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Harry Kemelman
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One Fine Day the Rabbi Bought a Cross (The Rabbi Small Mysteries) Kindle Edition

by Harry Kemelman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,118 ratings
See all formats and editions
On a trip to the Holy Land, Rabbi Small is drawn into a deadly conflict between religious extremists in the New York Times–bestselling series.

Retired millionaire Barney Berkowitz, from the small Massachusetts town of Barnard’s Crossing, invites Rabbi David Small to come to Israel and bar mitzvah him, as Berkowitz never went through the ceremony in his youth. On what should be a joyous occasion—and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Holy Land—the rabbi discovers danger lurking in every corner and a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the state of Israel.
 
An innocent American has been murdered and when the sleuthing rabbi begins his investigation, he finds the death may have been part of an international conspiracy fueled by religious radicals and an arms-smuggling scheme. Anyone, from a liberal Jewish-American professor to a young religious fundamentalist, could be a suspect—and the rabbi must rely on his Talmudic logic and daring chutzpah to untangle the mystery and prevent an even more deadly attack.
  
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  1. Book 10 of 12
    The Rabbi Small Mysteries
  2. Print length
    252 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller
  6. Publication date
    August 4, 2015
  7. File size
    2778 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

e trip to the Holy Land, Rabbi David Small looks in on the troubled son of friends. Young Jordan Goodman has embraced the extreme ideals of a controversial fundamentalist Jewish group. Now his newfound beliefs lead him to perform an act of dubious heroism that results in a murder charge. Can Rabbi Small show him the error of his ways . . . and save him from the murder rap?

From AudioFile

Rabbi David Small spends summer vacation in Jerusalem with Miriam, his wife. Naturally, he's drawn into trouble when he looks up the Goodmans' son, who has hooked up with a born-again Jewish sect and who is implicated in the murder of an American professor. Kemelman's novels are much more than mysteries. They are like Fabergé eggs--polished, vivid, and filled with stunning detail that reveals Jewish life, culture, and religion. George Guidall is the perfect reader. He appreciates the rabbi's dry sense of humor, his scholarship, and his desire to mind his own business. Guidall's subtle voicing conveys the colorful characters in Kemelman's Rabbi Small novels with accuracy, a sense of appreciation, and a chuckle. L.R.S. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ZJZH53G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller; 1st edition (August 4, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 4, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2778 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 252 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,118 ratings

About the author

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Harry Kemelman

Harry Kemelman

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,118 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Patto
5.0 out of 5 stars Clever plot, slippery characters
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
I really admire the way this story is put together. All sorts of inconsequential incidents turn out to have great consequences. Unrelated characters turn out to affect each other. Coincidences feel perfectly natural. And the story flows in a relaxed, conversational manner, as if there were nothing to it!

Even the rabbi’s casual purchase of a Jerusalem cross for a Christian friend is cleverly used to illustrate a certain character and make a philosophic point.

Rabbi Small and Miriam return to Jerusalem in this book for a summer vacation. Their kids are at camp. They stay with their wonderful Aunt Gittel, who is a force of nature, a real Jewish matriarch. The rabbi once again gets involved in a tricky murder case, outsmarts slippery characters and impresses the local police.

The way the rabbi's fellow Jews from Bernard's Crossing misjudge him and disapprove of him is amusing as always.

So this book is a delightful addition to the Rabbi Small series.
10 people found this helpful
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An Avid Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful and Worthwhile Mystery Series
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2018
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One doesn't need to be Jewish to enjoy Kemelman's Rabbi mysteries. His books are rich in characters, settings, and interesting detail, and are finely written, with an appealing protagonist. I'd read several of these decades ago when they were being written, and read this one when it recently caught my eye. I'm now going to go through the Amazon descriptions of all of his books to find the ones I had missed, and perhaps read a few others again, also. This is a wonderful mystery series that hadn't needed to resort to gore, horror, or highly offensive themes to be intriguing and interesting. The competent writing, alone, makes this a series worth reading.
19 people found this helpful
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Nick
5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous book
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2023
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The surprise ending, was carefully hidden before the big reveal. Like all of the "Rabbi Small" it includes the minutia of detail about the Jewish religion.

A great book and I couldn't put it down.
4 people found this helpful
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Sarah Rogers
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not exciting!
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2020
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This is a mystery with a twist--it's a murder set in the Holy Land. An American rabbi helps local authorities solve the mystery which involves visitors from his home congregation. It's interesting, but the plot moves slowly, there's a lot of background information and a lot of just atmosphere description. I was never caught up in the story and carried along from situation to situation eagerly awaiting the next event.
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Betsy M.
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, Informative, and Reliable
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2019
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I always learn something new about Judaism when I read a Rabbi David Small mystery. In this case, I also learned a great deal about Israel since much of the book takes place there. The number of suspects for this murder mystery is relatively small (pardon he pun), so it isn't terribly difficult to guess who the perpetrator is, but finding out how Rabbi Small works it out is fascinating. Recommended as a good escapism noveel.
One person found this helpful
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The Duke
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great story
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2023
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Once again the Rabbi solved a complicated murder mystery with logic and common sense. International intrigue makes this a great read.
2 people found this helpful
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R. Lasley
5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten How Much I Loved Rabbi Small
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2020
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Remember they’re dated, but it’s like a time capsule. They still have a smoking section in planes. Heck everyone still smokes. Israel wasn’t even 40 years old yet. But the story is timeless and really well written. Complex enough to keep it interesting, but easily read. Always there is the wisdom of Rabbi Small who explains Judaism with a practical voice. Revisiting an old friend was a delight.
4 people found this helpful
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Mary Nelson
4.0 out of 5 stars I first read this about thirty years ago
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2020
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I read the entire series out at that time, but I doubt I have read any since.

I must say that I enjoyed a simple mystery, with good people—unlike many of current mysteries I read. I had forgotten the solution, so I did enjoy it. It is well-plotted, with good, if not necessarily totally believable characters. Nice to read a competent writer.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

rusty
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in Canada on March 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
I enjoy the Rabbi Small books. Good stories, and good explanations of the culture and beliefs.
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Mary Suzanne Glespen
4.0 out of 5 stars I am enjoying rereading the Rabbi stories
Reviewed in France on November 2, 2016
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I enjoyed reading the books in this series 40 years ago, and I am enjoying rereading them. They haven't aged.
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Strawberry
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2015
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Another great book.
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Pip
4.0 out of 5 stars The rabbi WAS cross.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2021
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I enjoyed this book even though to my ultra critical ear and eye the Rabbi seemed to loose the thread and direction of his arguments at times, but that’s human so stop carping, sit back and enjoy.
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Nyel
3.0 out of 5 stars humour
Reviewed in France on July 16, 2013
Verified Purchase
Once more rabbi Small gets out of very intricate situations showing his openness to others outside of his religious group...
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