. At that time, about 80% of native-born Israelis spoke Hebrew, and the vast majority of the new immigrants arrived with zero Hebrew (the bulk of these new arrivals spoke Yiddish or German) and had to attend special adult education schools to learn it. It wasn't until the mid-1950s that Hebrew became the true lingua franca. But the book makes no mention of any language barriers and while I guess that's poetic license, I prefer a little more realism in historical fiction. All that said -- I'll probably pick up the next in the series to see if it gets better.
However, Lapid soon discovers the child and caretaker were both brutally murdered in an unsolved case. And so he undertakes to find out who did it and why. The mystery itself is well-constructed, with some subtle threads, interesting connections, and plenty of misdirection. Unfortunately, the story's main big twist is far too obvious from very early on. So while the mechanics and details of the plot all work quite well, I certainly couldn't have worked out the motives for the murders.
Lapid borders on a cliche, he's haunted by having lost his wife and children to the Holocaust, and so is driven to seek out justice at all costs. He's intelligent but doesn't hesitate to bully and intimidate, and is comfortable in personally deciding how to mete out justice. The book does a nice job of portraying the wobbly economic conditions of Israel at the time, although I could have done with a little more color and street life. What's a little curious is that for a book that takes great pains to depict the wide range of Jews in Israel at the time, from long-time native, to pre-war immigrants, to Holocaust survivors, Irgun, kibbutzim, etc., Arabs are never mentioned as existing. Of course, the war resulted in the vast majority of the native Arab population being driven across borders, but there they still comprised 10-15% of the population, and the exclusion is odd.
Another cultural note that felt implausible is that everyone can communicate perfectly with each other. At that time, about 80% of native-born Israelis spoke Hebrew, and the vast majority of the new immigrants arrived with zero Hebrew (the bulk of these new arrivals spoke Yiddish or German) and had to attend special adult education schools to learn it. It wasn't until the mid-1950s that Hebrew became the true lingua franca. But the book makes no mention of any language barriers and while I guess that's poetic license, I prefer a little more realism in historical fiction. All that said -- I'll probably pick up the next in the series to see if it gets better.
January 8, 2019
I didn’t like this book. At the beginning where the protagonist murders several Nazis after the war, and we’re told he lost his wife and 2 daughters in the Holocaust, it’s done in a matter of fact way with little well-written feeling. That he was a detective in pre-war Budapest is mentioned without embellishments as if on a resume. Now in Israel, commissioned to find a boy not seen by his mother in 10 years, except for frequent mentioning of many common street names in Tel Aviv, the writing, dialogue and actions could all be that of a tough, jaded New York City gumshoe tracking down a missing person. I never felt the unique nuances of culture and place of Israel I experience in other books that take place there, and how things are said and done differently. The plot wasn’t bad, but to me, well-written books are much more than just a good plot.
July 22, 2018
excellent. well written. dynamic. this book was recommended and totally worth it. draws you in from the first line and holds you til the last word. well researched in a time period i love, drawing the reader to the anomie of Post WWII world with all the color and soul i have found in Remarque. Well worth the read. i am voracious and sort of like the bookseller in the book who READS everything though in this day and age of people only reading People , i would brag that i have read 1,000s of books in my lifetime. it is a passion. btw, i did not put the book down til i finished. at my age, i can do this.
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