An Old Man's Game
An Amos Parisman Mystery
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
"Andy Weinberger has done something extraordinary with his first novel: he’s written a truly great detective novel that is fresh and original, but already feels like it’s a classic. In the tradition of Walter Mosley, Raymond Chandler, and Sue Grafton, semi-retired private eye Amos Parisman roams LA’s seedy and not-so-seedy neighborhoods in pursuit of justice. I don’t want another Amos Parisman novel—I want a dozen more!”
— Amy Stewart
When a controversial celebrity rabbi drops dead over his matzoh ball soup at the famed Canter's Deli in Los Angeles, retired private eye Amos Parisman— a sixtyish, no-nonsense Jewish detective who lives with his addled wife in Park La Brea—is hired by the temple's board to make sure everything is kosher. As he looks into what seems to be a simple, tragic accident, the ante is raised when more people start to die or disappear, and Amos uncovers a world of treachery and hurt that shakes a large L.A. Jewish community to its core.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Weinberger's agreeable if flawed first novel and series launch introduces Amos Parisman, an aging Jewish PI in Los Angeles. Amos is retained by the board of an Orthodox synagogue to look into the sudden death of its rabbi, Ezra Diamant, who keeled over during a meal at Canter's Deli. There's no evidence of anything other than natural causes, and the cleric was buried without an autopsy. Amos's suspicions that there may have been foul play are enhanced after someone connected with Diamant is clearly murdered. Amos's search for a motive for Diamant's killing leads him to some controversial Friday night sermons Diamant gave that questioned whether the Exodus from Egypt described in the Hebrew Bible ever happened. Some readers may object that the real Canter's Deli in L.A. is nonkosher and hence not a place an Orthodox rabbi would patronize; more seriously, they may say questioning the Exodus story wouldn't anger anyone enough to commit murder. Others won't care. Those seeking more L.A. mysteries with a Jewish theme should check out Joseph Telushkin's Rabbi Winter series.
