The 48th Annual Jewish Book Fair

•••

AN.

'Murder Duet'

'Fortune's Hand'

Batya Gur sets her newest
mystery in the Israeli
classical music world.

Belva Plain's latest novel
considers the price of greed.

fillhe mysterious murder of
/11
g
/
s c •
Gabriel van Gelden hangs
on a string — or, to be more
the string of a cello.
precise
Someone used one on poor
Gabi's neck, and Michael
Ohayon is determined to find
out who.
ulacev"
Murder Duet: A Musical
Case (HarperCollins, $24) is
— Nita van Gelden. Nita, her-
Israeli author Batya Gur's latest
self a single mother, invites
novel featuring Michael
Ohayon to her apartment and
Ohayon, the Moroccan-born
the two become friends. He
Israeli policeman who manages
admires
her parenting skills,
to unravel the seemingly
her
intellect
and, perhaps
unsolvable murders of Gabi
above
all,
her
musical skills.
van Gelden and his father,
"He
had
loved,
these days
Felix.
just past, being in the
Both classical musi-
room when she
cians, the two appar-
played [the cello]. At
• ently were killed for an
such moments she
expensive painting. All
seemed
to him strong
the other policemen
and
withdrawn
into
on the case believe it,
herself,
inaccessible
anyway — but with
and beautiful. He
Ohayon, this theory
had a great wish to
strikes a sour note.
be near her, to feel
As the story begins,
Batya
Gur
again and again the
Ohayon is alone on
childlike
softness that
Rosh HaShana when
was
so
evident
when
she looked
he happens to find a baby in a
at
her
son
or
at
the
baby
girl ...
box, and he falls in love with
When she played he had the
her. (The divorced detective is
feeling that great strength was
feeling lonely now that his
pouring out of her, like a tor-
only son has moved out of the
rent of underground water.
country). A friendly (and yes,
That this strength swept every-
attractive) neighbor offers to
thing else aside, and that every-
help Ohayon, who fumbles,
thing else seemed to be an
albeit endearingly, as he tries to
obstacle that tested her."
care for the infant.
The neighbor's name is Nita
MURDER DUET on page 86

—

114.T30. J• TS.' 4to

10/29

1999

84 Detroit Jewish News

fl .PPAMII

,0454.4

jg ELVA
PLAIN

1115 emember the story of "The
MI
' 'Enchanted Fish"? A poor
but happy fisherman who lives
with his wife in a but by the sea
lets a talking fish go. His wife,
sensing opportunity, makes her
husband ask the magic fish for a
cottage. With this success, she
sends her husband back for a
palace and keeps escalating her
demands until the wife, now
Emperor, wants to become
God. At this point, the magic
The country club set he would
fish takes everything away.
have no part of before, becomes
The moral of Fortune's Hand
something
he must join. He
(Delacorte Press; $29.95), the
needs a better job, a better
17th novel by best-selling
house, more land and seems to
author Belva Plain, has much in
be succumbing to every easy-
common with this classic fairy
money investment scheme that
tale. Robb McDaniel, a hand-
some, idealistic farm boy, is con- his old college friend, Eddy,
throws his way.
tent to be a teacher and
As Robb turns into
many his hometown
a
big-time
status-seek-
sweetheart, Lily, until
er,
Ellen
is
increasing-
the car accident that
ly
unhappy.
A man
kills his parents (he was
close
to
the
family
the driver). Robb takes
becomes her anchor.
the insurance money to
This
seems another
go away to law school,
fairy
tale: Imagine an
while Lily puts her life
eligible
professional
on hold. just before
Belva Plain
man
staying
celibate
graduation, he falls in
and
waiting
patiently,
love with someone else
without any encouragement, for
and breaks Lily's heart.
the married woman of his
Marriage to the more sophis-
dreams to someday become free.
ticated Ellen takes place; in
The
result of Robb's striving to
time, Robb is a prominent
realize
all his dreams is as pre-
attorney who joins his father-
dictable
as what happened to the
in-law's law firm. Delighted
fisherman
and his greedy wife.
with their first-born daughter,
Plain's
style
of writing is
the McDaniels begin having
accessible,
filled
with good dia-
problems with the birth of their
logue,
which
makes
the pages
second child. And Robb grows
dissatisfied with his lot in life.
FORTUNE'S HAND on page 86

FORTUNES
HAND