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And indeed, Nita is about to be
tested. For she soon learns that first
her father, and then her brother, have
been murdered. Fortunately, she has
Ohayon there to help.
As with any good mystery, every
chapter in Murder Duet tricks the read-
er: Another suspect, another twist,
another possibility. Here, the guilty
parry, or parties, might be Nita's other
brother Theo, the hot tempered con-
ductor; the dark figure who apparently
was desperate for Felix van Gelden's
extraordinary Dutch painting; the
female violinist; the much-loved and
wise elderly music instructor; the visit-
ing singer; Felix's quirky assistant; the
symphony manager; and yes, Nita her-
self— or someone else all together.
What makes reading Murder Duet
so much fun, though, is that in addi-
tion to being suspenseful, it's well-
written. Admittedly, a few instances in
the plot are just a little too conve-
nient: Ohayon just happens to live in
the same apartment building as a
woman who just happens to be
`FORTUNE'S HAND'
1
TOTAL
DINNER
BILL
from page 84
from page 84
turn quickly. Her gift is in creating
interesting characters, which she puts
in situations we can appreciate. She is
a good contemporary psychologist,
though she does allow some cliches to
come into play.
True to her surname, she does not
offer the sweeping, descriptive style of
what often passes for great literature.
But for escapist reading that will con-
vince you that being rich is not neces-
sarily a blessing, you just might want
to get hooked on Fortune's Hand.
— Reviewed by
Esther Allweiss Tschirhart
`REDEMPTION' from page 85
tionship with Hopper, about whom
he freely concedes he knows little or
nothing. Could this new woman in
his life be a murderer?
Fast does a fine job with this love
affair of middle (or indeed old) age.
Presumably drawing on his own life
experience, he gently depicts the physi-
cal frailties of a man in his late 70s
while affirming Goldman's continuing
dignity, humanity and strength.
His writing style is consistently
engaging, and the courtroom scenes are
generally convincing. Fast understands
that trials are not decided in a single
moment of drama but amount to
0/29
1999
86 Detroit Jewish News
involved in an intriguing mystery?- (Of
course, if you're not equipped with the
skill known as "the willing suspension
of disbelief," you're not likely to be
reading a fictional mystery, anyway.)
But the reader can forgive these
because Gur is such a creative and
engaging author. You'll actually enjoy
reading the conversations between
Ohayon and Nita, rather than skip-
ping over all this seemingly superflu-
ous material to get to the real crux of
the story: how the murders are solved.
(Further proof of Gur's abilities: the
relationship between Ohayon and
Nita will not develop as you imagine.)
Gur does a fabulous job, too, of inte-
grating the musical motif throughout
the story. Few things make a mystery
more insufferable than having a theme
just dropped in for no reason whatsoev-
er. While the raison d'etre of the book is,
of course, solving a crime, along the
way Gur nonetheless tells readers a great
deal about the world of classical music
and the passions it stirs in those who
love it. It's clear the author herself is
educated on the topic. It's no passing
Belva Plain speaks 10 a.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the D.
Dan and Betty Kahn Building of
the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield. Her talk is co-
sponsored by Brandeis University
National Women's Committee,
Congregation Beth Shalom
Sisterhood, Congregation B'nai
David Sisterhood, Jewish
Community Center Women's
Health Club, Jewish Home and
A ging Services, Na'amat,
National Council of Jewish
Women, Temple Kol Ami
Sisterhood and Women's
cumulative efforts by both sides over
days or weeks to marshal the evidence.
The author goes wrong in a couple
of details, though. He has the trial
judge expressing deep concern that if
Hopper were to take the stand in her
own defense, she would waive the privi-
lege against self-incrimination and pos-
sibly cause a mistrial. Actually, defense
lawyers often put their clients on the
stand in criminal cases. The issue is not
a constitutional one but a tactical mat-
ter. Also, in a brief interlude about
Jewish ritual, Fast unaccountably con-
fuses the bris (circumcision) with the
pidyon ha-ben (redemption of the first-
born), an entirely different ceremony.